goofy foot

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PAN AM Slalom Water Ski Footwork

pan am waterskiing          An elite slalom water skier doesn’t wobble on his single ski as he cuts inside and then back outside of the wake. He finds and keeps his balance with his feet secured in bindings, one in front and one behind.  The foot in the back binding steers the board, leaning in the direction he wants to go in, turning with slight movements.  That foot is his so-called ‘dominant foot’.

When this skier graduated from two skis to one, he would have taken a ‘test’ to discover which of his feet was dominant. ‘Footedness’ isn’t an automatic ‘pass’ decision.  Ninety percent of right-handers are also right-footers, but only about half of left-handers are left-footed. (1)  In the normal or regular stance on slalom skis, the left foot is in front and the right foot in back binding takes care of steering.  When the right foot leads, the skier is called ‘goofy footed’.

Advanced-level slalom skiers increase their athletic challenge by riding ‘switch-footed’ with their non-dominant foot steering. They aim is to have their performance appear as natural as possible. The names of any tricks or special moves they make would be prefaced by ‘switch’, such as ‘switch ollie’, so that the audience would understand the skill level being tested.

Who is goofy-footed?  Are you? Testing for ‘footedness’ happens on land; there are no ‘sink or swim’ prospects.

Three Tests to Determine Dominant Foot for Slalom Water Skiing:

  1. The Falling Test

Stand with your feet together and close your eyes. Ask someone to gently push you forward from behind. Better if it is done with surprise timing. Whichever foot goes forward first to catch your balance is the one you should try putting in the forward binding.

  1. The Pants Test

Whichever foot you use to put in a pair of pants first is the foot that should go in the front binding.

  1. The Kick Test

Have someone hold a life jacket or something else you can kick in front of you. Kick it without thinking. The foot you kick with is the foot you should put forward. (2)

Go to – http://www.toronto2015.org/schedule

Resources: 

http://www.toronto2015.org/water-ski

http://www.wikihow.com/Slalom-Ski-(Water-Ski-on-One-Ski)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footedness (1)

http://waterski.about.com/od/tipsslalombegin/a/forward_foot.htm  (2)

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.   1 Corinthians 9:25 (NIV)

TRAINING – COMPETITION – PODIUM

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PAN AM Wakeboard Footwork

pan am wakeboarding          Recipe for High Water Tricks on a Wakeboard

Ingredients and Directions

Start with an initial base of waterskiing, convert that to slalom, and add a good measure of skateboarding. Blend in five ounces of snowboarding and a cup full of surfing. Switch feet and stir again. Let it set until confidence starts to rise.  THEN, add acrobatics to further leaven the mixture.  Stir again, 180 and then 360.  Whip it until it pops.  Spritz it with ‘rad’ lingo.  Ride the butter!

A Smorgasbord of Images: “Tricks on a Wakeboard” 

1.  A lanky wake boarder on a short, sturdy board towed across water, stands in boot bindings with his feet ducked out for stability when he lands board on the water after doing a ‘heelside backroll’ in the foamy air.  [Caption “This Blender Goes Twice the Speed of Boat”.]

2.  The goofy-footed rider’s heels are along one edge of the board and his toes are along the other. He has pressed down with his heels, digging the edge of the board into the water. The board moves in the direction of the edge.  [Caption: “Carving with Heels”]

3.  The windblown rider has just bounced twice to break the tension on the water. Looking for his pop, he pushes down on his board with his back foot and scoops his front foot up, jumping over an imaginary fish dinner.  [Caption: “Unwrapping His Ollie Pop”]

4.  Three Wakeboard Riders doing High Water Tricks:

  • Fruit Loop (A toeside front flip with a backside 180),
  • Slim Chance (A heelside front flip with a frontside 360),
  • Special K (A toeside backroll to blind, approached with both hands behind the back.)
  • [Caption: “Breakfast of Champions”]

A Feast of Footwork Feats!

Go to – http://www.toronto2015.org/schedule

Resources: 

http://www.toronto2015.org/wakeboard

http://www.usawaterski.org/BasicSkills/LearnToWakeboard.pdf

http://coolerlifestyle.com/features/beginners-guide-to-wakeboarding.html#cSLhFMLiCWaKQc8F.97

http://www.wakeboardingmag.com/how-to/higher-learning-wakeboarding/2010/09/06/how-to-find-the-right-wakeboard-stance/

http://ridebutter.com/blog/wakeboard-trick-list/

Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.   1 Corinthians 9:25 (NIV)

        TRAINING – COMPETITION – PODIUM