Aristiotle was born 384 BC in Greece. He was a brilliant philosopher and revealed Laws of Motion that went completely unquestioned by civilisation for over 2000 years. All the wise and expert scientists agreed with him. (Just remember this when thinking about today’s medical science!!!) The trouble is – he got it wrong. Newton (around 1700 AD) eventually managed to correct the laws. Basically – Aristotle thought that at a fundamental level to keep an object moving it required an impulse/force. Wrong! Newton showed us that an object in motion remains in motion unless a force acts upon it to slow it down. Today you can see this in outer space where an object in motion remains in motion…
In skiing people talk about “balance” all the time. Balance is what Newton’s first law is about – but it’s completely the wrong law for skiing – it’s the law that says a building/structure will not move when all forces acting upon it are balanced. So skiing still gets destroyed by failure to understand Newton.
Newton’s second law says that if you apply an unbalanced force to an object it will accelerate at a rate determined by its mass (Force = Mass x Acceleration). Acceleration in a straight line is a change in speed. When a force is applied that rotates an object the change in direction is also an acceleration. Those two types of accelerations are what skiing is all about.
“The Skier’s Job is to Fall Over. The Ski’s Job is to Lift the Skier Back Up”
Derin was originally taught to “fall over” from the age of 4 – with me holding or supporting her while skiing and ensuring her body and brain were sensing correct “information”. She was learning naturally but without a conscious understanding.
Now that Derin informs me that her favourite school subjects are Physics and Mathematics it’s time to spark up the awareness. Derin in the video clip was focused on consciously making the skiing happen by actively moving her Centre of Mass. It’s a simple movement but it’s the basis of all skiing (even of all walking). This is skiing’s foundation stone.
Conscious Skiing
Once you begin to have useful genuine things to focus on in skiing, things that are inside your own body that give sensory feedback – then you start to develop both competence and self confidence – because you start to listen to the wisdom of your body. The alternative is to ski while thinking about how you look to others, wondering if you can keep up with your friend, what lift are you going to, is there a toilet here etc…
