MA Request for Skizoo

MA Request for Skizoo

Postby Skizoo » Sat Jan 29, 2011 10:32 pm

Ok Guys, tell me what I need to focus on for the next 3 months..

I've never been to a camp but have taken a full day private lesson with Richie last year.
I watch HH's vids constantly,

I try and be aware of every move I make on every turn..
I know I have a really bad habit of dropping my hands, especially the right one, and have been trying to focus on that this year.. and feel my hand position has improved but still not where it should be.

When I took the lesson with Richie last season, the feedback that I kept getting was that I would start a run using correct movements but then deviate away from those movements at some point in the run. This year I've tried to focus on taking my runs in shorter segments and trying to hold what I hope are PMTS movements, consistently, to help get them into my muscle memory

What I'm looking is feedback to help me improve.. If I'm not performing PMTS movements, tell me..

Here are two vids from this season.. the first has 3 clips..
The first clip, is on relatively flat terrain, packed snow. The second, on an average intermediate pitch with about 2 inches of Fresh Snow. The third clip is on a little steeper pitch the same day as clip 2, with about 8 inches of chopped up snow, and some very soft small bumps starting to form. The skis in all clips are 170 Peak 78's (09-10 model)

The second vid is everything in the first (but everything is in Slo Mo) with an extra clip added on much steeper terrain with probably about 10 inches of fresh snow and bumps. Both vids are in hi def..

http://vimeo.com/19344169

http://vimeo.com/19449534 (Slo Mo)
Last edited by Skizoo on Tue Feb 01, 2011 2:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby jepoupatout » Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:05 pm

Skizoo, you are very smooth in your turn and have a good rythm and do some flexion. You could improve by practicing the no swing pole plant. I noticed that i the end of each turn you move forward your arm and lose your CA. If you bought the last DVD from HH Performance Free Skiing it has a good explanation in it about the no swing pole plant. It will also reduce the leaning you have in the High C. I had the same problem and i've corrected it in 2 days after i saw the DVD.
Good practice
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby Skizoo » Sun Jan 30, 2011 3:09 pm

Jep, Hand position and the pole movements is something I've really tried to focus on this year.. but I realize that I still have more movement than would be considered ideal.. It's better than last year but still not where I want it to be..

I've got all of HH's material, and refer to it constantly.. Love the new DVD!
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby jepoupatout » Sun Jan 30, 2011 4:54 pm

The more you watch the DVD the better you can visualize the movement and it become easier for you to analyse your video. I don't ski a lot , i did a came back to ski 2 years ago after a break of 20 years. However, the time i spent to watch the DVD created the image in my head of what i want to accomplish. Visualisation is a very important part of the learning process. As HH said the more you understand what you do on ski the easier it is to do a correction. When i see the movement in my head i can reproduce it easyly.
My point is, whatch the dvd of HH, create an image in your head with a good understanding of the technic, go ski , take a video and analyse your performance. Ask for MA as you did and practice again. Your learnig process will accelerate .
Have fun
Jep..
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby MonsterMan » Mon Jan 31, 2011 12:12 am

I don't think the pole taps are too far off.

On your turns to the right I see a slight stem on some turns.

I'd work on some target tipping on every right hand turn for many runs to retrain the muscles.
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby idahorob » Tue Feb 01, 2011 5:16 pm

I'm not one of the experts on this forum, Skizoo, but I'll take a stab at it. I believe you get some counterbalance and counteraction when you turn right. When you turn to the left, I see a rotated turn with inclination instead of counterbalance. A good home base with your hands and a no-swing pole plant may help some with this, but not necessarily so, in my experience. I would think about doing the counterbalance and counteraction drills first, then maybe implementing what you gain there, along with the two-pole drag drill later.
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby Skizoo » Tue Feb 01, 2011 11:06 pm

IdahoRob, I think you're you're dead on with your observation IMO.. I have 2 herniated disks in my lower right back which, while not causing my any real pain while skiing does give me more issues with counterbalancing when turning left due to less mobility on the right side. That's not an excuse because I know I can overcome it.. I spend about 30 minutes every morning before going out trying to increase my flex and it certainly helps.. but it's still a technique thing too.. Time for the boot touch drill, and the hipometer.. Thanks for pointing this out to me.
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby idahorob » Wed Feb 02, 2011 1:37 pm

