Flying Back Deep Water Start

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to always try just one more time.”

Thomas Edison

American Inventor

 

On a personal note, the greatest successes I have ever experienced or witnessed have been people who never looked at an unsuccessful attempt as a defeat. They simply knew that was not the way to do it next time.

 

“Lane,

This is Trevor Peitz and to email you a request on what kind of news letter would benefit me, it would have to be better flying-dock starts and better deep – water starts.”

By now you have probably read News from The Edge #10-The Front Deep! If you do not remember it, then re-read it as I will not be reiterating these exact points and I will be assuming that you are very comfortable with the long-line front deep.

 

Mandatory equipment:

 

#1 barefoot rope (barefoot spectra, not poly propylene like you use for slalom or knee-boarding).

 

#2 proper fitting BAREFOOT wetsuit and PADDED shorts

 

#3 a driver that is interested enough to review these notes before attempting

 

#4 decent water free of debris or anything you could land on after jumping off the end of the dock!

 

Recommended equipment (preferred, very helpful, but not mandatory):

 

#1 Spectra rope

 

#2 Skylon or tower

 

#3 Barefoot Boat

 

:~>) Well there $firstname, now we can get ready for one of the coolest ways to impress your friends, neighbors, and local television stations; the flying front deep water barefoot start. Once you have the basic idea down and can successfully complete it from a couple of feet off the water, it is not much more difficult to complete from higher heights such as boat house tops, pontoon boats, bridges, and even helicopters! For those of you who have not seen our extreme heli-video (29 minutes $19.95), The Footer’s Edge, you are missing the best (and the most expensive to shoot) hot dog barefoot video ever made! In it Richard Gray pulls me out of a helicopter from 60 feet in the air into the most spectacular flying front deep you will ever see! WARNING: HANEOUS PLUG: It took second at The International Film and Video Awards in the Sports division.

If you would like to order it call me at our Pro Shop (877 685-6270, or 863 412-7045 internationally) or order online at www.thefootersedge.com/zvideos.htm !

Now back to your flying front deep, $firstname! I like to have the boat close to the dock where I can leave most of the coiled rope on the dock in front of me or in the water between the boat and me. At the very least, have 10-15 feet of rope in your hand or on the dock so that you can get your timing right (by watching the rope leave) before leaving the dock.

I think one of the best ways to get started is to be as low to the water as possible and jump slightly to the side of the dock to avoid bad timing and hitting your head on the dock as you depart. To begin in this way, ask the boat driver to put the boat in gear. Then as the boat is about 30 feet from the end, instruct the boat driver to “idle faster” but not to “hit it” yet. This faster idle will allow you to be pulled from the dock instead of jumping when there is still slack in the rope. This should be at a speed resembling a very fast walk.

As the rope is about to become taunt, leap slightly to the side of the front of the dock attempting to land on the water in about the same position as you would be if you were starting in the water. The higher the attempt, the more critical it becomes to enter the water at or near a 45-degree angle so that the impact area is closer to the feet than the back. Landing on your back or even butt as the primary impact area could cause serious injury if attempted from higher than 10 feet above the water. To perform higher starts you must first land on your feet and then scoop your feet forward and upward as you arch backwards keeping the handle touching your hipbone.

Another way of thinking about the water entry position is to picture your self “rowing” to the pulling position from the forward (reaching forward position) position. The moment your butt hits the water you have to “row” the handle into your hip (not your chest!) while arching back to the same position used in the front deep water start (News from THE EDGE #10). Remember to keep your elbows in to your rib cage!

Common Problems and Solutions

#1 $firstname, if the rope gets pulled out of hands, you get lots of water in your face, the handle hits your feet or bruises your legs are all caused by the same mistake; solve this problem by getting your hips higher than your head after hitting the water. If you try to sit forward or try to keep your head higher than the water, you are sitting forward instead of arching backwards (similar to arching over a barrel). Many people get the sensation of getting pulled under the water when they make this mistake.

#2 You receive a big jerk on the handle after hitting the water; this is caused by jumping forward ahead of the rope. Always follow the pull of the rope. Getting ahead of the rope is dangerous and can cause you to hit your head on the dock or whatever it is that you jump off. Avoid this by slowing down your speed of your steps off the dock!

#3 $firstname, have you ever rolled over onto your stomach after hitting the water? This is caused by the driver waiting to long to accelerate. Having the driver use his vision in the mirror to accelerate just enough to keep the rope tight during the entire process solves this. While in the air, $firstname, the driver should be accelerating onto plane with the boat. At the beginning stages, the driver should just keep the rope tight. As you get more comfortable and safer with your “flyer,” the driver can accelerate more while in flight!

I am very excited to hear your success story, $firstname! Email me with your results! This will let me know that my efforts here are worthwhile. And if you are not getting the success you deserve, let me know and I will help you as much as possible.

As much excitement as you will get from successfully completing your first flying front deep, multiply that by ten and that is how excited you will be after a couple of days or even a week down here in paradise! For most people, every day of lessons you get with me personally here at The Footer’s Edge Training Center is equivalent to a summer of trying on your own! I guarantee it!

Email me with your progress $firstname. I am expecting a miracle for you!

$Firstname, do you have questions about training with Lane “Dawg” Bowers? Go to https://thefootersedge.com/equipment/articles_listed.html 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, $firstname, 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 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!