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If you want to try something new, then barefoot waterskiing is a great watersport that many people have never tried and that anyone can do well with. The brilliant thing about barefoot waterskiing is that you don't require any equipment, and it's also relatively a very safe pass-time as there's nothing solid to collide with – no ground and no skis or wakeboard even. At the same time it's just as exhilarating and exciting as wakeboarding or waterskiing and has all of the same moves and tricks available if you want to progress. Here we'll look at some barefoot waterskiing tips to get you started. Get Your Boat Speed Right: The boat speed in any water sport involving a tow boat is highly important. Not only will this dictate how fast your travelling and so how exciting and adrenaline fuelled the ride is, but it will also be crucial to help you avoid falling over and to give you the amount of tension in the rope that you need to stay upright. Different sports require different speeds, but as you have the smallest surface area for your feet when barefoot waterskiing, you need the boat to travel at slightly faster speeds. In a perfect world those speeds will be around 30-45mph. Try and get the boat to drive at the faster end of this number to start with on the way out of the dock, and then to ease up a bit as it continues. This is important to help give you that initial tug needed to get you out of the water and to allow for moves like the flying dock start. Get Fat Sacks: As well as needing your boat to be fast for you to barefoot, you also need it to be steady to keep the tow rope level. The best way to achieve this then is with fat sacks, which are designed to weigh the boat down so that it will cut through waves rather than going over them. This also creates a larger wake which is what pushes you along the water and helps you to do many tricks. How to do a surface hop: A surface hop is the foundation for many more advanced barefoot waterskiing moves such as the wake hop in and the wake hop out and essentially is just the barefoot term for 'jumping'. Here you need to bring your feet together, bend your knees slightly, then launch yourself in the air while quickly bringing your knees up. Points are awarded by the change in water spray which demonstrates your having left the water. Start well: If you really want to make your performance look great then it needs to look great from start to finish and you need to start in a convincing way. Do this with a flying dock start, where you run along the dock next to the boat holding the rope and then jump into the water to land standing up. It takes a while to perfect but it's worth it once you do. To get started with barefoot waterskiing you need to learn to barefoot waterski and purchase the correct equipment. Follow the links for more.
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