A month ago I was at Super Blue Camp and Diana gave me a lot of homework about counterbalance. It's paying off. One of the main things I've learned is I have to lift that inside hip. This should probably help you, too, as it lessens the amount of lateral bending you have to do with your lower back. Raising that hip will start to move your upper body over the new stance ski without so much "crunch" on the stance side of your body. The other thing I got recently is that it's easier for me to go for counterbalance at the beginning of the turn, rather than have to create it later in the turn after I've moved more out of balance. At transition I quickly remind myself about foot pullback and as I pull the new free foot back and in, I start to lift the inside hip and get the counterbalance started immediately. It gives me grip with the stance ski like never before. My next thought is to start counteraction and that also needs to be initiated with the pelvis. That way you minimize twisting forces in the lower back (if you initiate counteraction from the chest or shoulders, you'll produce too much torque in your lumbar area). Those three things: foot pull back, counterbalance, counteraction probably take place in less than a second. After two days of practicing that last week, I can say they're less like actual thoughts and more like reminders tacked onto movements.

I don't know if anyone else approaches it along these lines, but it seems to make a huge difference for me and my back doesn't get tight by the end of the day and my "hip lifting" mucles in my waist don't get exhausted. Maybe some of this would be useful for you, and if so, you're welcome to it!
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby Matt » Thu Feb 03, 2011 11:23 am

Skizoo, my impression is that you don't get a lot of action out of your skis, and I believe the primary reason is the lack of tipping. You have a good thing going with the flexing to release, but when you engage your skis again you have not tipped them enough, thus causing a lot of skidding. You don't tip your new inner foot enough, if at all. There are other things as well, but I feel that tipping is so important that it does not really pay off to work on anything else before you have it solid. Don't skip the static or hopping exersizes :wink:
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby jepoupatout » Thu Feb 03, 2011 1:44 pm

idahorob wrote:A month ago I was at Super Blue Camp and Diana gave me a lot of homework about counterbalance. It's paying off. One of the main things I've learned is I have to lift that inside hip. This should probably help you, too, as it lessens the amount of lateral bending you have to do with your lower back. Raising that hip will start to move your upper body over the new stance ski without so much "crunch" on the stance side of your body. The other thing I got recently is that it's easier for me to go for counterbalance at the beginning of the turn, rather than have to create it later in the turn after I've moved more out of balance. At transition I quickly remind myself about foot pullback and as I pull the new free foot back and in, I start to lift the inside hip and get the counterbalance started immediately. It gives me grip with the stance ski like never before. My next thought is to start counteraction and that also needs to be initiated with the pelvis. That way you minimize twisting forces in the lower back (if you initiate counteraction from the chest or shoulders, you'll produce too much torque in your lumbar area). Those three things: foot pull back, counterbalance, counteraction probably take place in less than a second. After two days of practicing that last week, I can say they're less like actual thoughts and more like reminders tacked onto movements.

I don't know if anyone else approaches it along these lines, but it seems to make a huge difference for me and my back doesn't get tight by the end of the day and my "hip lifting" mucles in my waist don't get exhausted. Maybe some of this would be useful for you, and if so, you're welcome to it!



Idahorab, i like the idea to focus on the hip and less on the shoulders and the arm. Today I've tried to reproduce CA and CB in front of the mirror and visually i was able to create a lot more of CA and CB. Do you think it is more efficient that way combine with the advantage to reduce stress in your lower back? :?:
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby Max_501 » Thu Feb 03, 2011 4:33 pm

jepoupatout wrote:Idahorab, i like the idea to focus on the hip and less on the shoulders and the arm. Today I've tried to reproduce CA and CB in front of the mirror and visually i was able to create a lot more of CA and CB. Do you think it is more efficient that way combine with the advantage to reduce stress in your lower back? :?:


The pelvis is part of the upper body so it should move with the the shoulders. Hand positions (inside hand high and forward, outside hand low) are external cues and reminders.
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Re: MA Request for Skizoo

Postby idahorob » Thu Feb 03, 2011 7:00 pm

In PMTS the upper body begins at the hip joints, therefore the pelvis is part of the upper body. This, I think, is a healthier image than dividing upper and lower at the waist. The pelvis is, in a sense, the body's power center. Your strong muscles from legs, buttocks, abs and back are all connected there and initiating the movement from there is generally more efficient and powerful. Use big muscles to do the big work, such as moving the whole upper body. As Max_501 says, the shoulders and hand position occur because of the pelvic movement, and serve as external cues about your counterbalance and counteraction moves.

Also, the lower back is not built to act as a swivel, so rotating from the shoulders without the pelvis puts a lot of torque on the lumbar area that is easily avoided. My goal is to get the free season pass here at age seventy (a mere seven years away), so I have to pay attention to such things.
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