I can’t believe it!!! One of my biggest speeches has been unsung thus far. I will be happy to answer
your question. Let me first let you know that the front toehold is a great trick that not only looks cool
but also is fun to perform. It is also a favorite for getting cool pictures! I can remember my first toe-
hold and I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep that night! It is also note worthy that I believe front and
back toe-holds to be the foundations upon which all great skiers are made! Anyone who has ever
shared his or her personal barefoot dreams with me has had this very speech. I believe that it is way
more important to have your toeholds in order than it is to concentrate on surface turns. Many people
make this mistake, but not you. You know better! Learning and perfecting your front and back toe-
holds and then taking them to the long-line where you perfect your balance on both sides of the
wake puts you in an elite class of skier. With these skills, slalom, tricks (and especially turns), and
even jumping are begging for you to realize your potential. It is this insistence on these basics that
has helped me to help so many other skiers around the world to learn how to ski smart and to enjoy
barefooting with the confidence of knowing that they possess the basics necessary to learn any and
everything they are willing to pay the price for. So let me get to it!
You all know by now how I am going to approach this. If you are really serious about making this
process easier on yourself, you need to not only have good Posture but also good Glide. And if you
really like perfection, you will hold yourself to the standard of the Ultra Mega Glide from News from
THE EDGE #14!
Most of the people I teach find it strenuous to reach their foot into the strap because of the increased
resistance of their plowing heel. The most difficult part of this for most people is getting to where
they can ride with their foot into the strap without losing their glide or balance (News from The Edge
#3-Ankles and Angles). The good news for Clint (the dude who wrote me this request) is that this is
not the problem. But let’s first get back to where we start. I recommend learning the one-foots and
toeholds on dry land and then on the shoe-skis (we recommend Puppy Paws) with careful attention
to Posture and Glide! The real concern is that you will lose great position as you become concerned
with picking your foot up.
What I am surprised that I have not been asked is the following; “If I hold my shoulders back with my
chest expanded as you suggest, how do I get forward over my foot?” This is a great question
because it tells me that the skier has really taken their one-foot form seriously and has kept the pull
in the hips by keeping their shoulders further back than their but! Having done this, how do you
transition into the toehold position?
There are two reasons people have trouble with this transition. Assuming that the Ultra-Mega Glide
stays consistent, people tend to lose their Angle as their foot rises toward the strap! The easiest way
to solve this is to think of raising your foot with the foot turned inward so that the toes are turned to
the inside with the heel turned towards the outside! If you practice this on dry land, you will see that
this will keep your body angled toward the foot in the water. Remember we want to position your
body so that your weight is on top of the foot in the water. If you keep your shoulders and hips
parallel to the water it puts weight over the foot that you are trying to lift towards the strap (and thus
counterproductive)! Does this make sense?
Well then, if we have the above problems solved, this leads us to the problem of not feeling like you
can let go safely after you have your foot in the strap! This can be accomplished safely by doing three
things;
- make sure you have a soft and bent knee (News from THE EDGE #17-Tigger the Tiger)
- transition from a FULL grip to a FINGER-TIP grip within the first two seconds of having your
foot in the strap
- transition from the shoulders behind the butt to the shoulders in front of the butt. This is best
accomplished by crunching your abdominals so that you bring the bottom of your ribs
towards the top of the hip bone…without losing the rest of your position!!!
At this point the pressure should be off your hands and securely on your foot in the strap (Make sure
that your foot is deep into the strap instead of just on your toes)! It is now critical that you release
your hands forward holding everything else quietly in position. The quieter your body stays, the
easier it will be to ride in a balanced position!
I am a big believer in listening to your body and mind. If you do not feel safe, go through the above
notes carefully on dry land and Puppy Paws until you feel secure in your method! Do not do a “Hail
Mary” to get into the toehold position! This will yield “eye-peelage” followed by “Advil-poppage!”
If you do what I have outlined, your miracle will be awaiting you! Get your camera ready and start
planning for the Santa Claus suit post card you will circulating to you close friends on Christmas! I
sure hope you send me one!
Email me with your progress! I am expecting a miracle for you!
Do you have questions about training with Lane “Dawg” Bowers? Go to
www.barefootanswers.com and you will find the answers! Find out if you can get into a private
group
lesson with Lane “Dawg”. If you are an absolute first timer, think you are too slow of a learner,
or are
not good enough for a lesson with Lane, then you are exactly the kind of person we want to
help
achieve a miracle!
Also, please help me out and forward this to as many footers or even potential footers as you can.
This will help to make this newsletter a BIG success! We want everyone to have a GREAT chance to
achieve his or her own miracles!
I am available to personally help you achieve your skiing goals by calling 1-877-685-6270 Or visit
our website @ www.thefootersedge.com. Feel free to email me personally with any requests that
you have and I will try to make time to help you achieve your true potential! |
