Help me correct A-Frame

[oldschoolskier]

@Doug Briggs gave a very good answer here.

@Wendy You may have partially answered your own problem indirectly. Confidence in your strength may be the underlying issue. Everything else may just a symptom.

The hard answer maybe how to overcome that. Most cases time and steady building does that.

The better instructors can be build on this here with good advise and drills.

 

[Mike King]

Wendy, you've received a lot of good advice here that you may take into your skiing next season. But some of your comments sound like you may have some functional imbalances in your musculature, and you can work on those now. I'd strongly recommend seeing a physical therapist to evaluate your movement patterns. I'd also, even more highly, recommend taking up Pilates. I have a lot of functional limitations related to the large number of injuries I've received. I started Pilates with a focus on using CoreAlign and it has helped to address many of the imbalances that I have. I also attribute it to changing my boot alignment, where i went of 3.5 degrees of cant in my right boot to 1.5 degrees this season. And now I can tip my skis in a way that I could not before.

Just a thought.

Mike

 

[Mike King]

One other advantage of Pilates was that it brought me a lot more body awareness. I now know a lot more about anatomy and functional movement patterns, and can even recognize some of those in my own movements. A big plus for being able to not only coach skiing, but receive coaching in my own skiing.

Mike

 

[Doby Man]

I was once having a real bad day and riding the lift with my highschool coach one afternoon during practice when he quietly brought up that I seemed “dead on the inside”. I thought to myself, “Finally! Someone who understands my misery!” I then immediately fell into a non-stop rant covering all of my most terrible childhood trauma. He interrupted to clarify that he was referring to my inside ski. I responded, “Yes! Yes! So am I.”

 

[Doug Briggs]

I was once having a real bad day and riding the lift with my highschool coach one afternoon during practice when he quietly brought up that I seemed “dead on the inside”. I thought to myself, “Finally! Someone who understands my misery!” I then immediately fell into a non-stop rant covering all of my most terrible childhood trauma. He interrupted to clarify that he was referring to my inside ski. I responded, “Yes! Yes! So am I.”

 

[Wendy]

I was once having a real bad day and riding the lift with my highschool coach one afternoon during practice when he quietly brought up that I seemed “dead on the inside”. I thought to myself, “Finally! Someone who understands my misery!” I then immediately fell into a non-stop rant covering all of my most terrible childhood trauma. He interrupted to clarify that he was referring to my inside ski. I responded, “Yes! Yes! So am I.”

That is hysterical. Exactly something I would do!

 

[Wendy]

One other advantage of Pilates was that it brought me a lot more body awareness. I now know a lot more about anatomy and functional movement patterns, and can even recognize some of those in my own movements. A big plus for being able to not only coach skiing, but receive coaching in my own skiing.

Mike

Thanks, Mike. I do not take a Pilates class (though I used to), but the last 20 minutes of my boxing class is basically Pilates. Tons of core work and balance work. I also just started working with a personal trainer there.....on strength and boxing form, which requires lots of body awareness. All of this is done in front of a large mirror, so I can see what’s going on.

 

[rustypouch]

Wendy, your post made me think of another Wendy who might make you feel better about A-framing. Here's Wendy Fisher:



When I posted those videos before somebody inevitably mentioned her A-frame without comment on how it was hurting her skiing. I can't recall who it was, but I'm rather certain they couldn't keep up with her.

The great discussion above raises the question if the whole A-frame thing is fashion or function?

The big thing there that stood out for me was her hands and shoulders. Dropping her inside hand every turn made me a bit twitchy.

 

[François Pugh]

The old “use your hand to push your knee out” drill has never worked.

It doesn't work for a lot of people. You need to learn how to engage your muscles to tip your skis, not how to engage the opposite muscles to resist your hand pushing on your knee.

 

[jzmtl]

It doesn't work for a lot of people. You need to learn how to engage your muscles to tip your skis, not how to engage the opposite muscles to resist your hand pushing on your knee.

It doesn't work if people use it wrong, they are not suppose to forcing their inside knee down with their hands, it should serve only as a reminder to start actively move the inside knee and by how much.

 

[Pequenita]

I was once having a real bad day and riding the lift with my highschool coach one afternoon during practice when he quietly brought up that I seemed “dead on the inside”. I thought to myself, “Finally! Someone who understands my misery!” I then immediately fell into a non-stop rant covering all of my most terrible childhood trauma. He interrupted to clarify that he was referring to my inside ski. I responded, “Yes! Yes! So am I.”

That is hysterical. Exactly something I would do!

If one were both a talk therapist and a ski instructor, they could make a killing.

 

[tinymoose]

Just saw this post! Life has been busy and I haven't been on in the last week or so. @Large Squirrel isn't on much and probably didn't see this, but I can see what I can dig up at home as far as videos of @Wendy go. Won't be tonight, but maybe tomorrow night.

