MA request

[TheArchitect]

My first time requesting MA so be gentle but honest! I'm planning on taking a lesson or three in the near future so I'd love some input on what I might ask the instructor to help me with.

I'm the guy coming over the crest on skier's left in the orange and gray jacket at about 11 seconds in.


Small, forming bumps for a very short run

 

[Steve]

Good separation. Good rhythm. Nice skiing (I don't do critical online MA )

 

[TheArchitect]

Good separation. Good rhythm. Nice skiing (I don't do critical online MA )

Thanks, Steve. I appreciate the comment.

 

[slowrider]

I'd work on more vertical separation. Short leg, shorter leg. Nice turns,well done.

 

[Bad Bob]

Nice controlled skiing. I'm looking for the smile but can't see it in those videos.

When you are initiating your turns have a little more patience. Tip your skis, transfer weight to the outside ski. Combine that with more edge as stated above ( short leg long leg) and see what happens to your turns. You'll find yourself riding your skis more instead of pushing them through the turns.

 

[geepers]

My first time requesting MA so be gentle but honest!

MA kind of depends on what you are trying to achieve. If your objective was to cruise down the slope at consistent intermediate speed with a nice leisurely medium radius line, and a regular rhythm then you, no worries, you are already there.

I'm going to assume your objective in taking lessons is something like "help me ski better" and I'm going to guess that you probably aren't planning to start running gates. So I'm going to suggest a logical progression is to develop a more rounded turn shape and use grip and line to control speed for this type of terrain at roughly the same speed and turn radius.

Couple of point:
1. You are wearing a jacket that is hiding a good portion of your body making it a little harder to see what's happening when you are up close
2. The pitch is variable

For those reasons I'm going to focus on turns on the pitch just above and a little back from the camera. Your turns are symetrical so this applies both sides.

Between pic 1 and 2 you have created separation by pivoting the skis under a stable upper body. That bit is good.

However we see that you are already starting to move inside and that's more visible in pic 3.

By pic 4 that early inside hip and a rigid inside leg is reducing your options. I suspect your hip is inside and twisted to face further to the outside and you are no longer predominantly balanced over the outside ski, you've lost grip and are pushing the heels out.

Heels out and sliding across the direction of travel.

Leading to a defensive braking for speed control.

So, if your objective becomes what i suggest there's a few things to work on:

1. More mobility in lower joints (ankles/knees/hips) and greater independence of leg use.

2. Keeping over your outside ski in preference to moving straight to the inside to allow you to grip and finish your turns.

There's a host of drills for this type of development. Here's one related to keeping over the outside ski.


Hope this helps.

 

[Josh Matta]

It’s hard to see with that jacket but the 2 biggest issues I see are spinal angulation and slowing down along too fast of a line.

I think a lot of people get told to keep their shoulders down the fall line which is actually not great advice, better advice would be keep your pelvis level and facing down the hill, and even better advice would be use femur tipping and steering so your hip face down the hill.

Nothing really great will happen until those femur are more separated from your pelvis. In fact I feel a ton of good will fall into line once that happens.

 

[TheArchitect]

Thanks for the comments. In the first video I'm trying to keep a controlled slow speed and be consistent with my form. I can and do ski a lot faster with similar form but the turns become more GS (though my long leg/short leg gets better). I'm trying to keep my pelvis level to the slope and I'm pushing my inside hip forward to establish counter. I was working on that all weekend with mixed but improving consistency.

I know that my angulation isn't good enough and I'm leaning inside too much. Sometimes I get it right and others I don't. Again, consistency is an issue. I bought the Your Ski Coach angulation drills DVD and am going to start to work on creating better angulation.

@Josh Matta can you explain what you mean by "slowing down along too fast a line"? Also, are there any go-to drills for getting my femurs more separated from my pelvis?

 

[Kneale Brownson]

Also, are there any go-to drills for getting my femurs more separated from my pelvis?

One exercise for separation, provided a lack of traffic makes it safe to use, is to make steep traverses with the belly button pointed at some target across and down the hill while you turn the skis uphill in garlands. Pivot slips too, but they're worthless if done incorrectly, so that would be something to ask a LIII instructor about.

 

[TheArchitect]

Thanks, Kneale. I'll add that to the list.

 

[Fuller]

Keep your inside foot back and on the little toe edge but don't let the inside hip go back with it. Try pretending your nose is dripping on the toe piece of your outside binding, while balancing on your outside ski, making sure your inside hand is not going south. Keep your eyes on the bottom of the pitch and watch out for Texans!

It's that simple.

 

[geepers]

I'm trying to keep my pelvis level to the slope and I'm pushing my inside hip forward to establish counter.

My understanding is that pushing your inside hip forward as you do in the groomer vid is not optimal.

Try this quick drill at home to find out why:
1. Stand side on to a wall and about an arm length and a hand-span or two away. (Going to lean on that wall in step 3 so don't stand too far away.)
2. Give the inside foot some lead - about 1/2 the length of your foot.
3. With hips parallel to a line through the front tips of your feet, lean against the wall to simulate going around a turn. Bend the knees a little and ensure weight is predominantly over the outside foot - to the point where you can lift the inside foot like you were doing thumpers on the snow. Put the foot back with the same lead. Notice that you are stacked in a strong position and can effectively bob up and down on that outside leg by bending ankle and knee. You can also tip your feet by rotating your knees towards the wall - femurs rotating in hip sockets.
4. Now twist your hips so the inside hip is further forward. Does this new position feel stronger or weaker? Do you feel more or less able to rotate the knees inwards?

going to start to work on creating better angulation.

I reckon a good drill for this is dragging the outside pole in the snow - as long as you do not contort with weird arm positions. Start with a gentle slope and try to maintain outside pole contact with the snow through the turn. The advantage of this drill is that you get an internal cue - you'll feel the pole touching the snow.

BTW also a good idea to drill thumpers to ensure you are on the the outside ski.

 

[Philpug]

The jacket is too long, for your stature, I think one that cuts at the waist would be better for your physique.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I'd start with opening your stance, and then, never go straight. Try to feel like you are always turning. When you watch the video you can see that all of your turning is pretty abrupt and then connected with straight lines. Take what you are doing there and be more patient with it so that you never have to go straight.

 

[TheArchitect]

My understanding is that pushing your inside hip forward as you do in the groomer vid is not optimal.

Try this quick drill at home to find out why:
1. Stand side on to a wall and about an arm length and a hand-span or two away. (Going to lean on that wall in step 3 so don't stand too far away.)
2. Give the inside foot some lead - about 1/2 the length of your foot.
3. With hips parallel to a line through the front tips of your feet, lean against the wall to simulate going around a turn. Bend the knees a little and ensure weight is predominantly over the outside foot - to the point where you can lift the inside foot like you were doing thumpers on the snow. Put the foot back with the same lead. Notice that you are stacked in a strong position and can effectively bob up and down on that outside leg by bending ankle and knee. You can also tip your feet by rotating your knees towards the wall - femurs rotating in hip sockets.
4. Now twist your hips so the inside hip is further forward. Does this new position feel stronger or weaker? Do you feel more or less able to rotate the knees inwards?

I reckon a good drill for this is dragging the outside pole in the snow - as long as you do not contort with weird arm positions. Start with a gentle slope and try to maintain outside pole contact with the snow through the turn. The advantage of this drill is that you get an internal cue - you'll feel the pole touching the snow.

BTW also a good idea to drill thumpers to ensure you are on the the outside ski.

Interesting regarding the inside hip forward not being optimal. It's one of the drills on the Your Ski Coach DVD. Most everything of his that I've tried has worked well but maybe I shouldn't take all of it as gospel. I'll try your at-home drill to see how it feels.

The jacket is too long, for your stature, I think one that cuts at the waist would be better for your physique.

LOL, Yeah, the problem is that being short and....rotund....means that most jackets that fit me end up being long. The rotund is going away slowly but surely and when it comes time for a new jacket I'll be sure to keep your fine words of wisdom in mind.

I'd start with opening your stance, and then, never go straight. Try to feel like you are always turning. When you watch the video you can see that all of your turning is pretty abrupt and then connected with straight lines. Take what you are doing there and be more patient with it so that you never have to go straight.

Keeping my legs locked together like it's still 1987 is a hard habit to break. I'm starting to work on it though, along with your other comments.

 

[geepers]

Interesting regarding the inside hip forward not being optimal. It's one of the drills on the Your Ski Coach DVD. Most everything of his that I've tried has worked well but maybe I shouldn't take all of it as gospel. I'll try your at-home drill to see how it feels.






LOL, Yeah, the problem is that being short and....rotund....means that most jackets that fit me end up being long. The rotund is going away slowly but surely and when it comes time for a new jacket I'll be sure to keep your fine words of wisdom in mind.






Keeping my legs locked together like it's still 1987 is a hard habit to break. I'm starting to work on it though, along with your other comments.

Quick look at the photos on their web site... I think it's a question of how far that hip goes. I don't see anything in their photos that contradicts what the L4 CSIA instructors tell me. In longer turns hip /shoulders should be about parallel with the line across the ski tips. Or another way to think about it is to face the forces coming at you. (In shorter radius turns the upper body will face somewhat more down the fall line.)

@Philpug is right however I've swapped jackets many times and it's not done a lot for my movement patterns.

I too have had this issue of feet too close together. Some of the supposed 'cures' have been horrendous. Various remedies of poles between legs, fists between legs ,etc seem to be just a bad way to ski to the scene of the accident. However here's one to try...
1. Have a buddy ski in front with their feet together. Just nice smooth medium to long radius turns at middling speed.
2. You follow keeping your skis on either side of the track made by your buddy. Practically the whole time - can cheat a bit on the turns if your buddy skis a wide skidded track on the turns.

Change is strange and this will feel very strange. Like your feet are way, way apart. Stick with it for a run or two then try on your own. Internal cue - ensure your knees do not touch. Then ski that way the rest of your life.

 

[Chris V.]

My understanding is that pushing your inside hip forward as you do in the groomer vid is not optimal.

Try this quick drill at home to find out why:
1. Stand side on to a wall and about an arm length and a hand-span or two away. (Going to lean on that wall in step 3 so don't stand too far away.)
2. Give the inside foot some lead - about 1/2 the length of your foot.
3. With hips parallel to a line through the front tips of your feet, lean against the wall to simulate going around a turn. Bend the knees a little and ensure weight is predominantly over the outside foot - to the point where you can lift the inside foot like you were doing thumpers on the snow. Put the foot back with the same lead. Notice that you are stacked in a strong position and can effectively bob up and down on that outside leg by bending ankle and knee. You can also tip your feet by rotating your knees towards the wall - femurs rotating in hip sockets.
4. Now twist your hips so the inside hip is further forward. Does this new position feel stronger or weaker? Do you feel more or less able to rotate the knees inwards?

Instead of that #4, a more appropriate move would be to dorsiflect the inside ankle and tuck that foot back by bending the knee further, all without altering the position of the hips--because half the length of the foot is still too much of a tip lead. Been working on this recently with the coaches at Alpine Meadows.

It's like Fuller said above.

 

[Chris V.]

My first time requesting MA so be gentle but honest!

I feel like you're getting better flexibility, skiing more from the legs, in the video clip of skiing bumps, in comparison to the groomer run. Something to think about.

 

[Steve]

Here's my suggestions. Try to create your angulation and counter with your legs, not your upper body.

Instead of turning your upper body more downhill (or pushing your inside hip forward) turn your legs more (or allow them to turn if in a carve.)
If your legs turn (and your pelvis doesn't) counter is created and more pressure is put on the outside ski.

Try this: Stand in front of a mirror so you can see your belly-button. Turn your legs, don't turn your pelvis, you can tell this because the belly-button doesn't turn. The weight will be on your outside ski. Allow the pelvis to turn (belly-button moves) and you'll feel more weight on your inside ski. I did this every morning for months this summer during my yoga routine and it put me very much more in touch with feeling my legs turning, not my pelvis turning.

As to angulation, raising the inside hip and shortening the inside leg can create angulation. Rather than bending sideways at the waist, or trying to level your shoulders - both upper body movements - use leg rotation and retraction, along with a slight inside hip raise.

These are general comments, not specific to your video btw.

 

[markojp]

Stance width... unless your ski boots and pant cuffs are getting shredded from a dangling just along for the ride inside ski, it's never much the first thing and only rarely on the corrective agenda when coaching. The worst is "get your feet shoulder width apart" with no concrete reason given for doing so.