Learn To Water Ski

If you want to learn to water ski, you will have to have a good deal of athletic ability and a lot of patience. Water skiing is a very fun summer sport and is an exhilarating way to spend a hot day on the water. Caution should be taken, though, as with any high-speed sport involving motor vehicles.

You will need: 

• boat
• flotation device
• skis

1. Know the hand signals. When you learn to water ski, you should learn appropriate hand signals. Because you will be far away from the boat and the noise of the motor will make it hard to communicate, standard hand signals are appropriate and necessary. Hand signals can indicate that you are okay after a fall or that you’re ready to come back to the boat. Likewise, the people in the boat can indicate if wake is coming or if you should stay directly behind the boat at a particular time.
2. Use a personal flotation device. This may not have to do directly with learning to water ski, but is an essential part of the experience and you should not ski without one. Even if you can swim, there is the chance that you may get knocked unconscious after an accident. Get a floatation device that fits properly, so that it does not rise above your ears when pulled up from the top.
3. Get moving. Perhaps the hardest thing to “get” when you learn to water ski is how to get up on the skis and get going. As the boat pulls you forward, let it lift you slightly from your stance, keeping your feet pressing forward against the water. Do not try to stand until your skis are horizontal to the water and “planing.”
4. Weight forward. It’s very important when you learn to water ski to keep the weight on the balls of your feet. Part of successful water skiing is keeping your arms slightly bent, which is very difficult to do if you feel as though you are falling backward. In addition, this helps you redirect your direction and weight when needed.
5. Staying afloat. To learn to water ski, you have to figure out how to actually keep yourself on the surface of the water. You must keep your knees bent to be a bit of a shock absorber, and keep your face straight ahead, facing the boat; this will help you keep your balance. When you start to get off-balance, use your body to balance yourself out, and try to keep yourself inside the wake, so that your skis aren’t overly knocked around.