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More ideas for kids

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 gentle terrain, have students skate like an ice skater by putting their skis on edge and gliding

Now ski like a speed skater, make a really strong move across your skis while you skate, if your edge bites ride it, if it doesn’t no worries

Now we’re going pull it all together, put your ski on edge, push off and move forward across your skis and ride the edge right around

Shuffle Turns (Balance)
Standing still, Demo shuffling through a turn, keep feet underneath torso

On gentle terrain have students ski a medium raidus and shuffle as the come out of the fall line.  Then have students shuffle through the whole turn, maintaining a round turn shape

Ask students where they had the most difficulty shuffling (fall line), have them move CM in the direction of the turn and roll ankles to tip skis by pressing against the corners of the boot

Once they are comfortable with shuffling ask them to shuffle into the fall line and ski out, maintaining movement of CM

Atom Bomb (Balance)
Balance a pole on the back of your wrists to promote a quiet upper body and good balance. If you drop it you blow up.

Cowboy Turns (Edging)
Use very wide stance, put your hands on your knees, use your thumbs to push against inside of downhill knee

The Squatty Body Waltz (Edging)
Ski in a squatty body position. In this position the only thing you can do is roll your knees.

Pour Lemonade (Pressure)
Pour lemonade from glass to glass.  Make sure you can see your hands the whole time.

Hug Turns (Rotary)
Give your self a big hug as you make short turns down the fall line. Remember you’re doing great, you deserve a hug.

"Wizard of Oz" progression
Dorothy had three friends: The tin man, the scarecrow and the lion.

Tin Man: Get very stiff and squeaking noises.

Scarecrow: Get really floppy

Lion: how does a lion catch his prey? He pounces. Okay, let's ski down the hill and pounce and roar every time we go from turning one way to turning the other.

Could we do that feeling relaxed like the scarecrow? The progression seems to work, getting students to relax and move their weight down the hill at crossover.

Comments

  1. Quidditch Turns!! This is THE BEST IDEA EVER. As a ski instructor, I am definitely going to use this one with my classes! Thanks for providing so many great exercises and games, I was getting bored with all of mine.

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