 Poster: A snowHead
|
Hello folks
As per the title, it feels like I'm not turning my hips enough and so when I turn the skis across the hill while trying to face down the fall line, I a-frame and there can be ski-crossing issues despite my making a conscious effort to get the inside thigh 'out of the way'
Not enough 'separation' I think the word is...
Anyone got any good drills to work on that?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
This is a common problem, especially for those females out there. Quite easy to fix. Sounds like you need to soften your inside leg more. Try chucking your poles away and have a few runs with your hands on both knees and actively pull your inside knee across when you make each turn. If you have to much pressure on your inside ski you'll find it difficult to rotate the ski into the turn, causing skis to cross over.
The other issue maybe your upper body. Do you rotate you shoulders into the turn - again this can put the pressure on the inside ski causing these issues. Try a simple exercise like holding a pole horizontally out in front of you, if you notice the pole tipping to the inside of your turn this may also be contributing to your issues. Try again to keep the pole horizontal as you ski. If you can do this and keep you upper body facing down the hill you get the added exercise for lateral separation! Double bubble.
Hope this helps, stick a video up if you have one.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@red 27, do you have any video of your skiing? I think there can be different causes of an A-frame, so addressing the problem (if it's a problem) might differ depending on the cause.
In what way do you think rotation of the pelvis is the cause? I'm trying to visualise that, but not sure I can.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Thanks guys - sorry no vids and as such I appreciate it's tough to advise...
On those drills, I can keep the pole level but the problem persists...
Rob - I feel like if i 'drop the inside hip' I can separate but end up sitting back, and if keep the hips forward, they don't turn and I get the a-frame.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
The ski crossing definitely sounds like an upper body issue causing too much weight on your inside ski - try lifting the back of the inside ski up when you turn and see if there's any improvement - the pole is level but are you rotating your shoulders into the turn? - we'd really need a video to properly advise but from teaching many customers with this issues I'm pretty certain its an upper body issues.
The fact your separating and sitting back is another indication of upper body rotation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
@Good Stuff Ski,
Ta,
I'll try lifting the back of the IS tomorrow. I reckon I might well rotate the shoulders into the turn (bad) as I have 30 years of classic holiday skier bad habits to get over
My inside leg and ski just seem to get in the way. 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
cool let me know how you get on...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@red 27, are you out skiing at the moment, if so can you can get some video it would be much easier to advise....
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
From the ski crossing comment it maybe that you have your weight on your inside ski through the turn.
You can try on a very easy slope turning then Iifting the inner ski tail but keep the tip on the snow (this should stop you leaning back)
If that is easy try lifting earlier and earlier in the turn, so you can eventually do the whole turn with the tail of the inner ski lifted.
I have no idea how you ski so doing the whole turn on one ski may be very tricky!!
But try it on a green easy slope first and let us know how it feels.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| red 27 wrote: |
| ... are there any other generic 'separation' drills that you guys use? : |
Lateral or rotational?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Hi guys - thanks for the responses.
I can ski fine on one ski all the way through a turn on a flat green / blue the problems arise when I'm trying to link short turns on steeper runs and find my shoulders coming round & dropping back and then as I try initiate the new turn I find it too slow to get the inside ski/leg out of the way
I tried the poles drill again today and I was surprised how rusty I was at that so took so time to remind myself
Rob - both/either/any all gratefully received but I think rotational is my main issue
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| red 27 wrote: |
| Rob - both/either/any all gratefully received but I think rotational is my main issue |
For rotational anything which forces your upper body to be still while your skis turn 'underneath you' is the classic response to excessive rotation of the upper body. It can be as simple as just keeping your eyes fixed on a point does the hill, anything which fixes the arms (as a proxy for fixing the shoulders) such as the picture frame drill, holding your poles like handlebars, darleks, etc. But I think there's a big danger about picking up random drills and thinking they are addressing a problem if you've not really understood the problem in the first place. So, do you have an active problem with rotary separation (you steer your turns with your shoulders) or a passive problem (your shoulders follow your skis when it would be better if they didn't), is just short turns and/or short turns. More importantly, what is the root cause? Is it just a bad habit that would be good to get rid of, or is it a core problem because something fundamental in your skiing is missing and swinging your shoulders is a compensation measure?
