Favourite fun drills?

A snowHead

It would be useful (for me, at least) to have a compendium of fun drills and exercises that I can call on as I begin to teach. Contributions are welcome from everyone, including instructors who might want to share their favourites as well as pupils who have enjoyed an exercise which they felt worked well for them. I don't think we should get hung up too much on whether any one drill is effective, just have a long a list as possible to select from or give ideas. I'll get the ball rolling with one:

Parking the car in the garage
Instructor stands on the slope facing uphill, with skis in a reverse snowplough forming a 'garage'. Pupil has to glide down the slope in a snowplough and park their 'car' in the garage. Adds a bit of fun to an otherwise tedious 'snowplough to a stop' as there are obvious consequences if the pupil fails to stop!

A snowHead

Another one:

Catch the glove
Instructor stands at bottom of slope as pupil straight runs or ploughs down the hill. Pupil has to keep looking where they are going to be able to catch the glove, rather than looking at their skis. A variant is to throw a snowball if they don't look where they are going.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

My youngest son loves the "basketball" one..... not sure that I've got this right so please correct accordingly.
They have to lean over and pretend to dribble a ball slightly in front with the downhill hand and then as they are initiating the turn they stretch up and forward to shoot.

He also loves playing "what's the time Mr Wolf" but don't think that could be described as a drill.

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rob@rar, one I did with an instructor on cross country skis. She stood behind us holding up a hand - her gloves were white one side, black the other. We had to look round and yell black or white, looking alternatively over left shoulder and right shoulder. Was to get us balancing, and mobile, as we had all been rigid with dread! Maybe works better on cross country as we had to stay in the tracks, so we couldn't cheat.

I have noticed this year many instructors with kids getting them to ski backwards on a nice gentle nursery slope - quite early in their careers. I hadn't noticed this so much before, but it seemed a good idea, the kids were having a ball. Be useful with adults too, maybe.

Picking up items off the ground. Instructor drops glove without notice; pupil behind picks it up. I saw an instructor do this with a pole on a button lift - I think it was inadvertent, actually -he was showing off fiddling with his boots. The little lad on the next button who picked it up was ecstatic.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

My older boy is very quiet and shy. he had an instructor who got them to do three little bunny hops raising the back of their skis and then wiggling their butts as the turned, all the time shouting "hop hop hop, I'm a bunny" at the top of their voices. My son used to blush to the roots of his hair and he hated it but is was really good fun for the parents on the balcony!!

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Masque, It's good for him, builds character!! Twisted Evil

After all it is free

Aeroplanes...zoom, zoom...curse you Red Baron Toofy Grin

Yesterday the young kids at our slope were using those round marker thingies that they get them to ski round, as steering wheels and making car noises. They looked so cute and they all seemed to be enjoying it. Quite a few of them did drop them going up the tow though. Very Happy

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The Italian Soldier
Essentially a variation on the straight running stand tall, crouch low drill.

Pupil glides forwards. Instructor shouts "bang!". Pupil has to "duck the bullet" and then stand tall with hands above their head and shout "I surrender". And repeat.

Not PC. But who cares. Worked particularly well on my BASI 3 course when the whole situation was very false.

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Hope I'm not deviating here but does this "aeroplane" drill that I've seen mentioned here and in other threads involve any "dipping" of one shoulder? One of our guys was taken to task for teaching this a few years back.

Skiing backwards - what I get the kids to do when I've run out of other ideas wink

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At Xscape in my 2nd ever lesson the instructor, standing at the bottom, suddenly threw me a lightweight plastic ball to catch and return & made us do this all the way down whilst negotiating small turns round cones. You'd think that would have trained me to look up and not at my ski tips wouldn't you? Not so!

Butterfly, did you catch the ball and throw it back?

You know it makes sense.

Didn't Michael Kennedy die doing that?

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

A snowHead

Yoda, I know of two versions. One where the arms are held horizontal throughout, the other where the wings are actually banked the "wrong" way, i.e. to the outside of the turn (or encourage angulation and/or getting the weight on the outside ski).

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

some I picked up off instructors here (no credit to myself):

cowboy stance - ski with your legs as wide apart as possible. Encourages a wider stance when reverting to normal skiing.

air traffic controller - instructor skis backwards with class following, who respond to various air traffic type hand signals - left/right (point both hands l/r), start/stop (gesture forwards/crossed arms), jump (both hands up) , spin around 360 (spinning hands), ski on left/right leg (one arm up)

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GrahamN, yes the "banking" of the arms will have that effect but our technical guru says he doesn't want to see anyone encouraging dipping of the shoulder in that way. ...chiens and gout I suppose Toofy Grin

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Yoda, several examiners (BASI and CSIA) I know don't like the banked wings drill either. As well as several others (eg: poles horizontal out in front of you). Like anything else, the principle is fine, as long as the application is correct.

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Nice idea for a thread, here are a few i like mainly for little ones...

Swooping Eagles - have them them start standing tall with "wings spread" outward during a traverse and then quickly swoop down and crouch low with both hands going forward like the two talons of an eagle trying to catch a mouse or something, then extend up again like you are flying away. can be done in traverse or during a turn to get the kids to crouch as low as possible touching the snow on both sides.

