Effective Skiing

Hip to be square

Mon, 05 Feb 2024 19:17:48 -0500

These days it seems to be very hip to be square to the skis, i.e. keep facing wherever the skis are pointing at all times, at least - it seems - if you listen to North American pros, on the racing side or even the recreational side. Gone are the days of *anticipation* and [[separation]]... or are they?

When to relax to release

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 12:11:45 -0500

Some good questions and thoughts recently on flexing the outside leg, in order to release the ski: when exactly does one soften the outside leg, allowing it to flex and release the ski?

What are the levels of improvement

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 18:26:41 -0400

We are changing the levels of effective skiing from **green/blue/black/racing** to **intro/effective/performance/racing**.

Why can't we develop good racers

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 07:39:20 -0500

Why can't we develop good racers? Maybe it all starts with having good models for technical WC skiing, training coaches that can recognize good technical skiing, but most importantly, coaches that can understand WC skiing components and biomechanics and be able to teach good technical skiing? The assessment picked apart here does not give us any cause for optimism, unfortunately.

Racers carve too much

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 23:18:43 -0500

I hear this message fairly frequently, from the facilitators running an instructor course, for example, to the "Joe" in the lift line and a lot from coaches and instructors. The message is basically that *racers carve too much and they need to learn to steer and pivot the skis*. While learning some of the "softer skills" cannot easily raise an argument, claiming they can't pivot is wrong, let's dive in!

Browsing ski technique concepts

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 19:48:19 -0500

A major feature of effectiveskiing.com was not really emphasized much until now... there is a "Browse" link at the bottom of most topics, but I am not sure how many tried to click on it.

Low in transition

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 15:34:31 -0500

It seems that some skiers and even pros don't really understand the essence of modern ski technique and can't see what is going on at the highest levels of the sport - one of the contentious issues is sometimes that of being *low in transition*, with some suggesting that there is no such thing!

Pushing the outside ski forward

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 14:37:16 -0500

I hear this coaching cue every now and then and we should take a few minutes and think about it, because it may not help create the best mental models for your skiers and athletes. I think it denotes a misunderstanding of ski technique and of the basic physics of how my beer fridge moves through space-time!

As good coaches, we must be careful about the mental models we create in our athlete's minds and, as we'll see, this one likely causes more problems than it solves.{{photo https://cdn.razie.com/Public/effective/anna-laid-over.JPG caption=Knee to front of the boot at huge angles}}

Analyzing high performance skiing

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 09:27:02 -0500

Created a f-book post earlier with this comparison of two skiers (one great, one not so much) with the purpose of looking at the differences and trying to figure out the biggest improvement opportunity for the one on the right - there were a lot of good insights coming out of that post and I'll review them here. But I wanted to take also a quick look at *the framework* that we use for analyzing performance, very important for analyzing not only skiing at a high-level but also for everyday skiing...

The biomechanics of counteraction

Tue, 15 Jan 2019 08:48:09 -0500

Sometimes referred to as [[Separation]] or *counter*, *coiling* or **[[Counteraction]]** is one of the critical ingredients of performance skiing and racing at the higher levels and also one of the less understood. Let's take a look at the detailed biomechanics of this movement in different situations, from beginner all the way to advanced.

The difference ski boot cuffs can make

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 08:45:16 -0500

Just a quick note on how setting up the boots properly has a huge impact on the skiing of each and every one of us. Here's an example of the difference a simple boot cuff adjustment can make.

Foot placement

Sat, 01 Sep 2018 16:45:21 -0400

As we get closer to snow, there's another one of the great episodes in the Projected productions - How to Ski series, "Foot placement" is again an episode from JF Beaulieu, full of insight on enabling one to ski with the lower body by being careful with the "foot placement" at the beginning of the turn! The series (as well as anything coming from Projected) is highly recommended, with lots of good thoughts and discussions of concepts at a higher level - here's the trailer:

Creating great skiers

Mon, 09 Apr 2018 01:16:38 -0400

How are great skiers created? This is an important question, certainly, and a lot of the answer is laid out in [[Heluvaskier]]'s great post [[What does it take to ski like the best]] (he will play a big role in this article as well). In there, he lays out the path that any skier wanting to improve and *ski like the best* should follow, with focus on *selecting a technical model*.

