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Teaching someone with weak wrists to ski ?


gonorth

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I have tought many many first time skiers to get their start. I have never failed to get someone going, Except for this one person. First, she isn't the most athletic person but her biggest problem is that she just does not have enough strength in her fingers after her second attempt to hang on long enough to get up. (on two skis, or wakeboard) She is very dedicated and tries her heart out but it just hasn't happened after about 5 different outings. If she ever gets up on her first attempt before her fingers get weak she will be alright but until then....

Does anyone have any suggestions? Will golves help? Or any other tricks? I'm being as gentle as I can with the horsepower so I'm not jerking the handle away any more than I need to.

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Do you have access to a boom?

Wish I did, maybe some day. But great suggestion, I hadn't even thought of that obvious solution.

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Clincher gloves should do the trick but not cheap, if you can even get them anymore.

Is she wearing gloves? If not, that would help greatly. Also, some handles are easier to grip than others.

I also second the boom.

/Steve

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The boom is the single greatest teaching aid invented IMO. You can get just about anyone up with one.

We were out last weekend and tried to teach my good friends wife to wakeboard and couldn't even get her up on the boom. I think some people just don't have the hand strength to do it.. We tried with gloves, short rope, just the boom and got nowhere. :(

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The boom is the single greatest teaching aid invented IMO. You can get just about anyone up with one.

We were out last weekend and tried to teach my good friends wife to wakeboard and couldn't even get her up on the boom. I think some people just don't have the hand strength to do it.. We tried with gloves, short rope, just the boom and got nowhere. :(

Very true. Sometimes you have to know when to do what Sac suggests.

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if they can't get up on the boom by holding it, have them hang over it, with their armpits over the boom. driver just needs to watch closely and stop if they are struggling.

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if they can't get up on the boom by holding it, have them hang over it, with their armpits over the boom. driver just needs to watch closely and stop if they are struggling.

Not being able to get up on a boom is even worse then not being able to get back on the inner tube after falling off. (This happened to my brother when he was about 12 years old. He embarassed my dad so much... my dad and I were yelling at him to "just get back on" and then he started crying :lol: ) You should either duct tape their hands or put them put them in charge of getting everyone drinks and pulling the rope in Biggrin.gif

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As someone who learned how to ski at the age of 35 and being 6'5" and 240lbs., I can make one suggestion, try some of the new shaped skis. More surface area and much easier to get up on. My neighbor called them clown skis but they worked.

If that doesn't work, I saw a video where a person sat on a tube with skis on and having their feet over the front of the tube and holding a normal ski handle. When the boat got up to speed, the person just stood up. I don't know for sure if it would work, but it did in the video.

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I just can't let her pull the French army flag trick. She won't give up that easy. This girl also has one heck of a time geting back up on a tube, or even the back deck without help. Not like she is way over weight, just no strength.

Keep the ideas comeing, gonna try gloves for sure, maybe the tube trick.

(By the way, go to GOOGLE and key in either 1) failure or 2) french military victories Then click I'm feeling lucky.

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Could also try the largest diameter handle you can find. Sometimes it is way easier to hold the big one than a small one.

I've always found the smaller handles are much easier to grip.

A pair of Clinchers will definately help - I have a pair on the boat for that purpose.

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Why not have her work on strengthen it her forearm muscles since that seems to be the basis of the problem. As long as she wants to keep going I'd keep finding solutions, once she gives up and no longer wants to try then its flag holding time.

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Hey Jack, you must be have some insight here. How did you manage to overcome your limp wrist problem? (Not that there's anything wrong with that...) Tongue.gif

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Some people just weren't meant to participate in physical activities... So this person also has a difficult time getting back in the boat?

I think they may be so frail that you wouldn't want them getting up and crashing into the water anyway - they could hurt themselves.

I'm back to the important flag-person job... someone has to do it, and it would be a great starter forearm exercise Biggrin.gif

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tape her hands on the handle and have someone she trusts hold the rope in the boat or have control of a trick release

any problems they let go of the rope

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The problem usually isn't in the weak wrists as to the mind over matter. The person may not realize the amount of pressure it takes to hang on. Try just giving the person the rope and hand pulling them up to get the feel of the rope. Sometimes they will let go because they think they may do a headplant and they let go. Also some of the times it is the driver pulling to fast out of the water. The driver has to adjust the speed of the pull to the experience of skier/boarder. Many times I have had the rope tore out of my hands. There are very few people I trust to pull me out of the water now. I have personally taught physically challenged people and non-physically active people to wakeboard and water ski. It takes time and practice of both parties.

Meanwhile fill two balloons with sand to the size of a small orange and have them squeeze them. This will strengthen the inside of the forearm.

Good Luck.

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Why not have her work on strengthen it her forearm muscles since that seems to be the basis of the problem. As long as she wants to keep going I'd keep finding solutions, once she gives up and no longer wants to try then its flag holding time.

Can she open a beer without assistance? Then there is a place for her on your boat.

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Why not have her work on strengthen it her forearm muscles since that seems to be the basis of the problem. As long as she wants to keep going I'd keep finding solutions, once she gives up and no longer wants to try then its flag holding time.

Can she open a beer without assistance? Then there is a place for her on your boat.

ROFL.gif

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Hey Jack, you must be have some insight here. How did you manage to overcome your limp wrist problem? (Not that there's anything wrong with that...) Tongue.gif

OK, I was seriously thinking this too Jerry. Not about you Jack, of course :)

Last weekend I got my 6 year old boy up, and two years before that my 6 year old daughter. My daughter is so dainty - no strength at all.

I've tried the tube thing, and when we did it was a last attempt. The girl just didn't have the coordination to make it happen - and some people just don't have it. It's pretty embarrasing when they can't get up after many times. But when you put them out there on the tube and they can't get up then, it's really embarrassing. Plus, a challenged person who is having a hard time getting up will NOT be able to get on top of a tube with a board on - I've watched people try it. They'll fall the first time, so you have to pull them back in the boat, pull in the tube, put their butt on the tube and then try it all again. It takes a lot of time. It's worth it to get them up, I'm just saying, it's not as easy as it sounds.

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