Instruction on Flappers

[HighAngles]

My understanding of the flappers drill is that it proves that you're truly forward at turn initiation. I'm hoping someone can provide instruction on how to perform this drill correctly and what keys you should focus on.

[geoffda]

Start with the "way forward" drill. When you can do that with turns, you will be well on the way to answering your own question. BTW, flappers are almost always done incorrectly, so make sure you read carefully to make sure you understand what you are supposed to be doing.

[HighAngles]

I did a search on the forum and I'm not finding much in the way of very specific instructions on correctly performing flappers. I did find Max_501 referencing it as one of his favorite drills and this tidbit:

Max_501 wrote:

"Flappers would be a good drill to master before dolphin turns.

Standing still, lift the tails of your skis off of the ground by pulling up with the hamstrings (note: don't jump).

After you have the feel while stationary you do it while moving (first traversing and then when you link turns). You keep flapping while you are in motion. Its not easy for most people but it will help you learn to get forward with the foot pullback movement."

There's also a reference that the flappers drill is described in the Essentials book, but I'm not finding it there. Anyone have a page number for that available?

[geoffda]

p. 186 in Essentials describes the Way Forward drill (also known as flappers). But start on p. 181 and read the entire chapter which is dedicated to establishing fore-aft awareness and balance. BTW, if you really want to know if you are handling fore-aft properly, demo a pair of skis with the bindings set to DIN 5. If you pull out of the heel piece in the fall-line, you'll know you've got the fore-aft thing down . That's what happened to me this morning. Pam had a set of Stockli SL's that I wanted to try, but as soon as it got steep and I went to drive them, I popped. My fault, I was warned.

[Max_501]

The flappers I described in the post HA quoted is an advanced drill that comes after mastering the way forward drills. They are the prereq for a mini dolphin.

[Ken]

keys you should focus on

You are not lifting the tails. You are rapidly pulling your feet so far behind you that your weight is levered on to the fronts of the skis, and the tails have no weight on them at that moment.

[Max_501]

In the video I linked Harald says:

Here I'm demonstrating what we call flappers, which is a quick pullback movement of the feet to raise the tails off the snow, to make sure you can pull your feet back to get forward.