I think it's very difficult to stop doing a bad habit (it's not as if you are doing deliberately) and a more successful ploy is often to focus on developing a good habit, which happens to cure the bad habit. A lot of the classic separation drills tend to focus on stopping the bad habit.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
Take what I say with a pinch of salt as I'm a telewhacker but it could be that the Aframe is a symptom of not getting your weight into the cuff of the boot, and so the inside ski is not tracking into the turn. Playing about with lateral movements will help find the edge but also try sinking down into the inside boot cuff to drive the inside ski into the turn a bit more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
@rob@rar, thanks - tell me about it re the bad habits 
My skiing winds me up (I doubt I'm alone there) but then being a great British idiot that's prob why I enjoy it so much
No the doubt the fundamental issue is the tendancy to regress to the classic defensive back seat toilet position which is a special thing shared by all of us who cut our teeth (amongst other things) in the snow drought years of the late 80s.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
@BenA, tell me that's not the dreaded inner tip lead...
That only seems to work for me in optimal conditions
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
only good for helping you manage the pressure on your inside ski, once you've got the hang of it you shouldn't then need to lift your ski up off the snow to turn, if you find you still have the same issue keep practicing. Try the pedaling motion aswell this might help.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
1m 28 secs into this clip may help with upper body mgmnt in short turns - Pivot Slips,
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
Did anyone say "Braquage" yet ?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
My wife had the same problem but a few hours of private lessons over Christmas in Champoluc have made a real difference to her skiing. The "lifting the tail of the inside ski" drill really worked for her.
If you're alone in Fiss then why not go for a lesson? I had a very enjoyable lesson there two years ago from a lovely Bulgarian lady called Petra. She's sort you out in a couple of hours. Can't remember the name of the ski school but the office was just down from the bottom gondola stations in Fiss. Despite the lack of british skiers in the town there are plenty of English speaking instructors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| BenA wrote: |
| Another possible drill would be try some turns where you pause in the fall line: your position at that point should be symmetrical, bases flat, pressure in both cuffs. |
Flat skis in the fall line? Are you sure?
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
Today's drill was trying to stay upright in a monster horizonless whiteout 
Thanks all, Interestingly I'm very good at one legged stuff inc javelin turns and very bad at braquage / pivot slips... But conditions have not allowed much practice of the latter being all powdery moguls in flat light. Skiing easy moguls is the only time I can face the fall line and get the skis turning - but I ski them very two-footed which may or may not explain things...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| BenA wrote: |
| Another possible drill would be try some turns where you pause in the fall line: your position at that point should be symmetrical, bases flat, pressure in both cuffs. |
Flat skis in the fall line? Are you sure? |
I can see from your slightly scathing question that I wasn't very clear! The point of the flat skis in the drill is so you pause the turn for a moment and ensure that you have pressure in both cuffs. I wasn't intending to give the impression that you should assume this position during a normal turn.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
@BenA, sorry, didn't mean to be scathing. Apologies if that's the way it sounded, but I was genuinely confused. I sometimes use a drill where you introduce a deliberate pause between turns when the skis are flat, but that's at transition, sort of across the fall line rather than down it. Getting on the the skis' edges at the start of the turn, momentarily flattening them in the fall line, then back on to the edges to complete the turn sounds like a difficult drill.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
@rob - I was looking for something that would address the OP's comment about struggling with the inner tip lead in anything but optimal conditions. The pause in the fall line was intended to be a real break halfway through the turn to ensure the pressure was there, not just a fleeting moment. The point was to help the OP break the turn down a little before putting it all back as one fluid movement. This has really helped a number of tele whackers that I ski with by making sure that mid way through the turn one ski was not ahead in sequence (often tele skiers lunge at the start of the turn but their legs should be together in the fall line). Perhaps it won't work so well for training heels  Regardless, as you say there is a lot to think about so something to be tried on mellow terrain when you have time to break it down.
Your suggestion of a more fleeting pause before the turn at the point where the bases are flat sounds like an excellent idea en route to putting it all back together.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Not heard that one before.