Learning PMTS with a Coach: A Video Diary

[Max_501]

Day 4 was back to winter conditions:

[meput]

Been away from the computer for 2 days. Wow, big improvement in Rob's skiing. The fore/aft is much improved but still needs work, especially with the inside/free foot pull back. Huge improvement with the home base position and hand position. Nice to see the hands no longer move like a marching toy soldier .

Like so many other MA's, Rob is back to the point where tipping needs to be worked on some more. Hopefully that will help with slight rotary motion that I am seeing in the turns to the right (I think). Free foot pull back and tipping hopefully will help the stemming in the bumps.

Rob, my compliments on your improvement.
Max, my compliments on your coaching.

Look forward to Day 4.

[meput]

My bad, Day 4 video posted while writing my last post.

[meput]

Day 4 must have been interesting for both of you. What a day with snow squalls, sun, snow, sun as the video depicts. Rob's skiing is definitely better in the improved visibility when the sun was out.
In the sun, you could see the improved free foot pull back and tipping. Turn to left is still better than turn to right (suspect better release and transfer).
In the snow, more tendency for an up move for the release (but stemming less) and the marching toy soldier hands occasionally come out.

Overall, Rob your skiing has significantly improved. Keep working on your tipping, free foot pull back, flex to release and no swing pole touch (the basics that most of us PMTS students are constantly working on).

Rob & Max, thank you for your time and effort with this video diary for all of us forum readers.

[Max_501]

When doing MA its helpful to try to distinguish between movement issues that can be addressed with drills and movement issues that need to be addressed with boots/foot beds/alignment.

Some examples. Rob's knees drop in very easily which makes it difficult to release so that the new inside ski leads the outside ski. His heels are too loose in the boots so he can't perform the drills that would teach a strong pull back used at transition. When you run into this you do your best to work around those issues by working on movements that the skier can fix with drills and spend less time worrying about the things that can't be fixed until the boot work is done.

[MonsterMan]

Max501, how many folded trail maps did you use as shims on top of the bootboard? Was there a LOT of spare volume after taking out the rubber heel lifts?

[Max_501]

Max501, how many folded trail maps did you use as shims on top of the bootboard?

I have no idea what you are asking here???

[MonsterMan]

Trail maps on the bottom of the boot to lift the whole liner and foot closer to the top of the boot to reduce volume in a pinch, unless you have proper shims that is.

[Max_501]

Trail maps on the bottom of the boot to lift the whole liner and foot closer to the top of the boot to reduce volume in a pinch, unless you have proper shims that is.

Nope, we didn't do that. We considered getting some bondtex shims from the shop but Rob thought he'd end up with too much instep pressure if we tried that so we passed on the idea.

[meput]

Max, I have already posted that I thought Rob's alignment has been significantly improved by your canting from day 1. I still think Rob is slightly A framing/knock kneed. It is above my pay grade to determine is the difference between his right & left turn is do to residual alignment issues vs release/transfer/engagement and rotatory action. There may even be a combination of both. Prior leg trauma, leg dominance, leg strength etc. may all play a part in the turn asymmetry.

Even with loose heel action, dorsiflexion of the foot (which drives the heel into the boot) will bring the lower leg forward and the ski back in relationship to the body, so free foot pull back can be accomplished by ankle/foot dorsiflexion at the same time as hamstring contraction.

Rob continues to have other issues with his skiing. I think fore/aft control with free foot pull back (whether boot fit/alignment help or hinder) and tipping are the important PMTS movements that need improvement. Which is the single most important movement that he need to work on, I am not sure.

While working on these fore/aft & tipping, he needs to be aware of his tendency to up movement release and his hand movement. Both of these tend to come back on steeper terrain, bumps and in poor visibility.

[Max_501]

I still think Rob is slightly A framing/knock kneed.

The knock kneed alignment issue is major. Unfortunately, the shims we used made only a small difference.

Even with loose heel action, dorsiflexion of the foot (which drives the heel into the boot) will bring the lower leg forward and the ski back in relationship to the body, so free foot pull back can be accomplished by ankle/foot dorsiflexion at the same time as hamstring contraction.

True. However, a result of the pull back is pressure on the tip of the ski which will lift the heel in a loose boot. We purposely moved away from fore/aft work because we didn't want Rob developing a heel blister.

I think fore/aft control with free foot pull back (whether boot fit/alignment help or hinder) and tipping are the important PMTS movements that need improvement. Which is the single most important movement that he need to work on, I am not sure.

Rob's tipping is pretty good considering the strong knock kneed alignment. In this case fore/aft will be the more important movement but it will be difficult to learn the strong foot pull back movement he needs without proper fitting boots. Note that Rob needs more than just an inside foot pullback to get properly balanced.

[meput]

The knock kneed alignment issue is major. Unfortunately, the shims we used made only a small difference.

