Taking stock of the past three days we both agreed that something had worked well on day one. Day one was principally about dynamics – through skating. With this in mind we returned to skating exercises to recapture and consolidate this early success.
For all of Sarah’s previous skiing the Centre of Mass has been moved and also pulled (due to gravity) toward the outside of any turn she has been making – becoming a trained/programmed unconscious action. Using skating to turn incrementally by forcing the Centre of Mass into the inside of the turn – initially with the aid of gravity and then in the latter part of the turn fighting against gravity – we were able to progressively develop the correct basic movement pattern – with awareness! Video feedback helped in the process as the movements required a sense of exaggeration to even come close to being enough.
The photograph in the middle of a turn shows clearly the relationship of skiing dynamics with skating. Using the model of an upside down pendulum – and simple toppling inwards and outwards – standing up straight – helped to simplify and consolidate the dynamics on gentle terrain. We are not balancing – we are actively in an organised disequilibrium – but there again so is any human being just standing up and not sleeping.
Work on the pivot – as with work on the skating – demonstrated that it does not matter which ski the weight goes onto during the turn and nor does it matter which edges the skis are on. Skis are designed to support the movement of the Centre of Mass regardless of those details. Directed motion of the Centre of Mass is what the skis are asking from you – and they respond by joining in the game.
Using a narrow stance – by holding the legs together with the adductor muscles makes the skis act more as one single unit – while the sensation of independent/skating leg action remains regardless of this.
Sarah’s boot shaft alignment was checked and found to be good and as the photograph shows when “dynamics” is used there is no unnecessary dropping of the knee into the turn or stemming of the skis and even fore/aft positioning on the skis improves automatically.
Consolidate those skills and awareness on gentle terrain before moving on from there!
