Plateau of the One trick ponies

A snowHead

For those skiers who feel they're stuck on a development plateau, and are not happy about it, I have a suggestion. Expand your performance repertoire.

Most skiers who find themselves in this stagnation boat have something in common: they have a very limited selection of methods by which to get down the hill. Their skiing has, by skill lacking necessity, a very consistent look to it. The manner in which they use there edges is very consistent, as is the shape of their turns, the stance they maintain on their skis, their state of balance, and the method they use to go from one turn to the next.

As long as they can remain in this narrow technical box, they feel semi-secure. But the moment something jars them out of this comfort zone, they find themselves in waters their boat is not designed to navigate. The result is a fall, or if that can be avoided, an anxiety laden scramble back to their personal status quo comfort zone.

These skiers find moving off their development plateau challenging on two fronts: First, fear of being jostled out of their limited comfort zone discourages the exploration of new challenges, be they in the form of more advanced forms of execution, or more challenging terrain. Second, their lack of skill diversity legitimizes their fears. Stray from their standard manner of skiing, and that comfort zone destruction is a likely outcome.

So how does one get out of this catch 22? It requires a step back to fundamentals. In small, non-intimidating steps, drills must be practiced that gently nudge a person out of their standard manner of skiing. Out of their narrow comfort zone. In this manner that zone can be expanded. As that zone expands, the person's confidence and ability to explore new ways of skiing grows. As that happens, new skills become more easily acquired, and the movement up the development ladder mushrooms. It's a self feeding process.

So what are the comfort zone nudging drills? The areas I focus most on to do this are balance, turn shape, and edging. I do each in small steps, not trying to take either skill area to far independent of the others. Balance is addressed both in a fore-aft (forward, back) and lateral (side to side) sense. Help the student become comfortable moving around on their skis, moving their weight forward, back, inside, outside,,, and becoming confident skiing and turning in those new states of balance. That is a biggy. The more confidence that can be gained in this area, the less the student will fear finding themselves suddenly being thrust into these less than optimal balance states when attempting other new skills. It's a state of confidence that is liberating.

Balance skill expansion is accompanied with turn shape alteration. The status quo turn shape is abandoned, and a buffet of new turn shapes are introduced. This not only allows the student to experience new ways to play with the falline, it leads them into the area of edge usage, requiring new manners of edge utilization to enable creation of the new turn shapes. From here, new varieties of steering and carving can be explored within each new turn shape, resulting in an assortment of new types of turns suddenly at the disposal of the developing skier. With this new repertoire of turns available, balance can be returned to, and refined again within these new turns, to an even higher level. And the process just keeps leap frogging in this manner, with each technical skill area (balance, edging, turn shape, transitions, etc) getting ever more advanced and refined, in harmony with each other.

Why am I writing this? Just to encourage those who might feel frustrated with a feeling that their development has stalled. There is a way to get that development back into gear again, and it will work for anyone. Yes, anyone! It's just a matter of coming to understand the steps that must be taken to make it happen, and then committing to doing them.

This has been a general explanation of the process. I'm sure some are out there wondering about the specifics. What are the drills, man? Well, we're approaching the new ski season now, and if there's an interest, I be happy to introduce real drills here for people to take to the slopes and work on as we move through the year.

A snowHead

I find I'm stuck in that rut of only going downhill. I need a drill to get me going UP-hill more often (under my own steam I mean). Perhaps I simply require an excuse to buy some more kit?

But seriously...I'm sure that there is a great deal of truth in what you assert.

But what about the pre-season? I find that rollerblading is immensely good for my skiing (despite the differences - or maybe because of? - in technique). What else do people find helpful?

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

FastMan, So eloquent. I am totally persuaded. More please! Toofy Grin

(PS We heard on here from Little Tiger that your father has been ill. Hope he's better.)

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FastMan, bring it on... it would be interesting to hear some of your drills. Fore and aft balance would seem to me the first set of drills for most people and moving onto lateral to continue to improve.

I would also add up and down movement drills to get people out of the rigid "park and ride" school of carving as well as helping getting them balanced through the centre of the ski

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

A coach I sometimes ski with does a fun "follow me" intended to do a lot of what you say. Following very close behind him as he suddenly changes from short turns to long carves to straight line to off the edge of the piste, small jump, mogul etc etc.
The variation in turn and speed forces the follower to be out of their 0wn comfort zone most of the time.

