In Episode 7, Justin Maass takes Jimmie Smith and Kayla Graham off their horses and to the hay bale for some ground work, and it exposes one of the most common mistakes he sees from ropers at every level. Most people rope the dummy without ever releasing the first strand of their coil into their loop, and Maass breaks down exactly why that is costing them on horseback. He also gets into something almost nobody talks about: where the eye of your rope is making contact on the calf. Forget the ears, forget the tip. The target is the spot where the shoulder and neck tie in, and if the eye of your rope is hitting that spot, the loop has no choice but to go on. The banter between Maass, Smith, and Graham is some of the best of the series, and by the end of the session both ropers are starting to understand what focus on the right target actually feels like.
Up Next in Breakaway Practice
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Ep. 6: Sit Still, Stay Forward & Gett...
In the final episode of the Pre-Summer Breakaway Tune Up Session, Justin Maass wraps up the day with some of the most honest coaching of the series. Jimmie Smith hits a wall mid-session and Maass pulls her out of it the only way he knows how: three good runs and a short memory. He breaks down why...
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Ep. 5: The Mental Game, Mentorship & ...
In Episode 5, Justin Maass steps away from the arena and gets into the part of roping most coaches won't talk about: the mental game. Maass breaks down his coaching philosophy, explaining why he doesn't try to completely rebuild a roper's swing and why embracing your own style is often more produ...
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Ep. 8: Q&A with Jimmie Smith
Jimmie Smith sits down for a candid Q&A covering her journey from college roping to barrel racing rookie of the year to competing at the highest level of breakaway roping. She also gets honest about the mental side of competition, what it took to come out of semi-retirement, and why she drove str...
