How to create space in the slalom course

How to create space in the slalom course

It was not a huge surprise that this won the voting contest. We learn from when we first run the course how hard it can be to get to the balls until we learn how to create enough space to set up early turns. Each time we speed up or shorten the rope the buoys seem to come faster and we go straight at them until we get the confidence to commit to the pass.

In a nut shell space is created by a higher edge angle of the ski. The more the ski is rolled over the more it will go across the lake. The flatter the ski is the more the boat is able to pull you down course. There are 2 factors that go into how much edge angle is necessary at each line length 1. is the speed of the boat 2. is the rope length. When I am coaching kids who are going up through the speeds and starting to get into short line I have scale for them to identify their lean angle. Lean angle is how much you have your ski between you and the boat. (see pic of T-Gas) As we lean over in the turn the ski rolls on edge, and we set our line across the lake the pull of the boat comes on and we are either set with enough edge angle to accept the forces of the boat OR we leave ourselves vulnerable and need to start fighting the boat to maintain what we have so the boat doesn't flatten out the ski at the centerline. The goal is find the amount of lean angle/leverage to where we can relax and let the boat swing us without the fear of the boat taking away the edge we have. After you run a pass ask yourself how much did I have to fight/pull to make that pass? Now run it again with a little more lean angle and watch how you can relax more and have more space before the ball.

TIME OUT

Now before I go any further all leans are NOT created equal. When I am talking about lean angle I am talking about an efficient position to apply edge angle to the ski. This position is a staked straight body position. As soon as the skeletal alignment is broken the edge angle to load ratio changes. Also our balance on the ski moves as the other 2 planes of balance compensate. Lean angle can create edge angle and allow you to relax and load the rope less OR if you are not stacked as you lean more the edge angle will increase yes and yes you will create a little more space but the load on the rope will go up way more and punish you or even take away your space right as you change your edge. The next article will address how to get stacked. Before you go and try to increase your lean angle do a quick posture check…try simply improving your posture and see how that affects your space before the ball.

TIME IN

As the speed goes up or the rope shortens the base lean angle/leverage for each pass increases. I try to have skiers identify what lean angle allows them to fully relax and be as early as they want to be. I then have them identify what number out of 10 that is. Then as they shorten or speed up, if they want to have the same amount of space then they have to increase that lean angle by 1. For example if we identify that at 28 off a skiers lean angle is 4/10 then when we shorten they must increase to a 5/10 OR expect to run straighter at the balls. Our natural tendency when we go to a harder pass is to back off as a result of the extra speed and swing of the pendulum. This slight reluctance or expectation of the pass being harder will allow the boat to take control and flatten the ski out a little through the wake and send you directly at the ball. If you have ever watched a pro from the boat when they run 28,32,35 and even 38 it is crazy how much space they can create. This is because they are working on a higher scale of lean angle/leverage based on what they need to feel at 39 &41. They are much further past the “base” lean angle then a skier who may be maxed out at 35 off.

Are you being coached or taught?

Are you being coached or taught?

Think about some of your main keys that help your slalom. Everyone has a short script of a few key technical elements that they know work and make them ski better. Some you may have got from a coach or some you may have figured out on your own and some you may have acquired from watching other skiers. Now if you break down those keys do they trace back to the big picture of slalom taken at 30,000 feet or are they simply band aids to help compensate for some bigger issues in your technique that you may not understand?

There is a big difference from being coached and being taught. Being coached is like when you help someone with their math homework but basically do it for them. Yes it gets the assignment done and they may kind of understand it but without you holding their hand every time they do it more then likely they will have problems and need you to get through it next time. Being taught is taking the time to break down each step until the person truly knows it, from that point they really don't need much help in the future until something harder comes along. If they have to do that kind of math again they will be fine and will have the skill for life.

Waterski instruction is much the same. Having a skiers understand the “goal” of slalom is key before they can truly understand at what point they are at and where you need to begin to break down the barrier that currently holding them back. “Technique” is fancy word that describes a series of movements that we go through to try and make our ski do what we want it to do when we want it to do it! But do you know what you want your ski to do?! If a coach helps you understand the big picture then all the exercises/drills or techniques he has you do should be helping you reach the goal. Understanding how the ski works in the water at different times in the course is step one…once you understand this then any body movements should compliment what you want the ski to do and where you want the water to be breaking on it at every point in the course. Many times i have students at the school who say “this person told me to do this” so i ask them is this what you want your ski to do here? Never forget for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction…this could not be more true as our sport is performed on an unstable surface. There are 3 planes of balance and if we move 1 plane then the other 2 will automatically adjust. Nothing on a slalom ski is ever static.

