Trainee Instructor Group 'Breaking the Habit'

Follow log with a Trainee Instructor Group "Breaking the Habit" - A common problem is bracing or using the outside ski when attempting to steer and control speed and line. Today I attempt to not only make the group aware of this issue but also try to instal a new feeling in less than 2 skis runs.
The theme of the lesson is "exaggeration" - I have found over decades of training in sport that this is one of the best tools we have as coaches when dealing with new skills.
In todays lesson I am careful to control the flow of information and I withhold often some important positive and negative side-effects of what they do. Too often we want to point out all the obvious errors a student makes instead of focusing on the task in hand and the outcome of that task alone.

00.00 - Intro
00.51 - Start of Lesson.
01.10 - Students make a parallel turn.
03.25 - The theme of the lesson is explained
06.25 - Trainer demo.
07.00 - Students copy.
10.30 - Further explanation.
11.45 - The problem with a Hockey Stop
13.35 - Why flexion is so important especially for those who have limited range of movement
16.00 - Funnel Turn
17.39 - Tall people favour extension.
21.00 - Short Turn demo.
27.10 - my boots are actually not done up.
28.50 - A drill to prevent over extending and disconnecting.
32.30 - Conclusion.

#learn to ski #how to be a ski instructor #ski coaching

[SIAAustria]

Thanks for following a long with the lesson. As ever there are no fixed ways to pass on productive information when coaching and it would be great to hear about your success stories and your failures so we can learn how to be more engaged with our athletes.

[profpat]

I'm 82 years old and have been a student of the sport for a long time. This is the single best 36 minutes of ski instruction that I have ever seen. You could pay hundreds, even thousands of dollars, for ski instruction and not top these 36 minutes!

[kristiangrau]

I really like that the students don’t understand maybe half of what he is talking about, but for us here sitting behind the screen and with probably more experience and knowledge everything seems so logic and natural, especially when he speaks about the physics involved in skiing.

[SajidChaudhry-vp]

This Is the amazing video! Watch this if you want to improve your hockey stops!

[osho]

Damn, I've been skiing since the age of 4 and also skied competitively in Switzerland for a decade, still managed to get useful tips, passion comes a long way 👍

[Ca_milo_G]

goggles up, nice ski instructor, visual contact very important

[bracsyller]

Just discovered this video, and I LOVE IT! Yes, I love the studio chats and, this was a lot more practical being able to see the students and their differences along with your instructions. Often, I found myself listening and analyzing the task in each student as if I was at the bottom watching each one of my class come down. Thinking about the development of each one, I was planning a path for each one going forward. Thank you for this; more like this, please.

[thelanguagefantastic]

I've just discovered your channel and wow, incredible quantity and quality both of information. This video in particular is helpful to see you coaching on the go, and responding to the students' skiing. Thank you very much!

[devise]

Doing the training with SIA year or so ago, the training and level of difference to your ability after is huge…. For those watching, or who have already skied - it’s breaking down bad habits and learning to be technical. 6 weeks of training is night and day difference to your skiing ability. Especially when everything is completely broken down to your individual skiing too. Must say a big shout out to Ed and Jamie, Probably some of the best instructors I’ve been taught by too….. Paul, you should get Jamie to explain the warm up does before each Lesson, when he does a follow the leader. Ps, I’m sure he’ll remember the ‘dream team/ Golden oldies’ too and same with Ed😂

[dasalpengluhen]

I like that way of explaining and correcting the problem. I have good experiences with breathing and waiting for the skis coming under the hip. But giving the idea of moving against a resistance (on the makro-level) is maybe one of the reasons why your meta-teaching-method works so well.

[luvski]

love this one! Actually I love all your videos! You explain the technique so clear so precise! Hopefully I will have chance to attend your class.

[Landwy]

Wow, I would consider these skiers no more than intermediate level skiers. Even having them ski for a month straight, they would still not be at a satisfactory level to teach other skiers. I have taught many clinics for people wanting to be ski instructors, but these skiers don't have any idea of a sound balanced position or even using pressure and edge angle to define the turn shape.

