Did you happen to see the internet video of Rachel Ray learning how to water ski? Chances are it was put up so many of us could see her in a swimsuit, but I started wondering about who was giving her skiing lessons. After all, slalom water skiing has usually been associated with 1970s daredevils. Whoever was instructing her, however, sure made it look easy.



I tried water skiing only a few times and honestly it was mainly peer pressure ("Come on, you never get a chance to try this") and even though I got up on the skis and they took me around a bit, it was a bit too daunting to want to try again.

When youare in the water feeling that rush of liquid beneath you, with your back hunched and a rope barely staying in your hands, it can get pretty nerve wracking when your friends decide to suddenly speed up. That was bad enough for me, so I never even tried to slalom ski. It took all my effort just to stay up and not crash face first into the rushing water!

These days, water skiing is not as popular as some other water sports, such as tubing or jet skiing. But when you see somebody who is really talented at slalom water skiing, youall soon discover just how elegant and thrilling a sport it can be. And with the new aHollywooda style training that incorporates some of the latest technology, itas now much safer and quite a bit easier.

The secret in this video I saw was this aluminum "barefoot boom" or "Ski boom" that attaches to the front of the boat by two cables, and can allow the new water skier to learn proper posture and get the feel of moving on the water (proper weight balance) at slow speeds, these can be as little as 10 mph for kids, or 20 mph for adults.

This boom pole idea allows the water skier to avoid that jerk of the rope at first, and help them to feel the ability to lean back and have the skis in front of you. The next step can be to actually drag a rope 5 feet behind the boom to get the feeling of handle that can't be used for support. Eventually you'll get behind the boat and learn how to slalom water ski.

The best part about this boom idea is that it is really acts like a training device that anyone could use, besides a good friend to adjust the boat throttle, it looks like you could basically teach yourself! I know it's important to use correct posture, and for that I think a good trainer would help, but if I had to chance to build up some confidence - gradually - I think I could learn how to slalom waterski.

The important things to remember are that you should always keep your shoulders back, keep the majority of weight on your hips, and have your back arched. Then when your ankles start to go in front of you and you start moving faster, youall be able to keep your balance and start to really ski. With Hollywood celebrities like Rachel Ray showing off over the internet, water skiing is sure to start becoming more popular again.