Stay Safe While Water Skiing: 7 Tips from an Athletic Trainer and Physical Therapist
Water skiing is a super fun sport that exercises your whole body. Because skiing requires you to be solid and balanced, staying safe is essential to avoid getting hurt. Here are some simple tips to help you have a great time and stay injury-free:
1. Get Ready Before You Ski
Before you get in the water, you must prepare your body.
Strength Training: Build your muscles, especially in your core, legs, and arms. Do exercises like squats, lunges, planks, and rows.
Balance Training: Improve your balance by standing on one leg on even or soft surfaces like a pillow or grass.
Flexibility: Stretch your muscles, especially your hamstrings, quads, lower back, forearms, and shoulders. Yoga or a personal mobility program from a member of our team can help a lot!
2. Warm-Up Before Skiing
A good warm-up gets your muscles ready to work hard.
Dynamic Warm-Up: To get your blood flowing, do light exercises like leg swings, arm circles, cat-cows, high knees, lunges, or a light jog.
Practice Movements: Try squats with various foot positions and rowing/pulling motions to get used to the required movements while skiing.
3. Use the Right Technique
Using the proper form helps prevent injuries.
Body Position: Keep your knees bent, back straight, and arms extended with a slight bend at the elbows (soft elbows). Balance your weight over the skis.
Grip: Hold the tow rope firmly, but don't squeeze too tight. A relaxed grip can help prevent hand, forearm, and elbow injuries.
Falls: If you start to fall, immediately let go of the tow rope and fall into the water safely.
4. Check Your Equipment
Make sure all your gear is in good shape.
Life Jacket: Always wear a properly fitted life jacket approved by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Skis and Bindings: Check your skis and bindings for damage, and make sure the bindings fit your feet well. If you drop a ski or go barefoot, please check your feet before and after your session. Foot health is crucial for all aspects of life.
Tow Rope: Look at the tow rope to ensure it's not worn out or frayed.
5. Stay Hydrated, Eat Well and Protect Yourself
Drinking water and eating the right foods help keep you strong.
Hydration: You sweat more than you think when you're out on the boat and skiing. Be sure to drink lots of water and a low-sugar electrolyte beverage before and after skiing. This will help you replace the fluid and electrolytes (sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, calcium).
Nutrition: Eat healthy meals with good carbs and proteins to give your body energy. Don't eat heavy meals or drink alcohol before skiing.
Protection: Sunscreen or wearing sun-protective clothing with SPF is a great way to keep you cool, prevent sunburn, and reduce the risk of skin cancer.
6. Rest and Recover
Give your body time to recover so you don't get overuse injuries.
Cool down: After skiing, do light stretching to help your muscles relax. Stretching your forearms, quad, hamstring, and lower back for 20-30 seconds each can help decrease tone and facilitate recovery.
Rest Days: Active recovery on days you are not skiing can help your muscles recover faster. Walking, jogging, biking, or lower-intensity weight training are great options.
7. Get Help if You Need It
If something hurts, talk to a professional.
Early Help: Getting help early can prevent minor problems from becoming significant injuries. Often, a few sessions of manual therapy, trigger point dry needling, cupping therapy, and a targeted exercise and recovery program that matches your goals can keep you on the water without pain all summer long.
Custom Plans: An athletic trainer or physical therapist can help you with exercises to strengthen weak areas and improve your skiing.
By following these tips, you can have lots of fun water skiing and stay safe. Remember, getting ready and using good techniques are key to having a great time on the water. Stay active, stay safe, and enjoy water skiing! We’re here to support you in any way that we can. Contact us today if you need anything.