Jump to content

Welcome to TheMalibuCrew!

As a guest, you are welcome to poke around and view the majority of the content that we have to offer, but in order to post, search, contact members, and get full use out of the website you will need to Register for an Account. It's free and it's easy, so don't hesitate to join the TheMalibuCrew Family today!

Ready to Barefoot


5genTexan

Recommended Posts

I'm ready to start learning...what do I do now? Do I need to buy a boom? Which one will fit my '05 RLXi? Do I start LL?

Thanks!

Link to comment

#1 - Boom

#2 - Barefoot suit & padded shorts

#3 - Lessons from a pro

#4 - Lessons from a pro

#5 - Lessons from a pro

Unfortunately, the RXLi needs a special boom because the windshield comes back more than regular windshields. Barefoot International, ECI and Beman all make very nice booms. People all have their favorites for different reasons. I'll just say that I like my BI and leave it at that.

Getting a barefoot suit is obvious. I would also suggest some padded shorts to wear underneath. Not a necessity, but will make things a bit easier and less painful.

I can not stress this enough. You will improve much faster with less falls if you take some lessons from a pro. Do you have to? Nope. But I sure wish I did because I improved more in a day with a couple of pros than I did the previous 2-3 years.

I'm sure a slew of others will chime in with the best way to learn - on the boom in a swing, feet on the cables, tumbling up, off a wakeboard, etc... and there really is no wrong answer here. It's the shear number of different ways to learn that makes things too darn confusing IMHO. Just spend a couple days with a pro taking lessons and then you'll be ready to go off on your own for awhile.

Good luck.

Mike

Edited by mlange
Link to comment

While you are at the drug stroe picking up the case of motrin, pick up some waterproof surgical tape by 3M. This prevents the nose enima that is always lurking.

I learned LL by sitting on a knee board. The boom would be a huge advantage over LL. A good snug fitting suit is a must. I also wear a pair of neo shorts underneath the suit for added padding.

Most of all be patient and relax.

Link to comment

5genTexan, I have a boom, if we can pull it off next weekend we are going to try and make to the Trinity River. A buddy (GreenHead from the site) is going to give my son a lesson or two on how to spank the water at 40mph, so if you want to give it a shot with out spending a bunch of money up front, you are more than welcome to jump in with us.

Link to comment
wear a cup.

boom run; don't let go.  hang on, tumble back around.

short line; pitch it if you can.  if anything even itches, pitch it.

I tried it that way this summer (my first time) and it worked pretty well...

But I second (or third) the padded shorts!

Link to comment
5genTexan, I have a boom, if we can pull it off next weekend we are going to try and make to the Trinity River. A buddy (GreenHead from the site) is going to give my son a lesson or two on how to spank the water at 40mph, so if you want to give it a shot with out spending a bunch of money up front, you are more than welcome to jump in with us.

I might take you up on that. I'll be in touch, as we might come up there anyway.

Brent

Link to comment

Barefoot Central

wear a cup.

boom run; don't let go.  hang on, tumble back around.

short line; pitch it if you can.  if anything even itches, pitch it.

I'll jump in on this conversation and say this "If your in my boat, you don't hang on if you fall, you let go and tuck or I'll not pull you again. Not only is this dangerous, it's hard on the boom and the gunnel. That tough guy stuff doesn't impress a serious barefooter. It is foolish and very dangerous.

My advice is to go to a barefoot clinic or go to one of the barefoot schools in Florida. I would reconmend Keith St. Onge or Ron Scarpa. I have skied with both of them and Lane Bowers and I like their teaching. Keith was my favorite of any. I learned more in one day with Keith and had more fun doing it than any other.

If you can't attend a clinic or go to Florida, I'd reconmend a training video tape from one of the pro's.

Use the boom with some good ski shoes like BarefootCentral.com sells and get the correct body position down, then take it to the short rope.

Once you get the shoes down, take them off and do the exact same thing on your feet as the shoes. When you think your ready for the shortline I reconmend the wakeboard start first. The easiest start in my opinion for a beginner is sitting on a wake board with one boot removed. I learned off a kneeboard myself.

I have had many falls and some pretty serious ones. I've been off my feet for about a month now from a backwards fall at 41mph. I'm going to a spinal surgen in a few weeks to see what I have done. But I assure you, I will continue barefooting. May just be a few months. Crazy.gif

Edited by Sunset_Bob
Link to comment
Barefoot Central
wear a cup.

boom run; don't let go.  hang on, tumble back around.

short line; pitch it if you can.  if anything even itches, pitch it.

I'll jump in on this conversation and say this "If your in my boat, you don't hang on if you fall, you let go and tuck or I'll not pull you again. Not only is this dangerous, it's hard on the boom and the gunnel. That tough guy stuff doesn't impress a serious barefooter. It is foolish and very dangerous.

My advice is to go to a barefoot clinic or go to one of the barefoot schools in Florida. I would reconmend Keith St. Onge or Ron Scarpa. I have skied with both of them and Lane Bowers and I like their teaching. Keith was my favorite of any. I learned more in one day with Keith and had more fun doing it than any other.

If you can't attend a clinic or go to Florida, I'd reconmend a training video tape from one of the pro's.

Use the boom with some good ski shoes like BarefootCentral.com sells and get the correct body position down, then take it to the short rope.

Once you get the shoes down, take them off and do the exact same thing on your feet as the shoes. When you think your ready for the shortline I reconmend the wakeboard start first. The easiest start in my opinion for a beginner is sitting on a wake board with one boot removed. I learned off a kneeboard myself.

