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What's the one best how-to drill for beginners?



 
 
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  #1  
Old January 22nd 08, 08:43 PM posted to rec.skiing.nordic
Jeff Potter (of OutYourBackdoor.com)
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Posts: 121
Default What's the one best how-to drill for beginners?

For helping beginner skiers who are floundering, who just don't get
the concept yet?

Let's move on a step to include those who are "working" along, maybe
some kick and glide, who are fit, but then of course flounder on the
uphills and just work too much everywhere---what's their best drill?

If you wanted to show them TWO great drills...?

I'm kinda thinking it's No-Pole Skiing.

What's the #1 snag in learning how to ski?

I suspect it might be the "hinge at the waist" arms straight forward---
no kick---too much arm work---then sliding back down any uphill.

--JP
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  #2  
Old January 22nd 08, 11:09 PM posted to rec.skiing.nordic
[email protected]
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Posts: 565
Default What's the one best how-to drill for beginners?

jog slowly on skis, assuming they know how to jog. otherwise, shuffle
then gradually pick up the foot going forward instead of sliding it.
Why these? Because they tend to get skier over camber right away, aka
hips forward.


"Jeff Potter (of OutYourBackdoor.com)" wrote:

For helping beginner skiers who are floundering, who just don't get
the concept yet?

Let's move on a step to include those who are "working" along, maybe
some kick and glide, who are fit, but then of course flounder on the
uphills and just work too much everywhere---what's their best drill?

If you wanted to show them TWO great drills...?

I'm kinda thinking it's No-Pole Skiing.

What's the #1 snag in learning how to ski?

I suspect it might be the "hinge at the waist" arms straight forward---
no kick---too much arm work---then sliding back down any uphill.

--JP

  #3  
Old January 23rd 08, 04:09 PM posted to rec.skiing.nordic
Jeff Potter (of OutYourBackdoor.com)
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 121
Default What's the one best how-to drill for beginners?

Yesterday afternoon after school I had our 2 kids out skiing around
without poles. That REALLY seemed to help! The 7-yr-old got into it
and said we were being like Chaz Michael Michaels... : ) ...The 10-
yr-old was too embarrassed by that mental image. But we kept that idea
going anyway and had a lot of fun. They were swinging their arms---
sometimes quite tight in, bent---and thrusting their hips forward as
they swung their legs---like the infamous skaters in The Movie Which
Shall Not Be Named. This was getting them to commit to each gliding
ski. They had previously been much more like "ski waddlers" relying on
wide poles. We also just used the imagery of ice-skating---they knew
that involved kicking and gliding from foot to foot.

Both kids eventually ended up swinging on the swingset while wearing
their skis---they made it work.

Now to see how these new ideas work on my cousin who is very powerful
but not in good aerobic shape. I've been telling them that skiing
right is easier than skiing wrong, but he just can't imitate me nor
does he realize how he is skiing---he has the "bent over hinge at
waist" syndrome and tries to overpower things with his arms which he
holds in front of himself Frankenstein style. He also has a hugely
late kick. We'll have him go no-poles today. He's very interested in
learning. It's interesting how he has no idea how he looks---I tell
him to stand up and bend his arms at his elbows and he says he is---
but he isn't. I think that no-poles will make him do it right. ??

Having them all jog on skis pre-supposes a running level of fitness.
I'll have them give this a try, briefly, to get them familiar with
camber-setting but I want to emphasize the idea that weight transfer
doesn't require much power nor is it harsh.

Any more tips?

--JP
  #4  
Old January 23rd 08, 11:51 PM posted to rec.skiing.nordic
John Forrest Tomlinson
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Posts: 447
Default What's the one best how-to drill for beginners?

On Wed, 23 Jan 2008 08:09:01 -0800 (PST), "Jeff Potter (of
OutYourBackdoor.com)" wrote:

Yesterday afternoon after school I had our 2 kids out skiing around
without poles. That REALLY seemed to help! The 7-yr-old got into it
and said we were being like Chaz Michael Michaels... : ) ...The 10-
yr-old was too embarrassed by that mental image. But we kept that idea
going anyway and had a lot of fun. They were swinging their arms---
sometimes quite tight in, bent---and thrusting their hips forward as
they swung their legs---like the infamous skaters in The Movie Which
Shall Not Be Named. This was getting them to commit to each gliding
ski. They had previously been much more like "ski waddlers" relying on
wide poles. We also just used the imagery of ice-skating---they knew
that involved kicking and gliding from foot to foot.

Both kids eventually ended up swinging on the swingset while wearing
their skis---they made it work.

Now to see how these new ideas work on my cousin who is very powerful
but not in good aerobic shape. I've been telling them that skiing
right is easier than skiing wrong, but he just can't imitate me nor
does he realize how he is skiing---he has the "bent over hinge at
waist" syndrome and tries to overpower things with his arms which he
holds in front of himself Frankenstein style. He also has a hugely
late kick. We'll have him go no-poles today. He's very interested in
learning. It's interesting how he has no idea how he looks---I tell
him to stand up and bend his arms at his elbows and he says he is---
but he isn't. I think that no-poles will make him do it right. ??

Having them all jog on skis pre-supposes a running level of fitness.
I'll have them give this a try, briefly, to get them familiar with
camber-setting but I want to emphasize the idea that weight transfer
doesn't require much power nor is it harsh.

Any more tips?


I don;t know much about classic skiing, but the adult should practice
standing in a basic athletic position and swinging his arms. Also
walking or skiing w/o poles while holding his butt pushing it
forwward. And perhaps other simple drills such as in the
Jenex/Caldwell video.
 




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