Learning the Butt Glide

April 4, 2004 Winter Haven, Florida

Learning the Butt Glide

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

This article is for those of you who would like to learn to be a successful barefooter on the 5-foot rope or even behind the boat! It is also a critical skill to learning to tumble-turn properly. I have seen many advanced barefooters who would be well advised to revisit this essential skill!

The correct progression to learning how to barefoot in the safest possible way is as follows;

#1 Learn to Barefoot Using my No Fall Barefooting Method:

https://thefootersedge.com/the-easiest-way-to-learn-to-barefoot/

#2 Learn the Front Deep Water Start shown at https://thefootersedge.com/front-deep/ and also extensively on my 2 Hour Instructional video (https://thefootersedge.com/free-barefooting-gift-inside/)

To learn the butt glide properly, it is critical that you have the best barefoot shorts available. I recommend and even guarantee the IronMan full wrap shorts and my IronMan barefoot
wetsuit which you can see at https://thefootersedge.com/product-category/barefoot-wetsuits/#shop

Now you are ready to learn the butt glide.

The critical elements for the butt glide are

1.) Legs are perfectly straight, knees touching
2.) Toes are pointed
3.) Legs are beneath the rope
4.) Handle is at your hip bone with your knuckles pressed onto your legs
5.) Balance position on butt with your feet the same height as your head
6.) No part of your back is on the water (only tailbone)
7.) Eyes open so they can see over knees

Only when you can sit comfortably in this position can you truly prepare yourself for the next stage of learning the three-point which you master on dry land using my article and training featured in my article, Great 6 Pack and 3-Point Exercise, which you can read here.

The reason that so many barefooters have learned to barefoot at The Footer’s Edge Training Center here in Winter Haven, FL is that I guide them through the steps of learning each of these steps separately in order to eliminate the hard falls that come so easily to those who are not trained properly.

In other words, you can learn the butt glide completely separately from standing onto your feet! This is one of my greatest teaching secrets and the best way to keep beginners learning without falling!!!

Most barefooters and ski schools push beginners too hard and try to get them to stand before they can crawl (or butt glide 😂).

For most barefooters, butt gliding can be learned around 25 mph. This is another confidence builder for beginners and a great way to keep people fired up about barefooting by keeping them away from the high speeds that can turn your eyelids inside out!

It is critical that the new barefooter learns to ride comfortably on their butt up and down the lake with enough confidence that they can relax, smile, and even talk with the boat driver!

I also recommend learning this start with a barefoot slalom handle which is easy to learn than using any other handle because there is less stuff on the handle to get between the barefooter’s knees! You can see this handle in my online ProShop at https://thefootersedge.com/product/b223-15-wakes-handle/

Once you have mastered the butt glide position, you should also be comfortable in the same butt glide position with your feet OFF of the rope and about six inches off the water.

The handle must remain at your hip! Once you can ride in this position, you can learn the windshield wipers and my patented ”No Feet Tumbles” which are featured on my Instructional video
and now available in my Virtual Ski School at https://thefootersedge.com/virtual-ski-school/

Good luck and please let me know if I can help you achieve any more of your barefoot goals! “Expect a Miracle!”
Lane “Dawg” Bowers
TheFootersEdge.com