How we Teach 2-ski Beginner lessons
Learning to waterski can be intimidating, but mastering the Deep Water Start (DWS) is the key to getting up and enjoying your time at the lake this summer. This guide breaks down the steps into easy-to-follow instructions.
Dry Land Training:
Make sure you know what you’re supposed to be doing out there, move through these steps to master the process before hitting the water for the first time!
Skier Position: Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent over your toes, and arms straight out in front of you.
Reverse DWS: From the skier position, slowly sit your butt to your heels with a tall chest and arms straight, letting the handle support you.
Starting Position: Sitting with your arms straight, chest tall, knees to your chest, and heels close to your butt. This is your starting point, aka the “cannonball position”.
Step 1 = Balance: Have someone gently pull you up into a deep squat, maintaining your form (straight arms, tall chest, knees tight to your chest). This step is about finding your balance and weight in your toes while still in the deep squat position. Repeat a few times to feel how the “boat” pulls you to your balanced position.
Step 2 = SLOWLY STAND: Keep your chest tall and slowly stand up, like you're in slow motion. Moving slowly allows you to maintain balance while standing up into the skier position your practiced first.
Time for the water: Once you’ve mastered the Dry Land Training it’s time to hit the water!
On Water DWS:
Start by building comfort in the water with your skis and lifejacket on. Take a minute to float freely before getting started to let any anxiety and discomfort regulate.
The Boom is a bar that hangs out beside the boat that is often used for barefooting. This is also an ideal tool for teaching beginner water skiing or wakeboarding. This step gives you more control than a rope and handle will, which lets you feel out the DWS process on the water. You can make mistakes on the boom, but the purpose of this time is to master the DWS Process you learned on shore and gets you comfortable on top of the water so the next steps are smooth!
The 5ft Extension is simply a water ski handle attached to the boom. This step takes away the solid bar that lets you get away with larger mistakes and makes sure you are following the process learned in the previous steps. Your balance is more important in this step, so make sure you’re staying low and finding balance/weight in your toes before you stand up!
Behind the Boat is the last step although there are still smaller progressions to take along the way! If you have a tower or a raised pylon that is the best place to start. Having the pull coming from a higher position makes the pull out of the water easier (more pull up and out of the water vs pulling flatter through the water). What we like to do is start on the tower at 14m(28off/yellow) on a ski rope, this steepens the pull out even more which raises the success rate. As you’re successful you can lengthen the rope until you’re at the 18m(15off/red) loop on the rope. Once you’re getting up there you can shorten the rope again to 14m(28off/yellow) and do the same process on the regular ski pylon or wherever you hook your ski rope.
The trick is knowing that each time you lengthen OR lower the rope you are adding difficulty to the skier. This means you need to be more patient to find balance before standing. If you consistently wait to feel pressure in your toes before standing you will have no issues with these steps and will be enjoying your time on the water waving at the crowds on shore cheering you on!!
We hope that our tips have helped you find success on the water and you’re enjoying your time at the lake more than ever! If you’re having any issues at all book a lesson with us so we can help you through the hurdle! This sport can be so much fun, but when things aren’t going well it can also be frustrating. Let us help ease the frustration and get you to the fun part!
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