Getting It Together

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Getting It Together

Postby RRT » Mon Feb 26, 2018 1:39 pm

Getting It Together

I’ve recently been working with HH’s exercise introduced (I believe 2 seasons ago) in the video on “How to Ski, Series 2, Lesson 5, Bending Legs” on the basics to build off-piste skiing via staying low and avoiding extending. It’s the one where the poles are placed across the knees. I’m not so much interested in the off-piste reason given as I am for just plain trying to get it together as a whole on easy groomed terrain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEqXCQLMCBg

Whereas all the exercises for PMTS skill development are valuable, I don’t know why more hasn’t been made of this particular exercise (I may be wrong about that - haven't been to camp lately) and here’s why. I’m finding that, while other exercises might be considered to be more or less isolated in nature (not that they mustn’t be done or that even being the case), this particular exercise helps to combine all the PMTS skills as a package. In other words, done in a relaxed fashion, signals being sent to my body through this exercise directly include whether or not or how much tipping, flexing, c/b, c/a and fore/aft balance is taking place. Hip involvement is more readily felt as well as is whether I’m releasing at the proper moment with good fore/aft adjustment.

The way the knees flow from side to side while the poles naturally land diagonally cues in both c/a and c/b as well as all the essentials. I’ve yet to get it all together but I sure am able to tell which skill is weaker on any given run for either right or left turns. I can go back to work on that particular skill for the next run(s) while I try to get it together as a whole. Regardless if I’m on groomed terrain or in spring slush, I find it to be a great feedback mechanism for identifying relative weaknesses and strengths on any one or all the essentials.

Just wondering if anyone else has had or is having as much fun with this particular exercise as I am and if there is any commentary?
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby geezer skier » Mon Feb 26, 2018 2:55 pm

RRT-I had forgotten about this video. I agree with you, though, one of the very best. This has been an epiphany in my own skiing late this season (Flex to release/Flex to complete the turn). The flexing to complete the turn had been missing, or weak in my own skiing. Hope we don't run out of snow in the East before I can "Hard-Wire" this into my brain. :D
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby Max_501 » Tue Feb 27, 2018 11:04 am

RRT wrote:In other words, done in a relaxed fashion, signals being sent to my body through this exercise directly include whether or not or how much tipping, flexing, c/b, c/a and fore/aft balance is taking place.


How does holding the poles horizontally across the knees provide an external cue for working CB, CA, and fore/aft?
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby RRT » Tue Feb 27, 2018 2:08 pm

Hi Max,

Your question implies that the poles are statically held in a horizontal (not my word) position. They are not. As you practice the drill, the poles find themselves more or less diagonal across the knees although it's a movement and not a positon. In other words, as you release, tip and flex to start the new turn, the hips and upper body seem to more naturally move to c/b and c/a the engagement. Being low and having to stay low in order to keep the poles on the knees helps it all work smoothly. It doesn't go as well if your fore/aft position over the skis at the release isn't right on. That then cues me into the fact that I need to remember to pull the feet back on the next turns. It took me a few runs to realize the benefits. My first attempts were awkward to say the least. In mho, it all works as a package of how each skill comes together to work as a whole. I then attempt to move to skiing with no swing pole plants. When I think I'm losing it, I go right back to the drill and hopefully get back on track. I'm loving this drill.
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby DougD » Tue Feb 27, 2018 4:22 pm

RRT wrote:When I think I'm losing it, I go right back to the drill and hopefully get back on track. I'm loving this drill.

The right PMTS drill can do that. I've had exactly that experience, albeit with a different drill (my SMIM being, undoubtedly, different from yours).
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby mardale » Tue Feb 27, 2018 5:19 pm

Max_501 wrote:How does holding the poles horizontally across the knees provide an external cue for working CB, CA, and fore/aft?

It does help with some CA, and some CB, as the hands are practically locked in a certain relationship to the knees, right? And, if you pullback and add the vertical separation, it does get some CA and CB - in the sense, I think, that it's harder to do the opposite. No aid in tipping, I'm afraid, though.

If the poles are diagonal across the knees though, I'm not sure what that does?
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby h.harb » Tue Feb 27, 2018 6:50 pm

It helps with Ca and Cb, as an external cue for angles.
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby Max_501 » Tue Feb 27, 2018 7:41 pm

RRT wrote:Your question implies that the poles are statically held in a horizontal (not my word) position. They are not. As you practice the drill, the poles find themselves more or less diagonal across the knees although it's a movement and not a positon.


My question wasn't meant to imply anything. It's just a question asking HOW it does the things you stated (although there was a hint contained within). I'd suggest getting video of the drill because you feel the poles are diagonal when they should be more or less level (horizontal), like the pelvis and shoulders. We can see this in HH's demo. Here's an example:

Image

Keeping the poles level/horizontal is an outcome of correct movements rather than a static position.
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby h.harb » Wed Feb 28, 2018 7:14 am

As with many exercises, it depends on how you teach it and how you point out the way to use it.

Oh you mean this one?

https://harbskisysems.blogspot.com/2018/02/counter-acting-and-counter-balance-can.html
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby RRT » Wed Feb 28, 2018 7:06 pm

Also, as a result of practice with this exercise, I find myself naturally using a strong or forward (c/a) and raised (c/b) inside hand. It's almost impossible to not do that with this excercise.

If I could go back to the point of my original post, I happened upon this excercise and, as I started playing with it, I suddenly realized that this exercise made me more aware of the essentials as a package. It cued in relative weaknesses immediately. Continuing the exercise and focusing on a particular weakness helped to cue in even more awareness of the essentials as a package and more need to focus here and there and so forth and so forth. I hope I'm making sense. There are other exercises that may do the same but this one for the time being is the one that is giving me new confidence with the PMTS essentials and, thinking that others might want to give it a try, felt the need to share.

Again, thanks for your commentary.
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Re: Getting It Together

Postby Ken » Sun Mar 04, 2018 3:52 pm

I don’t know why more hasn’t been made of this particular exercise

It is very hard for some people to do. They have to trust themselves. They aren't used to that. The poles held in the notches above the kneecaps prevents movements they're used to doing where they think they need move their arms or body to balance or some other bogus reason. They can do the exercise, they just don't think they can. I usually introduce this drill to someone on the lumpy edge of a steep trail...I shouldn't. Start it where the person is set up for success. Then progress to the lumpy edge of a steep trail, keeping the poles in those kneecap notches all the while.
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