 Poster: A snowHead
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Although I'm not terribly keen on contrived drills to help with my skiing I did one at the end of season bash which really helped with developing the feeling for what I was trying to change in my skiing. The lesson was with Diverskify (Dave Meyer, of Newgen) and took place during a training session in GS gates. He wanted to see greater hip projection upwards and across to help develop good edge angles. The drill was to ski with one pole which was held sword-style in the outside hand, tracing an arc in the snow. At transition you passed the pole from one hand to the other behind your back, so on the next turn you could continue to trace an arc in the snow on the outside of the turn. In order to have enough room behind your back you had to project your hips upwards and across otherwise you got tangled up with the pole as you tried to pass it from one hand to the other. The hip projection required was larger than I normally employ, and the feeling of really getting over my skis and into the next turn was marked. This is something I'll stick with to make that movement a normal part of my skiing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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rob@rar,
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greater hip projection upwards and across
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Across what? I'd love to see a video of this drill, maybe tdk6 could oblige.
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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?
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Hurtle, across my skis. Look how far Eric Guay's hips project across his skis in this video. Becuase he is getting large edge angles he has to move his hips a long way from one side to the other. That 'projection' of the hips forwards and across can be developed to increase the range of movement, and the drill I described really helped me develop a good feeling for that.
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rob@rar, sounds interesting, and would probably do me a load of good too. May skip trying it on the dryslope though - there sounds like too much risk of getting the tip caught in one of the diamonds  . Maybe just using a baton would achieve the same effect though?
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 7-05-08 10:11; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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rob@rar, thanks. I guess that one of the tricks is to ensure that the movement starts from the feet up. I know that if I try and think about doing things with my hips, it sometimes results in pivoting - but not if I get the skis on their edges first, by using my feet. (Sorry, I'm probably stating the obvious...  )
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| GrahamN wrote: |
| Maybe just using a baton would achieve the same effect though? |
No, it needs to be a long thing (said the actress to the Bishop!). If it's too short you don't have to move your hips up out of the way in order to create room to swap the pole from one hand to another. Even on snow I was worried about getting the pole snarled up behind me, which is why I think I found the drill very useful - there was a big incentive to get my fat arse up and out of the way!
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Hurtle, no, that's a good point. For me the focus is on getting my hips across my skis, not around the turn, but a mental trigger of thinking about getting the skis on their edges then waiting until they start to turn would be equally effective.
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Actually, on reflection maybe this is appropriate only to GS and longer turns. It seems as if the arm movements it encourages you to do are diametrically opposed to what's needed for SL. For SL a coach has been trying to get me to use the pole plant action to initiate the body mass transfer. E.g. coming round a RH turn, LH is cross-blocking, then as the completion of the block lead with the LH across the line of travel into the new turn, so dragging the torso and hips with it; trying to pass a stick/baton behind the body at that point would cause the LH and shoulder to drop back? I'm also not at all convinced that hips should really be going up at the transition - forward yes, but up? Seems it requires pressure at the wrong part of the turn and unweights the beginning of the next - just where you want to be engaging the fronts of the skis.
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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.
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rob@rar, good one, i have done the normal two armed sword drill and it really helps me, especially trying to help with my "onesidedness" in my turns.
I suffer from sitting back so will give this drill a go next time out, sounds brilliant
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GrahamN, yes I think that's right about GS style turns.
For me it is an up-motion of the hips if it is a cross-over transition. Look at the Guay video: his hips get very close to the snow by virtue on lots of inclination, even though his legs are relatively straight. There is no way he could get into the same position on the opposite turn without moving his hips up and away from the snow. It's not an explosive 'pop' giving an old-style up-unweighting, but a progressive move up and across his skis to incline into the next turn. This drill really got me feeling for that progressive move.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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skimottaret, the two-armed sword drill is useful for getting edge angles (although I've never felt a huge benefit from doing it), but this drill is really useful for making a good transition. In fact I abandoned the tracing of the arc in the snow after a few goes when I realised that the focus was on projecting the hips rather than increasing edge angles. There was too much going on trying to focus on the transition AND edge angles.
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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.
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rob@rar, Euan had me doing this one as well. Sadly I missed the point of it first time round, drawing pretty lines in the snow holding the pole on the wrong side
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| You Raang? wrote: |
| ... drawing pretty lines in the snow holding the pole on the wrong side |
Yup, been there, done that!
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You know it makes sense.
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rob@rar, rather than saying "upwards and across", try "across and forwards" (ie: diagonally). The "upwards" upsets me somewhat  (It's slightly confusing as the CoM *does* rise up, but not as intent/deliberate action).
It's useful doing this drill at the extremes: Feeling your outside ski going "light" (like a White Pass Turn) and feeling no change in "pressure" as you go across and forward.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| veeeight wrote: |
| rob@rar, rather than saying "upwards and across", try "across and forwards" (ie: diagonally). The "upwards" upsets me somewhat (It's slightly confusing as the CoM *does* rise up, but not as intent/deliberate action). |
I understand what you're saying, but "upwards and across" is the thought that occurred to me during the exercise rather than being premeditated. It was probably caused by the fact that, as you say, the CoM did rise up. But I agree that "trigger thoughts" should be used with care because they can mean different things to different people.
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Poster: A snowHead
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rob@rar,
I like this one... and I'll concentrate on it more.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Think "BOSH!"
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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?
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The Schlopy drill is always good for this. The outside hand pushes the hips across, while the inside hand creates the counter and angulation you need to remain balanced while you do it. Another, if you've progressed yet to inside ski skiing, is to do a hop transition in which you hop off your old inside (uphill) ski, and land on the downhill edge of the new inside (downhill) ski. This is a bit of an advanced drill. More basic is just learning to balance on the inside ski, outside ski held off the snow, then progressively learn to increase your edge angle while you're doing it. Inside ski skiing requires the CM/hips to move further inside of the feet than outside ski skiing does. And learning to perform solely on the inside ski develops the confidence to move the hips inside the feet and develop big angles, because if a balance mistake is made, and the skier ends up on the inside ski,,,, no biggy.
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| FastMan wrote: |
| The Schlopy drill is always good for this. |
Usually called the teapot drill on this side of the pond, I think.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Yes, that's what I understand. Oh, and rob@rar, I like the drill you presented.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Mosha Marc wrote: |
| Think "BOSH!" |
.........you had to be there
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FAQ
