Still a Place for "Old School" Double Pole?
I still feel unsure on the latest thinking regarding double pole
technique. Pete Vordenberg says: "The initial impact of the poles is when the most force is applied to the poles and it is applied quickly – it is when the most power is applied. Wham!" What I wonder about is for skiers who aren't very powerful, is there still a place for a double pole technique that has a gentler initial impact, then gradually increases pressure as you go fairly deep with upper body? In other words, has anyone shown the newer, more explosive technique to be most efficient for all skiers, or do you have to train specifically to incorporate it into your skiing? Thanks, Jon |
Still a Place for "Old School" Double Pole?
You can do what's comfortable, and in some circumstances, such as slow
snow, the older, more extended slower style that involves the triceps more is sometimes the way to go. The newer DP style (past 10 years) emphasizes using core muscles and lats, which are much stronger. The conceptual key is that skiing is a push-and-glide sport, so getting the most out of the push phase from the upper body - down through the poles and down into the legs - makes sense. Think of a 90k DP-fest like Mora: would you rather depend on core/torso or arm/back muscles? Of course, no one is doing short, truly explosive strokes every time; one could't last long that way. Rather, it's a matter of which muscles are used for greatest efficiency for the situation. The technique difference becomes clear if you try an explosive DP with short strokes up a short rise (hands only to hips). Studies have consistently found a strong correlation between upper body VO2max (on a treadmill) and race results. So yes, those ab, lat, etc., exercises, as well as lots of rollerski and on-snow DP, pay off. One thing I get a big bang for the time from in this regard, and for general conditioning, is kettlebells. One just needs to be shown how to use them properly (and hopefully have a local gym with them). Gene On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 07:54:10 -0800 (PST) Jon wrote: I still feel unsure on the latest thinking regarding double pole technique. Pete Vordenberg says: "The initial impact of the poles is when the most force is applied to the poles and it is applied quickly – it is when the most power is applied. Wham!" What I wonder about is for skiers who aren't very powerful, is there still a place for a double pole technique that has a gentler initial impact, then gradually increases pressure as you go fairly deep with upper body? In other words, has anyone shown the newer, more explosive technique to be most efficient for all skiers, or do you have to train specifically to incorporate it into your skiing? Thanks, Jon |
Still a Place for "Old School" Double Pole?
*Think of a 90k DP-fest like Mora:
would you rather depend on core/torso or arm/back muscles? *Of course, no one is doing short, truly explosive strokes every time; one could't last long that way. This clarifies where I'm confused. I've always thought of, even the old, slow, double-pole as mostly depending on abs. The different for me, when I try a shorter explosive style, is that less of my body weight comes into play. In the old-school style, I think of falling on the pole, and then continue that feeling of body weight on the poles, while I add an ab crunch. New style feels like all ab crunch and lat pull-down. In teaching intermediate skiers, it has still seemed productive to encourage them to feel the body weight sensation... Jon |
Still a Place for "Old School" Double Pole?
On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 10:10:05 -0800 (PST)
Jon wrote: _Think of a 90k DP-fest like Mora: would you rather depend on core/torso or arm/back muscles? _Of course, no one is doing short, truly explosive strokes every time; one could't last long that way. This clarifies where I'm confused. I've always thought of, even the old, slow, double-pole as mostly depending on abs. The different for me, when I try a shorter explosive style, is that less of my body weight comes into play. In the old-school style, I think of falling on the pole, and then continue that feeling of body weight on the poles, while I add an ab crunch. New style feels like all ab crunch and lat pull-down. In teaching intermediate skiers, it has still seemed productive to encourage them to feel the body weight sensation... Ab crunch and lat pull down describes it well. In teaching DP, I start with the basic motion, i.e., ab crunch with knees flexing over ankles (vs. "sitting on the pot"). Then I move onto how to bring the core forward in the initiation, using the image of an arrow protruding from the C-O-G. But not way forward, tho I still give use the "timber!" exercise to break through the feear about bringing the body forward. In the newer style, there is normally less fall forward (vs. a sprint); in fact, I've had a couple of coaches say there is none, just make sure one's hips are not lagging. The old DP did, of course, engage the abs first. However, by reaching out with the arms and using relatively straight legs it took away everything above the abs, and missed the central biomechanical advantage of enhancing the push off; everything was spread over the course of the entire push and glide. It also put a lot of pressure on skiers' backs. I suspect there are fewer back problems since the changeover. Gene |
All times are GMT. The time now is 02:47 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
SkiBanter.com