by Bluey » Fri Mar 12, 2004 1:24 pm
In respect to counting.......another tip I used was to categories ski slopes into simple numbers .......eg a No # 3 slope was steeper thru to a No # say #6 slope was gentle/green........eg if a Slope-Type was a number #3 then every time I counted to 3 then I would make a turn, .....this got the rhythm going for that particular steepness of slope, e.g. as I went down I would chant to myself.......
1,2,3 (turn)
...1,2.3(turn)
....1,2.3.(turn)
.....1,2,3( turn)
...... etc.
This worked OK...... but at my PMTS camp, my instructor said to me that if I really had to do this then he suggested to me an even better version of my chanting..... and this made my system really effective for me.....he suggested that rather than counting that I chant the word "tip".
The idea was to get my tipping to be continuous whilst at the same time allowing me to work on my Rhythm....eg. therefore, it became........
tip, tip tip( turn) .....
tip, tip ,tip (turn).........
tip tip tip ( turn).........
etc
Of course not every slope is purely just one number-type all the way down ....the top part might be a #3 then further down it might become a #4 then further down again it might be a #3 and then back to a #4 with a final #5 to finish at the bottom section...........
.( As to what the numbering is for any slope??.....well, you obviously make that up to suit your own skiing skill/confidence level......a #3 for me might be a #5 for someone else...and vice versa).
One final point on the "counting".....once I felt comfotable with the continuous tipping I could substitite the word tip with say the word ....."strong arm"( SA) so when I wanted to just focus on my SA technique...so it then became ......
SA,SA,SA ( turn).......
SA,SA,SA ( turn).....
SA,SA,SA ( turn)......etc.
Wherever I tell anyone my system it gets a good laugh...but it works for me 'cause it forces me to focus and block out any distracting thoughts as I go down the slope .........
Bluey