help! I'm abusing my quads!

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
So, which is better, reaching forward to pole plant or just flicking the
pole
with your wrist?

good pole use is more than just the plant; it's timing the swing to match
the turns you are doing. When you get it right, the swings match your
rythem; the actually set the rythem of your descent down the hill. rather
than hunting for the next turn, you make it on cue. The poles are moving, as
you are, into each turn.

ant

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-01-10, VtSkier penned:

I have actually thought about dragging my poles a bit. It's always the
inside pole (see another thread in another location to see what I mean
by "inside", it's relative to the turn).

I can't imagine how it would be the outside pole, unless you were doing
something really weird.

You have to keep in mind that your inside eventually becomes the outside.
If you 'hold' onto the inside too long it keeps you from making a transition
/ commitment to entering the new turn. If you are adding more completion to
the turn to kill speed (ie turning more uphill) you remain dynamic on the
skis. If you are just end up making a slight traverse you lose your dynamic
rhythm and your skis lose some of their rebound and grip.

An interesting exercise is (on a groomed pitch) to drag both poles tips with
slight preasure, aprox in line with your toe pieces. Assuming your hand
position is good it helps make you aware of your fore aft position, and how
perpindicular (inclination vs angulation) you are to the hill. Since it
makes you move your center of mass across your skis to release your edges,
it gives you a good idea what your core mass is doing as arm and shoulder
thrusts are taken out of the equation.

I've said a lot about hands. Putting them and keeping them where they
belong
and actually using them very little will cure many of the "problems" you
are
describing.

So, which is better, reaching forward to pole plant or just flicking the
pole
with your wrist?

You don't want to 'box' with your hands -should be a wrist action. The
quick release of the plant is important as if you try to hold on to it as a
3rd leg, your arm and shoulder get pushed, knocking you back and rotating
your upperbody uphill. You do want to reach though -just not with your arm.
Remember your plant is part of your early commitment to the new turn, which
includes flattening edges and moving center of mass. If you reach with your
arm, your torso can fold and your butt and other arm can just offset it
making you more like a tightrope walker balancing on your traverse w/o
releasing your edges. Instead combine your wrist movement with a reach of
your belly button, making your torso help your pole 'tip' reach downhill and
thus releasing your edges so you can then make the turn.

Hope this dusting out of the corners of my brain helps.

F. Plant

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-01-10, thinnmann penned:
Here is a drill for Monique to keep her hands up - right out of race
camp:
On a blue cruiser, hold both poles in both hands, across the front of
your
body. Make turns thinking "forward", tipping bothskis on edge, linking
the
turns. Holding the poles like this will prevent your hands from dropping
back and make you pressure your edges properly. Do this like all day
long
one day!

Um, my next ski trip was gonna be to Mary Jane *gulp*

However, I have seen that drill and I agree it would be great for me. I'd
forgotten about it. I'll have to remember to do that.

mary Jane at Winter Park? nice gentle terrain, nothing gnarly. If you want
more groomers, then WP is just over the hill.

ant

On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 18:50:31 -0600, Monique Y. Mudama wrote:

On 2005-01-10, Monique Y. Mudama penned:

I'm supposed to be doing PT to strengthen my inner thighs

supposed??

Thirty pounds of excess weight would make anyones thighs burn. Mine used
to. I am in the best shape in my life and just skied seven days straight
for 6 hours a day and not one bit of thigh burn. I either bike, work out
with weights or walk every day but Sunday. I eat pretty much anything
that I want .. 5'10" .. 160 lbs. Been doing this for several
years. Most every overweight person I know has a list of excuses..
usually starting with medication.

Forgot to mention that the entire width of my quad gets sore during
skiing, not just the inside.

Not surprising..try carrying 4 gallons of milk around with you everywhere
you go. Change your lifestyle..don't diet.

overandout

"ant" wrote in message
...
"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-01-10, ant penned:
"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
When instructors, friends, etc, try to get me to feel the point where
my
boots are providing all of my support, I never seem to find it,
whether
on
my old boots (salomon evolution) or my new (salomon women's xwave 8).
It
*always* seems like my quads are involved.

You should not try to use your boots to "hold you up". A terrible
habit,
we
see a lot of it in the US. I have been skiing with my top buckle undone
this
last week, just to fine-tune my balance a bit more and to prevent me
using
any kind of fore-aft leverage in my boots.

Sore quads are invariably caused by the hips being back (just half an
inch
is all it takes), which is a common skiing position of many.

