Removing an UP movement in skiing

[skijim13]

Comming from a PSIA background I had the up movement at the turn transition. I learned to flex off my old stance leg but started to extend my new outside ski and push myself down hill without really knowing it. I have been working very hard since returning from camp to remove it. I searched the forum and one of the drills that helped me was written by Max who while working with Diana she suggested to him was to "suck up your legs like you are trying to absorb a big bump". Since many of us like to ski bumps and have experience with them this idea helps with me as well.

[NoCleverName]

The "pole drag", while it may not actually get rid of the up-move, can at least give you pretty good feedback about how much you have it. Plus, it can be thrown in at any old time. Plus Plus, when you do it right and you don't have any up-move happening, you can see how valuable it is to get rid of the up-move.

[jbotti]

Two thoughts. First the double pole drag done correctly where the poles never leave the ground (ever in every arc) will do wonders for the up move. Most people do this drill with one or both poles coming off the ground at least 50% of the time which will not get anyone the result.
Second, Diana has talked with me several time about using a double flex move. You flex some as you are moving towards release and the you flex again right before release. This simulates the experience of sucking up the legs while going over a bump. If you ski this way (using both examples) all the time for 10-15 ski days the up move will start to vanish.

[skijim13]

Thanks for the great advise will try it this weekend

[skijim13]

Thanks for the great advise will try it this weekend

[go_large_or_go_home]

TFR's initiated with a positive flex that continues through the transition.....link them together and it looks like you are skiing bumps - but on the groomers. Skiing like this will force you to work on your balance transfer, tipping, free foot management, CA & CB all within a greater range of movement...

Start slowly, making sure that your relative body position (CB & CA, Homebase etc) at the start of the turn is the same as at the end of the turn - but in the opposite direction. You will be able to really focus on all aspects of your skiing within this one little exercise...get this basic movement dailed into your skiing and you will unlock the enitire mountain...

Cautionary note...it takes a lot of practice..

[Max_501]

Cautionary note...it takes a lot of practice..

It's too advanced for drilling a specific Essential. I view that as a warmup/test you'd do before starting bump specific training.

jbotti has provided some excellent info on addressing flex. And Essentials has many flexing drills. The key is to EXAGGERATE, EXAGGERATE, EXAGGERATE!

This is the amount of flex a coach wants to see when you are working flexing drills -

[Ken]

The UP movement can be very deeply ingrained in skiers who've done it for many years. Old habits are hard to break.

One concept is to pull the knees up toward the chest. It's the same as described above, but sometimes different words for the same thing resonate better with different people.

The drill of flexing deeply to touch a boot or both boots at the release, or all through the turn, can also help break the UP move.

[NoCleverName]

Aside from the pole drag, another more or less fun activity is what I'll call the re-doubled turn (because I can't remember what the actual drill is called).

Best done on wide, empty terrain early in the morning when there's no one around and it's a good warmup. Wide because you need the space, empty because you're about to do something totally unexpected by a skier above you.

So you do a moderate turn and get to transition. But instead of starting the next turn, hold transition for an instant and then repeat the previous turn direction (now going uphill a bit) and quickly ending and rounding via target tipping into the opposite turn).

What happens here is that if you are "cheating" the transition by starting your opposite turn before transition is properly complete you'll be out of sorts to repeat the old direction. And for the most part, that "cheating" is probably an extension downhill in anticipation of going the other direction.

Now, HH wants you to "hold your CA" into transition so that is a good thing to setup for the second turn.

I should also point out that any "rotation" or "pivoting" rather than tipping will absolutely crush your ability to do this move.

[skijim13]

Great tips thanks everyone I will try them on the mountain without getting run over. I have been making great progress in the past two weeks and find no up movement in my video analysis I have been taking each time I ski.