Everyone was working today on “getting forward” whether in or outside of slalom – and with different approaches.
Tallulah was working on using the uphill leg to forcefully extend it through the turn transition and the start of the new turn to push the body downhill.
Not only does this make the ski work through the turn initiation but because the body goes downhill just as the ski begins to turn this automatically places you on the front of the ski – without even trying to be on the front.
For Tallulah the main issue was to begin to use the ski through the whole turn – something she had not been doing until now. The result was a massive improvement.
Daisy was working on the same actions as Tallulah but with the emphasis on getting forward and dealing with slalom poles. Work is needed outside the poles to actively move the centre of mass across the skis – instead of just edging and riding the skis reactively (a habit Daisy has developed).
Daisy probably needs some time in junior poles to get over the “reaching” (hence rotating) for the pole – which of course makes getting forward on the ski even harder. The defensive hand reaching (forward and upward) is also causing Daisy to fall off the outside leg onto the inside leg – making angulation impossible.
I think we can accelerate progress if we focus on angulation (not by dropping the hips into the turn but by tilting the upper body forwards while eliminating rotation) along with Alex who has progressed leaps and bounds in this department but still can’t really perceive angulation as coming from a tilt forward of the upper body when perched over a single hip joint – and allowed to rotate on the hip joint. (Georges Joubert – “Skiing… an Art… a Technique”)
First thing though for Daisy – get that uphill leg working and moving the centre of mass. You never “ride the ski” – you aren’t a passenger – you “ski”.
Alex Always best in the mornings! Easy to tell that Alex is much better centred on his skis because between turns we frequently see the tails lifting in the air instead of the ski tips! Much improved transitions from flat to steep terrain – which is what catches people out most of all.
Great result with controlling the inside arm – much reduced rotation both in and out of the course. Eliminating rotation automatically increases angulation – which facilitates agility. The current difficulty in staying forward is due to rotational/angulation issues… to be worked on!
