Question: What are your go to technical self-talk messages?

[SkiMoose]

[quote="Indianaskier, post: 226777, member: 4247"
Yesterday, on one run, a ski patroller skied down just in front of me, making medium and short turns, not too fast, but a bit faster than I had been going. It suddenly reminded me of when I was skiing with instructor friends and we would follow each other, trying to mirror what each had done. It made us look where we wanted to go and not not down, as well as helped us stop thinking about what we were doing. I loved that, so for the fun of it I followed the patroller, not too closely, but staying in his path. That was the most enjoyable run of my day. No thinking, just skiing. [/quote]

I used to do that when DH was first teaching me how to turn. I still like it when I'm in terrain/conditions I'm a little uncomfortable with, and sometimes just for the hell of it!

 

[Christy]

I invented a very effective new one this weekend. When I found myself "shopping" too much on a run that was steeper and bumpier than I normally ski, I got a bit exasperated with myself and I said aloud, "just make a f*cking turn already!" It made me get over myself and made me laugh. It's become a bit of a mantra.

 

[Moonrocket]

When I was tiny my dad used to tell me "The best skiers in the world still snowplow sometimes." I have often used this when trying something hard. Always makes me feel good to know I have a back up skill if needed. I also have a song I sing when I need courage.

 

[snoWYmonkey]

When I was tiny my dad used to tell me "The best skiers in the world still snowplow sometimes." I have often used this when trying something hard. Always makes me feel good to know I have a back up skill if needed. I also have a song I sing when I need courage.

Love it! Safety always trumps style in my book. At times, like skiing with slower students on a busy narrow cat tracks, snowplowing is the only way to good. Singing is my go to when being watched....which I hate.

 

[caulkhead]

"Left edge...right edge.... Left edge... right edge...."

Helps keep my focus on my skis, and works surprisingly well at getting me down things that look steep/lumpy/icy.

Oh, and "Look at the gap, not the tree." Though that one occasionally goes "Not the tree. Not the TREE. TREEE... Ow."

 

[litterbug]

"Left edge...right edge.... Left edge... right edge...."

Helps keep my focus on my skis, and works surprisingly well at getting me down things that look steep/lumpy/icy.

Oh, and "Look at the gap, not the tree." Though that one occasionally goes "Not the tree. Not the TREE. TREEE... Ow."

:p Sorry, that just sounded too funny! I hope you're okay.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I think my number one technical message to myself right now is "let your legs absorb." I'm actually getting pretty good at this when I remember. What I forget to do is push down my skis with intention after the bump. So I get shorter as I go down the bump line, until I straighten up and start all over again ...

One of my biggest pet peeves is women in my ski group talking down about their abilities. "Oh, I was terrible on that run." "I just can't ski today." "I'm so sorry I'm holding you guys up!" Etc. If it happens more than once or twice, I'll usually turn to them and propose (depending on the particulars) either a "no apologies" day or a "no saying anything bad about yourself" day. Usually everyone else quickly jumps on board and agrees with me. In my experience, not only do we ski worse when we're focused on how badly we've been skiing, but it also messes up everyone else's mojo, too.

I've never noticed a guy doing this bad-self-talk stuff. If someone's doing it, it's a woman.

 

[mustski]

I think my number one technical message to myself right now is "let your legs absorb." I'm actually getting pretty good at this when I remember. What I forget to do is push down my skis with intention after the bump. So I get shorter as I go down the bump line, until I straighten up and start all over again ...

One of my biggest pet peeves is women in my ski group talking down about their abilities. "Oh, I was terrible on that run." "I just can't ski today." "I'm so sorry I'm holding you guys up!" Etc. If it happens more than once or twice, I'll usually turn to them and propose (depending on the particulars) either a "no apologies" day or a "no saying anything bad about yourself" day. Usually everyone else quickly jumps on board and agrees with me. In my experience, not only do we ski worse when we're focused on how badly we've been skiing, but it also messes up everyone else's mojo, too.

I've never noticed a guy doing this bad-self-talk stuff. If someone's doing it, it's a woman.

That is so incredibly true! I think it's a defining gender difference. A national study was conducted way back when on how we view ourselves. Sorry it was years ago and I only remember the gist of it. They asked men and women to rate themselves in various categories as above average, average, and below average. Basically, 60 -70% of women rated themselves "below average" while 60-70% of men rated themselves "above average." I guess no one is actually just plain average.

 

[artistinsuburbia]

So amusing to hear some of the same ones! Mine are shins to the tongue, shoulders square, find a path AND a rhythm, and what the hell do they mean by planting poles??? I don't have time for that in between turns...how in the hell are they doing that?????

 

[snoWYmonkey]

One of my biggest pet peeves is women in my ski group talking down about their abilities.

Totally agree. I think that it is one thing to comment on a specific skill that one forgot to apply or wanted to use, but the general negativity only brings the whole experience and group down.

Lately I have had my students identify one of two things they do well: balance, speed control, looking ahead, flow, smile, etc.. At the start of a challenging run I will have them focus on that mantra as that is something they know they can execute even if the rest of the skiing might have some gaps.

 

[badger]

Lately I have had my students identify one of two things they do well: balance, speed control, looking ahead, flow, smile, etc.. At the start of a challenging run I will have them focus on that mantra as that is something they know they can execute even if the rest of the skiing might have some gaps.

GREAT IDEA! I 'll bet that works wonders too. Lack of confidence in even one area can affect the whole.

