Drills for a closer stance?

[SkiBilly]

Hi Divas,

I love Lito and his style. While I was taught to ski with a wider stance, I still feel it is too wide...my skis are generally about a foot apart. I would like to get it down to 6inches or less. I don't mind being wide for stability on steeper terrain but when cruising on greens and gentler blues it just looks so graceful to have a closed stance and wider arms...it's like waltzing on skis and I want to be *that* skier. I grew up admiring skiers in the 80s where their knees were tightly locked together and they just looked fantastic on their straight skis. (Though the deep racer carves of today are spectacular too, but I don't know if I can ever do that, haha.) My last ski instructor who took me to a new level this season was a young English guy and he skied beautifully...however he said by today's standards his stance was too close and he was being constantly reminded by ski school to widen it a bit.

So, are there any drills I can do to help me close my stance? I will be back on the snow on 20 March and will be taking some lessons, but if I can get some tips to visualise in the mean time it would be much appreciated.

 

[geargrrl]

Narrow stance doesn't work very with the new wider skis. If you put your feet that close together you won't be able to use all four of your edges. Now if you want to go to the ski swap and get some old straight skis and then work on it.....


I bet one of our long time instructors could explain it much better but I'll give it a shot. Back in the straight ski days I think you put your feet together to make a stable platform, but the wider skis have changed that. In addition you would keep your feet together for those wedelyn (?)turns. No one skis like that except for the really old guys

 

[bounceswoosh]

I'm not sure how to respond to this. I don't think you should work on a narrow stance. I don't think it will help you in most situations.

But. I'm all for learning to ski by experimentation. The way to drill a narrow stance is to ski with a narrow stance. And one way to learn about stances is to go to the extremes. So, by all means, do some drills where you ski a few turns with a crazy wide stance, and then switch to a super narrow stance, and see how it feels. I've done drills like this before.

 

[BackCountryGirl]

I recognize that you have an image in your head that you aspire to, but stance is all about functionality and body type. Typically, we say that feet should be hip-distance apart to support your skeleton. In bumps and powder, narrow stances are best so that your skis act as a platform. Nothing worse than having one leg in a trough and another on top of a bump. In powder, a narrow platform overcomes resistance better. When carving, a wider stance enables greater edge angles. On flats, play around with going flat and wide and flat and and narrow. Or, jump and see how you land -- usually, that tells you where your stance should be.

 

[Kimmyt]

I have the opposite problem... always get told I ski pretty by ski instructors but with legs too close together and have been working to widen my stance. I used to think old school skiers looked good but now I actually prefer the look of the aggressive wide stance of modern free skiers.

 

[SkiBilly]

Hi and thanks for the replies. When I say my skies are a foot apart that is from inside edge to inside edge...so a foot of snow is between my skis! That is much wider than all the expert skiers and instructors I see with their modern performance skis. The locked knees is definitely old school and definitely not possible with today's wide tips. I don't want to do that...I just want to ski like this guy in the youtube video (his legs are side by side, whereas mine are like a narrow triangle). I really like these guys - "Section 8 Snowsport Institute".

 

[geargrrl]

Can't play the video in tapatalk.

(goes to computer)

mine are like a narrow triangle

- that says it all. You need to work on a parallel stance and progress out of a modified wedge. Once you are truly paralleling, the stance will come.

 

[Jilly]

Also he's skiing a little powder and crud. A narrow stance is needed there....1 ft, I wish mine were that far apart. I'm getting there. I'll see if there is anything on ski tipa du jour.

 

[volklgirl]

(his legs are side by side, whereas mine are like a narrow triangle).

Without pics or video of you it's difficult to tell what's really happening, but my first reaction to this sentence is that you're A-framing. Now, whether that's from technique or physique it's hard to say. First, have your stance and canting checked/adjusted by a competent bootfitter, then ask an instructor friend to watch, and see if that fixes the issue. If not, maybe the instructor can see if there's something specific going on with your technique. Often, if it's not a stance issue, the A-frame happens from a reluctance to release the security of the inside edges. If all else fails, a race coach actually bungee-corded DH's legs together (right above the knee joint) for most of a training day to solve the same problem . It actually worked for a few years.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Let's have a video of you skiing!

