Magic Wall (Dynamics)
Poppy and Martha were introduced gradually to the Magic Wall.
Initially I tried a little skating exercise because skating is all about using a forward fall of the centre of mass to move forward – though most people try to push forward with their legs. (Martha started to get it later on). Skiing should really be developed from skating – but as they had both been using snowploughs we had to default to adapting the plough to its own simple version of the Dynamics.
Teaching children is dramatically different to teaching adults – though in all cases trauma and fear must be avoided. Using the plough, the simplest way to start developing dynamics is to push the body towards the inside of the turn using the outside (of the turn ) leg – pushing the body to the right using the left leg to turn right. It’s not pressure on the skis that count (there is no “transfer of pressure”) – this is about moving the centre of mass. The children intuitively understood this immediately and felt more comfortable with their skiing.
After a few runs when on the flatter sections I proposed having the skis parallel (chips) and still pushing the body across in the direction of the new turn. This works – though it is the opposite of international ski school dogma.
Eventually we arrived at the Magic Wall. When you move forward an invisible magic wall appears both sides of your body. This allows you to push hard against it and the more you believe in magic the more it guarantees that it will hold you up. This Magic Wall is what allows you to ski parallel. The girls enjoyed skiing like this where it was fairly flat and safe and they could feel it working.
Poppy was shocked that I’ve been taught so many wrong things about “climate change”so that stirred up the most amusing debate ever! She even came on the last chairlift up with me instead of her dad so that she could “negotiate climate change” with me. I just pointed out that today – we are in an ice age! However we did agree that plastic pollution is a terrible thing. I’m not sure whether she was eventually tired out from the debates or the skiing – but she was doing well at both of them. Martha was enjoying all of it and doing well at both too.
Paddy
Paddy was given a quick crash course in dynamics and an introduction to the pivot. The hire boots were not aligned (featured header photo) properly hence his outside leg was going stiff as he tried to push over his centre of mass – the ski couldn’t grip properly. On leaving I altered the alignment which should help. Once the habit of moving the mass and not pushing out the ski instead is developed the leg should also relax from that.
Extreme Magic Wall…
