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How to stop crouching while skiing?

snoWYmonkey

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@teleskichica

Great question. I stand on my bosu ball and dance through range of motions that include squats. That really works my lower leg strength. Basically a lot of varied movements sometimes I stand behind the center point of the bosu ball to mimick the front ankle flex.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
@teleskichica

Great question. I stand on my bosu ball and dance through range of motions that include squats. That really works my lower leg strength. Basically a lot of varied movements sometimes I stand behind the center point of the bosu ball to mimick the front ankle flex.

I saw a video of Deb Armstrong's where she suggested walking around on your heels for this purpose as well. Like not all of the time, but when you are randomly walking around your house etc.
 

shadoj

Angel Diva
Last week, for the very first time, it occurred to me that I "wall sit" when skiing because that is where I am really strong. I can do squats for days. But when I am forward it fires up all kinds of other muscles and I get very fatigued if I haven't been skiing regularly and I fall into the backseat to take a break. Thoughts?

How are you achieving ankle bend/forwardness? Are you using your calf/shin muscles to force your ankle into flexion, or are you letting gravity and your weight help "drop" forward over your feet in a more passive way? Soft ankles will allow deeper flexion and a more-forward stance of the hips. I like to bounce up and down gently on the balls of my feet to help feel the springiness. I do this at the beginning of the day on my skis, too, to keep from "locking up".

I find my core strength to be most important.

Yes! This really helps in becoming more dynamic in your movement, and will help you maintain that forward position more easily. Don't want a wobbly center of mass!
 

teleskichica

Certified Ski Diva
Thank you for these suggestions!! This is now firing up my brain on how to simulate springy active legs and core in a "downhill" body position.

I'm new here and absolutely love the diva collaborative discussions and feedback!

Don't want a wobbly center of mass!
Lol. I agree. Although my husband likes my "new" wobblier/softer center of mass relative to the former brick wall core I'm trying to rebuild.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I am looking forward to reading through this entire thread but do have a question: what leg exercises do you do to train for not skiing in the backseat?

Last week, for the very first time, it occurred to me that I "wall sit" when skiing because that is where I am really strong. I can do squats for days. But when I am forward it fires up all kinds of other muscles and I get very fatigued if I haven't been skiing regularly and I fall into the backseat to take a break. Thoughts?
Are you making tele turns or parallel turns on tele skis?

I only ski alpine. As an older skier, my focus for ski conditioning has been on balance, flexibility, and core strength more than leg strength. While I have plenty of leg strength, what I learned after I started taking lessons regularly (after age 55) is that better technique meant using much less leg muscle, especially on steeper terrain.

I was a major croucher 15 years ago as a carry over from not being a very good skier on straight skis. Still happens at times but I'm much more likely to be aware of the problem and can fit it without have to stop to reset.
 

teleskichica

Certified Ski Diva
I mostly making tele turns but I had an amazing tele lesson session a few years back -- am I allowed to say names? She was incredible and I am hoping to return -- and was advised I really needed to learn some fixed hill parallel ski techniques as building blocks.

Fast forward to today, my daughter has been helping me with the "fixed heel" techniques and it's going well. She's a great teacher. I'm just weak. I think the (unfortunate) lack of skiing the past few years is giving me an opportunity to drop the old habits and come back overall stronger with better technique. I think I just muscled through a lot of terrain before.
 

snoWYmonkey

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Alpine turns on tele or Alpine gear? It is trickier on tele doing Alpine. Feet being under versus spread out means more precarious balance and more likely to ski a bit aft to minimize the risk of doing a flying superwoman maneuver!
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
I mostly making tele turns but I had an amazing tele lesson session a few years back -- am I allowed to say names? She was incredible and I am hoping to return -- and was advised I really needed to learn some fixed hill parallel ski techniques as building blocks.
I've mentioned the names of the instructors I work with the most, but usually in a trip report or in a thread where someone is asking for a recommendation in a particular region or ski area/resort.

I have a slight idea of the differences between tele turns and parallel turns on tele skis because my daughter changed to tele after becoming an advanced alpine skier by age 11. I can wear her tele boots with thin socks. I used her gear for a 2-hour private lesson at Belleayre several years ago. Doing one drill actually helped me see a major flaw in my alpine turns. The instructor was PSIA Level 3 Alpine and Snowboard, and Level 2 Telemark.

The instructor I've worked with the most at my home hill (Massanutten in northern VA), felt that knowing how to make "parallel" turns on relatively flat skis using rotation was an important skill. Meaning in addition to knowing how to carve. So making parallel turns while keeping heels down on tele skis made sense after I saw my daughter doing them.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Alpine turns on tele or Alpine gear? It is trickier on tele doing Alpine. Feet being under versus spread out means more precarious balance and more likely to ski a bit aft to minimize the risk of doing a flying superwoman maneuver!

I ski with some guys in my seasonal program who can do every type of terrain and conditions with alpine turns on tele gear.. It totally blows my mind!! I would definitely be on my face.
 
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marzNC

Angel Diva
I ski with some guys in my seasonal program who can do every type of terrain and conditions with alpine turns on tele gear.. It totally blows my mind!!
The last time my daughter was at Alta, she had her tele gear. But hadn't skied for a while being too busy with high school. She was skiing pretty advanced terrain doing parallel turns . . . not with me because I wasn't up for it yet . . . including High Rustler. So she didn't lose any downhill turn ability switching to tele. She really appreciates having more comfortable boots.