In this case, video taping them and seeing how they are skiing compared to the standards that are expected at various levels of certification might be very helpful. I have taught or coached (racing) many skiers and the most difficult skiers to teach are at the intermediate/advanced level where there are so many bad movements that must be discarded. It sometimes is overwhelming. In many instances, teaching beginning skiers is more rewarding than working with people that have been skiing advanced slopes for years and have a whole fundamental toolbox missing. I'm sure you have seen the grimaces of supposed advanced skiers that want to improve in difficult terrain and you tell them you (we) have to go to the bunny slopes and start over and get down the basics. You have more patience than I do, and I have seen many of your videos do a great job of educating skiers.

[MrArunasB]

Very good drill going up and down while making the turns. Especially for getting the timing right. Also tension and flex together.

[johneod]

I am an intermediate skier trying to improve an videos pushes like these are wonderful. Even if in theory I might known what to do, on the skis things happen too fast so exercises like these are very important. Thanks for sharing. Who knows, maybe at some point I will knock at your door to get things further - these videos are very motivating.

[dbmendes]

I’m far from professional skiing and do it just some days per year (live in Brazil). However I do love studying to improve my techniques as I love the sport as well. And this is one of the best videos I’ve ever watched with such content. Some things that I have “clicked” by figuring out myself I was able to see you explaining through physics, which is awesome! An example is putting some weight to the back of the skis which you explain through the exaggeration to 0 and 8.5…
Almost felt like I was there in the slopes being your student 😅
Thanks for your work! Wish I was your student one day 😁

[hannahzhang]

oh this is good! especially when video you from behind

[natv]

Top ski video of the year. Really appreciate this video. I’m in my last year of high school, where I specialize in physics & math.
And this video gave me a realization of how understanding the physics; in how torque is created through levers in skiing, will make you a great skier.
I never thought of how applying the classic mechanics of physics, could give a better intuition of how we turn in skiing.

Looking forward to my ski instructor cause with you next year.

[armchairsportsman]

I appreciate all the effort you put into skiing and education. Obviously these folks arent at the level where they can finish a turn crisply in the aft position and very quickly retract feet topple and repeat but it's awesome to see them (and me) pushed in that direction at this point. I also love the recertification of skiing as sport and not just a fun sled...so easy to fall into that trap. Enjoy the channel txvm.

[JB]

2:50 This was the best one. Notice the vertical upper body which helps to pull up and unload the inside leg so it can remain parallel to the turning ski which she can be completely balanced on. 3:19 All the rest made like an airplane, banking their shoulders into the turn which loaded the inside ski too much so the outside turning ski had no control of the turn.

A vertical upper body that is facing and leaning down the hill while you quickly change your weight from your downhill to your uphill ski, will allow the skis to turn as designed. It also keeps skiing very simple, and the moves are easy to remember. "I want to go straight down the hill, get off my right foot. I want to go straight down the hill, get off my left foot."

His explanation of the problem doesn't explain it at all. They aren't "Pushing" the turning ski away from them, they are leaning into the turn too much which loads the inside ski too much and the turning ski slides away and down the hill because there isn't enough weight on it. So, it Looks Like a push but isn't.

You don't steer the ski with your foot to make it turn, you just balance on it and IT will make the turn which will turn your feet.

All that up and down business explains and teaches nothing. Again, you have to fix the upper body positioning by keeping it simple. Imagine your hands are on the handlebars of a bicycle. When you want to make a turn, point the front tire down the hill and quickly change your weight and balance to the uphill foot. You don't think about turning, you just think about what the skis require from you to allow the skis to make the turns for you.

6:30 This is ridiculous. Skiing made hard. This doesn't teach any of the body movements in skiing. The weight change motion, that he isn't even teaching, is not an Up motion it is a down the hill motion. from a balanced position on the turning ski, you stop the direction across the slope with that turning ski and face and lean it down the hill. The skis keep going but the leg angle changes, and the skis roll over to make the new turn. I'm done. I don't have to see anymore. The world's ski instructors see skiing backwards, so their teaching methods are backwards. It's as simple as that.

[ringdgg]

Thanks for this experience. My addition might be to offer an avantage to turning since the task of "ski poles in gut" is taking away full body extension, perhaps add a focus of flexion and extension in the ankle/foot to help them out.