 

[caulkhead]

:p Sorry, that just sounded too funny! I hope you're okay.

I'm fine thanks! I'm not good at trees, so I was going very, very slowly.

 

[litterbug]

I finally read this thread all the way through, and it's fun to see how different people feel and think about their skiing. A psychologist's dream! If only I were one...

I think the most common thought I have is something to the effect of "I love skiing! I loooove skiing!" Usually this is after I've skied something difficult, and maybe not particularly well, but felt like it was just even more fun than usual, and look around and realize how effing lucky I am to be me, at least at that moment, and at the same time how much I've done to get here.

When I'm feeling particularly strong and fierce like the Bad Girl I used to be, usually after skiing something challenging with consistently offensive skiing (in my estimation, anyway), I stop and belt out "use me up if you think you can" from Joan Osborne's "Right Hand Man." A few weeks ago I got such a look from a patroller standing nearby when I paused at a lip to do this.

As far as tech talk goes, I can't keep more than one idea in my mind at a time, technical details come up when I get a sort of notification, usually from my unconscious, that I'm skiing defensively or just out of whack, tails washing out, crouching down, swinging my hands across my body, twisting my torso uphill... I got the offensive/defensive skiing idea from Bob Barnes on epicski.com. Offensive just means positive movements down the hill instead of braking, rushing through the fall line, that kind of thing. It keeps me on the positive side of skiing, learning new positive functional movements that replace old dysfunctional ones instead of trying to drive the old ones out.

Let the skis fly (no braking or skidding in turns)

Yay--offensive skiing! Slow line fast, or fast line fast, or slow line slow--whatever's appropriate for the traffic and terrain.

"Ski like you know how"

I just love this. I'm stealing it.

I have never felt bad about being slow compared to many of my colleagues on the hill. I do warn my students in case they are racers, and don't give it another thought.

I used to feel bad about falling behind, but nowadays it's just my skiing and I don't apologize if skiing within myself means they have to wait a little bit. I do try to keep up but if someone else seems impatient I just suggest that we split up for a bit and meet later.

Here are some of my own reminders.

Inside hip up, then drive it forward for early pressure on the new outside ski. I'm still learning this, and it's a hoot when it generates speed or lets me ski through something I used to slip and slide around in. It's time for another lesson, though, because I'm sure I'm not getting everything I can from it.

Dive! Dive! (accompanied by a submarine's alarm blasting aWOOGA! aWOOGA!) --when I'm tempted to hold back at the start of something steep (thanks, Stew at Snowbasin!!)

I can't finish a turn I didn't start (or, I need to start a turn if I'm going to finish it!)--this when I lazily slide into a turn without any kind of shape to the top of it. Of course, there are lazy times, but if I want to ski something well I need to act like it.

Don't do everything at once or I'll run out of things to do before the end of the turn--that is, don't rush the turn, tilt the skis and move the body continously.

 

[litterbug]

So amusing to hear some of the same ones! Mine are shins to the tongue, shoulders square, find a path AND a rhythm, and what the hell do they mean by planting poles??? I don't have time for that in between turns...how in the hell are they doing that?????

I try not to worry about it. Sometimes they tend to plant themselves, but for now I'm just keeping my hands in front of my hips and poles pointing downward and back so they'll clear the snow (instead of in front of my shoulders or chest, as I did until an instructor pointed out that I might punch myself if I fell).

 

[artistinsuburbia]

I'm fine thanks! I'm not good at trees, so I was going very, very slowly.

sounds so very familiar. I always hit the stinkin' tree!!!! We have to ski back to our place via the woods and there's this one area that the trees are a little close for comfort and one is almost right in the middle of the path, there's maybe a 12" gap. I've SLOWLY hit that thing like four times this year!!! Why can't I steer past it?? UGH. If it were on my property, I'd have cut that sucker down by now.

 

[caulkhead]

Dive! Dive! (accompanied by a submarine's alarm blasting aWOOGA! aWOOGA!) --when I'm tempted to hold back at the start of something steep (thanks, Stew at Snowbasin!!)

I am stealing this! (Provided I can still remember it next December, which is likely the next time I'll be skiing. Perhaps it'll work for mountain biking too.)

 

[bounceswoosh]

DH and I did drills on groomers today. DH to me: "wel

sounds so very familiar. I always hit the stinkin' tree!!!! We have to ski back to our place via the woods and there's this one area that the trees are a little close for comfort and one is almost right in the middle of the path, there's maybe a 12" gap. I've SLOWLY hit that thing like four times this year!!! Why can't I steer past it?? UGH. If it were on my property, I'd have cut that sucker down by now.

A 12" gap? I'm assuming no one on skis can get through that.

 

[Christy]

"Ski like you know how"I just love this. I'm stealing it.

I wish I could remember who I stole it from. I don't think I've ever had a ski day where I didn't use it at some point.

 

[artistinsuburbia]

DH and I did drills on groomers today. DH to me: "wel


A 12" gap? I'm assuming no one on skis can get through that.

at the bottom where your skis fit...the tree itself angles away and the gap for the body is more like 28"-36", it's going to magically fall over this summer. And I'm sure it's more than that, just seems like it when you are hurtling toward it.

 

[Kimmyt]

Ah, this requires what I would call the 'sideways slip' ie when I find an impossibly tiny gap between two trees, go through it with my upper body turned sideways and/or one ski lifted. Inevitably the larger person behind me ends up dancing with said tree. Whatever dude, pick your own line!

(note: not to be done at full speed!)