 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
I have just done my first ever lesson which although I did not fall over I really struggledwith. I know this is probably the case for a lot of people but I have to say my co-ordination was rubbish which even suprised me as my co-ordination at sport is normally really good.
Has anyone got any advice/tips with regards to practising stance/body movement away from the slopes or is it something that needs to be done on the slopes alone.
Many thanks
mark
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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smmjh11, I think you will find EXACTLY what you are looking for in
MEAT and POTATOES- Part One
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Skiing can be an intimidating proposition in the early stages of learning. There we are, pointing ourselves down what appear to be very steep hills, and on slippery sticks we feel we have little control over. A feeling of unease in such an environment is a reasonable response. We humans have natural survival mechanisms imbedded within us, and one of those is the "retreat" response. When we feel the acceleration of sliding kick in, a natural response is to back away from the speed. The result; we sit back. The knees bend,,, the hips drop and fall behind,,, our weight goes to our heels,,, and we bend forward at the waist to keep from falling square on our butt. From this defensive position we proceed to try to negotiate our run. Unfortunately, trying to perform in this non-athletic position just adds challenge to the task,,, but fear has put us new skiers into this poor position, and fear will cause us to remain there, struggling more than is necessary in our efforts to perform. Through that repeated effort, we learn to refine to barely workable levels the inefficient movement patterns we're employing. And as we continue to use these second class tactics, we embed them into our muscle memoried execution habits.
Looking around the slopes, we can see that a larger percentage of recreational skiers are trapped in that very situation. Hunched positions with butts behind feet and weight on heels is epidemic out there. But it can be resolved. The cure starts right at home in bare feet on carpet. Stand up, with feet approximately hip width apart, and equally weighting each foot. Now see that your knees are straightened, so that only slight flexion remains in them (perhaps 10-15 degrees out of straight), and your hips are aligned directly above your feet. Next, align shoulders and head directly above your hips. Keep your chin up and look forward. Hands up as though skiing. Finish by flexing backward and forward at the ankles only until you feel your weight concentrated on the balls of your feet, with only minor pressure on your heels. You are now in an athletic stacked stance. You can check yourself by doing this in-house drill with a mirror at your side, and sneaking a peak. A partner on hand is also helpful to provide some feedback.
Now that you've learned how to stack yourself, practice moving in and out of that stance. From your stacked stance, flex deeply in the knees. You'll feel your butt move behind your feet and drop lower. You'll also notice your weight shift back to your heels, and feel yourself flex forward at the waist in an effort to keep from falling backwards onto your keester. This is the common defensive stance. Practice moving back and forth,,, from defensive,,, to stacked,,, to defensive,,, to stacked. This will help refine your sensory awareness of the two stances so on snow you can start to become aware of which one you're in,,, and will enhance your ability to move back into stacked when you sense you've inadvertently drifted into defensive. |
Don't forget there is also part 2 and part 3.
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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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Thanks comprex
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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smmjh11, As C said above. Also... a simple 14 quid purchase via the net of a balance cushion can help. I only took up skiing 5 years ago. On my first lesson I was the worst in the group... and that group was pretty dire. I fell over on every single baby slope turn for the first couple of hours. BUT... I had fun. And stuck with it... then something clicked. Never looked back.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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skisimon, I still fall over several times a day. I just consider it as part of the fun  But ended up sking La Grave in my 11th week so it's worth sticking with it... and getting decent instruction at least once a year.
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Scarpa, I got an "A+ man!!!!" from a snowboarder a few days ago when I went cartwheeling down a green run. With my high DIN settings my skis stayed on, which must only have added to the spectacle, which must have been fantastic for the people on the chairlift going overhead... 
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skisimon, LOL... my hero. Watch those knees though on a high DIN. I used to ski on 6 but have now progressed to the dizzy heights of 7
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