Counting Fingers - Might not be hugely fun but whilst skiing backwards hold up fingers and have the kids shout out how many you are holding up. Gets them looking up and focusing on something else instead of skiing.

skiing though my legs (I am tall) I tend to do this in traverse after a plough turn and "open" the tunnel by going parallel in the "cowboy" stance encouraging them to ski under my legs and forces them to go more parallel in traverse to speed up and get out of the death plough down the hill

get the glove- ski forwards in a plough and hold a glove behind you and encourage the kid to try to grab it. speed up a bit in traverse to get them plough paralleling and making shorter radius turns to get them turning. let them get it after a few turns....

patty cake - with very little ones ski backwards plough and have them plough down with you making patty cakes (high fives for boys) gets them controlling speed and line without trying. Dont let them ski into you and collapse or hold their arms but lightly push them back to get them standing taller and controlling the size of the "pizza".

bart simpsons - one ski on and skate downhill or on the flat like as on a skateboard

I too really like the "air traffic controller" gets people looking up and not making turns but steering the skis better

the WORM TURN for more advanced kids

John Travoltas aka saturday night fevers - for adults who would remember John Travolta.... the scholpy drill but with a better name and a bit more animation

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these sound fun, why have my instructors never played these with me rolling eyes

i might be able to ski better now

After all it is free

rob@rar, I've got a nice DeWalt rechargeable drill that I have fun with most weekends. Toofy Grin

slingman,

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maggi, not if your 5 or can bend low wink

seriously you should be able to crouch low and touch the ground even in a plough turn... try it at home

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maggi, Agreed .... wish she was here to answer .... why teach something which is 'wrong'? ... what does it have to do with skiing ??? Yes some weight on the outside ski ..... some of this 'stuff' blows my brain ..... Confused

Ah, I thought you meant something like this. But that is the inside hand. I'm on a completely different wavelength rolling eyes

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You know it makes sense.

maggi, it would be pretty darn difficult for the skier you show, because he is already well on his edges wink

I guess the "drill" is designed for those who normally ski bolt upright with flat skis and have no idea that their legs can be doing different things to their shoulders rolling eyes

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Yoda, .. but still a 'drill' which is 'wrong' in terms of general technique, no? ... and could that not be done 't'other way around to solve that 'issue'??

A snowHead

Agenterre, I don't see it as wrong. If they are getting around the turn I don't see the big problem. You wouldn't do it with adults, but as a fun game for kids I think it's fine. Equally, running in a straight line and touching boots or picking stuff up off the snow isn't standard technique, but it gets skiers out of a bolt upright stance, flexing ankles, knees and hips. There are lots of drills which exaggerate movement, and this is just one of them.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

rob@rar,

... amazed to read that you wrote that ; you are someone who has clearly and unequivocally sought to learn here with no 'Airs-and-Graces' ! I respect that.

So would you honestly suggest I do the wrong things to improve my skiing ? Perhaps the guy in Wengen who told me to 'swing' my body in a turn so that I faced uphill ( and it would help me see who was coming down) was also right ...

Sorry .. I know little but hate being told/taught 'contradictory' stuff .....

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Agenterre, I think there's a big difference between a fun drill which is promoting agility and balance and being taught core technique. As is there between adult learners and kids.

In the case of 'swooping eagles' the kids are making the turn, therefore their steering and edge control is good enough to get them around. The fact that they can brush the snow with their outside hand will only work if they can flex low and (probably) angulate - both of these are good skills. I can't say for sure as I've not seen this drill, but I don't think it is teaching 'wrong' body movements. Just a bit of fun which encourages good balance and flexibility.

As for whether we should be taught the wrong things - no, I wouldn't want that either as a learner or an instructor. But there's a lot to be said for putting people into situations where they have to make good recoveries from poor positions, or doing things which aren't normal to isolate skills and body movements which are core technique. For example, a favourite of mine is javelin turns - you wouldn't teach that as a way to ski, but it's a great drill for developing edge control. Similarly skiing linked turns on one leg - puts you horribly out of balance on the 'wrong' side of the turn, but a great skill developer.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Agenterre, dont want to argue, maggi, perhaps my description wasnt to clear.... i do this with little kids 3-6's, not adults.. i didnt explain it well in my first post. i have them them start standing tall with "wings spread" outward and then quickly swoop down and crouch low with both hands going forward like the two talons of an eagle trying to catch something. I said outside hand to get them to crouch as low as possible touching the snow on both sides, this may cause a bit of leaning but as they are so small it isnt a big deal... it helps get them out of the rigid stiff legged death plough. i will edit my original post so it is clearer.

Agenterre, do you have any fun drills you can add?

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rob@rar, I 'still' can not ski on one leg Embarassed

but can see the 'benefit' in terms of agility and balance. I just dont see why the same routine outlined above 'reversed ' is not better ... no more from me ..

skimottaret,

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skimottaret, I get it now! Just goes to show that reading something gives the opposite idea to what is meant sometimes. I was sure you meant the inside hand because the picture in my head was completely different to the picture in yours rolling eyes

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After all it is free

Agenterre, Instructors do say different things to me too. I've had loads. And I'm still rubbish rolling eyes

. But it's all comparative. Ski early/late season and you look bad. Ski in Feb with the one-week-a-year-ski-to-lunch lot and you look pretty damn good! snowHead

Oh, and I can ski on one leg Very Happy

. I can't ski on the other though Confused

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maggi, glad it makes more sense now, as i said it wasnt too clear in my first go but it was off the top of my head....

Agenterre, funny enough i dont know them all, I put down 8 of my favourites but learned a new one, the dribbling basketball player who then shoots, great sounding fun drill.

I asked you if you have any fun drills to get the topic back on track, not too look superior, being egotistical, or, to upset you. as i said before i dont want to get into a technical arguement about the rights or wrongs of the drills.

sorry if i caused offense.

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Favourite fun drills?

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