PRACTICE,
PRACTICE, PRACTICE….. for racing faster
Keep your eyes and torso oriented down the hill
One
of the most mistakes in a wide radius turn is letting your body face
the same
direction that your skis are traveling, or worse, letting your body
rotate into
the hill. The result is too much weight on your uphill ski which leads
to
skidding, and, if the slope is steep, falling. If you feel your tails
slip to
the side midway through your turn instead of following in the same path
as the
tips of your skies, your body is not oriented properly down the hill.
Allow pressure to build under your skies as long as possible
in each turn
To get as much energy out of a turn, you have
to allow as
much pressure as possible to build up under your feet. It is a matter
of
strength and timing. Assuming you have the strength to handle the
pressure,
hold each turn until the last moment before starting a new turn. If you
release
the turn too soon, you lose potential energy.
Release
weight
forward not upward
Skiing
faster means moving down the hill faster. Focus your movements in that
direction. Rising up dissipates energy into the air. Keep low by
angulating to
the side and slightly curving your back. When it is time to release the
pressure that has built up in a turn, use it to propel yourself forward
into
the next turn.
Keep your
skis on the snow
Air is slow, that's why downhill racers fight to keep their skis on the
snow. A ski in the air can only glide, it cannot generate speed. It is
also difficult for a skier to maintain a compact body position while
airborne. The fastest skiers are the ones that keep their skis on the
snow.
Angulate to the side: don't bend at the waist
In
an attempt to apply more pressure to their skis, many people collapse
at the waist. To increase pressure on your skis aggressively, flex
forward at the ankles and knees, not at the waist, and let your body
angulate to the side at the hips. This angulation should be a movement
in which your feet and legs move out to the side and back under your
body, then out to the other side, while the upper body stays relatively
quiet.
Feel the carve
Even the tiniest amount of skidding reduces speed. Skiing
requires acute sensory perception in the feet. Feel the snow, the
terrain, and most of all, what your skis are doing. Are you carving or
skidding? Expert skiers strive to make every turn perfect. The feeling
for the snow, for the edge, is always there.
Basic Conditioning
Dr. Sue
Robson of the U.S. Ski Team has stated that skiing has a most curious
characteristic that should have a bearing on your training. Skiing
requires your muscles to work eccentrically
much more than other sports. Eccentric muscle effort is done while a
muscle is getting longer. When you lower yourself into a chair, your
muscles are working eccentrically; when you stand up, they are working concentrically (meaning they are
getting shorter).
Since skiing places such a high eccentric demand on your legs and lower
back, the Stairmaster or exercise bicycle won't help you all that much
with skiing. Instead, take an elevator to the top of a tall building
and walk down the stairs. This will do more for your ski legs than
walking up stairs.
If hiking is part of your daily routine, plan your hills so that you
come down by the steepest route. In the gym, try doing squats with
light weights only. Push up in the normal manner, but when you lower
your body, do it on one leg, alternating legs each time, this will have
the additional benefit of helping to enhance your balance.
See
you on the slopes,…………………...Bruce P. (856-414-0885)