Advancing to one-handed slalom turns is one of the coolest milestones in a water skier’s journey. Not only does it look and feel great, but it really does mark the progression of your skiing to the next level.
In this article we take a look at why, when, and how to make this important transition to one-handed turns. We’ll even answer the question that almost always comes up: what do I do with my free hand?
Why should I start doing one-handed slalom turns?
As you progress into the rope shortenings, you will reach a point where simple mathematics comes into play. You will eventually need the additional length that one-handed turns provide, in order to make that next shortening.
Even before the raw math comes into it, you’ll begin to find that two-handed turns are pulling your outside shoulder forwards and inwards at the apex of the turn. This will prevent you from properly counter-rotating into the turn, causing your hips to fall backwards behind your feet which in turn results in reduced speed across the wake.
Jarring from the sudden uptake of slack rope after the turn, is also more of a problem with two-handed turns. When executed correctly, a one-handed turn can take up more of the slack in the rope, and keep your body more consistently engaged with the boat.
When should I start doing one-handed slalom turns?
There are different opinions as to the perfect time to start learning one-handed turns.
One school of thought is that you should begin one-handed turns as soon as you can run the course. This is primarily based on the idea that having to ‘unlearn’ incorrect technique (in this case, two-handed turns) is much more difficult and time-consuming than simply learning correct technique in the first place.
I’m definitely a proponent of this idea, but I also feel that a skier should start with a base position that is strong enough that the introduction of one-handed turns doesn’t represent too much of a backwards step.
Generally speaking then, the answer is ‘the sooner the better’. However, I would recommend staying with two-handed turns at least until your body position behind the boat is sufficiently strong that when you do release one hand in the pre-turn, you are consistently generating enough speed and momentum to ski through the turn without stalling the ski early or being pulled around by the boat.
You’ll know you’re at this point when you start to feel ‘free of the boat’ in your two-handed turns. If that’s you, then you’re ready to make the switch!
How do I start doing one-handed turns?
1 – Know which hand to release
The very first thing to address is here is which hand to leave on the handle. Many skiers get this wrong in the beginning, and let go with the wrong hand.
So let’s start there: when you’re about to perform a left-hand turn, your right (outside) hand should be removed while your left arm is extended in towards the boat.
Conversely if you’re about to execute a right-hand turn and your left arm was therefore your leading arm through the preceding wake, that is the hand you would remove from the handle after your pre-turn transition. Your trailing right hand will extend the handle.
In terms of the direction of your lean, your leading arm is the one farthest away from the boat as you cross the wake, and is always the outside hand that is released in the next turn. Your trailing arm is the one nearest the boat across the wake, and is the hand that remains on the handle during the reach.
Just remember to always hold on with your inside/trailing hand, the arm that is closest to the boat.
2 – Know when to release it
The second important thing is knowing when to release your free hand from the handle. If you release the handle too early, you’ll lose your leverage against the boat and get pulled into the inside of the turn before you’re ready.
Jump over to this post for a handy exercise in perfecting the timing of your turns.
You should begin your edge change while both hands are still on the handle. Lean hard on your leading outside arm, but take up more strain on your trailing inside hand as you move further beyond the wash.
Keep your ski turning outwards away from the boat’s direction until you feel the rope tension ease up. This is the time to begin your reach.
Release the leading hand of your outside arm, and slowly allow your trailing arm to extend forwards towards the boat. You should feel as though you’re skiing away from the handle, rather than pushing the handle away from you. You can achieve this by rotating your hip away from the handle as you release it, and counter-rotating into the turn.
3 – Position your arm and hand
Reach that trailing inside arm, extending it out and forward at shoulder level. Rotate the handle as you do so, so that your palm is facing upwards towards the sky at the furthest point in your reach.
Another thing that novices often get wrong is waving their free hand around. Your mission here is two-fold: you want to minimise unneccessary movement, and you want to hook up with the handle after the turn with maximum efficiency and effectiveness.
The best way to achieve this is to simply move your free hand smoothly to your outside hip as you extend your inside arm, and then latch it back onto the handle as your ski comes around at the completion of the turn.
The late great Frank Bonney used to describe this as ‘putting a penny in your pocket’. A handy cue is to point to the outside of your hip with your pointer finger, right at the apex of the turn.
4 – Complete the turn
The final key phase in this technique is the completion of the turn. This is where you set yourself up for success at the next wake cross and turn buoy, so it’s a critical phase.
It’s important not to grab at the handle too early or aggressively after you’ve turned your ski. Reaching across your body to regain the handle will over-rotate your shoulders and upper body, usually resulting in a break at the hips and a flattening of the ski.
Instead – and as with the initial handle extension – you want to ski your hips back around to the handle, rather than the other way around. Aim for smoothness, and remember: slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.
That’s a perfect pass!
If you’ve followed these steps, you will now find yourself correctly hooked up with your shoulders, hips, hands and feet all stacked in a line, and your ski pointing directly across course. You are now perfectly positioned for rapid acceleration back across the wake.
And that’s the perfect set up for one-handed slalom turns.
Please leave your thoughts in the comment in the box below.
Your virtual water ski coach,
Todd
PS – Before you go, why not:
