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Burton

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Mar 10, 2017
Posts
103
Just saw this:
What I would try is letting your kid ski with older and better skiers in his freetime. Does he have a better older brother e.g.? Kids learn tons by seeing other people ski, especially if they look up to the person. They want to emulate everything that person does.
That, right there, is the best way to get a kid to improve rapidly while keeping it fun. I still remember as a kid always skiing better on days I skied with two kids on my team who were a fair bit better than me. It's almost subconscious.
 

James

Out There
Instructor
Joined
Dec 2, 2015
Posts
24,419
I don’t see the big deal in getting a lesson.
It’s all in how it’s presented.
Agree with this-
Race coaching and ski instructing are not the same thing. I've had lessons with a few race kids and there's always been plenty to work on. The kids are going to spend quite a bit of time doing drills, but in my experience, the coaches just tend to say "go ski on one ski" and then drink coffee or go and set gates. Those kids could be doing anything. The instructor can teach them how to actually do those drills right so that maybe next time, the kids will be doing something productive instead of making themselves worse.
 
Thread Starter
TS
T

tube77

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Feb 4, 2019
Posts
245
I coach in a USSA program and also lead the coaching for a Buddy Werner program with about 30 coaches, so I've seen lots of coaching styles/abilities and think a great deal about how to improve coaching--most of my Buddy Werner coaches are parent volunteers, with fewer than 10 even having their Level 100. I've definitely seen some coaches who just provide instruction on drills and fail to provide individualized feedback, especially among parent coaches, or coaches fresh off their college race team. One of the hardest things about coaching is looking at a racer and figuring out the root cause of what they're doing wrong and providing constructive feedback. Further, often times coaches have a group of 10 kids coming down the hill in rapid succession, and that group may vary from practice to practice, so it's hard to drill down on something specific with each racer, especially at the U10 level. So the easy thing to do is to provide generic feedback, or just repeat the drill focus.

But here's another big factor--is your child seeking feedback, and absorbing it? A typical coaching dynamic will be one coach at the bottom of a training course giving feedback, another at the top of the course getting kids started. Earlier this season, I'm at the top of the course, asking every kid, every run through "what are you working on?" A lot of kids shrug their shoulders, until I tell them I'm going to ask them Every. Single. Time. what they're working on, so they need to listen to the coach at the bottom and actually remember what feedback they're getting. Lo' and behold, kids started remembering, and because I asked them about it at the top of the course, they actually kind of sorta applied the feedback to the training.

At the U10 level, a lot of the kids are just having fun with their friends. They'll ski right past the coach at the bottom of the hill. Or during drills, they're spacing out, goofing off, or thinking about lunch. But then there's other kids that ask for feedback after every drill and every practice run. Then they come down the next run and tell the coach "I tried what you told me and XYZ happened..." They're engaged, and they progress very rapidly. That engagement requires a coach who is engaged as well, of course, but even a great coach needs the kid to put in effort. So, before you hire a instructor to do what the coach should be doing, maybe just encourage your child to ask for specific feedback from their coach. And keep at it. If I get asked by a kid two runs in a row how their run looked, and I don't have a good answer that shows I'm paying attention to their skiing, I'll be damned sure to be certain to have something to tell them on the third run, and that kid will stick out in my mind as someone who is pushing it. I'll look at their video, I'll think about them while I'm on the chair, while I'm driving to the hill, from week to week. Just food for thought.

Thank you for your comments as a coach!
I now have better understanding how things going around.
As far as I know, my kid never asks feedback as he's quite shy or introverted to coaches but he listens carefully and tries to follow well.
I think I better urge him to be a bit more proactive and engaged with coaches on training.
Thanks a bunch!
 
Thread Starter
TS
T

tube77

Getting on the lift
Skier
Joined
Feb 4, 2019
Posts
245
I'm going to weigh in on this as a (hopefully knowledgeable) parent so understand I'm coming at it from that angle.

First, the OP needs to be a little clearer about what his child needs that the coaches may not be providing. Is it better technique or better tactics in the course? Frankly, at U10, I wouldn't worry much about the latter other than starting your turn early plus simple knowledge like how to navigate a delay gate in GS. Technique fundamentals like keeping weight forward, pressuring outside ski, how to develop edge angles, etc are much more important.

There's a degree of self-sufficiency to all of this. If the coaches have analyzed the child's skiing, identified things to work on, explained what to improve, how to do so and drills to work on, then it's up to the child to discover, through trial and error, how to execute. There should be consistent feedback on whether the child has improved and what, if anything, needs to be changed about practice techniques.

If you feel this isn't happening, and I've seen kids ask coaches what they can improve only to get a consistent reply of "you look great," then have a constructive conversation with your child's coach or the head coach of the program. If they aren't receptive, or the answer isn't to your liking, then you have two choices: 1) leave for a different program or 2) accept that you're paying for gate time during practice and club access to races. You can certainly pay for "mini-camps" through academy programs, a private coach, etc, but the cost will add up quickly.

There are good coaches and not as good coaches out there. In small programs they are sometimes parents who raced and have gotten their Level 100 cert and are trading coaching for a free race program for their kids. Some of those parents stick along well after their kids leave the program and become pretty good coaches.

If you haven't already, spend some time listening to the feedback your coaches provide to the kids. Volunteer to take practice video from the bottom of a practice course or during drills and you can eavesdrop on how the coaches interact. Ask your child's coach directly for a mid-season evaluation on performance, what your child is doing well and the biggest things to work on. The quality of the answer should also give you some insight.

Thank you for your comments from a parent perspective!
That's very good point and I once tried to make him mingling around with older kids but failed. He's quite shy with new kids..
But I can try it again. I think I have to look for a twin tip first for him..lol
Thanks again!
 

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