Dear Advanced Pilot,
If
your interested in reading these instructions you must be thinking of
getting inverted, learning how to do any number of flips and rolls.
I've found about 95% of the pilots trying to do these tricks are doing
it prematurely, not jumping properly. The key to a good invert is a
good jump.
A) The
handle must be kept low at the midsection of your
body. This will allow you to rotate evenly,
symmetrically around the handle. If you have a
tendency to either raise the handle or pull on the
handle it will either cause you to stop upside down
on a dime if pulled in the first half of the roll or
if in the 2nd half of the roll will put you into a
second rotation. (Comparison: You've all seen a
beginner get up on a slalom or combos pulling the
handle over their head or upper body resulting in
winding up on their butt. This is the same thing that
happens if you pull on the rope in the 2nd half of
your rotation).
B)
Throwing the invert prematurely: There is a time when
you must throw the invert. This time is after the ski
hits the water. It is essential that you come in
high, dive the ski to pick up foil speed, have your
head forward watching the ski hit the water surface
(at the wake or in the flats). When the ski hits the
water, this is when you throw your invert. This will
eliminate the possibility of 1) throwing your invert
to soon and not getting the air necessary to complete
the rotation or 2) starting with your eyes closed.
C) The
less angle you have at the wake the better (i.e.
point yourself in the same direction as the boat when
you throw the invert). Slowly drift into the wake
rather than cut. How you take off is how you will
land. You don't want to land at a big angle.
D) Make
sure that there is no cut at the wake. If you are
cutting as you dip, throw or approach you will take
off sideways. There is no line loading when doing an
invert.
NOTE: If
you are thinking of learning an invert it would be a
lot easier on your body, gas tank and boat to learn
to keep the handle down, do a dip, watch the ski hit
the water while you are jumping. When a pilot does
these things enough times it becomes a natural
reaction and something you don't have to think about
while learning an invert. While learning an invert
you have enough stuff to think about.
I find
that a lot of people have a misconception of the body
english used to successfully complete a backflip or
roll. They throw their shoulders back then following
through with their lower body. My recommendation
would be to do it as I do. Just after I dip and the
ski hits the water I pull my knees while kicking my
feet over my head, forcing my shoulders back. Picture
yourself lying flat on your back on a carpet, you
want to complete a backwards summersault, you can't
do it by pushing your shoulders back, you must force
your knees over your head.
Good
luck and be safe,
Mike
Murphy
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