Mike Seipel's Corner

Question:
Can you please explain the best method for learning a Back-to-Front on your feet?

To learn to do the back to front, you need to learn to do two things.  First you must learn to resist the turn as you let go of the handle.  Start in the backwards position with your weight evenly distributed over both of your feet.  Keep your feet close together and as flat on the water as you can without feeling like your heels are going to catch.  As you start to release the handle with one hand, do not let go completely until you are going to try to continue to resist and hold yourself backwards while holding on with the other hand.   Keep that arm straight (do not pull in).  No matter how hard you resist and try to stay backwards, if your feet are close enough together, flat enough on the water, and if you keep even weight on them, the boat will still turn you around.  (In order to stay backwards with one hand, you would have to spread your legs and/or put more weight on one foot.)

Do not try to stand tall or get lower, just get comfortable.  Keep your feet close together and as flat on the water as possible.  Keep your weight evenly distributed over both feet, your knees slightly bent, and your upper body broken at the waist.  Your arms should be straight and your butt should be up by the handle.  Your lower back should be arched so that your head and shoulders are up, and your eyes should be open, looking straight out.

The second thing you have to learn is to lean to the opposite side of the hand you are holding the handle with after you get turned to the front.  This is to compensate for the pull on the arm that you are holding the handle with to keep you from getting tipped over.  Remember to try to stay one hand backwards the whole time.  When you get turned to the front, keep your feet together, flat on the water, and keep your weight evenly distributed over them.  Remain standing up with your shoulders back and your arm straight.  Do not pull in and lean forward to rush to grab the handle.  Even if you didn’t grab the handle, you could ski one handed forward, so just slowly reach for the handle after you are forwards.  Do not bend your knees and squat down after you get turned around forward.   Just remain standing up with your legs relaxed. 

Now to answer your main question.  First do this on shoe skis at 25 mph before you try it on your feet.  Next learn to do the turn on shoe skis at a slow boat speed of 15 mph.  This will help you get used to the increased drag that you will experience on your barefeet.  On the shoe skis at 25 mph, the water is more slippery than it will be on your feet.  However, at 15 mph you will sink in the water creating alot of drag like there will be on your feet. After you perfect it on the shoe skis at 15 mph, then you are ready to do it on your feet.  When you go to your feet do everything the same, even if it feels different.  Don’t change anything, even if it feels different.  You will make the turn on your feet because it is easier to do on your feet at barefoot speed than on the shoe skis at 15 mph.  The great thing about this process is your falls, when learning, will not be as hard at 15 mph on the shoe skis.  Then, when you go to your feet, you will not fall as much at the higher speeds, because you already have a feeling for the turn from doing it at 15 mph on the shoe skis. 

Mike Seipel

Visit Mike Seipel's web site at www.barefootinternational.com