Pilates rotating discs for femur rotation training?

[Tricia]

It looks like DeAnn was having fun. I was not criticizing her at all. I'm making a pint about the location of the inside foot as it rotates relative to the outside foot and needed an image of two feet rotated, but lined up.

I tried to find a video with someone demonstrating using the disks in order to get a photo of that position but couldn't find one. So I had to use her photo.

Not taking as criticizm at all.

I'm just impressed that she didn't spill the margaritas.

 

[Steve]

@Chris Geib I ordered Lazy Susan hardware, coming tomorrow. Your picture makes it pretty clear, but can you describe more how it's made and how you marked the proper position to stand (or is it basically "stand in the middle of the foot platform"?)

Thanks! I got 6" diameter hardware.

 

[David Chaus]

I use this (recommended by my boot fitter) and haven't regretted paying for them. The SnowPerformance folks whose clinics I take also use this.

OPTP Pro Rotating Discs | Fitness Balance Discs | OPTP

Purchase OPTP Pro Rotating Discs: Rehabilitation and training tool for balance, push-ups, hip rotator work and more. Sold as pair or single.

www.optp.com

Also got this.

OPTP | Shop Therapy & Fitness Products

Shop therapy and fitness products that promote recovery, tension release, strength, balance, coordination & flexibility.

www.optp.com

 

[TheArchitect]

I use this (recommended by my boot fitter) and haven't regretted paying for them. The SnowPerformance folks whose clinics I take also use this.

OPTP Pro Rotating Discs | Fitness Balance Discs | OPTP

Purchase OPTP Pro Rotating Discs: Rehabilitation and training tool for balance, push-ups, hip rotator work and more. Sold as pair or single.

www.optp.com

Also got this.

OPTP | Shop Therapy & Fitness Products

Shop therapy and fitness products that promote recovery, tension release, strength, balance, coordination & flexibility.

www.optp.com

That's the same one I posted.

I have the Zone Fitness Pro balance board. I got deal on it at the Boston Ski Show a couple years back.

Vew-Do Balance Boards, Fitness Balance Boards, Surfing Balance Boards

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www.vewdo.com

 

[Steve]

I use this (recommended by my boot fitter) and haven't regretted paying for them. The SnowPerformance folks whose clinics I take also use this.

OPTP Pro Rotating Discs | Fitness Balance Discs | OPTP

Purchase OPTP Pro Rotating Discs: Rehabilitation and training tool for balance, push-ups, hip rotator work and more. Sold as pair or single.

www.optp.com

Also got this.

OPTP | Shop Therapy & Fitness Products

Shop therapy and fitness products that promote recovery, tension release, strength, balance, coordination & flexibility.

www.optp.com

So even at 11" diameter your feet are still spaced hip width apart? Do you use ski boots on them?

 

[David Chaus]

So even at 11" diameter your feet are still spaced hip width apart? Do you use ski boots on them?

I use them with bare feet (actually in socks) and in ski boots.

I was just checking, with a normal stance (hop up and land) in my shoes, the center of my shoes (in between the shoe laces) are about 11 1/2". The disk diameter is 11" so the radius of each disc is 5 1/2", leaving about 1/2" between the the edges of the discs.

Someone with narrower hips or a narrower stance might need smaller discs, that can be placed closer together, but I'm pretty skinny.

 

[Chris Geib]

Chris, are we not on the same page at all?

Hi LF,

Only have a few minutes, I will try to get back to this in the next couple of days in more detail.

Sorry if I was not clear, what I am wondering about specifically is:
What is the process you coach on the dry land socks on hardwood floor to get one foot ahead of the other?

I am curious what that method is and how (or if) it translates when your athlete gets on snow.

Best,

Chris

 

[Chris Geib]

@Chris Geib I ordered Lazy Susan hardware, coming tomorrow. Your picture makes it pretty clear, but can you describe more how it's made and how you marked the proper position to stand (or is it basically "stand in the middle of the foot platform"?)

Thanks! I got 6" diameter hardware.

Hi Steve,

So far I have not found mine! However, I do believe they are 6" and I sourced the bearings from HomeDepot or Lowes.

What I will caution is they are an open bearing and subject to debris (like the saw dust you are about to create) getting into them and fouling their free and easy movement, so do all the wood work then make a clean environment before bringing the bearings into the mix.

I wish I could measure for you, but generally I used scrap boards that I think were 1x6s and the bearings are located off-set toward the back since we want our center of pressure under the Tibial axis (FrontOfHeal/BackOfArch). I'll guess they are 11" or 12" long and approximately 5-3/4" wide. You will see the bearings if on boards their equal width will reveal the mounting holes so they are accessible when rotated a bit.

