MA Request for dwanjr

MA Request for dwanjr

Postby dwanjr » Mon May 18, 2015 4:00 pm

Hey all,

If I could get some input on my skiing and maybe a comment on my alignment from these two videos, that would be greatly appreciated. As you can see from my join date, I've been following PMTS for quite some time now but I have only really started implementing the movements into my skiing (other than tipping) these last two seasons. Other than that, I have been taught by my wife and I took one 2-hour private lesson in 2013 with a CSIA IV instructor. I only get between 7-10 days in a season so that doesn't translate to a lot of on snow practice time in the last two seasons; I do try to do dryland exercises though.

Background:

Age: 30
Height: 6' 1" (185 cm)
Weight: 220 lbs (100 kg)
Skis: 2008 Head Xenon 7, 170 cm (in first video), 2014 Fischer Progressor 900, 175 cm (in second video)
Boots: 2013 Head Vector 100, size 29.0 (mondo) (w/Red Superfeet footbed)
Started skiing in 2007
Ski Resort: Marmot Basin, Jasper, Alberta, Canada
Runs: Highway 16 (in first video), Kiefer's Way (in second video)

As far as feedback goes on my skiing, I would like to get a sense of where I am at with my skiing, if I have made good progress between the two videos as I did my own MA on the first one and tried to correct what I saw in it over the course of this season, and any recommendations of what I should work on. Since the first video, I have been working on (again based on my own MA): the NSPP, CA, CB, pulling the feet back, inside foot management including pulling it back during the turn, flexing, and upper body management. My primary focus in both videos was making consistent and controlled short turns.

I am asking about alignment because the "bootfitter" I bought my boots from said that I would be fine in the boots and after about a day of skiing them, I noticed that I was having trouble getting my left ski to flat, let alone over onto its LTE. I really had to force it over in order to get it onto the LTE. Plus I was having pain along the superior aspect near the proximal end of the 5th metatarsal of my left foot. I went back to them after that and had them recheck everything. I told them about the pain and that I would like that area widened to alleviate the pressure. I also asked for cuff alignment to be checked due to what I perceived as the boot "blocking" my foot movements. They punched out the boot over the area I indicated and adjusted the cuff of the left boot after checking the shell fit again. Once that was done, they checked me standing in the boots again both upright and in a skiing stance, took a picture of the front of the boots while having me stand on balancing plates (not sure what else to call them), and then said I should be good to go. I noticed an immediate difference the next time I was on the snow as tipping the left ski to its LTE was much easier and the pain was gone. The pain returns from time to time though.

Anyway, to the videos:

March 2014


April 2015



Thank you all for reading through this lengthy post and for any help you provide. I do have all of the books and DVDs (apart from the Instructor Manual and its DVD), and I also have all of the e-videos. Thanks again!
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby rnordell » Mon May 18, 2015 5:58 pm

your YouTube videos are set to "private" so we can not view them
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby dwanjr » Mon May 18, 2015 9:25 pm

Oops! Sorry about that. They should now be viewable.
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby skijim13 » Tue May 19, 2015 6:05 am

Dwanjr,
I attempted to look at your video, the first one you can see more the second one is too far away

I am not an expert at alignment so I will not answer the question. I would say that you need to improve on your counteracting you are skiing square to your skis in most turns and you pole plant is towards your skis and not straight down the fall line. I also notice that you lift your arm too high doing some of your pole touches it should be at the wrist and forearm, the pole touch can't disrupt the torso. You should hold your counteracting until you start to get on your new little toe edge for the new turn if you release your CA before that you will lose the energy in your turn and have to add movements to get into the next turn. You need to be more analog with you tipping keep tipping thoughout the turn until it over, it appears that you do not allow your edges angles to develop. For your CA improvement you should get the angry mother E video on the Harb website.

Here is the PMTS check list you can use for yourself in MA

Is the stance width appropriate for the size of the skier?
Does the release start by flexing the outside leg?
Is there a transfer to the LTE?
Does LTE tipping lead engagement to the new turn?
Is there a point in the transition where both legs are flexed equally?
Are the feet pulled back at transition?
Is the inside foot held back throughout the turn?
Is there enough CB and CA and is the timing right?
Is the pelvis included in the CB/CA movement Inside hip higher?
Strong inside arm, pole tip moving forward?
Is the inside leg flexing and tipping as the turn progresses?
Does the outside leg extend naturally (no pushing) as the turn progresses?
Does LTE tipping of the inside foot continue throughout the turn?
Does the weight shift go to the LTE during transition?
Is the skier balanced over the outside ski?
Is there a pole touch and how is the movement and timing?
Is the pole touch a no swing?
Alignment - watch the skis and knees carefully - does anything look like it needs go be tipped in or out
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby Max_501 » Thu May 21, 2015 7:58 am

Do you have any video of a lift and tip phantom?
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby dwanjr » Thu May 21, 2015 8:46 pm

skijim13,

Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it. It is funny that you mention the Angry Mother video as I got that video a few days after I saw the first video as I also felt that CA needed a lot of work (or you know....to happen at all). I will answer the MA questions in my next post, thanks for posting that too.

