 Poster: A snowHead
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This post from an MSS member has details of his new site on skiing technique and the theory of "skiing skeletally"... All about how we lose our natural skeletal posture as we age, and how we should go back to basics of posture to improve our 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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PG, Thanks for the link, seems pretty informaive with what look like some good exercises,
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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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srobbo, I could only find the one excercise, are there more. Sounds a bit like Pilates.
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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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Thanks PG, looks like interesting stuff. That gives me something else to read today apart from checking the cricket scores. A quick look suggests it may be getting a little too detailed for me but I'll hopefully grab something useful from it.
This is something I've been working on a little in recent years. I've not been carrying out any specific exercises but before starting on a run I try to get a feel for my posture and seeing whether I'm centred. As I mentioned on the "minimise leg burn" thread this appears to have made a vast difference to the strain my thighs take.
My skiing has improved as well, but I've also been working on a dozen other things so who knows exactly what the reason is!
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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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marc gledhill, I think there are exercises on the Centering, Posture and Ski Posture pages at least. I've not read them yet though.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Seems to tie in exactly with my experience once I started yoga (initially to help strengthen my lower back having got fed up with pilates) which is all about centering and balance as well as flexibility and strength. My skiing improved out of all recognition! Unknown to me, I had (have) a stiff hip (now much less stiff thanks to the wonders of ashtanga) which affected the movement and control of my lower body. The class I go to is run by a climber, attended by a lot of climbers who need flexibility as well as strength, but as far as I'm concerned this sort of thing should be compulsory for the entire population: strengthening the core muscles and putting the body into equilibrium means no part of the body is taking undue strain, therefore less likelihood of injury and more chance of being able to absorb and accommodate the unexpected in sport. It's hard work though!
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poma, so what are the main differences between yoga and pilates, I had thought (with zero research) that they were pretty similar.
I suffer from a weak lower back 9and probably other things I'm not as aware of) and would like to improve my balance and coordination too. Which would be the better option?
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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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marc gledhill, Get yourself one of these big excercise balls, sit on it instead of a chair and do back excercises on it. Very good.
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start with pilates - incredibly boring but it works on your core strength - until you get to a stage where you can touch your toes/put your socks on - pilates is very gentle and focussed and really does work but as I said I couldn't stand the boredom ... there are different types of yoga, some more gentle than others, and I moved on via iyengar (which seems to spend a lot of time holding poses) to ashtanga (also known as power yoga) which is - in theory - a flowing series of movements into different positions (some more extreme than others!). All the positions have easier and harder versions, so the teacher can take a group of pretty mixed abilities. It's quite tough (the relaxation position at the end consists of standing on your head - one of 5 versions) and you go through a set of pre-ordained exercises in the same order every time, and the breathing is crucial to being able to achieve the correct alignment - so it's pretty relaxing too! Quickly becomes compulsive as your body starts to respond. Definitely worth seeing if you can find a teacher and group you feel comfortable with (a personal thing, but I didn't want a group of middle aged keep fitters (!), and have ended up with a real cross section - rope access workers, students and even some circus students!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Frosty the Snowman, seriously? You sit on one of those at work? Are people to frightened of you to take the p!ss constantly?
poma, I can touch my toes, but I have a disc that "died" many years ago so flexability helps and I do stretching/strenghth work for it every day.
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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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marc gledhill, I have a bad back - muscular rather than disc - I do both Pilates and Yoga and the combination has transformed both my back and my skiing. Pilates concentrates on strengthening the core muscles which has improved the strenght of my back to the extent that I no longer worry about it so much....the resulting stiffness is counteracted by the Yoga which has given me the flexibiliy which was lost by the injury! Many of the moves seem similar but the emphasis and particularly breathing techniques are very different. My personal favourite is yoga....it's so much more than an excercise session as it clears my mind at the end of the day, releases stress and tension and is still fab for the body...I try to practice daily.
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