I have always found that once i explain the big picture of slalom and help skiers understand how the ski reacts with the flow of water at difference points in the course then the “technique” becomes very simple and they can take away all the band aids and focus on the main issues that are holding them back.

Natalie (Hamrick) Halt Interview

Interview with Natalie (Hamrick) Halt

Q: You are one of the greatest women's slalom skiers of all time can you give us some of your accomplishments/wins/greatest moments?

A: Aw, thanks, Matt! That feels like a lifetime ago at this point. But certainly they are some of my sweetest memories. Highlights are definitely running 39' in Italy after no one had done it behind Perfect Pass EVER, or in 10 years since Kristi! That was a massive deal for me, and you and I had been working together so much about getting my head in right space to know that I could do it even though no one else was at that time. World Cup wins were always big for me, too... Russia, Ireland, even China when the event got cancelled and a few of us went and played tourists in Shang Hai! All of the events in Lacanau, and I think one of my favorites to this day was the event at Eurolac where Fred and I won together!

Q: What do you miss the most about being on tour and competing for a living.

A: Traveling the world. With little kids it is so hard to get out and about these days. One of my "things" was, if I was going to a tournament in a place I had never been, I was going to check out the scene. There was no way that I was doing the fly-in, ski, fly- out deal. I was turning it into an adventure and exploring the heck out of as much as I could while I was there, usually with Jaki Hunter in tow. Maybe when my boys get older I can get back to that passion for travel. I am trying my hardest to create a space in the yoga world where I can possibly live that again, but we'll see...

Q: You have been doing Yoga long before it was trendy; tell us about your business and how you turned this into an “after sport” career?

A: I 'found yoga' the year that I graduated from college ('99) when my body felt like it was breaking in two with all of the hits I would take in the course. Yogani in Tampa, Florida, I will never forget it. The experience of getting away from the competitiveness and moving into a moment that linked breath with movement with intention... it was the most spiritual experience of my life up to that point. And it has never left me. Yoga is my sacred. The fact that I am turning this into my mission with my life now is simply testimony of how powerful it has been for me over the course of my life. Through birthing babies, having to let go of my passion for skiing, transplanting between countries, parenting, starting a business... it is my sanity. My sanctity. And my mission is to help others discover how transformative it can be on a physical, spiritual AND emotional level.

Q: Fred your husband still rips buoys like a machine! Tell us about him, your 2 sons and life as a mom?

A: Oh, my Fred. I could write a book on that guy, but he would never approve being as humble a guy as he is. Fred is like my favorite bourbon, just getting better with age. He blows me away with his ability that just keeps accelerating and improving as the years go by. The cool thing with him is that there is this undercurrent of confidence on the water that is now coupling with that ability that makes him, like you said, a machine. And yet, with us, we wouldn't even know that he is training for skiing, believe it or not. It is pretty miraculous how he subltly weaves his passion for skiing into his life and yet still shows up as a father and a husband 110%. I admire him so. And envy him, too! Wish my body held up the way his has!

My boys are my heart. Talk about life lessons, those two boys are my PhD! Never have I known sacrifice, love, hope, beauty, FATIGUE as I have being a mother these last six years. They are the fiber of my being, Matt, I swear. There isn't a thought I think or an action I take that doesn't somehow involve the two of them. Life is very full at the moment and I am so incredibly grateful.

Q: You were the 2nd women to ever run 39 off. There was a picture in the Waterski Magazine of you on your cell phone, soaking wet in your ski gear, calling me to tell me you ran 1/2@41. Can you remember that day and what was it like when you sank in the water to shorten the rope tom 41 for the first time?

