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May Have Picked up a Bad Habit?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
WellySki0009, Laughing

He's aiming for the 2014 Olympics and is part of the national squad....I'm so hoping he gets gold Laughing
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Chasseur, In the first video I'm not seeing much in the way of pole planting. If you are on a steep pitch it's going to help.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Chasseur, I've been sat here, repeatedly watching and reading . . . really stuck at what to say.

I like and seriously respect Rob and Scott . . . and I'll not say a word against them . . . in fact having read and re-read Rob's post I think he and I are seeing the same thing but from entirely different viewpoints. His from what he would like you to do with your skis and me from where I would like you to place your body. That may not be incompatible.

Rob is the ski instructor so I will not trample over his advice but I would ask you to perform a simple experiment: You will need a partner for this, a piece of chalk and ideally a camera.

Stand, feet hip distance apart; Knees, arms and shoulders relaxed. Now before you make any adjustments, are both feet equally weighted? Make a note of a difference if any and continue.

Slide your right hand down your leg while keeping your eyes level until you just start to feel uncomfortable. Take a picture from directly behind and a chalkmark on your leg where the tip of your fingers reach.

Repeat this on the left.

Lots of people say you need to get fit to ski but we don't address flexibility or balanced movement . . . I'm growing to the idea that's a big error.

Look at the pictures and the chalk marks. If there is a noticeable difference? Just say if there is and I will attempt not to drop a bolock and say what it is and ask you to try some off ski exercises to see if it changes how you feel on your skis.

This has NOTHING to do with your skiing, only your body.
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Masque, OK, I will be the guinea pig wink

A few things (the pictures may need to wait a while longer).

1) 8 weeks ago I had new boots fitted and, as part of that process, I had to stand on a machine that measure where your pressure points are on your feet in a natural posture (as you describe) and in the bend ze knees posture one might adopt (as a recreational skier).

The resultant "picture" suggested only a minor misalignment with what would be judged as a more even weight distribution on the left foot.

2) I do have an historic back problem from a teenage accident - not dealt with at the time - manifested by a slight curvature to the side of the lower spine which usually affects the left side of lower back/buttocks/upper thigh and occasional pelvic "lock" (effin painful).

3) I do quite a lot of gym work for general fitness and core activity for lower back movement and front muscle tone/strength plus leg work (for muscle tone/strength) - chest-pass lunges, step-ups and no fixed weight stuff.

Just a brief trial of the exercise you mention and I found that as I leant to the right there was a natural inclination to also lean slightly forward - not noticed that before. Trying to keep both sides without any lean forward, suggests that I can reach further right than left - probably 2-3cm max.

You are welcome to try and pick anything put of that bag of spanners Laughing

Will try and get photos done.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Chasseur, I wouldn't worry about fitness, ski boot alignment etc, I think this is a 'simple' ski technique issue, that I would suspect the IO guys or any decent instructor could fix with some drills.....
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 You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
Chasseur, I am not an instructor but in the first video I see a series of linked skids with lots of tail pushing. Which you are using as a tactic to slow yourself down but you are still moving quite fast so its really not surprising that the skis aren't that stable.

Try widening the turns out a bit and adding more shape to them ie more C than ( . Try to be patient and progressive with your edging.

In my experience I'd say that it is easier/more productive to work on developing solid larger turns before shorter ones because there is more time available to sense what is going on and try to correct those habits in longer turns.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
kitenski wrote:
Chasseur, I wouldn't worry about fitness, ski boot alignment etc, I think this is a 'simple' ski technique issue, that I would suspect the IO guys or any decent instructor could fix with some drills.....


Yup - that would be my assessment....hence the thread title wink
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Although the music is terrible, I find this video quite helpful.


http://youtube.com/v/2Fs2jkOA74o
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 You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Elston wrote:
Chasseur, I am not an instructor but in the first video I see a series of linked skids with lots of tail pushing. Which you are using as a tactic to slow yourself down but you are still moving quite fast so its really not surprising that the skis aren't that stable.

Try widening the turns out a bit and adding more shape to them ie more C than ( . Try to be patient and progressive with your edging.

In my experience I'd say that it is easier/more productive to work on developing solid larger turns before shorter ones because there is more time available to sense what is going on and try to correct those habits in longer turns.


The video as a whole demonstrates a variety in terrain and, therefore, required approach. The section that raised the question was pretty steep - a good way to tackle (not the only one, of course) is shorter turns, with more separation - facing generally more downhill....well, that was the aim.

Slowing down the decent and having a longer traverse with wider turns is something I'm reasonably happy to do too.

As kitenski and others suggest, this feels more like a bad habit picked up as opposed to any fundamental issue(s).
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Quote:

Although the music is terrible, I find this video quite helpful.


good old Fastman. Flashdance? I used to do Jane Fonda exercises to that in the 80s. Laughing
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
kitenski, I get this all the time from you guys . . . and it's like going to a doctor with backache and he gives you lots of lovely drugs to take away the pain . . . but doesn't sort out why your back aches in the first place rolling eyes The joke here in you post is that Chasseur has the drills, he skis well, knows what he wants and needs to do.

