geoffda wrote:It's not just flexion though. *Everything* is about tipping. Flexion (along with extension) is a primary movement because you can't tip without it. Fore-aft also plays a large role in tipping; until you can properly position yourself over your skis, tipping is impossible, which is why the movements of dorsi-flexion/plantar flexion along with moving your skis forward and backward underneath you are also primary movements. Believe me, if you are missing *any* of the primary movements you will be completely unable to tip and tipping is the most primary movement of all.
It should be noted that the primary movements go hand in hand. Flexion moves your hips behind your feet, pulling your feet back restores your balance. Pulling your feet back more allows you to get forward leverage on the ski tip and create tight arcs. Minimally, you need to have enough fore-aft skill to get back in balance in order to develop tipping. If you want to become an expert skier, eventually you'll need to learn how to get forward.
And then there are the secondary movements: counter-balancing, counter-acting, and coordinated pole use. You can tip without these movements, but until you master them, you will never be able to develop your tipping to the level required for expert skiing.
Excluding tipping, the most important essential is always the one which is most holding back your ability to tip.
Geoffda,
I agree with everything that you wrote. A few thoughts regarding dorsiflexion/plantar flexion as it relates to fore/aft movements. I have previously been chastised regarding "the dreaded dorsiflexion":
HH said, "I've heard this approach before, it pops up every few years and I have never found that using doriflexion in the boot, to be an effective way to think about centering. I have heard it used in the PSIA jargon. I cringe every time I hear it and I never see results when it's used. Every top skier I've talked to tells me they never use that idea, including Diana and various other PMTS instructors and racers."
With that said, I still use the concept of dorsiflexion/plantar flexion as an external cue on where I am with fore/aft position. My hamstrings are doing the work. I seek to have my feet feel the top of the boot (dorsiflexion) while I feel my weight is on the anterior ball of my feet. The only way I can do this is with a strong foot pullback. With the feeling on plantar flexion, I know I am in the backseat. I assume this how you are using dorsiflexion/plantar flexion in your post.
I apologize to all concerned about bringing up the "dreaded dorsiflexion".