BB/ Colorado wrote:I'll tell you a story. Earlier this season I was leading a clinic at Telluride for Full-Certified instructors training for "Trainer Accreditation," our "level 4" in the Rocky Mountains. We were standing on a blue run, watching skiers and throwing ideas around about their skiing and about what they might "need".
One of the skiers we watched was a woman showing all the moves of classic "pre-sidecut" skiing, at a high level of skill. Down--UP--and around, with a blocking pole plant, pushing off the platform of a strongly-set edge into each turn, throwing the tails out into a skid, sometimes both at once, sometimes one-at-a-time, well-balanced, but "back" because of the braking action of her skis. Her speed control came entirely from the braking/skidding effect of her edges scraping away speed, refusing to glide. The instructors were throwing out ideas of how her movements would need to change to make "better," more contemporary turns.
"She'll need to adjust her stance more forward." "Stop making that blocking pole plant and replace it with a smooth swing into the turn." "RELEASE her edges and guide her tips downhill into the turn, rather than pushing her tails out." "Stop rotating her upper body and become more active with her feet." "Move her center-of-mass into the turn, rather than pushing it uphill." "Balance over her skis, rather than bracing against them." And so on.... All these observations were correct.
"But it will be VERY hard to get her to make any of these changes," one of them said. "She's obviously been skiing like this for a long time, and her habits are deeply ingrained."
I told them that I could get her to make ALL the changes they recommended, instantly, with only two words.
We were standing at the end of a flatter section, above a slightly steeper roll, so I knew she would stop where we were. I told her that we were all instructors, and asked her if she would mind participating in a little experiement with us. She looked a little quizzical, but she agreed.
I was standing just below her on the hill, and I simply said, "come here," and waved her down the hill with me as I moved away quickly. What do you suppose she did, in response to my two words?
She moved her whole body down the hill toward me--"forward" over her feet. She stepped her skis, downhill ski first, down the hill toward me, which of course required her to release its edge ("left tip left to go left"). Her arms and poles swung smoothly toward me too, naturally, helping with the flow of motion in the direction she was trying to GO.
No blocking pole plant. No edgeset. No pushoff. No upper body rotation. Active feet and legs steering both skis into the new direction. Every movement she made moved in the direction she was going--toward me. No pushing of the tails. All the changes we thought she should make, she made.
And I had said absolutely NOTHING about technique--not a single word about HOW to do it. All I did was create a situation that put her in the offensive state of mind where she wanted to GO THAT WAY, rather than her usual intent to STOP GOING THIS WAY. Her movements followed suit.
Best regards.
I am not sure about the defensive/offensive distinction. Within PMTS, you use the same movements whether you have a defensive or offensive mindset. Therefore, for the most part, the distinction is meaningless within PMTS and I have no interest in it.
In relation to movement and ski performance, BB is generally giving consistent advice with the PSIA Technical Manual's advice. One of the specific descriptions given of the skier is that her "ski tips do not move forward through the arc of the turn" (p.43). BB's post offers a "trick" to address this issue and access the other issues identified in the manual's assessment.
Cool, if you believe in tricks.
I would have to say this is another conscious philosophical/ pedigogical basis of PMTS. It focuses on explicit movements, explicitly addressing the student's ability to examine, produce, analyze, and apply those movements. I think this is why so many recreational PMTSers have a more precise and complete understanding of the movements of skiing than many TTS instructors.
In addition, PMTS de-emphasizes concepts such non/un conscious skills or a focus on "how it feels."
Instead, analysis and instruction focuses on an objective external cue for the movement.
In fact the general pattern in movement instruction always incluudes:
1. Connection to the student's motivation
2. Identification of a SMIM (single most important movement) -- the movement within the primary or secondary movements of PMTS that would make the biggest change in the student's skiing
3. An external cue to anchor the movement instructions (e.g., Pick the free foot off the snow to half boot height, while keeping the LTE of the ski on the snow, tip the BTE of the ski off the snow. Pull your free foot back so that the arch of your free foot stays in line with the stance leg, etc. etc.
In this way the student knows why they are doing the movement, they know the EXACT movement they are trying to do (in general, a command like "get more forward" is useless as movement command. it doesn't provide the student with the specific movements that get you forward); and they have an objective criteria against which to measure their success.
How many times have you heard something like:
"If you are able to tip your your free foot BTE off the snow like we just did statically, then you'll have the speed control you are looking for.
What are you going to do?
Show me what you are going to do?
What will that help you do?
Does that person look like they have good speed control . . . what are they doing well?
Did you raise your BTE?
Ok. everyone did he raise his BTE?
You raised your BTE off the snow on the last four turns, but not the first four.
etc. etc."
Though it is explicitly a very analytical approach, I think this makes the individual student more informed and independent than focussing on muscle memory, letting it flow, tricks, etc. IMHO.