All of what you have said is also why I think race/gate training is so good for skills development: you must turn where the couse is making you turn, not where you like the look of the snow/hill etc. If you don't like the angle or turn shape or snow condition....tough luck, because that is where you are going so LEARN to deal with it.

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FastMan, thanks, great comments. This is a problem that I'm very aware of in my skiing. I can ski well in certain conditions, but my skills base isn't wide enough to ski well in all conditions. easiski had me working on balance and moving my weight forward & back at the end of last season, so I'll be practicing this and other things next season. Suggestions for drills would be appreciated...

skimottaret, park & ride? You must have seen me ski Embarassed

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rob@rar, not seen you ski but i saw myself on video for the first time last year and that term fit very well...... your BASI trainer will sort that out quickly

After all it is free

It is all relative..everyone will get thrown out of their comfort zone sooner or later...but it may take a major major incident to do it the more skilled you are.
Of course, the most limiting factor is yourself. IMV. You may be of the disposition to experiement or chase things outside your current skillset and you will take comfort that you have the confidence that what is before you..is 'doalbe'....(????)
Other factors like fitness can hold you back.

I would think most keen skers are 'practising' all the time......or most of the time..!!

If you don't do this, I would think your skiing and mindset is pretty 'oblivious'..you aren't really upto speed or that aware....but thats ok, if you are happy and having fun.

Skiing shouldn't always be too intense but then it shouldn't be too devoid of it either.

By the very nature of talking about this type of thing through the close season, a lot of snowHead

are going to be keen to push on but horses for courses.

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comprex, it's quite extraordinary, you manage to defeat my powers of comprehension even when you abandon your usual purple prose and use merely a single word! Shocked

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Hurtle, I am actually involved with Rollerblade and somewhat (quite, really) obliged to point out the trademark.

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comprex, well, if you'd used the phrase 'inline skating' I'd at least have known what it was, though would not have known the reason for such a gnomic post! Try Googling 'cannondaling'...
Incidentally, I think the horse has bolted so far as the trademark is concerned. In fact the name has been positively hoovered up! wink

Hurtle, sorry, originality trumps Google, I guess.

Taking the thread back towards topic, consider Fastman's "Balance is addressed both in a fore-aft (forward, back) and lateral (side to side) sense. Help the student become comfortable moving around on their skis, moving their weight forward, back, inside, outside,,, and becoming confident skiing and turning in those new states of balance. That is a biggy. The more confidence that can be gained in this area, the less the student will fear finding themselves suddenly being thrust into these less than optimal balance states when attempting other new skills. It's a state of confidence that is liberating."

you'd be surprised how many skaters aren't balanced enough to spin stop.

You know it makes sense.

FastMan,

Thanks nice reminder

Is it valid to say that the same "out of comfort zone" experience can be achieved in part by what we might more generally call "arsing around"?

e.g. skiing switch, spinning flat 360s (neither of which I claim to be able to do),jumps, rooster tailing, hockey stops

I saw an issue of one of the more staid US ski mags that in between endless pages of property porn was advocating learning some new skool stuf fto improve the skier's reportoire.

Not trying to provoke an argument as I think obviously your more strucured way would obviously produce faster results but from what I see of junior race kids they must gain a hell of a lot from just blasting around the mountain everywhere behind their coach as well as the technical drills. Always happy to hear drills described without jargon and provided they aren't too mincing although I must confess a softspot for the camp teapot. wink

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

A lot of what I read on here is about improving all the time, and yes, when you're at my level it is logical to assume that I will improve and that I will have lessons to achieve it. However, doesn't there come a time when either every one is happy with their skiing and won't want to improve further, or has reached the level when further improvement is not possible - for example olympic downhillers etc.

A snowHead

Megamum, "However, doesn't there come a time when either every one is happy with their skiing and won't want to improve further " But those are the very people Fastman is talking about. Static in every way. You may stop setting lofty (or even small) goals, but you never stop improving - or hopefully so. Also, for instance, my own skiing has improved hugely in the last 2 years since I started doing so much balance work with my students - we can all benefit all the time. In addition, we all tend to get lazy, so acquire bad habits and they need a timely reminder too.

Even olympic downhillers need to improve - no-one is perfect. If they didn't, why would they have daily coaching?

