By Aubrey Smith
Development: Athleticism ABC’s
ABC’s: Agility, Balance, Coordination
Do not encourage single-sport
Promote year-around skill and coordination activities ie soccer and ultimate frisbee (running= good for phys and mental, but not optimal for ABC’s)
Racing
Keep racing to a minimum, reward all
Keep very short: promote quick movement
Emphasis on skills mastered vs time/place result can set up race course with time bonuses, subtractions based on skills completed on course.
Coaching
Seeing and Doing (vs Listening)
Young kids are kinesthetic learners, can only hold 2-3 things in working memory.
Auditory memory and discrimination reach maturity after motor skills
– Are you telling or showing?
Coaching: Language
– keep it positive
– keep distractions to minimum
– try to use simple words/same words across coaches.
– have kids echo back directions/skills
– engage kids in the knowledge of sport – do not just preach, explain and have them try (ie having them experience broad jump w/ and w/o arms.)
Coaching
New skiers: teach to put on skis inside (less cold, frustration, etc.)
Waiting skiers: teach dances, moves (practice to “unglue” feet)
hokey pokey
chicken dance/macarena
marching/jumping in circles
Development: Make it Fun
Emphasis on FUN
Help them fall in love with the sport and the outdoors
Variation
Games, challenges
ie drills in game format, silly names for drills , etc
Drills and Games
Games w/o poles:
Frisbee,* hand soccer*, keep-away, capture the flag, tunnel tag, object (ie rubber chicken) tag
Alternate girls and boys passing, object goes to every team member before score
Games w/ Poles: Sharks and Minnows
Drills and Games
Even Drills Can Be Fun
– stations on field or small loop
– section of hill: uphill drill, slalom or jump on way down
Drills and Games
Classic: herringbone, one ski (scooter), small step, run-and-drive
Skate: double hop/push
Both: no pole, slalom, corners, downhill, side-step, 360 turning/jumping/hopping
Motivation/Future Development
Visual images and motivation: show clips of World Cup, have older athletes come ski with them, etc.
Skill Sets
Simple to Complex
Reward skill completion or mastery
Focus on skills vs speed
Active Skiing
Workout “Mission”:
Active skiing skills to combat passive skiing/standing on skis
– over tops of uphills
– Field skate slight downs
– track change/in-and-out
– poling and pushing to change direction on corners
ABC’s : Agility, Balance, Coordination
Balance Body Position Power Speed
Speed comes from Power
Can’t get power w/o BP
Can’t get BP w/o Balance
Body Position
Athletic Stance (all sport)
loose, flexible, bend at ankles and knees, elbows out
Fluid motions: arm swing
Technique/Body Position
For Both Skate and Classic:
Athletic Stance
“Power to glide” vs cyclical stroke
Weight on balls of feet, do not stand straight or sit back on hills
Upper and Lower Body working together
Follow through with poles: swing motion instead of grab-and-lift.
Technique/Body Position
Classic: Upper Body
– shoulder swing
– elbows: 90 degrees, outside poles, space
between elbow and body
– do not fold at waist
– poles parallel, not tepee
– hands at shoulder width
– Fall on poles in dbl pole
– energize/speed at beginning phase
Technique/Body Position
Classic: Lower Body
– flexible in shins
– rotate hips (result of driving foot forward with complete weight transfer)
– Driving foot THROUGH, not down
Technique/Body Position
Classic
Upper and Lower together
– pendulum/scissor effect in diagonal
– shin angle = back angle
– “All up together” ie standing broad jump
No-Pole skiing
Skate: hands in front or on hips to combat “twist”
Not for speed
Shin angles, forward on skis
Power to glide, forward push/drive
All terrain
Uphill: increase frequency vs trying to “step” up slope
Downhills
Active feet, athletic and low position
Start low on a downhill and work your way to top
Take corners wide
Uphills
Compare to Uphill Running:
Body upright
Short, quick, light movements
Keep feet underneath in classical, wide in skating
Shift weight well in classical, shift less in skating steeps
Youtube:
V1 and no-pole in training with USST ladies
V1 explained (warning: this is a World Cup sprint video, so there is some jump-skate done here that would never be replicated by junior or high school skiers!)
Berkshire Trails Ski Team 