Recently I meet a guy at our local Doyle sail loft who said, “I have been coaching Surfing Online”…and latter my light bulb went on!
Thinking…it could be fun trying to coach Skiing OnLine, just for fun.
In fact it’s perfect timing, as I am “Locked Down” in the Sunshine State and the kiwi A.O. group is now spring skiing on Mt Ruapehu in New Zealand?
Usually we enjoy these 5 to 7 day ski weeks at Whakapapa, as it’s Ski In-Out from the comfortable Ngauruhoe Ski Club Lodge and the slopes are better protected here in the volatile spring weather.
Then I wrote…
OK. Guys, there will be No videos and No phone calls…
I will give you ONE word to focus on per day. Yes, ONE word and then ONE paragraph to compliment it? Let’s GO.
1. DECISIONS.
Getting out of bed, and making good decisions All Day will improve your skiing, and a 15 minute ‘skiing focused’ stretching routine before breakfast is de Rigour! Weather, snow conditions and mountain safety messages are also ‘up there’ and always watch and listen to the skis of them who scored the first tracks.
Share your choices and discuss the options, then warm up with a simple technical focus. Vary your slope choices and challenge the unknown with short shots that require different movements, and mix it up on variable terrain. “Think, then Do”.
Be creative with Good Choices and avoid re enforcing those old school moves and comfortable bio mechanics. Use your ski design and start with your feet.
Have FUN and enjoy the day… and always finish when ‘on top’. “I am Not a Robot”!
Cheers.
2. STANCE.
We all live using an individual and “natural stance”. So why would you ski any other way when on a slippery slope and defying gravity?
Developing and maintaining a balanced Fore-Aft and Lateral Stance when skiing is the focus, and a simple exercise to encourage this is to stand on an incline (looking down the slope) and imagine catching a ball. MOVE!. This action will establish your body in a balanced and dynamic position, ground your boots and position your hands. Feel it-Try it! On or Off the snow.
It will also encourage flexing your ankles and knees to stand in a naturally-wide athletic position. Side stepping up a steep hill (eyes up) will also help develop a dynamic stance and after traversing across the slope check your parallel railway-line tracks?
Start every run as you intend to ski, then adjust your stance as needed, and always stop in your ‘natural’ balanced stance with good core tension.
Occasionally glance down at your knees, and check your ski widths as you slide. Knee width (open them up) are the key to a naturally wide stance and maintaining the ever adjusting and moving Fore-Aft balanced position.
Focus…Look…Feel…Do. Have FUN and enjoy your new and evolving “Dynamic Stance”.
Cheers.
3. PRESSURE.
When riding your bike there is always pressure on both pedals and a Long and Short leg. Agree? Modern skiing requires the same feeling, and especially in the Go Mode!
Varying this Flexion and Extension will ensure you can maintain contact with the snow with both skis and use the ski design with a “Long leg-Short leg”… every turn.
Skating also develops better pressure awareness as it flexes your ankles, pressures your fore foot (pad) and develops dynamic forward movements with each extension.
Extending against the outside ski while actively relaxing the inside knee is another important focus to keep skis parallel and maintain a “natural” lateral width.
Modern ski technique and bio-mechanics require a retraction first, then an extension through the turn while maintaining a calm upper body. And the Long leg-Short leg motion provides the pressures to generate speeds and shape your redirection.
Remember, “it’s all about Lower Body action…with a stable Upper Body”.
Cheers.
4. TIPPING.
Tipping your skis up on edge then steering, is a great focus. This will set up your skis to shape a turn aggressively, (quickly) or rhythmically, (with patience) and combined with pressure against the skis will initiate your chosen turn shape.
“Tip, Tip, Tip” is a good Mantra, or Tip Steer, Tip Steer, Tip Steer… when practising short radius fall-line turns, and it starts with your ankles and boots.
Stand on flat terrain in a dynamic position…then Tip, Tip, Tip your boots laterally, then Tip forward into the tongues at various ‘clock positions’, ie 10-11pm or 2-3 am.
Tip with your Feet and Knees while staying in balance, anywhere and every where!
Traversing with high edge angles and Tipping In with your flexed Up hill knee works both ways, then add “Release” with the Down hill ankle and knee. Traverse…release…Traverse…release, working your ankles, and using knee leverage.
Go Freeskiing with a focus…try Tipping first, then Steering to guide and control the movement’. “Tip” then Steer,…while actively relaxing that inside knee?
Cheers.
STEERING or is it TURNING.
Steering your skis is progressive and sensual, Turning your skis is usually fast and abrupt? (Steering = roundish, Turning= angular)…is it a Hop turn or a Carved arc?
Foot steering, Thigh turning, some times Upper body rotation, or even Counter- rotation are all used with varying edge angles and pressure to change direction and increasing or decreasing speeds or stop.
Another Key word to consider is… Anticipation and here’s a drill which combines all three concepts.
Lock your vision onto a fixed target. Then ski dynamic medium to short radius turns to the target while steering your skis rhythmically. And finish with a quick and safe hockey-stop turn!
Remember…“what we are Doing” is history, what we are “Going to do” is Key.
And this requires all our senses and body memories to Steer or Turn our skis,where ever and when ever, and it’s always “Eyes Up”.
Decisions. Balance. Pressure. Tipping. Steering-Turning.
Focusing on these 5+ words (individually or entwined) is important for developing refined skiing skills. I have put them in MY linear order of priority. You may choose a different progression?
Just don’t leave one out!
Cheers.
