Intro to Water Skiing

Water skiing is an extreme sport that can provide just as much fun and excitement as it can in terms of frustration. It definitely takes a little while to get used to understanding the ropes. Beginners will have their faces smacked against the water countless times throughout their first days but, once you get the hang of the movements and techniques required to keep afloat, you will find that it is a sport with its own share of fun and challenge. It is an experience that is often packed with high speed. Read on to find out about what exactly it takes to water ski, and how you can get started with it.

First you need some sort of vehicle to pull you across the water. In most cases a boat is used, but sometimes alternative vehicles are used such as planes or cars. If you are a beginner, then it would probably be reckless to use anything but a boat. As a new skier, you will have to wear either a pair of skis with one on each foot, or a single ski with one foot behind the other. You will be pulled behind the boat until a certain speed is reached. Then, theoretically, you will have stand up and begin to glide along the surface of the water. While this is the ideal situation, it very rarely happens when you start as a beginner.

The technique of water skiing is difficult to explain in words, and therefore trial-and-error is essentially the only way to learn. When the moment comes when you need to hop up onto the skis, you will probably immediately fall face-first back into the water. It requires an extremely precise balance and control. It is also a very physically demanding sport, and hence requires you to have a good amount of strength to pull yourself up and keep yourself afloat as you coast along the water. However, it is worth all of the exercising and practice that it takes.

The biggest learning curve is simply getting up and skiing. But, after you pass that, you can get into the more advanced water skiing activities. Many lakes have ramps set up for skiers to ramp off of. This is a lot easier than it sounds - it is a lot like taking a bike off of a ramp, without the fear of crashing face-first into pavement. As a variation of simply jumping, many water skiers will do aerial tricks after they launch. These involve flips, twists, or simple flourishes that make the jump a little bit more interesting.

There is also a thriving competitive racing scene for water skiing. All of the teams have their own boat driver and skier. Usually they know each other fairly well, and this allows for the boat driver to drive in a way that will allow the skier's best talents to show. They get through a set course as fast as possible, and the team that reaches the finish line first receives the award or prize. There are many such competitions across the world, and it is fairly easy to enter in one. You don't need to be certified as on official professional water skier.

The same water skiing principles can be applied to barefoot skiing. It is essentially the same thing, minus the skis. It is much more challenging, but is said by some to be much more fun and rewarding than water skiing. If you have mastered water skiing, you might consider trying it. Until then, just focus on getting the technique of water skiing and becoming more proficient in keeping afloat.