Hill climbing techniques for skating (was Wisconsin theory)
If that "power" means a _feeling_ of "powerfulness", then Yes, "put the foot
down close" (if you like that feeling). Gene Goldenfeld wrote . . . to put the strong side skate foot down directly underneath, as close as possible, vs reaching out. Allows for maximum power. No -- not if "power" means the technical concept in physics -- the kind of Power which is a critical driver of how _fast_ I will go on skis. I'm thinking No because "planting the foot close" misses the best "gearing" leverage for hill-climbing. So while it increases one factor for Power (distance range of push), at the same time it non-optimally _decreases_ one of the other two critical factors (turnover frequency). My analysis of the biomechanical geometry is that the more-bent-knee sub-range of the skate leg-push is the "high-gear" part, especially for vertical work -- and the more-extended-knee sub-range is the "low-gear" part. In other words, the more-extended-knee sub-range is where I want to focus when I need to deliver higher forces (especially vertical) at lower speeds. It's fine to _prove_ that I can survive getting up a hill forcing myself to use the "high-gear" range and get this satisfying _feeling_ that my leg muscles are strong enough to "handle it". But it's not necessarily the way to win the overall race, as experienced bicyclists know. Just like there's a Power-Torque-RPM curve for my car's engine, against which my gear shift-points are selected to optimize -- there's a Power-Force-MuscleSpeed curve for each muscle-joint motion in my skiing. What's trickier in skiing is that there's a different Power-Force-MuscleSpeed curve for each _sub-range_ of a pushing motion (because the human bone-joint geometry is made of lines with angles, not circles). When I add in a sub-range whose Power-Force-MuscleSpeed curve is less suitable for the demands of my current situation, I end up _reducing_ my average power over the stroke cycle. So I actually climb the hill slower -- or even stall out and stop before the top. Ken |
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