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Les walks through directional control on two skis. Everything below follows the video.
The short answer. You do not turn a pair of combo skis with the handle. You turn them by slightly unweighting the ski on the side you want to go, and turning your knee, hips and eyes in that direction. The handle stays centred the whole time.
Everything else on this page is the posture that makes those two things possible.
Before you start
This one picks up where the last lesson left off. It assumes you have managed a successful start and you can follow the boat. If you are not there yet, go back to getting up on two water skis first — turning is the next step after that, not a substitute for it.
Once you can sit behind the boat comfortably, the goal is simple: be able to turn left or turn right when you choose to.
Step 1: Get your posture right
Posture is paramount. Nothing else on this page works without it.
What good posture means here:
- A strong chest and shoulder position — the “proud” position, as it is commonly called.
- The handle a little bit lower than your elbows.
- Knees a little bit bent, and definitely flexible. Flexible matters more than the exact amount of bend.
- Feet relatively closer together than your normal riding position.
That last one is easy to skip, and it is the one that sets up everything after it. Bringing your feet closer together than you would normally ride is what makes the next step possible.
Step 2: Turning left
Point the skis where you want to go. To move to the left:
- Slightly unweight the left ski.
- Turn your right knee, your hips and your eyes in the direction you want to travel — to the left.
- Leave the handle centred.
The handle is not a steering wheel. It stays centred. Pulling it across your body is not what turns you — the unweighting, and the knees, hips and eyes, do the work.
Do those three things and you will find yourself gently moving to the left.
Step 3: Turning right
Exactly the opposite.
- Unweight the right ski.
- Turn your left knee, your hips and your eyes in the direction you want to go.
- Leave the handle centred.
Note which knee. It is the knee on the opposite side to the ski you are unweighting — unweight the left ski and turn the right knee, unweight the right ski and turn the left knee. It reads oddly written down and makes sense the moment you do it.
Step 4: Coming back to neutral
Coming back to travelling straight behind the boat is mostly a matter of undoing what you just did.
- Relax the legs.
- Even the weight up — equal on the left and the right.
- Point your knees at the boat.
- Look at the boat.
That last one is not decoration. Where your eyes go is where you will go — which is exactly why turning your eyes is part of the turn in the first place.
Posture is king. If turning feels like hard work, the first thing to go back to is the proud chest, the handle below the elbows, the flexible knees and the narrower stance. Get the posture sorted and directional control becomes much easier.
Common questions
How do you turn on two water skis?
You slightly unweight the ski on the side you want to travel toward, and turn your knee, hips and eyes in that direction. The handle stays centred. To go left, unweight the left ski and turn your right knee, hips and eyes left; to go right, unweight the right ski and turn your left knee, hips and eyes right.
Do I pull the handle across to turn?
No. The handle is not a steering wheel and it stays centred the whole time. Pulling it across your body is not what makes the skis change direction - the unweighting, and the knees, hips and eyes, do that.
Why does posture matter so much for turning?
Because directional control is built on it. Posture is paramount - a strong chest and shoulder position, the handle a little lower than your elbows, knees bent and flexible, and your feet closer together than your normal riding position. Get the posture sorted and turning becomes much easier.
Where should the handle sit?
A little bit lower than your elbows, with a strong, proud chest and shoulder position.
How far apart should my feet be when learning to turn?
Relatively closer together than your normal riding position. Les flags that narrower stance as important for the next step, so it is worth setting up before you try to turn.
Which knee do I turn to go left?
The right one. You unweight the left ski and turn the right knee, along with your hips and eyes, toward the left. Going right is the mirror image - unweight the right ski, turn the left knee.
How do I get back to going straight?
Relax the legs, even your weight up so it is equal on the left and right, point your knees at the boat and look at the boat. Where your eyes go is where you will go.
What should I be able to do before learning to turn?
Get up successfully and follow the boat. Directional control is the step after those two, so if the start is still the hard part, work on that first.
Where to go from here
If the start is still the sticking point, the getting up on two skis guide is the one to work through first. There are more lessons in the how-to guides.
Learning is a lot easier on skis that suit the rider — see the combo ski range, or run the numbers on the combo ski size calculator. And everyone in the water needs a properly fitted life jacket.
Stuck on something? Come into the shop at Moorooka in Brisbane, give us a call or send us an email — tell us what the skis are doing and we will talk it through.
Presented by Les at Waterskiers World — Australia's dedicated towed water sports retailer, family-run for over 20 years from our Brisbane store and online.