Sorry to be a pain, but can you find an online picture that demonstrates
the
proper body position? I've heard that I should be forward, and I've
heard
that (with modern skis) I shouldn't have to bend my knees excessively.
I've
also heard that I should imagine a line through my feet, knees, and
(hands?
head?), which seems like I'd *have* to bend my knees a lot. So confused
=/

There is no correct position; skiing balance is dynamic, not static. to
test
your slow-speed start balance, jump up and down a few times on skis; the
way
you land about the third time is where you should be. you shouldn't bend
anything exessively, it all works together: ankles, knees, hips, every bit
of your spine, neck, head, hands. forget lines and whatnot, it's dynamic
balance. you should align your bones up over the arch of your foot, but
having said that, as you advance into a turn, you move your hips toward
the
tips of your skis, then settle back progressivly on the arch of your foot.
Through every turn, you should be moving this way constantly. but then you
add terrain, snow depth, speed, bumps vs groom.. this balance has to work
with all of it. you might bend everyting to cope with some bumps, or some
deep pow...the trick is to come out of it back to your "home" balance
position, before coping with the next bumps or pile of pow or whatever.

ant

Regarding the dynamic balance, one explanation has stuck in my mind that
drives this home. If you balance on one leg, you are static and eventually
teeter and fall. If you hop on one leg you are dynamic and are always
getting a new base of stability so you don't fall.

For the big joint movements ants comment of it 'all works together' is
right, as this is what keeps you stacked up over your feet. Bend one joint
excessively and your feet and boots and skis become a lever arm, not a
balance point. Adding to the idea of using and aligning joints, try and
have the axis lines that run thru your major joints pointing in the same
direction. Its tough to be balanced and dynamic if you are twisted up like
a pretzel as your movement is really hampered.

As I've mentioned in a previous thread and ant also mentioned here,
unbuckling the boots helps isolate you from the rigid ski and boot
connection, letting you really feel when you are truly balanced (and also
when you are using the back of the boot as a lever to help hold you up in
the back seat!).

F.Plant

On 2005-01-12, ant penned:

mary Jane at Winter Park? nice gentle terrain, nothing gnarly. If you want
more groomers, then WP is just over the hill.

Obviously your definition of gnarly differs from mine =P

--
monique
Longmont, CO

On 2005-01-12, ant penned:
"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
Private lessons are rather expensive; group lessons often end up being only
partially useful, and of course I get less direct attention.

well, it depends on how much the problem is bothering you.

And how much money I have! I've spent a lot on skiing this year.

I have spent the last 3 days clinicing, and it always amuses me how the
punters watch a group of instructors listening to one person talk, and then
go down the hill doing strange things, just like in a lesson. Adn they never
twig that skiing is a sport just like any other. You only improve with good
coaching, and then practising what the coach has given you.

Not quite sure I understand your paragraph, but I agree that lessons and
practice are key.

I say, good coaching. There are many instructors in the US... get a
recommendation. That's all I'm going to say on that matter!

Well, an ex-ski instructor friend of mine may be able to help me out in that
direction, without the pesky money aspect. She's had multiple knee surgeries
and can't get off the blue groomers, but as I understand it bad habits are for
the most part evident even on the easy stuff.

--
monique
Longmont, CO

In article ,
"Monique Y. Mudama" writes:
Sorry to be a pain, but can you find an online picture that demonstrates the
proper body position?

Here's one: Notice the hands in front, pole ready for the next bump,
looking forward...

http://www.digis.net/~mellib/favski/ski3.jpg

And give credit where credit is due, this is a picture taken by our
own Mikey...

bruno.

"Monique Y. Mudama" wrote in message
...
On 2005-01-12, ant penned:

mary Jane at Winter Park? nice gentle terrain, nothing gnarly. If you
want
more groomers, then WP is just over the hill.

Obviously your definition of gnarly differs from mine =P

I did my level II exam at mary jane, and the group spent a lot of time
searching for appropriate bumps for the bumps segment. Seemed like a pretty
nice, blue easy-black sort of place.

ant

"F. Plant" wrote in message news:K9cFd.25603

unbuckling the boots helps isolate you from the rigid ski and boot
connection, letting you really feel when you are truly balanced (and also
when you are using the back of the boot as a lever to help hold you up in
the back seat!).

I tend to get too far forward, so while the snow's been soft, I've just left
the top buckle flopping. And if cruising a bit, I undo the ankle buckle
also. At home we often make training runs with every buckle AND the power
strap totally undone, but apparently it's not allowed over there.

ant