1. Get it up
Skiing provides a good total body workout, as you'll recognize after a day on the water. Getting and staying up on the thin pieces of wood or fiberglass takes some practice, but it's mostly learning how not to do much and let the boat do all the pulling. Once up, all you have to do is hang on and keep your knees and elbows slightly bent. After skiing in the boat's wake for a time, many skiers are anxious to branch out and try some other maneuvers.
2. Jump the Wake
One of the first tricks that skiers learn is to jump the wake. You don't need any special equipment to do this move. Pull in on the rope handles slightly and lean towards one side to move yourself outside of that comfort zone. As you approach the larger wake, bend your knees and hang on. The momentum of your leaning will send you out and when the skis hit the wake, you will be momentarily airborne. Land back in the water with your knees bent, then rise to your skiing position. By continuing to lean, you can bring yourself so that you are almost parallel with the boat. Go from side to side to break up your skiing adventure.
3. One Ski
Slalom, or single ski riding, is the next step for most skiers when deviating from a straight ski pull. Make sure that the ski you will drop is not too tight on your foot. As you are being pulled, work your foot out of one ski and place your free foot on the ski that's still in the water. When you get really good at slalom skiing, you will be able to be pull up from the start using only one ski.
4. Go Barefootin'
At very high speeds, a boat can pull a skier wearing no skis at all. Barefoot skiing is a thrill ride practiced by skiers with strong legs who must put a little more leverage into their skiing than those who rely on the skis to keep them on top of the water. After kicking off one ski, try losing the other one and see how far you can go before sinking.
5. High Flying
You can buy a number of different skis to perform more advanced tricks like being pulled over ramps, doing flips and turning around. Skiing is one of those sports that encourages advanced tricks with less risk than other sports performed on land. When you're trying something new on skis and you see that it is not working, just let go of the tow rope and you will stop moving. Water can be very forgiving, you can just lie back and wait for the boat to come pick you up.
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