WantToSki 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 some ski-related technical question for you guys... I have always been told that I usually "drop" too far back (in Japanese, "kokei"), wherein my weight falls farther back than the bindings of my boots. Essentially, skis are "forward-drive vehicles," and Im driving them like they are "rear-driven." Thus, it usually makes it difficult for me to control the skis and I then tend to use exaggerated movements to turn, etc. my skis. In effect, that my skis just run out under me and I lose control. It is a normal human reaction to basically pull back when something on our feet speeds up... So, how do you guys maintain balance on the center of your skis? Feelings, tips, recommendations, workarounds? Thanks in advanced... PS: Its that Ive been trying to “consciously” control my position, ie., ankles, knees, hips, etc. but I still being left by the skis (when I speed up, or going down steep terrain, or through bumps).... Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 A trick I use is to concentrate on my hand positions. If you lean back, your hands tend to come up. Your hands should be low, at about waist level, in front of you and apart. The position was described to me as "driving the bus". Also, your uphill hand should be ahead of the downhill, similar to your feet. If your hands are in the right place, your weight will be too. Link to post Share on other sites
fjef 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Instructors often tell you to bend your knees - but think about bending your ankles and keeping pressure on the front of your boots... Link to post Share on other sites
YellowSnow 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I was in the same position when I self learned how to ski, when I came to Japan, they were laughing at me. Besides its far more dangerous. By leaning forward you gain so much control. It might be natural reaction but if you force yourself in a day you should get your footing. Don't go for a neutral stance at first go full leaning in. The only reasons I can think of for leaning back is for racing and getting through heavy pow. At first leaning forward feels very heavy, after a while it will really lighten up and you will be able to ski in reverse,tricks, etc. (ill give you 3 days haha) Link to post Share on other sites
YellowSnow 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Saying that Japanese children lean back like a gangster doing their snow plows. It makes me laugh. Link to post Share on other sites
WantToSki 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Author Share Posted March 7, 2007 Quote: Originally posted by soubriquet: A trick I use is to concentrate on my hand positions. If you lean back, your hands tend to come up. Your hands should be low, at about waist level, in front of you and apart. The position was described to me as "driving the bus". Also, your uphill hand should be ahead of the downhill, similar to your feet. If your hands are in the right place, your weight will be too. Wow... That is a nice image to visualize while running down the slopes... What I usually do is just to make sure that both of my hands are within my sight, ie., forming a triangle with my head/face at the top. However, I just dont get when you say that the "uphill hand should be ahead of the downhill"... Are you saying that as seen from above, my body is rotated outwards (a slight deviation from the direction of travel)? Quote: Originally posted by fjef: Instructors often tell you to bend your knees - but think about bending your ankles and keeping pressure on the front of your boots... I do bend my ankles, but my b**t still falls down (as they would say)... Quote: Originally posted by YellowSnow: I was in the same position when I self learned how to ski, when I came to Japan, they were laughing at me. Besides its far more dangerous. By leaning forward you gain so much control. It might be natural reaction but if you force yourself in a day you should get your footing. Don't go for a neutral stance at first go full leaning in. The only reasons I can think of for leaning back is for racing and getting through heavy pow. At first leaning forward feels very heavy, after a while it will really lighten up and you will be able to ski in reverse,tricks, etc. (ill give you 3 days haha) Yes - it feels so heavy as if Ive hit something heavy in front (basically, I feel like being thrown forward as if someone slammed the brakes on the car). It just feels difficult to move forward... Also, so, you are saying that I can learn to do tricks in 3 days? Hehehehe... Link to post Share on other sites
YellowSnow 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 If you lean back any gouge in the snow will make you fall, it makes you faster because you are lifting the fronts out of the snow, less surface area, less traction. Yeah you should be able to ski in reverse on day 3 of learning to lean forward. Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Your body should always be facing downhill relative to the direction you are skiing. That is what keeps your uphill ski in front of the downhill ski. If your upper body position is correct, then the uphill hand will also be ahead of the downhill, again, relative to the direction of travel. An extreme case is to watch mogul skiers. They keep their upper body really "quiet", facing straight down the fall line, while twisting at the waist, with their knees pumping like buggery, and the skis are turning left and right. Link to post Share on other sites