You may have felt frustrated that you could not correct all of the misalignment, but there is a significant improvement from the Day 1 videos with the taped on cants. As a result, Rob made significant improvement in his ability to tip.

a result of the pull back is pressure on the tip of the ski which will lift the heel in a loose boot. We purposely moved away from fore/aft work because we didn't want Rob developing a heel blister.

With strong dorsiflexion, the heel is driven downward while your CM moves forward. This will prevent movement of the heel upward even in a loose boot. It is plantar flexion of foot/ankle that lifts the heel and may put you at risk of sufficient movement to develop a blister. Pull back with hamstring action and dorsiflexion of the foot to bring the CM forward.

Rob's tipping is pretty good considering the strong knock kneed alignment. In this case fore/aft will be the more important movement but it will be difficult to learn the strong foot pull back movement he needs without proper fitting boots. Note that Rob needs more than just an inside foot pullback to get properly balanced.

I agree with you here. My points were made so that Rob can maintain his current level of skiing and hopefully continue to further improve with the limitations of the boots. If he does not continue to focus on fore/aft and tipping, I think it would be easy for him to slip back to rotary movements and up/extension release (and the marching toy soldier hands).

I am the grasshopper here in the MA arena. What did you recommend that Rob focus on, so as not to slip backwards into old habits, especially until he can get the boot fit and alignment issues sorted out?

[Max_501]

You may have felt frustrated that you could not correct all of the misalignment, but there is a significant improvement from the Day 1 videos with the taped on cants. As a result, Rob made significant improvement in his ability to tip.

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree here. There is only a minor improvement with the shims.

With strong dorsiflexion, the heel is driven downward while your CM moves forward. This will prevent movement of the heel upward even in a loose boot. It is plantar flexion of foot/ankle that lifts the heel and may put you at risk of sufficient movement to develop a blister. Pull back with hamstring action and dorsiflexion of the foot to bring the CM forward.

Is the above true when you are moving on a skis? Does this movement pressure the tip of the ski, and if so, what happens at the heel?

If he does not continue to focus on fore/aft and tipping, I think it would be easy for him to slip back to rotary movements and up/extension release (and the marching toy soldier hands).

Next thing Rob needs to do is head out to HSS and get the boot issues addressed. Focusing on fore/aft in his current setup is unlikely to work (as we found out already).

[idahorob]

The Essentials to me were (are) like a handful of beads - labelled tipping, fore/aft, CB, CA, home base, flex to release, flex & tip - you all know the list. The task is to string them all together into a single necklace. By Day 4 I had some of them chunked together, but moving any one of them to the foreground pushed the others into the background and sometimes completely off the table. We spent a lot of time focusing on CB, really working on crunching the waist as shown in the Essentials video. I'd focus on this bead and the bead called hand postition would disappear and I'd find I was bringing the wrong hand forward, which messes up my CA. Chunk those two together and I'd forget about tipping. Add tipping and I'd forget to flex enough.

But you know what? I was having a ball that day. That run through the bumps with the foot of powder (at least what passes for it in the Cascades), was really pretty steep and plenty gnarly in places for one like me. I thought I must have been getting somewhere for Max to take me there in learning mode. We weren't free skiing. He have me a focus and a turn shape for each of those runs.

I plan to get to HSS as early in the season as I can next year, get the boot issues fixed and then make the prettiest necklace I can!

[meput]

I'm sorry, but I have to disagree here. There is only a minor improvement with the shims.

You had the front row seat.

With strong dorsiflexion, the heel is driven downward while your CM moves forward. This will prevent movement of the heel upward even in a loose boot. It is plantar flexion of foot/ankle that lifts the heel and may put you at risk of sufficient movement to develop a blister. Pull back with hamstring action and dorsiflexion of the foot to bring the CM forward.

Is the above true when you are moving on a skis? Does this movement pressure the tip of the ski, and if so, what happens at the heel?

I am a newbie to the fine points of skiing and no expert in biomechanics but here goes. I have been working on my fore/aft balance this year. My focus has been dorsiflexion of foot/ankle to facilitate forward movement of my CM (initiating the kinetic chain at the foot). Dorsiflexion draws the lower leg forward into the boot tongue, bringing the knee and femur, and pelvis/body forward. By your CM moving forward, your weight pressures the tip with the CM over the ball of the foot. Dorsiflexion lifts the instep and toes against the top of the boot, leveraging the heel downward, pivoting at the ankle joint. In contrast, plantar flexion to pressure the tip, raises the heel, pushing the calf posteriorly against the top of the boot cuff, pushing the leg posteriorly along with aft movement of the CM. This is a skating type movement.

Max, you ducked my question. What did you suggest to Rob that he work on to avoid back sliding into old habits until he can get to HSS or other Harb trained boot fitter? Rob in his last post said he will not get there until next season. What does he work on for the rest of this season?