The Invisible Magic Wall
Dynamics is probably as close to magic as we can ever have. Aristotle failed to understand it and it took the genius of Issac Newton to elucidate the subject. So – how do we get a 6 year old girl to understand it in 5 minutes flat? Enter “The invisible Magic Wall”!
- Do you believe in Magic? (say Yes!)
- When skis move directly forward an invisible, magic wall appears on both sides of your body
- You can push against this wall as hard as you like and it will never let you fall
- …but it only works if you really believe it will work – move forward – and believe in the magic
- you can’t even feel the wall – but it won’t let you down
- carry out exercises pushing against (my) shoulder
- explain that this causes a turn in the direction that you are pushing
Exercises
Skating – falling forward between the skis when skating forward. This gets the skier to come forward in the ski boots and avoid using the backs of the boots for support. The development of independent leg action also frees up the skier from the tyranny of the “back of the boot”. The front of the skis provides most of the turning power.
On gentle, wide terrain do skating step turns – incrementally moving the centre of mass into the turns.
Here’s a beginner going from zero to parallel in one lesson – using the Magic Wall.
(Eleanor did the parallel turns today in an exercise)
Steep Slopes (meanwhile)
Eleanor encountered a steep section where she needed a wide snowplough – so she was shown that the magic wall (push from uphill ski/leg) still works best – and that nearly all the weight must stay on the downhill ski – which then acts as a brake and feeds you progressively into the turn – until the outside ski itself comes around and below it. (I.E. it’s not about which ski is pressured – it’s about which direction you move the centre of mass)