I have had many falls and some pretty serious ones. I've been off my feet for about a month now from a backwards fall at 41mph. I'm going to a spinal surgen in a few weeks to see what I have done. But I assure you, I will continue barefooting. May just be a few months. Crazy.gif

Niiiiice. Maybe I'll stick to skiing. :unsure:

Link to comment
I'll jump in on this conversation and say this "If your in my boat, you don't hang on if you fall, you let go and tuck or I'll not pull you again. Not only is this dangerous, it's hard on the boom and the gunnel. That tough guy stuff doesn't impress a serious barefooter. It is foolish and very dangerous. 

You are the first one I've ever heard say this. I don't foot that much, but from what I've seen, holding on to the boom when you fall is by far safer than letting go. I don't consider it "tough guy" stuff. It also doesn't appear, to me, to be very hard on the boom or the gunnel. I know that you have foot'd much more than myself so you know much that I don't, but why would it be dangerous to hold on? Telling someone new to the sport to "let go and tuck" is great, but until you've caught a toe, you have no idea how fast this happens, and most people cannot tuck fast enough. The facials can hurt.

Don't take this argumentatively, I really am curious as to why you see it as being dangerous.

Link to comment
Sit down...ride on your bum through the waves...stand back up.

I'll try that. Getting kind of cold around here though, not sure I'll be on the water much more.

Agreed. Go back to your three point to ride thru the waves. After you are in good water just stand again. Save yourself from serious beatings by going back to the 3 pt position anytime you feel danger until you get used to it.

Link to comment

Regarding hanging on or letting go of the boom when you fall... I have always been a proponent of hanging on. If you hang on, you will not get hurt.

Having said that, my son and I have both taken lessons from Paul Stokes and his take on this is that you should let go so that you learn how to fall the correct way. I questioned him on it and he said that too many people that never let go of the boom end up taking harder falls when they move to the 5' or long line because they don't let go of the handle either, which can lead to scorpion-like falls.

Mike

Link to comment

I think letting go of the boom is actually harder on the equipment. It inevitably "pops" the boom and it slams back. I had cracks in the gelcoat on my 96 from the boom crashing.

Link to comment
That tough guy stuff doesn't impress a serious barefooter. It is foolish and very dangerous.
is insulting. feel free to disagree with the method. that is what this forum stuff is all about. the more diverse the input the better prepared the new footer should be. the implication that those who don' t agree with you are "foolish", "dangerous" and "not serious about bf" is more 3rd grade than helpful.

isn't anything tough guy about this skier. it's the way i was taught by silver lake ski club. i agree with

until you've caught a toe, you have no idea how fast this happens
.
Link to comment

Biggrin.gif Let me clarify something before I get bashed too bad here, I wasn't talking about hanging on the boom without a rope. I was referring to the short line. I have had guys try to hang on and recover from a fall on the short line. Usually they fail, and the boom flys up and lands on the gunnel so hard you'd think the gelcoat is going to bust.

True hanging on to the boom if you catch at toe and either swing back around is the proper technique.

My buddys and I haven't gone on the boom without a short line in so many years I don't even think about that method anymore.

But remember this, barefooting can be brutal sport if your not using the proper body position. I've been doing it for about 10 years now. I've had some pretty hard falls and beat myself pretty hard. And it is always from being careless. ;) And usually from incorrect technique.

Any veteran barefooter will tell you the same thing. Good body position is cructial to eliminating falls. Learn your two feet forward body position on the shoe skies first and your three point sitting stance on the boom. Then take it to the short line.The shoes will eliminate those nasty face plants and start you off in the right direction in barefooting properly. Like I said in the first post, I usually reconmend after the boom work, that the beginner use a wakeboard or a kneeboard to get up. Makes it so much easier for the skier on their first time. Once they get the feel for the water then we usually go for the deep water start or tumble up. Tumble up depends on the skiers upper body strength.

I may not always express myself correctly on these threads sometimes but I do know my barefooting 101. I've pride myself in barefooting with some very competitive footers over the past years. And for someone who has a $34,000 back, and can do what I accomplished over the past 10 years, isn't all bad. At one time I never thought I'd ever walk again.

You are correct in that I am not a expert at the sport, or else my name would besomething like St Onge or maybe Scarpa. I give it 110% and take it very serious.

I make mistakes, but hey, isn't that normal when your trying a new trick. It comes with the sport. So I'd rather tell a guy,"You may get hurt, or this is dangerous and you possibly get hurt.", but if you do correctly it is less likely too.

We all have our own opinions on what is best best method. I learned from Ron Scarpa. And have been to clinics with Lane Bowers, and Keith St Onge. I use the same techniques they used with my learning.

So go ahead and bash my post. Tongue.gif

Edited by Sunset_Bob
Link to comment

Thanks for the clarification. I definately agree that on any length of rope, let go of the handle, duck and cover. I dont foot much, but still remember the pain.

Link to comment

$0.02

Of course it hurts when you are learning, if it was easy everyone would do and it wouldn't impress the wallys on the dock as much.

Been footing a long time and never heard to hang on to the boom after you catch a toe. Take a poll from barefoot instruction schools and, just my guess you not have one that says to hang on.

You fell because you were out of proper position or did something stupid, I don't believe it is wise or does any good to try to force yourself to absorb a bad crash, attempt to compose your self, tumble around and attempt the move over again after all that and now you are tired too.

Just learn how to fall, take a break and rest while the boat drops from speed, turns without a making a wake and comes back to you. Once you have discussed where you went wrong and what to do to correct it, you should proceed again. If there is any doubt as to what went wrong or how to correct it, please refer back to items numbers 3, 4 & 5, Take a lesson from a pro.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...