Diva Ski Tips

I've spent a lot of time trying to correct this thing when I would just shove my hips to the side to edge by skis then I dumped by body inside. To fix this, I spent a lot of time working on edging from the feet up. Caveat: It’s pretty common for people to do this and move purely laterally. Make sure your instructions and demos emphasize forward and diagonal movement. Also, keep an eye out and fix it quickly. Start statically by rolling the uphill instep towards the little toe. You might have to point out where the instep is. You can enhance this by moving to the corner of the boot. I try this out using a garland moving from the corner one boot to the other. You will likely see students try to twist the ski instead of tipping it. Remind students that we want to tip the ski before we twist it. Then I bring up the focus to the thigh. Moving the thigh forward and inside the turn will draw the hips and upper body inside. Thanks to the Elk guy who taught me this and helped me m...

I love teaching bumps. I’m a recovering bump-a-phobe. Learning lots of tactics and tricks really helped me love them. I like to think I can help someone make a similar breakthrough. This post has general ideas on teaching bumps. But I’d like to talk about how I develop tactics and skills before I take someone in there. My mom’s family is from New York and they love their bagels with a heaping mass of cream cheese. A cheese knife, spreader or what we call a “schmearer” is a key piece of equipment. The flat blade easily spreads cream cheese or peanut butter. I like to ski bumps like I use a schmearer by standing tall and keeping the edge angle low. This makes it easier for my legs to steer my skis and create nice “C” shaped turns. Standing tall gives us the added bonus of lots of room to flex and extend later. You can pair students up and ask the follower to watch the tips. Are the tips leading the tails? Are the tips pointing across the hill before they change direction? Once...

I like to use the zones of the foot as a way to get students to feel where they are balanced and play with different movements to keep them in balance. The credit for this goes to a certain terrific teacher from Elk Mountain. Introduce the zones I draw a foot in the snow and explain: Zone 1 is the toes Zone 2 is the arch Zone 3 is the heel I ask students what they feel in each zone and what it looks like. Ski it, what zone are you in? Often students will tell you they are in zone 1.  When most will be in zone 3.  To match perception and reality pair students up and ask the follower what the zone their partner is in or give feedback directly. Explore zones to feel and see different outcomes If you have some time, you can try skiing in zone 1 then zone 3 to see and feel how it affects what you can and can’t do. Then try zone 2. In zone 2 you are centered over the skis and able to move fore/aft to make necessary corrections. How do we get t...

Depending on the child’s level of development they may move as a unit or be able to move their legs independent from their upper body. Practice getting small and tall while standing still. See if the kids can stay centered as they move. Skiing bumps is like riding a roller coaster. You want to go up and down without getting out of control or tossed around. Let’s start with the warm-up coaster ( no kiddie coasters please). Find some gentle bumps and traverse. Get small as you get to the top and get tall on the way down. Next it’s time for a big coaster , so let’s go over 2-3 bumps and then turn on the top of the next bumps. Don’t forget to say whee? Get ready, it’s eXtreme coaster time. Turn on top of every bump. Look for bigger bumps to go over. When you go on bigger bumps get small and tall in slow motion.

Goal : To release and re-engage edges in one fluid movement. We want to see 2 edges, 4 edges (or flat) then 2 edges. The first critical step is to get off the old edges and get to a flat ski. Frequently a skier will brace against their outside ski, forcing them to move up and over to flatten the ski. I like to get this started by focusing on flexing the old outside ankle towards the corner of the boot to flatten the downhill/old outside ski. To practice this I ask students to drift downhill between turns. They should feel their hips float over their skis. To help this along, I add in opening the uphill knee joint . The extension helps get the belly button moving towards the new turn Take out the drift and move off the old edges and on to the new edges. Instead of floating, we’re going to sting. What we want to: SEE – Shortening /lengthening of the legs, release and re-engage edges in one smooth movement FEEL – Hips move over feet, belly button moves in the direction of...

Cognitive I can process more than one direction I understand right from wrong I can think in an abstract terms and understand complex concepts Characteristics --- Instructor Responses Can apply problem-solving skills and understand effect ---Help them analyze the reason for a less-than-cause and envision an appropriate change May be gaining confidence as strength, coordination and experience increase, may want to test their limits ------ Allow enough room to be creative and gain confidence by pushing the envelope but avoid situations that are unsafe or disruptive Affective I don’t like to be singled out, even if I am the best in the group. I like to blend in with everyone else I want to be treated with respect and not talked down to I may not respect authority and will test my independence I want to have fun while improving skills and attaining goals I want to be part of the group and accepted by peers Physical I may be experiencing a growth support that affects m...

Cognitive I can only remember one or two things at a time I can show you what I learned I need to learn new vocabulary I have an active imagination I need structure I have a short attention span I like to play games I copy and mimic well Characteristics ---- Instructor Responses Egocentric (self-focused) ---Be prepared to give lots of individual attention Have short attention spans --- Keep tasks short and change often Can’t translate your right and left to their own --- Face the same direction as the students when demonstrating Comprehension based on how things are, not what caused them --- Focus on how something should look and feel Relate to the world through fantasy --- Use pretend situations and themes Affective I don’t need to be perfect I need to feel safe I may want my mom or dad I may not like new surroundings I may need reassurance I like to be told when I do something well Characteristics --- Instructor Responses Shifting from si...

