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teach my 10 yr old to slalom


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My daughter is great on 2 skiis and can ski on one once she is up. I have tried with a beginners rope with the triangle at the handle, but she keeps falling sideways. Can you give me some help on how to get her up on one. What rope length should I use, do I drag or not? :unsure:

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My daughter is great on 2 skiis and can ski on one once she is up. I have tried with a beginners rope with the triangle at the handle, but she keeps falling sideways. Can you give me some help on how to get her up on one. What rope length should I use, do I drag or not? :unsure:

My first question would be have you deep water started? If so, try to explain it on shore or in the boat before she gets in the water. If you have never deep water started, I have always found it easier to started with my off-dominate leg dragging instead of in the boot. It seems to provide more balance. Also, be careful on the power. I am a new BU owner and the boat so much more power than I am used to (I/O's in the past).

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My daughter is great on 2 skiis and can ski on one once she is up. I have tried with a beginners rope with the triangle at the handle, but she keeps falling sideways. Can you give me some help on how to get her up on one. What rope length should I use, do I drag or not? :unsure:

My first question would be have you deep water started? If so, try to explain it on shore or in the boat before she gets in the water. If you have never deep water started, I have always found it easier to started with my off-dominate leg dragging instead of in the boot. It seems to provide more balance. Also, be careful on the power. I am a new BU owner and the boat so much more power than I am used to (I/O's in the past).

Yes, I have been slalom skiing for about 30 yrs, but am self taught and don't know the tricks and correct techniques to teach a kid who is not very strong.

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My daughter is great on 2 skiis and can ski on one once she is up. I have tried with a beginners rope with the triangle at the handle, but she keeps falling sideways. Can you give me some help on how to get her up on one. What rope length should I use, do I drag or not? :unsure:

My first question would be have you deep water started? If so, try to explain it on shore or in the boat before she gets in the water. If you have never deep water started, I have always found it easier to started with my off-dominate leg dragging instead of in the boot. It seems to provide more balance. Also, be careful on the power. I am a new BU owner and the boat so much more power than I am used to (I/O's in the past).

Yes, I have been slalom skiing for about 30 yrs, but am self taught and don't know the tricks and correct techniques to teach a kid who is not very strong.

The strength you mention may be the key. I found that a slow and steady throttle is better than punching it. At 10, I am sure there is not much boat resistance.

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My daughter is great on 2 skiis and can ski on one once she is up. I have tried with a beginners rope with the triangle at the handle, but she keeps falling sideways. Can you give me some help on how to get her up on one. What rope length should I use, do I drag or not? :unsure:

My daughter who is also 10 struggles at times to get up on 1 ski. My son who is 9 gets up every time like a pro so I have a mixed track record on teaching my own kids.

Both of my kids get up better with just the front foot in. With both feet they tended to fall to the side towards the direction of their front foot.

For rope length go shorter 22 or 28 off and if you have a tower use it. The higher pull makes it a little easier.

Definitely drag a bit to make sure your daughter is sorted out in the water. When you give it the gas you won't need too much. When she is just starting less is definitely better.

If your daughter is getting pulled over the front it is either too much gas or she needs to hold her shoulders back. Once the ski starts to come up out of the water she wants to think about standing straight up out of the water. April Coble tells the girls to think about getting up without getting their hair wet.

If the rope is snapping out of her hands chances are she doesn't have her knees tucked in enough. If the tip is getting buried right at the start she is likely trying to stand up too soon.

Generally once someone finds the balance point they figure it out and get up pretty regularly.

Always remember the fundamentals. Knees into the chest, arms out straight and let the boat pull her out of the water. I tell my daughter to keep her knee over her front foot and her shoulders over her knee. That seems to get her stacked up properly and out of the water.

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At the beginning of the summer I was finally able to convince my 10 yr-old daughter to try slalom skiing. 3 years ago I got her up on two skis, she did it a few times but then I got her a wakeboard and she was hooked on boarding. I told her she would love the feeling of slalom skiing so she gave in. I really made a point to explain that this is much harder than 2 skis and boarding and that she wouldn't get up the first time like she did on those. I didn't want to use a training rope or special ski because I figured if she could get up and ski on my wife's HO double boot competition ski she would be set for life. I did shorten the rope to 15 off. First try she fell over right away, 2nd try half way up, 3rd try up then immediately fell. She was getting frustrated so I offered her that cell phone she has been asking for for years(I had been planning on getting her one anyway so figured it would be a good incentive) and on the 4th try she popped right up and went for a long ride going back and forth across the wakes. Now she wants her own ski.