samurai 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 someone slammed on the brakes? sounds like you need some wax. staying balanced is A LOT easier when your skis actually slide under your feet. If your bases are dry, you're going to lean back just to push them forward, then when you hit a sticky/vacuumy spot, you'll get tossed forward like someone threw on the brakes. All the body position above is good advice, but I would check your tune. Sounds like you're running on dry planks. Link to post Share on other sites
YellowSnow 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Speaking of wax, my universal technique for a good coat. Spread wax unevenly over surfboard/snowboard/skis blast with a can of lynx and a lighter. Light brush work with the flame produces a really good clear coat with a feeling of elation. Link to post Share on other sites
daver 0 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 although samurai has a point, i can attest he is addicted to tuning. i sometimes wonder what he likes more, skiing or tuning skis. want to ski, 1)stand up with your feet at a comfy distance between each other. (imagine if someone were to pick you up by the shoulders, give you a shake, then put you down. how would you feet be when they first touched the ground? that's where you want them when skiing) 2)starting from your shoulders, bend each joint in your arm at about a 30degree angle. do not rotate your wrists. 3)slump your shoulders and upper back forward ever so slightly, lower your arms slowly so that your elbows are lined up with your lower rib cage. (but not touching, there should be ample room between your arms and you ribs. imagine you have a pillow between them) 4)bending at ankle, knee, and hip equally, lower your body to the ground until your poles touch the snow. 5)align your poles so that if you were to draw a line from one tip to the other, you would intersect the arches of your feet. your shoulders too should be right above your feet. 6)now you are invincible, you WILL NOT alter this position in any way for any reason at all. 7)find some mild terrain and ski like that. FAST. don't let yourself alter the position you are in. remember to look up, DON'T LOOK AT YOUR FEET! 8)once you have gotten the hang of it, try to vary your turn shape. a bunch of big turns, a bunch of small turns, and bunch of random turns. in order to do this right, you will need to be completely centered. not back, not forward, but centered. to turn your skis you will still need to initiate by unweighting but rather than doing this in a static vertical fashion, you will be initiating in a dynamic fashion in which you actually push your feet forward and ahead of you. sounds like the opposite of what you were asking advice for eh? once you get your skis out there into the turn, they are going to have to come back. you will feel pressure under your feet as though you are being pushed back up the hill. WITHOUT altering your upper body position, simply relax and let your feet come back up towards you. 9)do a run like this, then relax, stand up a bit, lift you arms from the snow, enjoy the rest of your day. Link to post Share on other sites
SirJibAlot 0 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Not to hi-jack this thread but - Soubriquet's pic reminded me of something the instructor talked to me about my riding while I was in Cali. For snowboarding, the old school of thought was to produce that same up and down movement that is used in skiing to unweight and shift edges. This is what I was doing. The new school of thinking (according to the instructor) was to not have any up and down movement and to just stay in a down position and move your weight over the board. I've been practicing it, but i'm not so sure it's the best method - anyone else have this experience? Link to post Share on other sites
WantToSki 0 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 Quote: Originally posted by samurai: someone slammed on the brakes? sounds like you need some wax. staying balanced is A LOT easier when your skis actually slide under your feet. If your bases are dry, you're going to lean back just to push them forward, then when you hit a sticky/vacuumy spot, you'll get tossed forward like someone threw on the brakes. All the body position above is good advice, but I would check your tune. Sounds like you're running on dry planks. I had my skis hot waxed about a week before that day (trip to Naeba) * the only time I can go to the tuning shop is on weekends Link to post Share on other sites
WantToSki 0 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 Quote: Originally posted by daver: although samurai has a point, i can attest he is addicted to tuning. i sometimes wonder what he likes more, skiing or tuning skis. hahahaha... Link to post Share on other sites
WantToSki 0 Posted March 8, 2007 Author Share Posted March 8, 2007 daver let me note that down, send it to my keitai, then try it on the slopes!!! Link to post Share on other sites
r45 4 Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 I'm trying skiing this weekend and thinking how difficult it seems Link to post Share on other sites
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