I also felt that my pole plant was not helping me either so I have been trying to work on implementing the NSPP into my skiing. After watching the second video, I can see that I've only been marginally successful at that and I will definitely continue to work on it. I believe that it might be the way that I am holding my poles when in the "home" position as I have the pole tips pointing behind me as opposed to pointing out to the sides. I was working on this in my last few runs of the season on Saturday and have noticed that it made a big difference in my turns.

I apologize about the second video being too far away. I hadn't realized that my wife wasn't zooming in/out while filming until after we got back from the ski hill and it is the most recent footage I have. Unfortunately, we didn't get anything recorded on my last ski day. My wife did snap a few shots of me skiing later the same day the second video was shot and I will post them here as well for any further feedback that can be provided. I will see if I can edit the second video so it is a bit more zoomed in, if that will help (though resolution will suffer).


Max_501,

Thanks for taking a look at my videos! I will check my videos from previous seasons for a lift and tip phantom. I know that I have worked on them but I'm not sure if I got any of it on video. I only got the one video (second vid here) from this season, other than that, it's just some photos shot at random. I found one from February that shows me in a right turn with the tail of my right ski lifted and only the tip of my ski touching the snow; I have posted it below.


Image
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby dwanjr » Thu May 21, 2015 8:54 pm

Here are the pictures that my wife shot of me during a run later the same day as the second video (they're a little grainy because I had to zoom them in):

Transition 1:
Image

Left Turn 1:
Image

Transition 2:
Image

Right Turn:
Image

Transition 3:
Image

Left Turn 2:
Image
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby skijim13 » Fri May 22, 2015 5:41 am

Taking videos, I found that it helps if the person taking the video takes off the skis for good stability and is not so far away that you can see their hands wave, my wife and I use ham radios to talk back and forth for start videos.



Looking at your stills in you left turn 1, you need more CB and CA you are letting you inside hand drop back, you arms should be further apart also which will help you, check out expert I chapter 9 on this topic. I great drill to help with this is the boot touch drill Essentials page 122. In your right turn you bring you left hand in close to your body and then move it out which effects your CA. I would work on the drills in the Essentials for both CA, and CB and hold off on the pole use until you get these movements into your skiing. Check out the dryland drills with the tipping board and work on them this summer.
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby dwanjr » Sat May 23, 2015 12:06 am

Max_501 wrote:Do you have any video of a lift and tip phantom?


Sorry, Max. I've gone through all the videos of my skiing and I don't have one that shows a lift and tip phantom. I even went through the photos and the photo I posted above is the closest I've got to demonstrating a lift and tip phantom. Were you going to suggest that I work on that?
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby dwanjr » Sat May 23, 2015 12:18 am

skijim13 wrote:Looking at your stills in you left turn 1, you need more CB and CA you are letting you inside hand drop back, you arms should be further apart also which will help you, check out expert I chapter 9 on this topic. I great drill to help with this is the boot touch drill Essentials page 122. In your right turn you bring you left hand in close to your body and then move it out which effects your CA. I would work on the drills in the Essentials for both CA, and CB and hold off on the pole use until you get these movements into your skiing. Check out the dryland drills with the tipping board and work on them this summer.


Thanks for the drill suggestions! I will definitely check out the drills with the tipping board and I will review about arm position and CA/CB from the books.
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby Max_501 » Sat May 23, 2015 10:20 pm

dwanjr wrote:Were you going to suggest that I work on that?


The progression in Books 1 and 2 create solid outside ski balance and good free foot management. The videos suggest that more work is needed in that area.
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby dwanjr » Sat May 23, 2015 11:53 pm

Thank you, Max! I will go back to working on outside ski balance and free foot management as the main focus in my practice. Do you have any comments on my alignment?
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby rnordell » Mon May 25, 2015 1:16 am

Got a chance to sit down and look at your video. There is a mix of movements and alignment that result in what we are seeing. Without looking specifically at your alignment, in the shop and on snow, separating alignment from movement (and skier intent) can sometimes be difficult. However, since we do not intended for our displayed movement to be different for left and right turns, differences between turn directions can be attributed to alignment. Without looking at your foot and the effectiveness of your current footbed the best I can comment on is the current alignment of the boots. Realize that proper foot alignment inside the boot will impact any alignment that is done to the outside of the boot.

Start with tipping the left foot out 1.5 deg (short section of canting strip under the heel, thick on the medial side). This will enable you to tip the left foot more effectively to its Little Toe Edge. Right foot can stay neutral for now (but might go out 1/2 deg depending on the changes seen after changing the left boot).

