Favorite Drills/Progressions for Fore/Aft

[Blue Streak]

Whether we adopt the metaphor of a bag of tricks, a tool box, or a repertoire, the instructor is like a magician, mechanic, or performer to the extent that more is better.

It's pretty easy to reach for the same tools every time to address a familiar problem, but sometimes those tools don't fit. It's like reaching into the engine compartment with a ratchet and a spark plug socket, only to find out quickly that there isn't room to get the socket on a plug. It's time to dig into the toolbox to find an extension or U-joint adapter. Or maybe, it's not the socket at all. Maybe you need a flex-head ratchet.

There's a reason why Snap-on Tools sells over 22,000 separate products!

Now that's a big tool box!

Most ski instructors have a much smaller tool box, with a few go-to progressions for any given situation. But the thing is, not every body uses the same ones.

I propose using this forum as a venue for sharing tools - kind of a virtual tool box - for members to share some of their favorite tasks and/or progressions for working in a given skill pool.

With that it mind, why not start with one of the most common (and difficult) skiing fundamentals:

Control the relationship of the Center of Mass to the base of support to direct pressure along the length of the skis. PSIA-RM Individual Development Pathway Alpine Skiing Standards 2019

Is there a more common problem among beginner to intermediate skiers than the inability to maintain that relationship?

Let's talk about static, simple, and complex tasks that should be in every instructor's the tool box to tune up fore/aft balance.

I bet we can come up with a hundred of them!

 

[Henry]

"Control the relationship of the Center of Mass to the base of support to direct pressure along the length of the skis. "

I hate that gobbledy gook. (Defined as unintelligible jargon.) The manuals need some good editing so what it says is clear and consistent to everyone who reads it and can be repeated to students who have little understanding of skiing.

Depending on the skier's knowledge and ability my responses can range from
--"Hinge forward at the ankles until your zipper tap is over the logo on the fronts of your skis." (They never move as far as they think they do.)
--"Stand on the balls of your feet."
--"Pull your shins toward your toes." (For the skier who is very close to being balanced.)
--"Strongly pull both feet back." (For the skier who is not close to correct balance."
--"Strongly pull your inside foot back every turn all the time."*

*We used to teach that the inside ski should be thrust forward during the turn. Hmmm. We know that we need to have the weight centered over the correct part of the ski which is never the tail. If the inside ski is forward whatever amount of weight of that ski is on its tail. That can't be, isn't, helpful. It is helpful to keep both boots as close to side-by-side as possible (not talking lateral separation, just longitudinal position). Try it.

 

[Mike King]

Tommy Banks from Breck had a great one that I still try to find a place to use. He had folk walk up a significant rise and back down in their ski boots and notice the difference between up and down. He then had them think about bringing their upper body over their feet and moving with them on the down. It helped considerably.

 

[Tony S]

Tommy Banks from Breck had a great one that I still try to find a place to use. He had folk walk up a significant rise and back down in their ski boots and notice the difference between up and down. He then had them think about bringing their upper body over their feet and moving with them on the down. It helped considerably.

Can you talk more about this? I notice in myself and others, when hiking, that we are much better at going up than down, in terms of balance, safety, stability and - for lack of a better word - slippage. I feel like you're onto something important.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

Drills? If appropriate, I'd probably start with one-footed skiing in some form or another.

 

[Josh Matta]

*We used to teach that the inside ski should be thrust forward during the turn.

ok why?

We know that we need to have the weight centered over the correct part of the ski which is never the tail.

never the tail? like there is never anything anyone would ever do in skiing that they should be on their tails?

If the inside ski is forward whatever amount of weight of that ski is on its tail. That can't be, isn't, helpful. It is helpful to keep both boots as close to side-by-side as possible (not talking lateral separation, just longitudinal position). Try it.

what? why do you want your feet close together? are you feet close together as a move itself or consequence of other moves?


What does this have to do with

Control the relationship of the Center of Mass to the base of support to direct pressure along the length of the skis.

which put another way is....

move your body along the length of the skis to pressure the ski where its need pressured at the point in time. There is no "catch" all for where someone should be pressuring, and if you think there is then your understand of skiing isnt complete.

 

[Bad Bob]

Nothing tricky here but effective for moving weight along the ski; tip to tail, tail to tip.

Falling leaf when added to a slip. Garland when done with a traverse.

The give the feel and show the effect rather dramatically. And you can grow the skills in a lot of optional directions.

 

[Prosper]

I’ve been working on fore-aft balance. Practicing the different components of dolphin turns and trying to put it all together has been helpful. Note, I’m not an instructor. Just a recreational skier.