Chasseur, Here's what I saw in your skiing. You angulate (break at the waist) more on your left turns and as you point out, move your weight forward a little = downhill ski is weighted and driven . . . nice clean turn.

Right turns, you are straighter and 'banked/inclined'. You have reached the body position that feels the same as your other turn but you cannot/do not break at the waist in the same way and don't move your weight forward = To keep the same turn radius you are retaining more weight on your inside ski while the outer one is wandering around like a lost puppy.

So what to do about it? You've three options:

1: Do what kitenski suggests and just go with an instructor and practice till you break the habitual body movement.

2: Use the mirror in the gym to work on your stretching and balance till you have equal and range and ease of movement on both sides of your torso/body and take that to your existing ski skills.

3: Do both 1&2 with the knowledge that your body movement is currently asymmetric and has an effect on your skiing

Your feedback, if and when would be interesting.
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Chasseur wrote:
The video as a whole demonstrates a variety in terrain and, therefore, required approach.


You're spot on. Different terrain, different tactics and I can see that you let the skis run in the second video where it is more appropriate to do so. Bit of coaching and practice will be really worthwhile

Did you find that your shorter turns in the first video were effective at controlling your speed on that slope?

pam w Very Happy
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Masque, I think skiiing drills to fix skiing issues is the solution here, I've 'fixed' many bad habits myself (with the aid of trainers) by doing ski drills, and none by going into the gym! I see an issue with weight distribution on both sides, it's just more obvious on one side than the other.....
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Masque, to be honest, I do recognise some of what you're saying, particularly around the angulation from one turn to the other. I'm sitting here thinking about how I consciously turn...I suspect left turns are a more confident move. But then most people will favour one turn or another - well at a recreational level it is likely to be more pronounced and with fewer tools to make a discernible change/alteration/difference.

The morror/gym thing and leaning forward slightly when bending to the right is something I've noticed before, but made no real connection to regarding skiing. I suspect point 1: would work for me - a habit change through drills. This worked years ago when I did an intensive week of lessons with a BASI instructor....take it apart and put it back together with some well enforced drills.

Since then, I think my skiing has probably improved with further lessons and just more skiing....but in the last couple of years (inevitably I suppose), a few bad habits have crept back in and are being exacerbated by an underlying physical issue.

For comparison (assuming any interest Laughing ) the video below is of another ski view on a blue run (by an instructors description...challenging at the top for a blue....not directed at me, I hasten to add Laughing )

Wider turns, much more stable though I definitely need to pull that uphill ski back (ignoring the flatter sections where I'm being lazy) and I wonder whether I could widen the ski width a bit - maybe better at 2.35 for a few turns.


http://youtube.com/v/CpMsjD5ADI4&feature=youtu.be
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Elston wrote:

Did you find that your shorter turns in the first video were effective at controlling your speed on that slope?



Definitely - no sense of a lack of control, no concern about being able to adapt to a different approach if the immediate conditions changed i.e. other slope users.

The snow varied between hard pack and soft. I did that run maybe 6 times in different conditions/light etc - no close calls. That video was towards the end of the week - I was probably slower the first time. Makes sense.

It wasn't really until my son watched the video that I particularly picked up the "issue".
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Is it me or do you stay in your right turns longer than your left, must be that wonky @rse you mentioned Toofy Grin
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
tiffin wrote:
Is it me or do you stay in your right turns longer than your left, must be that wonky @rse you mentioned Toofy Grin


Watch it....I am in Berkshire too right now.... wink Laughing
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Not read anyone else's reply,
My take on it, sat in the back seat, you need to pull your feet under yourself(it will feel really strange and feel like you're standing tall)
far too much weight on the inside ski, you need to counter balance more ie weight on downhill ski and angulate the body,
each turn starts with a stem/wedge, your 1st movement in initiating the new turn should be tipping the down hill ski off its inside edge,
Inside ski too far ahead through turn, pull inside ski actively back level with down hill ski
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 You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
Masque wrote:

2: Use the mirror in the gym to work on your stretching and balance till you have equal and range and ease of movement on both sides of your torso/body and take that to your existing ski skills.

3: Do both 1&2 with the knowledge that your body movement is currently asymmetric and has an effect on your skiing

Your feedback, if and when would be interesting.


So, Masque (not seen you about for a while, but imagine you'll be back at some point), decided to seek advice from qualified physio.

Seems your analysis is pretty accurate.

I have significantly less movement range around left hip than right - probably as result of the injury alluded to earlier in the thread. As a result, it is likely that I've subconsciously limited exercise and normal activity over 30 or more years to prevent the back "going" with a further consequence being more limited left ankle dorsal flexion too rolling eyes

Sooo, to relate to skiing, right hand turns on steeper terrain might be a more restricted movement for me. We shall see as am now going to have a 6 week fairly intensive programme to try and restore more mobility/range and then see what the EoSB brings.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
hadnt seen this thread but the video (helmet cam one which is kinda hard to tell for sure) to me shows that you shuffle and twist your your feet when your are trying to carve the skis.. Try to stand tall at the start of the turn, tip the skis onto the the edges and once you find an edge stand on it and feel the pressure build up ...
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