On Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:29:40 -0800 (PST)
wrote:

Thanks for you comments.

Part of the concern is how athletes are making best usage of their
calf muscles, which are quite powerful muscles, as experienced in
running.

Calf muscle usage is obvious during "jump" skate, but what about other
technique ?

At the end of the side push, their is a little time for best using
them, I think.
But at the end of the push, the legs is rather backward. The more you
step forward, the more backward is the pushing leg.
I noticed that Northug (unfortunately not in my video) does
"something" at the end of his pushes with his foot/calf, as seen when
how the tip of his ski returns. I'll try to compile or find another
video depicting that.


I think you're overanalyzing, and are expressing a very basic
misunderstanding of ski technique, which can easily be straightened out
on your home floor.

First, good skiers don't normally actively step forward, unless missed
timing or snow conditions require it. Rather, they push off and the
power of that carries their frame to the other ski, their foot falling
underneath. In fact, sometimes skiers - classical and skate - actively
shorten the distance to where the foot lands, to make sure it lands
underneath and the gliding ski doesn't get away from them (people with
long legs are probably more prone to this, especially on hills).
Stepping forward/side in skate or classic beyond what the push gives
typically causes the hips to move back. This means the skier's center
of gravity ends up behind the camber of their ski, right when it needs
to be on top of it for maximum glide and to set up the next push off.
Not good, except for keep us instructors fed. If you want to see this,
take out your skis and look at how they are shaped.

You worry about the leg moving to the rear. Don't thing you're
listening. It's simple physics: the degree of movement to the side/rear
is directly proportional to the force or power employed in pushing off
to go foward/side; i.e., as in an equal and opposite reaction. Try it
on your living room floor.

What does "best usage" of calf muscles mean? You planning to isolate
your calf muscles?

Don't confuse individual idiosyncracies with basic technique. Each
of the top skiers has some element(s) of the former, but they all share
the basic elements of the latter.

Gene