 

[Josh Matta]

really depends on the skier skill level...

but my favorites are tons of variation on falling leafs. You can modify a falling leaf to fix most for and aft problems with some coaching on basic body position and movement.

 

[T-Square]

Drills for movement along the ski: The instructor needs to pick the appropriate drill for the student’s ability. Remember, all drills will include more than just one skill.

• Backward skiing. Need to be careful when doing this to keep everyone safe.
• Pivot slips.
• Skating on flats, up and down gentle slopes, around corners on the flats.
• Shuffle turns.
• 10/100/1000 steps turns.
• Moving forward and backwards while skiing. Hinging from the ankles.
• 360s. Again stress doing it safely.
• Falling leafs, both directions.
• Side slips during a traverse.
• Jumping/hopping while skiing. (Not leapers.)
• Leapers.
• Bumps.

Remember, a toolkit is not a box. You need to think outside it.

 

[Josh Matta]

Remember when backward skiing the movement of COM is backwards, not towards the front of their boots. When someone feels the front of boot while backwards skiing that is exactly the problem they are having when skiing forward.

 

[tlougee]

Remember when backward skiing the movement of COM is backwards, not towards the front of their boots. When someone feels the front of boot while backwards skiing that is exactly the problem they are having when skiing forward.

That is an interesting way to think about this drill and perhaps it is why I have always been unsure about it. I do think it is effective in the sense that it can give the skier the feeling of having pressure against the tongue of the boot. I actually had a demo team member recommend it to me as a way of getting people out of the back seat.

 

[Blue Streak]

to pressure the ski where its need pressured at the point in time.

Agreed! But this is so widely misunderstood.
I have met so many instructors that are completely hung up on keeping on the "balls of the feet." When I argue that the heel is important too, they don't get it. I am blessed to have a whole foot, so I use it.

 

[Noodler]

Agreed! But this is so widely misunderstood.
I have met so many instructors that are completely hung up on keeping on the "balls of the feet." When I argue that the heel is important too, they don't get it. I am blessed to have a whole foot, so I use it.

Brought this one back from the dead there, now didn't ya?

If you're skiing on the balls of your feet, you're doing it wrong.

 

[David Chaus]

I really like a drill in which you put your weight/intent/focus mostly on one foot (say the right foot) for both right and left turns, and do a complete run that way.

Then switch and do a run with weight/intent/focus more on the left leg, both right and left turns.

I really helps me with an active and engaged inside ski, minimizes too much ski lead, and keeps my inside foot back and my hip more forward. You need your weight on the whole foot to do this effectively.

Another focus is feeling the weight on the front half of the foot (from metatarsal pads to the middle of the arch), but also “stretching“ the heel all the way around; rather than twisting into a pivot it helps with tail following tip and rounding turns from the start of the turn. It’s less about weighting the heels and more about feeling them.

 

[Dr. Mark]

Nothing tricky here but effective for moving weight along the ski; tip to tail, tail to tip.

Falling leaf when added to a slip. Garland when done with a traverse.

The give the feel and show the effect rather dramatically. And you can grow the skills in a lot of optional directions.

I get the falling leaf. Tell me about the garland, please. Thanks, BB.

 

[Bad Bob]

I get the falling leaf. Tell me about the garland, please. Thanks, BB.

Pretty simple stuff really, but like it since you can use it in a traverse and we all end up in those sometime.
With minimum edging move your weight back, and you will feel your tips drift towards the fall line; move your weight forward and feel the tips bite a little more and move up the slope. You can play with your edging for different effects.
I do this kind of stuff because I get bored easily.

 

[James]

With minimum edging move your weight back, and you will feel your tips drift towards the fall line; move your weight forward and feel the tips bite a little more and move up the slope.

^ Myth. If it does that, you are applying rotation or an imbalance left/right somehow. (Most people state the opposite to that) Pure fore aft movement wont cause tips or tails to go downhill.

 

[Mike King]

With minimum edging move your weight back, and you will feel your tips drift towards the fall line skis go straight; move your weight forward and feel the tips bite a little more and move up the slope tails move outside the path of your tips.

Fixed it for you.

 

[geepers]

I get the falling leaf. Tell me about the garland, please. Thanks, BB.

Repeatedly rolling the ski on edge and then flattening it whilst traversing. (Usual qualifier for Burke Academy - it's not MS skiing the drill...)


JFB's version. The next ciouple of drills from where the vid is cued to play.


JB demo-ing a variation using just the inside (uphill) ski.