I believe once you sort out your mounting point, you can lay the bearing on top of the board and form an X going corner-to-corner to find the center axis of rotation. I put a "dot" at that point with a black sharpie ...you might have better success with a different color

Good luck!

Chris

 

[LiquidFeet]

@Chris, just slide the inside foot back into the place where it belongs, uphill of the other one. Just slide it. Simple. Socks on hard floor are slippery.
Yes, you need your weight mostly on the other foot when you do this. Is that what you want me to say?

Rotate the new inside foot in a pivot slip or skidded turn at initiation, and slide it a week bit back uphill at the skis point out to the side, so your CoM is below it on the hill. Do not slide it back in the direction the heel points, but back sideways, so it ends up lined up just like the disks will have it except it's "back" uphill of you. So you won't fall over. "Back" sideways.

Oh here are words for this. As the new inside foot rotates, slide it "back" towards its little toe edge, sideways as you rotate it to point across the hill. Keep hips pointing downhill-ish.

One more attempt at clarification, assuming words have failed to paint the right picture -- imagine in a pivot slip you are sliding down the hill on two railroad tracks that go down the fall line. Each ski is permanently attached to one of the tracks. Those tracks are hip-width apart. Each ski is allowed to rotate under the back of the arch of its foot while it is sliding downhill on the track. The skis can slide uphill or downhill freely, and rotate freely, but they must stay on the tracks.

Now slide the inside ski up a little as you rotate it so the skis won't bump into each other, and make sure it gets a bit uphill of your CoM, so your CoM is between the skis. Do this with each pivot in a pivot slip. Do it in real turns that you choose to complete. In those real turns, your skis will be traveling along a sideways figure eight beneath you.

Done. This is so hard to say in words. I need a picture. Or a video.

 

[Steve]

Thanks @Chris Geib I am not very handy, but this took me about ½ hour to make and works great. Small table saw, only 2 kickbacks which fortunately didn't injure me.

 

[TheArchitect]

Thanks @Chris Geib I am not very handy, but this took me about ½ hour to make and works great. Small table saw, only 2 kickbacks which fortunately didn't injure me.

View attachment 107949 View attachment 107950

You sure you don't have a head injury? You're wearing camo crocs!

 

[Steve]

They were a gift and they last forever (got them many years ago.)

 

[TheArchitect]

They were a gift and they last forever (got them many years ago.)

Well, at least you'll still have them when they come back in style.

 

[Steve]

By the way, as @LiquidFeet mentions, this is not the way that you actually rotate your legs when you ski. There is a sagital split that the turntables don't account for. It's still good for feeling independent leg rotation though.

 

[TheArchitect]

By the way, as @LiquidFeet mentions, this is not the way that you actually rotate your legs when you ski. There is a sagital split that the turntables don't account for. It's still good for feeling independent leg rotation though.

Yes, my personal goal is to use this to get a feel for rotating my femurs, not for honing my technique

 

[KingGrump]

Small table saw, only 2 kickbacks which fortunately didn't injure me.

Scary to hear. That is two too many for a small project.

Table saw kick backs is probably one of the most common cause of injuries on a job site. Along with falls and lower back injuries. I have seen many over the years.
When it comes to the table saw. The danger with the spinning blade is obvious. Most are not aware of the level of damage kick backs can induce. There are many methods and procedures one can utilize to mitigate kick backs. The most obvious two are never rip stock under 12" long and use a gauge block with using the fence as a cross cut gauge.

Have fun and work safe.

 

[Steve]

Thanks KingGrump. I have a little table top table saw, haven't used it much and basically don't know what I'm doing, but never had a kickback before. One of the foot pieces flew right into my chest. Didn't even hurt. The other one missed me and I had to search for it on the floor.

 

[Steve]

OK, so after playing with these, first I put them on a carpeted slant board I made. Then I thought, this doesn't account for long leg, short leg and put them on a balance board that I have, that on top of the slant board!

It's not connected, very hard to get onto, but once on it, it actually works. It does in effect create excessive inside ski tip lead, so as @LiquidFeet has said it would be nice for them to be able to slide fore/aft as well lol!

Check out the pictures:

 

[Steve]

@TheArchitect I will say that 11" would be too wide for me. As you can see these are so close together that I can't even turn my feet without the heel of one foot being inside of the toe of the other.

If you can get Pilates discs smaller than 11" I advise you do. My stance is much narrower than standing on two 11" circles would create.

 

[cantunamunch]

It's not connected, very hard to get onto, but once on it, it actually works. It does in effect create excessive inside ski tip lead, so as @LiquidFeet has said it would be nice for them to be able to slide fore/aft as well lol!

Check out the pictures:

Future construction project for ya: get a roll-up slideboard with booties. Clamp it to a domed piece of plywood about the size of your mat there.