My understanding that learning tele turns can help someone's alpine technique and vice-versa. Note that I'm not thinking about tele turns with deep knee bends where the knees are almost at snow level. That's amazing to watch in deep powder.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
The last time my daughter was at Alta, she had her tele gear. But hadn't skied for a while being too busy with high school. She was skiing pretty advanced terrain doing parallel turns . . . not with me because I wasn't up for it yet . . . including High Rustler. So she didn't lose any downhill turn ability switching to tele. She really appreciates having more comfortable boots.

My understanding that learning tele turns can help someone's alpine technique and vice-versa. Note that I'm not thinking about tele turns with deep knee bends where the knees are almost at snow level. That's amazing to watch in deep powder.

I’m told it develops fabulous balance. Takes out any ability to “cheat” because you can’t lean on the front of your boots, you have to just be completely centered and balanced. I don’t see myself ever trying it, but it sure does impress me to watch others who do it. :smile:
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
....what leg exercises do you do to train for not skiing in the backseat?
The muscles at the front of your lower leg are the ones that bring your whole body forward. The movement in question is "dorsiflexion." It's also known as "closing the ankle." ... or bending forward at the ankle. The skier closest to us is dorsiflexing; the skier beyond isn't. You can tell by looking at the tilt of the lower leg.
1642106746703.png
Doing this movement brings the whole body from the ankle up forward by tilting the lower leg forward. Some people find raising the toes and front of the foot inside the boot to do the trick; they don't actually rise up since you're standing and your feet are trapped in your boots, but attempting to raise them dorsiflexes the ankle.
Dorsiflexion — 919 Spine

A common mantra to say to yourself to remind you to dorsiflex is "Tongue-Shin". Put your shin against the tongue of the boot and keep it there as you ski.
1642106641320.png
Here are the muscles that dorsiflex the ankle:
Muscles of the Anterior Leg - Attachments - Actions - TeachMeAnatomy

Here are two exercises for strengthening those muscles indoors.
Ankle exercise - dorsiflexion with resistance band - YouTube
Dorsiflexion – Shin exercise while waiting | Nano Workout - Always the  stairs
 
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Pequenita

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@teleskichica , it seems counterintuitive, but walking/running downhill can help strengthen the muscles at the front of the shin as well. It’s an eccentric contraction, where your muscles are lengthening (in this case plantar flexing) while also load bearing (your body weight). Coincidentally, downhill walking/running is also an eccentric contraction in the quads and another way of strengthening those muscles.

What are the muscles you’re finding that get fatigued when you’re forward? Maybe the issue is more flexibility than strength.
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@teleskichica , it seems counterintuitive, but walking/running downhill can help strengthen the muscles at the front of the shin as well. It’s an eccentric contraction, where your muscles are lengthening (in this case plantar flexing) while also load bearing (your body weight). Coincidentally, downhill walking/running is also an eccentric contraction in the quads and another way of strengthening those muscles.

What are the muscles you’re finding that get fatigued when you’re forward? Maybe the issue is more flexibility than strength.
True! But do be careful running downhill. You must, must must keep your feet under/behind your center of mass, or downhill running brings with it knee-destroying repetitive impact problems. Ask me how I know.

Same as on skis - commit the upper body ahead of the feet.

The cue that has worked for me when running downhill is to plant that landing foot as far back under the hips as you can get it. Technically, "under you" not out in front. It feels dangerous at first, but you won't make a face-plant. This means the body will stay ahead of the feet. Otherwise you are "overstriding," with each footplant being a braking move.

Planting the foot back, not in front, will help you to avoid landing with a braking jolt of pressure delivered straight up to the knee. This wears out the padding between the bones. Also, land "soft" with knee bent, never locked open, for the same reason.

If interested in speed, lengthen your stride behind you, never in front, in order to increase the time that foot is pushing back against the ground. Add a toe-off and you're good to go.
 
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contesstant

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The muscles at the front of your lower leg are the ones that bring your whole body forward. The movement in question is "dorsiflexion." It's also known as "closing the ankle." ... or bending forward at the ankle. The skier closest to us is dorsiflexing; the skier beyond isn't. You can tell by looking at the tilt of the lower leg.
View attachment 17455
Doing this movement brings the whole body from the ankle up forward by tilting the lower leg forward. Some people find raising the toes and front of the foot inside the boot to do the trick; they don't actually rise up since you're standing and your feet are trapped in your boots, but attempting to raise them dorsiflexes the ankle.
Dorsiflexion — 919 Spine

A common mantra to say to yourself to remind you to dorsiflex is "Tongue-Shin". Put your shin against the tongue of the boot and keep it there as you ski.
View attachment 17454
Here are the muscles that dorsiflex the ankle:
Muscles of the Anterior Leg - Attachments - Actions - TeachMeAnatomy

Here are two exercises for strengthening those muscles indoors.
View attachment 17453
Dorsiflexion – Shin exercise while waiting | Nano Workout - Always the  stairs
Timely considering my thread on SkiTalk. For me, I have to take a more active role in activating the tibialis anterior vs. just letting my body weight rest against the tongue of the boot. I think it has something to do with my hyperflexibility--I can maintain shin contact with the boot tongue and still sit my butt in the back seat, especially after a summer of rigorous mountain biking. :rolleyes: I got injured on my bike and had to take nearly 6 weeks off heading into ski season, and have had to work on being a much more efficient skier as a result. This is a good thing and silver lining to my injuries, even though my knee still gets cranky while skiing and my index finger is still stiff and sore, oh and I have a scar under my left eye. (For those who don't know, I got hit while I was out riding uphill by a descending rider. He launched me right off my bike. 1 star, do not recommend!)
 

liquidfeet

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Timely considering my thread on SkiTalk. For me, I have to take a more active role in activating the tibialis anterior vs. just letting my body weight rest against the tongue of the boot. I think it has something to do with my hyperflexibility...
These words describe my experience exactly.
 

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