BASICS, BASICS, BASICS - there is no quick fix and basic faults need sorting as said above! Little Angel

A snowHead

Hurtle, Fastman is offline for a few days I think... but his Dad did not have a couple of little strokes as suspected... he did however have an irregular heartbeat and now has a pacemaker to correct and keep it going just fine.... Last I heard he was home and well..

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

little tiger, good news, very happy for him/them Toofy Grin

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David Murdoch, Don't ask him about preseason... He will have you on trampolines and running and skatingand all sorts of stuff...

fatbob, Many of my lessons have included such arsing around -switch carved turns, tumbling, spins, jumps etc etc... all specifically selected to challenge ME and solve my particular problems... but then again we all know lessons are boring as crap and should not be taken Wink

Megamum, Some folks are really content skiing as they did 20 years back... others like Fastman have progressed their technique as equipment changed - damn it he still wants to compare his race times to folks many years younger and beat them... Shocked

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hurtle, Yes very... Toofy Grin

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fatbob,

After all it is free

Hurtle, have you done any body awareness training, say Feldenkrais method?

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rob@rar, I see from your profile that you started skiing a lot earlier than I did. Also, I have quite a few - ahem - years on you! Sad

comprex, Yes, I used to do Hatha Yoga in my youth, but am now a very keen Pilates follower: I have an excellent teacher, who herself was trained in Feldenkrais method (she uses all sorts of techniques in lessons, Yoga, Feldenkrais, Pilates, ballet, you name it, anything useful that can be found in the body awareness spectrum, though Pilates is the predominant influence. All mat-based, BTW, no machines Mad

Also I sing a lot and you need to be body-aware to do that properly. But I'd be lying if I said that any of this helped me - at least consciously - with the average mogul field! wink

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Hurtle, the internal discovery skills didn't transfer? Or didn't have time to?

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comprex, Who knows? There are other things, 'head' things, that get in the way, such as 'Help! Moguls!' or 'Eek, this is icy!' or 'I really, really don't want to fall over in this lovely powder, not because I'm scared, but because it's such a hassle getting up again, finding my skis, getting the snow off my goggles, etc, etc.' As Fastman implies, I do need to get out of my comfort zone in order to be able to re-build muscle memory. Fact is, I like being in control which, on groomed pistes, I am - albeit in a feet-too-close-together, old fashioned way. Also, it's ages since I've had any lessons, most of which have now merged into a contradictory mess in my head - I've been too damn lazy for too damn long, which would be fine(ish) if I'd ever got to the stage of being a better skier than I am. Blah, blah. I think that, maybe, laziness covers the whole multitude of sins and now it is arguably too late! Embarassed

You know it makes sense.

Hurtle, I think I see a difference between our viewpoints then: I understand 'internal discovery' to include all those 'head things' and how to overcome them.

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

A snowHead

comprex, Ideally of course. Still, just being aware of these head things is a start! (I do head things in my line of work, which is a help.) On the other hand, the bliss of correctly tuned muscle memory, when you can just GO, and all feels right with your head and body, and you don't have to think too hard - that's what it's all about, at least for a recreational skier like myself.

A snowHead

Wear The Fox Hat, dangly bits.

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

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hurtle, You may not have to completely rebuild your skiing, and sometimes it isn't nearly as much effort as you might think. I can't speculate in your case (obviously), but fear of making the effort should not stop you. I hope you checked out who was teaching you when you booked your freshtracks hols????

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easiski,

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Wear The Fox Hat, well said coudn't agree more about falling in powder... skiing powder is great for balance and taking you outside your comfort zone.. here is me on a very early exploration off the side of the piste and my own skills envelope, i definately had a grin when i got up

After all it is free

Wear The Fox Hat, Don't you have any 82 left? Little Angel

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skimottaret, nice tracks above you - you must be an expert by now!

LARGEZOOKEEPER, unfortunately not. Some from 92 onwards.

For me, the most enjoyable learning experiences in powder have come from skiing with people who are encouraging and also have taken me to places beyond my perception of my ability.
The problems occur when I (or others) become negative about my skiing. Making "bad" turns, or doing things "wrong" tends to mess with my head, and for me, skiing is >80% mental, so I sometimes just need to stop, reset my ski brain, and then get going again. That could mean stopping for lunch, or it could mean heading for a nice easy green or blue, and just making slow "easy" turns, and maybe some faster ones too. Once I've rebooted my skiing operating system, then I'll head off again.

Help!!

Plateau of the One trick ponies

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