I think the main key is very little throttle, the little ones just pop right up out of the water.

Good luck and don't forget to use a little bribery now and then. Thumbup.gif

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get a boom (or find someone with one). first directly off the boom 5 times. then 5' bradle off the boom till confident. then throw her in the back with a long line. she'll get up first try.

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My daughter is great on 2 skiis and can ski on one once she is up. I have tried with a beginners rope with the triangle at the handle, but she keeps falling sideways. Can you give me some help on how to get her up on one. What rope length should I use, do I drag or not? :unsure:

Get a barefoot boom. the boom is the bomb for teaching

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for lightweight kids very smooth (& slow) throttle application.

If you have a tower shorten to 15' or 22' and tow from tower. The upwards pull really helps with initial deepwater starts.

If falling sideways remind her to rise up slowly. I suspect being light shes up on water surface at 8-10 mph but doesn't yet have enough spped to maintain balance.

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My now 16 y/o started on the slalom ski at about 10 (I'd have to ask her to be sure). She was coached to start with both feet in, even though the ski has a RTP not a rear boot, and use the v-handle just to help align the ski. Something about the difference in the female body type and it worked like a charm. Of course she has now outgrown the HO Odyssey rocket-ship ski I bought for her... Not for sale yet, the 12 y/o might try one of these days. It won't take a lot of throttle as previously stated - watch in the mirror.

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Last Sunday we got out 10 year old up on one ski for the first time. Prior to tow I stood on the swim deck and pulled her twards the boat. It gave her a chance to feel the ski wander and adjust . Three light pulls and she was up! On a 63" ski she was up at 8mph and skiing at 13-15mph. Got back in the boat and grabed her board.

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chef is correct about thinking of not getting their hair wet, the other nice tip for kids or everyone is to make sure the boat can see their smile at all times. This lightens the mood as well as keeps their head up. My wife is new to skiing and is actually quite good now the summer is nearly over. she was struggling getting up with her ski (radar lyric which is an excellant womens ski) but had great success using my 69 year old Dads Connelly wide ski. With the wide ski it was no problem, and with hers she would tip over. A nice afternoon on the lake, some sore hands and shoulders the next day and it was all sorted out and on to working on proper balance etc...

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My now 16 y/o started on the slalom ski at about 10 (I'd have to ask her to be sure). She was coached to start with both feet in, even though the ski has a RTP not a rear boot, and use the v-handle just to help align the ski. Something about the difference in the female body type and it worked like a charm. Of course she has now outgrown the HO Odyssey rocket-ship ski I bought for her... Not for sale yet, the 12 y/o might try one of these days. It won't take a lot of throttle as previously stated - watch in the mirror.

My kids are skiing on the same ski. It is great for beginning to run the course.

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I agree with the "slow and steady throttle" especially w/ a 10 year old girl, but I've seen it where people get pulled to slowly and don't plane and are too deep in the water for too long ... thus resistance (sp) forcing the skier to work harder.

If you aren't being pulled fast enough it can be easy to fall to one side or another.

Just a "maybe" as to the problem.

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Make sure she has enough life jacket so she is floating high in the water. That will allow her to start with her ski more underneath her and angled so it is ready to plane out of the water which in turn will lessen the pull at the start. Put both feet in and suck the back foot up under her butt.

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Tell her to really push with her legs against the boat. I know that has helped some of the people I've taught.

To most people 'push' means straighten legs as soon as boat moves and that's the last thing you want them to do.

Straight arms yes but with tucked in legs. Stay low for what seems a long time. Reality it isn't but seems like it when learning.

Edited by uk_exile
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Tell her to really push with her legs against the boat. I know that has helped some of the people I've taught.

I go as far as telling newbies to push down with your toes to help you get up.

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