****** Edited for reasons of world peace. *********
[After some prompting by two friends, I have decided to delete the editorial stuff and go right to the content. I think there are issues of substance in the deleted section though on further consideration, they are probably not presented fairly. So many misrepresentations and pot-shots are made at PMTS without really trying to understand, that I don't want to do the same to others. I'll save the topics for another day when they can be presented in a useful manner and promote better understanding of skiing. Ok, this one is for building bridges rather than walls. As a great contemporary philospher once said: "Can't we all just get along." Oh, shit we're just that much closer to SCSA's parrty idea. Hand me a jaegermeister . . . I'll take mine with lots of Vodka]
***********************************************************
I have another idea to throw out. Given a particular student motivation, a common way to determine a SMIM is to ask what is the biggest limiting factor (e.g., lack of release, presence of upper body rotation, etc.)
I will offer another way into the issue.
I think that PMTS movements, in general, are hierarchical in the way they contribute to effective turning. This is an idea on it's own that I want to throw out. However, I also think that it can help to pick out a SMIM (single most important movement).
The most important movement to any turn is inversion of the free foot. Look for a the presence of this first.
This alone will produce a turn. No other movement is necessary. The stance foot will passively match the free foot angle, the kinetic chain will adjust to give appropriate balance, and even some amount of weight transfer will happen as part of the turn process. Even if the skier actively blocks parts of the process (e.g., keeping the stance leg flat -- even tipped slightly to LTE), the turn still happens. However, inversion of the free foot reaches a limit if there are no other primary movements used to facilitate it.
Which of the remaining primary movements will most facilitate the effects of the inversion? I would say flexion of the free leg (and flexion of the legs in general). It frees up a more range of inversion and makes the effects of the inversion easier, faster, and greater. Adequate flexion is also necessary to pull the free foot back.
Dorsiflexion and pulling the free foot leg back are next. Again, this frees up more range of motion for inversion and makes tipping in balance easier. It is also makes effective ULBC easier and more effective.
What movement is next in line for facilitating the primary movements?
I would say counter balance. it's necessary for maintaining effective balance, it's necessary for keeping effectively connected to one's skis; and it increases the turning and grip effects of the lower body.
The last is counter movement. In a positive sense (i.e., as an aid to the turn instead of a block to negative effects of roation and steering), it mainly makes tipping and counter balance easier.
So there is the theoretical position. How about an application.
I would suggest that one look from the top down in looking for a SMIM. Look for positive movements starting with the most important movement for producing turns and then the next most important, etc., until you hit one that is not being done or not being done enough.
I have played around a lot with Carver exercises that isolate various movements and add them together in systematic ways to see the combined effects on turn and grip. I have found this reeally enlightening and also helped me to more consciously change my movements to get specific results. So I'm throwing out the idea.