Alex day 1

Working on independent leg action (early pressure)

We initially worked on forward pressure (fronts of skis) and arrived at the point where the aggressive turning power of the ski fronts was starting to slow the turns down. That’s GOOD where and when control is a priority.

Early pressure through independent leg action (thrusting with the uphill leg – even from the uphill ski edge) was then added to accelerate the centre of mass through the turn transition. This eliminated the dead spot during the transition but the extra speed then caused Alex to get back again.

All good progress. Alex is starting to get “pinged” up in the air from the turn transition due to being forward enough to exploit the “lifting” power of the ski – as it cuts under his trajectory. However, developing this requires more than just endless slalom – the best approach would be to learn how to ski moguls – where there is a constant flow of the centre of mass over the fronts of the skis – and in this case an aggressive pole plant to facilitate this movement. Elements of this awareness and skill would cross over into slalom and be particularly useful when skiing big ruts.

Angulation here is natural and not contrived. The extra speed should permit more inclination but the turn exit strategy must always be anticipated – working the centre of mass against the front of the ski.

Alex’s line is much closer in general than it used to be – probably due to feeling confidence from the power of the ski fronts.

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