Here are my dos and don'ts. Add yours in the comments. Do come to an agreement about expectations Trainers get frustrated because candidates don’t do their homework. Candidates get frustrated because they don’t get enough support. A better solution for both parties to agree on expectations of each other Do ask about the plan My tech director always asks candidates what their plan is. It’s important to analyze strengths and weaknesses then come up with a training plan.  This goes in hand with the first do. Do pay attention to the calendar Many of my friends have been sent to emotional tailspin when trainers said they were going to fail days before an exam. Once their money is paid, what can be accomplished by dropping a bomb on them? Don’t mess them up A friend of mine was horribily confused by a trainer who got the inside and outside ski mixed up. Tread lightly with canidates especially when the exam is days away.  Do ask candidates what they need We kno...

Cognitive I do best with one direction at a time I need to know “why” I’m asked to do certain things I will ask questions I can learn in a variety of ways I like process more than the goals I like to be challenged and successful I can describe and explain I will remember the highlights of my day Characteristics ---  Instructor Responses Can separate reality from imagination > Avoid the use of fantasy; it makes them feel that you are treating them like babies Can understand things they can’t see --- Use hypotheticals (what ifs) to introduce cause and effect and explain why something worked or didn’t work May overestimate their abilities (I can do anything!) --- Keep them reined in to avoid unsafe situations or setbacks Affective I want ownership in my day and can work independently I compare my achievements to those of my peers I want to have fun and like to play games I like to be responsible for my learning I like to know when I’ve...

By an energetic eastern ed staff member Balancing movements • Ski too far forward – Test those bindings • Shuffle feet • Stepping • Hopping • Lift one ski – Start lifting the inside ski toward the end of a turn and lift it earlier till you can ski the whole turn on the outside. Then try it with the outside ski. • Ski tall, short and in between • Ski placing hands on toes, knees, hips crossed on top of your head • Terrain play – Bumps, jumps, lumps, rolls, crud, ice to muck, rails, boxes pipe • Hold poles out to side – Keep em off the snow and still as can be. • Cat and mouse • Drag the outside pole – More balance on outside ski • One ski skiing – Try it with and without poles, rotating poles around upper body while turning and non ski leg crossed over ski leg • Backward herringbone – Walk backward down a pitch putting one foot behind the other. Use the sensation of pulling the feet back. Rotary movements • Hop turns • 360s on and off the snow or boxes • Real shor...

Harry Potter Turns (edging, directional movement) Most children, and a lot of adults, have seen the Harry Potter movies, when Harry plays Quidditch on his broom stick. Try this use your poles as your broomstick. When you want to turn, turn your broomstick in that direction and push against your leg. This will flatten your inside ski and allow you to steer it. Game Time – Most turns Wins Throwing curses – as you move to turn around a corner flick your pole out and throw a curse. It can be “jelly legs”, “eat slugs”, “experiallmus” Flat Tire Turns (Pressure) On flat terrain, show how you inflate (extend) your tires and then how you get a flat (flex). Use sound effects with children Have students inflate their tires and turn them until their toes point down hill. Then get a flat when they turn down the hill Expand on the movement, by having students move across their skis and then steer their skis to match as they get a flat Skate to Shape (Edging/Directional Movement) On...

A strong inside half is the concept that leaves many instructors scratching their heads or arguing with each other. I’m doing homework on how to coach a strong inside half. I’m ready to start trying to coach it but not quite ready to post my thoughts. So here are some thoughts of others that are worth considering. For a topic you hear discussed often it doesn't warrant much space in our technical manual. A countered stance is a form of anticipation and a way to create a relationship between the upper and lower body that helps block rotary momentum. A countered stance is typically used when the inside (uphill) half of the body leads the outside (downhill) half through the turn; this allows for effective stacking of the bones and muscles to deal with forces. We call this a “strong inside half” because the strength and functional tension of the inside half of the body facilitates steering the legs. If you were to relax the inside half of your body, the upper and lower parts would...

Hockey stops are cool.  One way to get kids improving turning skills is to teach them hockey stops.  It works best with a fan progression, turns become tighter and tighter untill you complete the hockey stop. First, traverse standing tall then twist legs to get tips pointing up the hill, repeat on the other side. Next, ask students to traverse slightly more down the hill. Twist legs while keeping the upper body pointed down hill. As students become more comfortable, have them point their skis more down the hill and twist legs more quickly. Add some juice by having students tip their skis before they twist, you're will be hockey stopping in no time. What we want to: SEE - Legs turning under a quiet upper body, quick steering of the tips, ankles and knees flexing evenly FEEL - Hips centered over feet, legs turning, tightening in the core UNDERSTAND - Use legs to turn skis, quiet upper body helps turning, ankles and knees

Here are the my dos and don'ts. Add yours in the comments. Do be a cheerleader I can’t tell you how nice it is to work at a mountain where the instructors are incredibly supportive. Chats, Facebook posts, text messages and hugs are awesome. Don’t ask, don’t tell It’s a standard practice for me to keep my feedback to myself unless I’m asked or I’m teaching a clinic. It’s particularly important to give frequently picked on exam candidates a break. Do bring the fun and change the subject Exam candidates can often get in to the “all exam, all the time” mode. Sometimes they need to be reminded that skiing is fun. Encourage them to take a “burner” from the top to the bottom of the mountain. Do keep your doubts to your self Candidates often are fraught with self doubt. They don’t need any from outside sources. Do offer suggestions and perspective, but gently It's easy for a candidate to loose perspective (they're all picking on me, I'm not getting any support...

Laundry, grocery shopping and oh Coming up with a good hockey stop progression Studying the CAP model Rethinking my intro bumps without bumps lesson Rethinking a short radius turn progression I welcome suggestions in the comments. T-minus 4 weeks to the exam. I'm just trying to get this done.

Congrats to the Diva and all the other vounteers on a successful Winter Games.