hammer wrote:In the end I didn't do anything specific in this area...
I did get out skiing a decent amount, but I didn't get much time on my own when I could focus on drills...so I occasionally tried to concentrate on what my feet were doing. I looked at a few videos that were taken when I was free skiing and I still saw the A frame and I also noticed that I was rushing my turns. Some of this is physical but I do think I have some mental blocks to overcome as well.
While my skills didn't really improve I still had a good season. Had my first trip to UT where I was absolutely spoiled by the terrain and snow conditions, and I had the opportunity to join a local recreational race team which really challenged me.
Thanks for all of the inputs and I'll see what I can do next season. I do think that PMTS can help but it seems like one has to be focused and dedicated to make it work.
I think you have to be focused and dedicated, but perhaps not in the way it sometimes seems from reading the forum. From reading here, it's easy to get the impression that in order to improve, you need to spend 80% of your time doing drills and very little time on non-drill skiing. I think this sounds like drudgery to most people, and it certainly does to me. It's especially difficult if you've already got friends who ski, because they're going to be on your case to go ski with them instead of doing drills on the bunny hill. Improvement does require time and energy, but I don't think it has to be the drudgery it can sometimes sound like.
I've been focusing on PMTS for a little over a year now, and my skiing has improved a lot, based on the feedback I've received from other PMTSers and now the periodic liftie or stranger. I don't think I've spent a single day where 80% of my time was dedicated to drills. My "drilling" is typically confined to 5 minute segments here and there to find a movement or range of motion, and in between those, I focus on putting the drilled movement into my skiing. Here's how it's been working for me:
1) Find a problem - I've been fortunate to ski with Glen Scannell a bunch this year, so he usually does this part for me.
2) Spend 5-10 minutes working on a drill that lets my body feel the movement needed to correct the problem...maybe it's a new movement I need to add, and a drill helps me feel it, or maybe it's
more of an existing movement, and a drill helps me find the range of motion I need to strengthen it.
3) On every turn until that movement is working right (validated by Glen for me, but video on the forum would work, too), I focus on putting that movement into my skiing. I'm not kidding about "every turn", and that's where the focus and dedication comes in for me. The cool part is that you can do this while zooming around with your friends, since none of them know what you're thinking about. Fixing these movements makes your skiing better, so it's not like it's going to slow you down any or bother your friends.
4) Once that movement is working right, return to 1).
You do need to stick to slightly easier terrain than you otherwise might to avoid reinforcing survival movements, which can be mildly inconvenient, but it's not
that bad. I've avoided tight trees entirely this year, and was generally avoiding bumps until I started working on them intentionally a month or two ago.
Additionally, skiing with other PMTSers helps A LOT. It's really useful to get reinforcement of movements and approach, and really cool to ski with people who are all happy to stop for 5 minutes to work a drill. An extra set of eyes is really useful, too. I'm not sure where in the East you're located, but there are a bunch of us around, and there's even an annual meetup we'd be happy to see you at.
I'm glad you had a good season, and I hope next season can be even better!