Today we started working on pivoting – in contact with the snow and jumping into the air to swing the skis into the turn and compressing/retracting the legs on bumps.
Steven was able to follow me closely on steep, icy terrain and in smaller bumps due to his practising the “angulation” exercise we did together on day 1. I just with I had a camera behind me to film him! Both Steven and Sophie have good form and natural movements due to having learned “dynamics” (motion of the centre of mass) so there is very little need to explain details to them – they just have to be skied and every day they get stronger and better.
I’ve included today film I took of the Para-athletes World Cup in Tignes in December. Steven saw such a skier today on the mountain – they don’t even need legs to ski – just moving that centre of mass!
Short Swings / Jump Turns / Swing Weight
If a jump is made while solidly planting the ski pole then there is zero resistance on the skis so they can literally pivot in mid air – swinging the ski fronts into a turn. Coordination for this is tricky initially and usually work has to be done even on jumping correctly. Most people retract their heels when jumping but they should fully extend their leg in mid air to raise the centre of mass and then flex on landing to absorb the impact smoothly. The soft landing helps to generate a smooth pivot. It’s only necessary to swing the skis a few degrees in the air and then land on the uphill edges to continue a smooth pivot. The pressure cycle and dynamics of coming down into the turn from landing also help to drive the pivot once it has been initiated. When turns like this are linked with a rebounding effect and fluent rhythm they are called short swings. Most people at the start are unable to keep their body from rotating or pushing out the heels/ski tails so they are often unable to use their ski poles properly and unable to keep a good rhythm or accurate coordination.
Moguls/Bumps (Compression Turns)
Here’s a useful video showing proper compression turns at an advanced level. (Warning! – The drills used to “teach” in the clip are mainly inappropriate and fail to show the pivoting nature of bump skiing. However the advanced dynamics used by the demonstrators are correct.)
Competition bumps skiers have their feet close together and many people swear by a “two footed” platform off-piste. This works because both skis pivot always on their uphill edge. The feet are always kept downhill of the body and so are the knees. Using the adductor muscles of both legs pulls the skis together and strengthens the stance. It’s important however to always orient the body on only one hip – preferably the outside one. The hip is the biggest joint in the body and it is very close to the centre of mass. Any confusion around this area leads to confusion everywhere. Motion starts from the centre of mass – so use your outside hip in the turn – pulling it backwards during the turn – to get your reflexes working and your core muscles protecting your back the most efficiently possible.
For bumps the two ski pivot prevents the feet from diverging off in different directions – and it gives two edges for controlling speed in what is after-all a braking form of turning. The overall stance is similar to off-piste but is part of a “compression turn” which has it’s own page here for reference (or soon will have). Avoid resorting to pushing out the heels – it’s always a pulling inwards that’s required.
Para Athletes World Cup (slow motion and full speed)