Drill Sequential Converging Hop Turns - making yourself more versatile and agile.

[Josh Matta]

This is one of the things that I am personally not happy with the the demos shown online. I dont want to get to in why I am not happy with them but here is my example.

The purpose of this drill is two fold.....

Skill wise it will teach you hip socket joint to separate letting the femur move on the rotary and edging plane while the pelvis its self stays stationary, it also teaches people to learn how to be soft on their skis and manage the pressure of landing and hop smooth .

Tactically speaking the same move can be used to do a couple things, You can avoid the top of the turn when its going to lead to much speed for the given terrain , you can move laterally over obstacle or to better snow. IE there are rocks,sticks or ICE that you do not want to hit so you literally can just move laterally over top of them, and lastly you can use this to make turns where a release(whether it be a carve,turn,pivot or normal simultaneous hop turn just simply will not work.

I was personally entirely against these simply because at the time I felt it was the opposite of good skiing. Now I see skiing as means to getting around places and this particular skill set IMO still has place in modern skiing, particularly the variable condition off trail skiing of the east. It is not to be taken as the way to ski, or the only way to ski, but since learning this a couple years ago, I am able to move with more flow on more bump runs and tree runs with out getting "stuck" as much.

If you want to MA with out clicking on the youtube link(it will give you the answer) can you point out the point where I purposefully changed up what I was doing? Should be some practice for MA for higher end instructors.

IF you want to critique the drill or my methods, I ll only engage with those who can post a video(not vertical) of you doing it show you can do it, then I ll take the criticism.

 

[Mendieta]

Now I see skiing as means to getting around places

Ex - freaking - actly.I think there is a lot to say of your honesty in recognizing that, Josh. Hats off. At the end of the day, it is all about getting more efficient about getting around the mountain, so we can have more fun, more safely.

Question about the drill: it probably also helps with for-aft balance? I don't know how you could do it backseat or too way forward.

 

[Josh Matta]

I mean skiing helps with for and aft balance. Personally when people struggle while trying to learn this skill it almost never for and aft balance they are struggling with, there is a chance that movement itself leads to good for and aft balance since "pressure management along the ski" is really just a result of edging and rotary movements since this drill is basically a edging and rotary movement with the body moving down the hill hitting a basically stopped ski its kinda of hard to get "off balance" balance in that plane.

So maybe it helps, but it wouldnt be my first choice to fix someone for and aft balance deficiency, id probably start much simpler and tailor that to the individual person.

 

[Andy Mink]

can you point out the point where I purposefully changed up what I was doing

At about :13. I know something changed but can't put my finger on it. Keeping the one ski off the snow until it's time to switch?

 

[Dakine]

Hop turns are an essential bit of technique in a lot of sticky situations.
Like a narrow chute, for example.
Learning to retract your skis over an obstacle is related.

 

[Dwight]

Non technical term, he stopped rotating the legs. The trailing leg would follow point the same way. From 13 on the trailing leg doesn't follow and point same way.

 

[LiquidFeet]

At 0.14 you stop putting the lifted ski down. It stays in the air.

These are good for nailing the zipper line in bumps, too. I don't think you mentioned that use.

 

[Josh Matta]

Non technical term, he stopped rotating the legs. The trailing leg would follow point the same way. From 13 on the trailing leg doesn't follow and point same way.

nope always rotating the legs. 2 other people got it right. hips remain pointed down the fallline as possible.

@LiquidFeet you can hide the rotary push off move and keep the legs together to ski some but not all zipperlines that are formed by rotary push off skiers cough MRG cough

 

[karlo]

If you want to MA with out clicking on the youtube link(it will give you the answer) can you point out the point where I purposefully changed up what I was doing?

Spoiler: MA

I think somewhere around 0:10, certainly by 0:14, you land aft, rather than fore. I think initially, at landing, tips engage first, cutting a track that allows some carving. Landing aft, can’t cut a track; just a thud.

Correct?

Incorrect?

 

[Josh Matta]

maybe but probably not, not was I trying to show at least but maybe been the effect of my purposeful cause.

 

[LiquidFeet]

....
@LiquidFeet you can hide the rotary push off move and keep the legs together to ski some but not all zipperlines that are formed by rotary push off skiers cough MRG cough

Converging sequential hop turns are a teaching drill in the bumps. I've seen several videos of Asian kids doing this in competitive bump programs, but don't have time to find them now. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[Mike King]

At about :14, you become late in your pole plant and, as a result, lose coordination between the upper and lower body.

 

[Josh Matta]

lol c'mon on, where your video?

 

[CalG]

Why is it always a personal challenge with you Josh?

Your video example is sufficient for comment on the topic. You Say you attack and discuss ideas, but you often resort to "where is your video" .

That is a PERSONAL attack!

 

[Mike King]

Would love to, but a) injured and off snow for the rest of the season (cert 3 clinic collision from another instructor above me) and b) I can’t do hop turns — too old, unathletic, and too many injuries...

 

[Josh Matta]

Why is it always a personal challenge with you Josh?

Your video example is sufficient for comment on the topic. You Say you attack and discuss ideas, but you often resort to "where is your video" .

That is a PERSONAL attack!

I am not interested in observation of people who wont put themselves out there....considering all you need is someone else and a camera. the effort involved in pretty minimal.

its not really a personal challenge.

I said for the MA there was something I changed, turns out the change which was going from both feet on ground, too just outside ski on the ground led to some unexpected changes in my skiing. A couple people correctly pointed out that change...

As for the other things, they are true I can see it, but it really doesnt add anything to critique my skiing, especially when I literally said I will only listen to those who can do the task and post video, it is meant to take the pool of those commenting on the MA down to those who may actually be able to help me, and there for are actually useful to me.

and Ill admit people like Liquidfeet and Mike King actually have really good eyes....they may even be able to help me.

So let me ask those people how do I keep the upper and lower body in sync better when I make that purposeful switch, if you know how I am all ears, but lets be honest are we just grasping at straws at this point in time? Considering this just versatility drill and I would never link more than 2 or 3 of one type of the other at a time?

So main reason for asking for video, is I want help, but I want qualified help.

 

[4ster]

I just remembered that we used to call these “crab hops” & there were a few variations. They were a Llll exam demo/task in PSIA-W late 70’s - 80’s. Haven’t attempted them in years but I do luv a challenge


Yours would pass, even back then when converging & diverging step turns were all the rage

 

[Mike King]

@Josh Matta, I might've been able to see the transition from two legged to single legged hop turns if I'd had a portrait mode video as I was watching on my iPhone!`

 

[markojp]

Now I see skiing as means to getting around places...

Wrap your nogg'in around this one from a 11 y.o toward the end an afternoon private: " Before, I was making turns. Now I'm using them.
That's about as well stated as I've ever heard anywhere.

 

[Rod9301]

This is not a ma.

Interesting that you jump off the downhill leg.
Why is that?

Because in most other skiing, i assume you don't extend off the downhill leg, but instead you flex it to transfer the weight to the uphill ski. What i normally call flex to release.

I practice my jump turns a lot, but in steep terrain, and there i push off the uphill ski, because of course the downhill leg is pretty straight, and you can't push off a straight leg.

Just curious what is the purpose of the drill in your video.