A: As if it were tattooed on my brain, YES!! I had been running so many bouys with you leading up to us leaving for Europe that summer, I remember that. I would drive over from Tampa- and hour and half each direction- and you had me so keyed in to what it would take to dominate, that I clearly remember, too! Fred videoed it with Ralphie (Steve Cockeram) standing next to him , and it was just mayhem on all accounts. I screamed so load out the gates I strained my vocal cords, I can assure you of that. And dropping in after 6 bouys at 39,' I remember feeling as though my body wasn't attached to my brain anymore. It was just this automatic movable machine that would go through these incredible motions, and the high of that moment- probably TMI, but the only thing that has come anywhere close is natural, drug-free child birth. (Definitely TMI, sorry!)

Q: What are your favorite: Ski, Boat, Lake, Tournament, Yoga pose, Kids movie, City, Food, Activity with your boys.

A: Ski: Connelly (and I am loving seeing Fred shredding it on their latest.) Boat: I was, am, and always will be the Malibu girl, despite Regina 's efforts to prove otherwise:) Lake: Eurolac definitely has a hold on me after 8 years of living in Switzerland, but my time training with you on your old lake are some of my favorite memories, too. Tournament: Lacanau. Who doesn't love that lake? Not to mention, getting to hang with Gigi (Geraldine Jamin.) And drink French Bordeaux. And eat French food. I always looked forward to this event the most. It was never about the big ones for me- they were amazing, but the experience around the event was equally as significant. Yoga Pose: Handstand. Not that its really a traditional "yoga pose," but I LOVE handstanding! I finally mastered the free handstand and if I am ever in a bad mood or feeling groggy or tired or annoyed or whatever- a handstand makes it right. Turning my world upside down is a theme I still embrace like crazy. And there is always something to work on. Before 40, I will do a pike press up. Kids movie: Loved Big Hero 6. Although I am really looking forward to the new one coming out next weekend- Home. I am a total sucker for any kind of redemption stories. So in that vein, Boxtrolls was also a definite fave. City: New Orleans. I am half NOLA (Mom) and half Lowcountry (Dad), what can I say?- Charleston and New Orleans. I get to live in Charleston, so more nostaligic for New Orleans right about now. History, food, culture, family, music, water... I could go on and on. These are the two gems of the US. And I claim them both. Food: Sushi and fondue. In that order. Sushi I eat once a week, fondue once a year. Activity with my boys: We have this gorgeous park out on the marsh not far from our house here on the coast of South Carolina called Palmetto Islands County Park. They have these trails through the woods next to the marshes with views that are so picturesque of our region it can take your breath away. Anyway, Nash gets on his bike and Ford gets on his scooter, and (for now) I can keep up with them runing (I know it's only a matter of time!) Beneath blankies watching movies is a tie, though.

Are you being coached or taught?

Think about some of your main keys that help your slalom. Everyone has a short script of a few key technical elements that they know work and make them ski better. Some you may have got from a coach or some you may have figured out on your own and some you may have acquired from watching other skiers. Now if you break down those keys do they trace back to the big picture of slalom taken at 30,000 feet or are they simply band aids to help compensate for some bigger issues in your technique that you may not understand?

There is a big difference from being coached and being taught. Being coached is like when you help someone with their math homework but basically do it for them. Yes it gets the assignment done and they may kind of understand it but without you holding their hand every time they do it more then likely they will have problems and need you to get through it next time. Being taught is taking the time to break down each step until the person truly knows it, from that point they really don't need much help in the future until something harder comes along. If they have to do that kind of math again they will be fine and will have the skill for life.

Waterski instruction is much the same. Having a skiers understand the “goal” of slalom is key before they can truly understand at what point they are at and where you need to begin to break down the barrier that currently holding them back. “Technique” is fancy word that describes a series of movements that we go through to try and make our ski do what we want it to do when we want it to do it! But do you know what you want your ski to do?! If a coach helps you understand the big picture then all the exercises/drills or techniques he has you do should be helping you reach the goal. Understanding how the ski works in the water at different times in the course is step one…once you understand this then any body movements should compliment what you want the ski to do and where you want the water to be breaking on it at every point in the course. Many times i have students at the school who say “this person told me to do this” so i ask them is this what you want your ski to do here? Never forget for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction…this could not be more true as our sport is performed on an unstable surface. There are 3 planes of balance and if we move 1 plane then the other 2 will automatically adjust. Nothing on a slalom ski is ever static.

I have always found that once i explain the big picture of slalom and help skiers understand how the ski reacts with the flow of water at difference points in the course then the “technique” becomes very simple and they can take away all the band aids and focus on the main issues that are holding them back.