 

[Large Squirrel]

First thing: it’s probably NOT due to a boot alignment issue, as I’ve had that examined by several good professionals. I am willing to have someone else take another look if somebody can give me specific advice regarding that issue.

Second thing: It drives me nuts. I can’t feel it, but I look awful in video.

I don’t have much video to share, @Large Squirrel may. I have one from Alta on my iPad, but I can’t seem to be able to post it here. Until I figure that out....

The problem is with my left leg, which also has some muscle imbalance that I’ve worked to correct, apparently without success. The old “use your hand to push your knee out” drill has never worked.

Then I came upon this:
I’m definitely the image on the left, ha. I’ll try this next season, but....

1) What works best to correct this?
2)What can I do now, in the summer, that might help?

@Wendy i will dig up some video from this past season and post it (with your permission). we'll PM.

 

[Large Squirrel]

here is a clip of @Wendy skiing thru some nice PA powder! this is a front-on view of her skiing.

https://video-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v...X3RhZyI6Im1lc3Nlbmdlcl9wcm9ncmVzc2l2ZSJ9&dl=1

 

[Wendy]

So, while in the gym today, I took some photos in the mirror so readers could see my body geometry. Shoes are Vibram Five Fingers, so similar to bare feet. Above, balancing on left leg. (This is the knee that turns in on skis).

Standing straight. Notice curved tibia. I am not knock-kneed.

Balancing on right leg:

“Edging” left as if on skis:

“Edging”right as if on skis:

 

[Mike King]

Wendy, do you have access to a Pilates studio with CoreAlign? I'm seeing some significant instability in your hip from your 1 legged stand photo above. I think you could benefit from some functional training to get better stacked through the pelvis.

Do you wish to have movement analysis on video of your skiing?

Mike

 

[Wendy]

@Mike King , I will have to investigate the Pilates class. I do do an awful lot of varied core work. I know my pelvis tilts inward on the left side.

Yes, I do wish to have video analysis of my skiing once I get some video posted.

 

[tinymoose]

Let's try this link instead:


Wendy is the last person down in the blue helmet and fuschia pants. Compliments of another friend who took this...

 

[Mike King]

Wendy, I hope it is ok to use the video posted above to do a bit of MA on your skiing. The issue in your A-frame, I suspect, is rooted in some deeper movement patterns that you have. The way that you change your edges is to dive your upper body inside and over the skis. The result is that you wind up on the inside ski, and you push the outside ski in the latter part of your turn away from your body, resulting a a bit of a stem (wedge) as you come to the edge change. You wind up inclining, rather that angulating, and the outside ski is not really engaged.

What I would suggest to you is that you learn to tip the skis with your lower body. Think about trying to change the edges and increase edge angle by tipping the lower legs. Here's a few things for you to try.

• My coach, 2 time demo team member Jim Schanzenbaker, talks about creating a platform that can accept the pressure from the skis as the turn enters the shaping phase of the turn. A great way to work on building a platform is to work on your skating on skis. In order to generate forward momentum, you have to tip the ski on edge. That is, tip the lower leg to edge the ski, then you have a platform to push against. In a ski turn, it's somewhat the same dynamic: you have to tip the lower leg to establish the edge, then the outside ski can receive the pressure as it builds in the shaping phase of the turn. So, first start by practicing your skating on the flats, or slightly uphill. Don't use your poles; use the tipping of the outside ski to establish the edge, then you can push against it.
• Once you've done that and been successful, take it into J turns. Think about the mechanic of establishing the edge from skating: it is a rotation of the outside knee inward and down that establishes the edge; do the same move in your J turn. Practice that a bunch until you can make a pretty short turn, purely carved, that results in significant travel uphill at the end of the turn.
• Now, bring in the inside leg. It mimics the movement of the outside leg. So try those J turns, but now drive the inside knee out and down. Direct all of the pressure, however, to the outside ski.
• Practice outside ski turns. Pick up the inside ski (dragging the tip is ok) BEFORE you change edges. Roll the new outside knee down and in to change edges.

This will take some effort, repetition, and practice. But it should result in a more simultaneous edge change and eliminate your stem. And, perhaps, your tendency to push the skis around.

Mike

 

[Wendy]

@Mike King

Thank you for your analysis.

I was a skate skier long before I learned to alpine ski. A typical skate ski day was 10-15 km with some friends who were competitive skaters, on hilly terrain. I used to skate without poles (still do), and I do understand the use of the ski edge in a glide while skating.

Can you define a J turn?

I’d also like to get some video posted on groomed runs, with carving skis, to see if there’s any difference.

@Magi can you comment n anything you noticed while skiing with me at Alta? Thanks.