April 4, 2004 Winter Haven, Florida

Subject: Attn Barefoot Beginners-
Learning the Butt Glide

“Or greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most
certain way to succeed is to always try just one
more time.”
-Thomas Edison

This article is for those of you who would like to
learn to be a successful barefooter on the 5-foot
rope or even behind the boat! It is also a critical skill
to learning to tumble-turn properly. I have seen many
advanced barefooters who would be well advised to
revisit this essential skill!

The correct progression to learning how to barefoot
in the safest possible way is as follows;

#1 Learn to Barefoot Using my Swing Method shown at

http://www.beabarefooter.com/members/beginning_videos.htm

#2 Learn the Front Deep Water Start shown at
http://www.beabarefooter.com/members/beginning_videos.htm
and also extensively on my 2 Hour Instructional video
(http://www.thefootersedge.com/videos/index.htm)

To learn the butt glide properly, it is critical that you have
the best barefoot shorts available. I recommend and even
guarantee the IronMan full wrap shorts and my IronMan barefoot
wetsuit which you can see at
http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/wetsuits.htm

Now you are ready to learn the butt glide.

The critical elements for the butt glide are

#1 legs are perfectly straight, knees touching
#2 toes are pointed
#3 legs are beneath the rope
#4 handle is at your hip bone with your knuckles
pressed onto your legs
#5 balance position on butt with your feet the same height
as your head
#6 no part of your back is on the water (only tailbone)
#7 eyes open so they can see over knees

Only when you can sit comfortably in this position
can you truly prepare yourself for the next stage of
learning the three-point which you master on dry
land using my article and training featured in my
article, Great 6 Pack and 3-Point Exercise, which
you can read in my Trauma Center under “First
Time Barefooters,” at
http://www.thefootersedge.com/traumacenter/index2.htm

The reason that so many barefooters have learned to
barefoot at The Footer’s Edge Training Center here in
Winter Haven, FL is because I guide them through the
steps of learning each of these steps separately in order
to eliminate the hard falls that come so easily to those
who are not trained properly.

In other words, you can learn the butt glide completely
separately from standing onto your feet! This is one
of my greatest teaching secrets and the best way to keep
beginners learning without falling!!!

Most barefooters push beginners too hard and try to get
them to stand before they can crawl (or butt glide).

For most barefooters, butt gliding can be learned around
25 mph. This is another confidence builder for beginners
and a great way to keep people fired-up about barefooting
by keeping them away from the high speeds that can turn
your eyelids inside out!

It is critical that the new barefooter learns to ride comfortably
on their butt up and down the lake with enough confidence
that they can relax, smile, and even talk with the boat driver!

I also recommend learning this start with a barefoot slalom
handle which is easy to learn than using any other handle
because there is less tuff on the handle to get between the
barefooter’s knees! You can see this handle in my online Pro
Shop at http://www.thefootersedge.com/equipment/index.htm

Once you have mastered the butt glide position, you should
also be comfortable in the same butt glide position with your
feet OFF of the rope and about six inches off the water.

The handle must remain at your hip! Once you can ride in this
position, you can learn the windshield wipers and my patented
“No Feet Tumbles” which are featured on my Instructional video
and now available in my Virtual Ski School at
http://www.thefootersedge.com/newskischool/index.htm

Good luck and please let me know if I can help you achieve
any more of your barefoot goals!

Expect a Miracle!
Lane "Dawg" Bowers
2003 World Overall Senior Barefoot Champion
lane@lanedawg.com
http://www.thefootersedge.com
http://www.beabarefooter.com
http://www.barefootanswers.com
877 685-6270 <----------Call Me!
Fax: 509 756-4343