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                                                            Get Control video

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Skiers want better control to ski more difficult runs. The small percentage of first timers who become skiers often like the thrill of going fast and freedom of trying to ski on their own

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Natural moves provide a quick sense of success, but then they slow or limit progress. They can make it hard to ski slower, make smaller turns, and ski steep slopes especially when conditions are firm

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Some people don't think they are capable of improving, many just want to figure it out on their own, and others think they are so good they don't need to improve, but even competitive skiers have coaches

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                                                                           Beyond speed

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An emphasis on carving results in many people skiing faster then they can control. Skiing is about more than going fast on steep slopes​

 

As skiers age they may quit if they feel skiing is too hard on their body because they can not ski slower

 

Hitting another skier or tree at 30 MPH is like falling off a three story building which causes catastrophic accidents and deaths. 

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                                                               Natural Moves 

 

These three natural moves are related with one causing more of the other. They put people on the back of their skis using their upper body to turn.

 

1- Moving back

2- Turning the upper body

3- Leaning inside the turn

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The goal is to replace these natural moves with Ski Moves to have an athletic stance and turn from your feet up, not shoulders down.

People use natural moves and can experience a sense of success, but then struggle to improve. It is easier to learn Ski Moves right from the start.   

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​Moving Back Video

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1- This is the biggest problem for skiers and it causes more of the other natural moves. When standing on a slope and facing downhill without skis, you must lean back because your feet are too short to keep you from falling forward. But, skis support you so you can move forward into an athletic stance. This is very hard for most people to do, so even if they know what to do they may get frustrated and move on.  

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​2- Moving back happens at the ankles, knees, hips, back or a combination of all of them, skiers need know how to fix these problems. It takes a continuous focus to change. You also need to know when you are doing it right.

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3- When you go higher up a gentle slope, to steeper slopes, ski faster, or in harder conditions, you will tend to move back. So you need to be aware because it causes more turning with the upper body rather than turning from the ground up.

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4- When first starting to move, your feet can move forward before the body which can also move you back.

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5- On level ground without skis, you cannot flex your ankles much without falling forward. So it is natural to bend your knees as you flex your ankles to not fall forward. But skis support you, so you can flex just the ankles. It is very common to flex the knees too soon, too fast, or too much and end up on the back of the skis. Ski boots also make it harder to bend your ankles. Flex the ankles then the knees.  

 

6- Most skiers flex with their knees and do not bend their ankles much, so they ski more on the back of their skis and turn with their shoulders. They usually struggle to make smaller turns and to turn far enough to control their speed.

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Turning the upper body  Video                  

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​Turning with the shoulders and hips is how people naturally move when walking. They use these same moves when skiing rather than turning from feet up. Moving back causes more of this upper body turning. 

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Turning the upper body restricts the upper body from progressively tipping to the side so you can continuously move over the turn. The tipping also puts the ski more on edge and it keeps you from falling inside the turn. 

 

Leaning inside the turn Video

 

Leaning your upper body inside the turn is how you move naturally against the force you feel to the outside of the turn. It starts to put the skis on edge to turn, but if it lasts to the end of the turn it limits how much you can edge the skis and keeps you from moving over the turn. It also increases the chances of falling on your hip.

 

Turning your shoulders and hips limits how far you can tip to the outside of the turn. ​

 

Some will lean inside a turn first then turn their upper body in the direction or the turn or in the opposite direction. It may vary from right turn to the left, or each turn may be different. 

 

People will lean uphill just standing on a steeper slope, so they don't to feel like they will fall downhill.

 

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                                                            Ski Moves

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Developing these Ski Moves gives you a different approach to skiing so you have an athletic stance and turn from the skis up. They allow you to progress faster and ski safer.   

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1- Start in an athletic stance ​

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2- Turn on the outside ski

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3- Move over the turn 

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Your stance changes through the turn forward and back, side to side, and down and up.

 

A turn is made by turning the feet, edging the skis, or a combination of both.

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The most basic Ski Move is moving over the skis as they turn. Do this by progressively flexing the ankles and tipping to the outside of the turn. To make sure the tipping can happen, move the inside half of the body forward, that is the foot, knee, hip shoulder, and hand. 

 

Moving back puts you more on the tail of the skis. To look for this, see if the chest is moving forward and over the turn, or back and inside. Precise timing to keep your body moving over the feet is the formula for how to make the moves. Move over a turn and into the new one.

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An athletic stance is the foundation. Feeling the balls of the feet as the power point with the chest above makes it easier to do on a slope where it is hard. This makes it is easier to turn with the feet first rather than using the shoulders.     

 

Refined these moves by making different size and shape turns, on slopes of different steepness, and in different conditions. The feet can be tipped, pulled up or back to get a similar effect but it takes the focus off the flow of the body  

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First time skiers learn to move over the turn by skiing straight downhill in an athletic stance to build momentum and learn to make turns from the ground up, rather than using their shoulders and hips.

 

You will start to feel your body move over the turn and downhill. Your momentum helps to make the turn and moves you into the next turn. Big MO(momentum), let it go, go with the flow. Then gradually go to more challenging terrain making sure to maintain an athletic stance and tuning from the feet up. 

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                                                     Consistent Challenge video

                                                             

Skiing moves are simple, but that does not mean easy because they are opposite the natural moves we make 

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It takes time to replace natural moves with Ski Moves and they are a constant challenge to maintain 

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Ski Moves are timeless and consistent, it is about good execution. Consistent feedback is needed. looking for different ways to say the same thing is helpful, but looking for a new technique makes learning harder.

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Precise timing is the formula that describes how to make Ski Moves that goes beyond a list of fundamentals

                                                               

                                                                                    About 

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SkiMoves.com was developed and tested for more than 20 years using video analysis software with skiers of all levels from beginners to top athletes. We worked with US Ski Team's National Development System, the Professional Ski Instructors of America, National Ski Patrol trainers, the US Special Forces trainers, and training directors from major resorts like Vail to small local resorts. Thanks to all the coaches and instructors we worked with over the years especially Walt Evans, the former director of the National Development System.

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