Dryland drills

Ski Technique 101

For The “Un”athletic Skier

Making Gravity and Geometry Your Friends

Note: this is an edited version of the handout provided last week during our Saturday session.  The next technique post will be more specific about skate drills. 

Competent skiers have the knowledge and ability to negotiate all terrain

Safely,

Effectively and

Efficiently

under all snow conditions.

Dryland drills are designed to develop body memory to do these things.

Basic Ski position BSP—athletic stance or ready position is similar for baseball fielder, hockey goalie, quarterback, ice skater—any sport.

At any time, during any technique drill, on snow drill, or when out skiing--if you feel fatigued, sore or clumsy, STOP, assume BSP, think, and start again.

Drills will address dryland alternatives for

Downhill basic position—Alternatives for Safety (perhaps taking the skis off and walking down the hill.)

Effectiveness and

Efficiency

Level terrain BSP—

Classic/diagonal variations

Double pole variations

Skate variations

Uphill terrain BSP—

Classic/diagonal variations

Double pole variations

Skate variations

Basic Drills

Nordic hops—focus is on balance and technique.  Fitness is not the prime objective.  Spend most of your time on these until your balance and technique are locked in.  Competence with the nordic hop is essential for every skier.  It establishes the foundation for all classic and skate techniques.

Nordic bounds—focus is on ski specific fitness.  There are compromises to technique if you have not locked in balance and technique with nordic hops..

Drills without poles—improve balance, lower body technique and fitness. Direct transfer to on-snow technique.

Drills with poles—dryland balance is easier than balance on skis.  You can learn the technique without glide and speed complications.  Poles are never used for balance.  Learning proper pole technique dryland when balance isn't an issue will give you an edge in either breaking or not developing this very bad habit.

It is very important to focus on proper pole technique, getting the core involved in poling, having an effective follow through, always staying in control and in balance.  Be a nordic skier, not a nordic walker!

Basics about basic drills

1- Whenever you feel like you’re off, confused or clumsy 

stop,

assume BSP,

think about the drill,

resume.

2- Flat foot to flat foot.  Skiers never push off with their toes.  Runners have trouble with this. 

3- At a steep hill angle (dryland) it is very difficult to  keep both feet flat.  When that happens you have switched from technique work to training.  If you are on skis only the fittest and best (technique) can keep feet flat and skis parallel on a steep hill in classic skiing--or keep a V1 or V2 technique going as a skater.

4- Ankle flexed forward.  Always.  The ankle will have different flex angles based on technique, terrain, etc.   On uphills the tendency to avoid is to straighten the flex and roll the ankle inward.  The net effect is to "drop anchor" or shift your center of gravity aka your butt behind your skis.  Bad.

5- Knee drive.  Down--in the direction of power application.   This is easier to see in diagonal skiing- press the wax to the snow.  With skating, it is also down but the ski angles as you apply power so it seems like it moves to the side.   The knee “loads", like coiling a spring.

6- Forward “high” hip.  Your hip presses forward at the same time your ankle flexes and knee drops and loads.  This sets up the crunch, which is the source of most of your upper body power.  A “folded” waist does not crunch.