Reasoning as follows:
1st video: 1st left turn the tipping leads with the right foot and you show an A frame until you stem your left foot to match the right at the fall line. Some of this is technique as you repeat the movement on the start of next right turn. The difference between the two turns happens at the apex. Watch in the first right turn how the space between your knees is different from that in the previous left turn (or most left turns for that matter). As the left ski loads up when it is the stance foot, the parallel shins disappear as left knee moves into the right leg. For a better look watch the left turn starting at 5 sec, and the following right turn at 6-7sec. The A frame you see at the transition starting the left turn is caused by not being able to get off the Big Toe Edge (BTE) of your left foot and start tipping it to the Little Toe Edge (LTE). This forces the turn to happen with the right foot tipping to the big toe first, resulting in the A-frame and slight wedge before the fall line, and not until balance is achieved over the right foot can you bring the now left free foot in to match the right. Your right foot tips slightly better to the little toe edge at the start of the right turn and you therefore do not show as much A frame. However your left leg quickly closes the gap between your legs right at, or maybe slightly before the fall line.

Rinse and repeat for the next left turn beginning at 8 sec. If you look at the frame where your skis are pointing directly at the camera, you can see from your shins how the right ski is tipped more to the BTE than the left to the LTE, and your are supporting yourself slightly on the left foot (semi-outrigger'ish). Getting the left foot to be able to release and tip to the LTE easier (and lead the tipping movements) along with bit more CB will help get you balanced on the right foot sooner in this turn.

Again watch the pinch of the knees at 9 sec, I thought your were going to lead the next transition at 10 sec with the left foot as you started to, but by the time your shins were vertical to the video frame (just before you cross the trees in the background) your right foot caught up to the tipping of the left, and you can see how your right ski is flat to the snow while your left is still slightly on the BTE. Turn pattern repeats for the most part until the end of the video.

2nd video: pretty hard to see. Long ways away at the beginning,especially at the beginning where the pitch is steeper, and then funny side shots when up close. At transition into "second" right turn at 5 sec, you can see a bit of space and what looks to be an A frame when zoomed in. You match the skis shortly after that and the "gap" disappears. Still looks like there is a bit more space between the feet than at the knees at the 5 sec vantage point. The left foot may have stopped tipping, or is unable to easily tip more causing the higher BTE angles on the right foot at the fall line. From the distance the next right turn at 7 sec does not show any difference between shin angles, at least there is not a noticeable gap or A frame, (the left foot BTE can match the tipping of the right foot to its LTE) and this holds true until the top of the right turn at 9 sec. The transition into the right turn looks to show a bit of BTE dominance, most likely caused by not being able to release easily off the left foot BTE on that steepness pitch. After that it looks to flatten out and you are able to tip smoothly to the LTE with both feet for the next 12-14 turns.

The next little hitch I see is again at the transition into the right turn at 26 sec. You can notice a definite change in width of your stance at this point. Maybe holding on too long to the left BTE? The width change becomes narrow again right before the fall where at this point the left foot isn't continuing to tip to the LTE and instead scoots out wider as you fall onto it slightly (More CB and keep the left foot tipping and keep shortening the left leg). Transition at 28s, be aware of how long you hold onto the left foot BTE. The A frame at transition is from tipping the right foot to its BTE before you give up the left foot BTE and tip it to its LTE.
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby Max_501 » Tue May 26, 2015 8:05 am

rnordell, it's great to have you on the forum!
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Re: MA Request for dwanjr

Postby dwanjr » Thu Feb 25, 2016 10:14 pm

Thank you for the in-depth MA and alignment comments, rnordell! I will have to look into getting your suggestions done to my boots to see if it helps; I haven't had any boot work done between the last video and this season. I have been working on trying to release of the BTE and tipping to the LTE of the old stance foot before tipping to the BTE of the new stance foot.

I have posted a new video below and believe that I can still see some of that A-framing that rnordell commented on in my previous two videos but it doesn't appear as frequent. Again, my wife did not use the zoom during the taking of the video so it is also far away for the first part of the video.

I have been working mostly on doing one footed and two footed releases this season to work on my outside ski balance and inside foot management as Max suggested. This video was taken about part way through my third day of skiing this season; I spent the entire second day on the bunny hill and green runs working on the super phantom move and the two footed release. I was doing some lift and tilt turns for the first few turns in this video but with the video being so far away, it is hard to see these. I will continue to work on that as I can see that those areas still need work before they become more engrained into my skiing. I also noticed that my feet keep coming apart after the apex of my turn toward the end of the video, so I will also work on keeping them closer together. Part of that was intent as I was going for bigger edge angles toward the end but it appears as though I have to continue tipping the inside foot more while shortening the inside leg more as well.

Skis: 2014 Fischer Progressor 900, 175cm
New edge angles of 0.5 deg base/3 deg side. (They were at 1 deg base/3 deg side on the FIschers in the previous video and 0.5 deg base/2 deg side on the Heads. I found out that 0.5 base/2 side is the standard tuning for skis at the ski shop I take my skis to. I originally asked for 1 base/3 side on the Fischers when I got them tuned before my second day of skiing this season and the shop guy asked why I didn't want 0.5 on the base and proceeded to explain why I should go with 0.5 over 1 on the base.)
Run: Tranquilizer (blue run) at Marmot Basin, Jasper, Alberta, Canada

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