How to get the most out of a shortened Waterski season?

With lockdown extended we are all feeling the pain of nice weather and the best start to a season we've ever known, many of you feel like us and need that skiing fix. Every Waterskier in the country has the same concerns “When are we able to get back on the water?” and “How much of the season will be left?”

For the past 15 years we have enjoyed helping participants gain the most of out their time on the water by coaching at all levels, so we have provided some solutions to help gain back the time lost this spring.

What can be achieved through Lockdown?

The first point is to keep your mind focused on what you wish to achieve, this could be as simple as doing one thing per day that will improve your skiing. This is going to help your mindset and will be different for everyone, some people may be going for a run to improve fitness or using this time to improve your eating habits. We are all constrained on the types of work outs we can do, but don't let this stop you improvising and do whatever you can. The fitness you can keep now will be a considerable benefit once this is all over, you may not keep your full skiing strength but your fitness will help you recover quicker and get back to peak performance sooner.

Goal setting is a simple and effective way to draw on your own technique and vision of where you wish to be. Motivation is very important to all of us as when you feel motivated, you will strive harder to perform better. The goals you make and track now will give you a clear sense of direction and provide you with that checklist of what you need to accomplish. Goal setting is key in times like these and will increase your persistence, patience & effort during lock down. Setting goals will require you to determine the right techniques to achieve all set goals, and focus your mindset on what you need to do now.

Watching past events or finding videos online is great way to keep up your morale, but also watching videos of yourself skiing is the perfect way to mentally prepare to finally get rid of those bad habits and really understand the movements you make on the water.

Many brands & pros are streaming live discussions daily, and this is great way for any level of skier to achieve a higher understanding of not only the sport, but equipment and set up as well. This knowledge will provide you with a greater understanding of why you need to hold certain positions and make specific movements.

Lastly, plan ways to extend your season now, we have only lost a few weeks and the end of season could be great way to get find some of that time you've missed.  This could be looking into a site like Xtreme Gene in Spain where their November is comparable to the conditions we are missing now, or investing in extra equipment to keep you warmer while in the water.

What should be my expectations after Lock down?

This is a questions we've been asked by a few people wanting to be realistic to where they should be, the good new is your fitness will come back quicker than a normal start of season, especially if you've done winter training. The simple reason is that the beginning of a normal season the water is 6*C & air barely double figures, however now the water will be 10 degrees warmer.

This will have two effects; firstly your muscles will not be drained of energy as quickly, so you’ll be able to achieve much higher levels of performance. By using less energy per set you can get longer or even multiple sets in each day, this alone can help gain more time on the water and start to recuperate time lost.

Secondly, with the water warmer the feeling you’ll have under your feet will seem much slower and more controlled, this will help build your confidence a lot quicker than those colder sets. This confidence will mean you can take your skiing to a higher level in less time than a normal start to the season.

How can we help?

We are offering everyone a complimentary session over zoom to help you achieve the best start to this shortened season, this chat will take you through our goal setting programme and help you focus on where you want to be this summer.

We are also offering a video coaching scheme, if you have any videos of yourself skiing then send them to us and we are happy to provide virtual coaching.

If you have any specific questions or need advice please don't hesitate to contact us through our social media.

Stay safe & we look forward to seeing you on the water soon.

Check us out @cjmskiandwake or e mail chris@cjmskiandwake.com