Resisting the pressure

Tue, 06 Mar 2018 11:02:11 -0500

Part of the Projected productions - How to Ski series, "Resistance" is an episode from JF Beaulieu, on resisting the pressure building up underfoot, so that you can get direction (i.e. have the ski turn). The series (as well as anything coming from Projected) is highly recommended, with lots of good thoughts and discussions of concepts at a higher level - here's the trailer:

Leaving it on the table

Sun, 26 Nov 2017 23:01:57 -0500

A guest blog from coach **Mark Holman** (USSA) - a great presentation on tactics, specifically line selection in GS to maximize speed, the differences between the high line and the direct line.

What Does It Take to Ski Like the Best?

Tue, 07 Nov 2017 22:09:25 -0500

Article by Greg Rhoads (a.k.a. HeluvaSkier)

The new 2018 season is upon us

Fri, 27 Oct 2017 09:04:07 -0400

For those living in the northern hemisphere... and yeah, I know some of you are already skiing... lucky you!

Nutrition chart

Wed, 08 Mar 2017 14:47:12 -0500

Here's a great chart on athlete nutrition, from NCCP:

Changing the game

Sat, 04 Mar 2017 21:59:11 -0500

*Changing the Game* is an awesome book, with many ideas on improving our role in the development of our children. Here is a detailed member review, thank you, Ben.

Go slow to go fast

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 09:29:11 -0500

Just got another great post from RacerEx in my inbox, with a good perspective on slowing it down.

Myelin and training - the scientific concept in skill development

Mon, 27 Feb 2017 08:12:14 -0500

Here's a great article (thanks George), one that ties [[Decision training vs behavior training in alpine skiing|decision training]] to myelin and failure. That's a very interesting association, for sure.

Improve - learning zone vs performance zone

Mon, 13 Feb 2017 11:42:56 -0500

This is a great Ted talk (thank you, Ben) on improvement:

Where do we separate upper and lower body

Tue, 17 Jan 2017 12:07:14 -0500

The [[separation]] of the upper and lower body is one of the most important skills of any great skier... but where exactly is it most effective to separate the two? The hip? The pelvis? The core?

35 Secrets of brilliant coaches

Tue, 10 Jan 2017 19:33:12 -0500

Just stumbled onto (thanks, George) another great article about coaching and coaches in general, which should be required reading for all coaches and parents:

3 Myths that are Destroying the Youth Sports Experience for our Kids

Tue, 06 Dec 2016 23:23:45 -0500

Here's a great article on some of the myths pervasive in youth sports that damage indeed the experience for many:

How to begin the ski season

Fri, 28 Oct 2016 00:22:58 -0400

Of course we need to get in shape and check the equipment, but technically, what is the best way to begin the season? How do we get the biggest bang for the buck?

The best ski video of the year - Project Kitz

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 23:00:20 -0400

If you are a ski enthusiast, you owe it to yourself to get this awesome ski video, more than 60 minutes of high level skiing, drills and advice from some of the best 3 ski instructors around.

How to choose a camcorder for ski coaching

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 10:56:00 -0400

I have a range of Camcorders, each have pros and cons. Let's walk through some of the features and see some pros and cons when choosing a camera for MA (Movement Analysis) for skiing.

To wax or not to wax

Mon, 15 Aug 2016 13:47:16 -0400

I find it amazing to have this type of discussion after decades of skiing on sintered ski bases, but even to this date there are debates on the effect that waxing has on ski performance and how it all works.

Motivational Video - win the workout

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:57:21 -0500

Here's another of my favorite motivational videos - why some athletes become great while others not so great, following the same practice: **they simply choose to** !