We started the morning indoors looking at how to stand and flex specifically to strengthen the ankle support and stabilise the body. We looked at how to make bending happen at the knees and hips instead of the ankles. We also looked at how to roll the feet onto their inside edges (inside the ski boots) using the subtaler joint – between the ankle and the heel – and how doing this activated the adductor muscles on the inside of the leg. Flexing when weight is on the heel allows the effect of the subtaler joint to be felt and also triggers the anterior tibialis – the muscles on the outside of the shin – as the ankle is held strong. Derin had the feelings identified without too much of the terminology.
First thing before skiing we changed her boots to something stronger so that she could have some forward support to apply pressure to the fronts of the skis.
On snow we worked on sideslipping and pivot (see button at top of blog) so that the sensations of the feet could be developed further. Already there was progress in her stance with much less leaning in the back of the ski boots. The pivot skills will also help to progressively eliminate the tendency to push the ski outwards during the second part of the turn.
Part of the effort is going into getting Derin to focus on body issues – as a form of moving meditation and to make this habitual.