 

[SkiBilly]

Thanks geargrrl, though I mean the gap between my legs from my crotch to my feet is a narrow triangle. My hubby has video of me skiing on his iPhone (an iPhone is so not a gopro, haha) and my skies are parallel. Actually my form is not too bad...it's just that my skis are much further apart than The Video Guy. You can't really see between his legs, the gap is so small. For me, my generous thighs still aren't touching. (However, when I walk in my ski pants, I sound like a cricket 'cause my thighs are rubbin' together)

 

[Jilly]

Take a look at Maggie.....

The problem you're describing I think is female anatomy.

 

[volklgirl]

it's just that my skis are much further apart than The Video Guy. You can't really see between his legs, the gap is so small. For me, my generous thighs still aren't touching. (However, when I walk in my ski pants, I sound like a cricket 'cause my thighs are rubbin' together)

You're watching a video of a man with hips that are fairly narrow making mostly skidded turns in very soft snow. Given that combination of conditions, I'd say his stance is functionally narrow for his body and turn type. I'd bet if he was ripping big honkin' GS turns, his stance would be much wider.

While the video is pretty, it's likely not a functional image for you. God knows my stance is way wider than that cuz I have big, wide, women's hips. FUNCTIONAL stance width is the key here.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I still think the drill that BCG and I both suggested is your ticket. You need to get a feel for wide and narrow and what muscles you use to accomplish those things. Also, I stumped a PSIA level 3 instructor when I asked him if the hip-width thing applies to women as well, given our hips are shaped differently. (Still waiting on that answer ...) Women are not constructed like men.

One thing you might work on is an adductor exercise to strengthen your inner thighs. Maybe you've done the exercise where you lie on your side and lift your upper leg up a bunch of times? Do that, but with your upper leg bent and foot on the ground, and instead lifting your lower leg. Do it both with your lower leg in front of your upper, and with it behind.

 

[bounceswoosh]

Hah! @volklgirl and I hit the same topic.

 

[volklgirl]

Take a look at Maggie.....

Beautiful, smooth, aggressive skiing by a woman. Stunning.

 

[Jilly]

That's why she's on the CSIA demo team.

 

[SkiBilly]

Oh sorry, I was posting and didn't see this....actually I was thinking of tying my exercise rubber band rope thingy around my knees but though it was the silliest thing I'd ever thought of...hmmm, still not sure if I would be ok with having my legs tethered...argh! I was also thinking of skiing without poles down a green with hands on both knees and pushing/holding them together as I edged my turns, kinda similar to the carving drill..that may work. However, I will definitely try the drill already suggested. Thanks for the input.

But come to think of it most of the experts I notice are guys! I even posted a guy skiing. And yeah, my hips are way wider than his...I had huge babies! Also, in his other videos when this guy is ripping carves he is beautifully wide, as he should be. He is such a great skier, and he's pretty easy on the eye too, haha.

Also, I've never had a female instructor, but I'm absolutely going to get one next lesson. I'm going to look on YouTube for females doing short link turns, rather than males. Maggie is fantastic! Oh dear, I must moon over all the male skiers...

 

[Pequenita]

Also, I stumped a PSIA level 3 instructor when I asked him if the hip-width thing applies to women as well, given our hips are shaped differently. (Still waiting on that answer ...) Women are not constructed like men.

I think "hip-width" is actually "sitting bones-width" (top of the femur/ischial tuberosity) -- so if you drew a plumb line from those bones down to the ground, your feet and ankles would be right there if they are "hip width." To me, it makes sense to align/stack bone on top of bone, etc.

 

[SkiGAP]

Interesting thread - just thought I'd say that. I've nothing more insightful to add, as it turns out.