Quick little weight transfers: what to work on?

[Yepow]

OK, I descended into the morass of work for a week and change, I'm presently getting my head up and above water and ready for my final ski trip of the year in just a few days (YAY!)

One of the things I definitely cannot do is these super quick weight transfers/little turns. All of my turns are overcommitted (and as we'd discussed on another thread, I don't have much sense of neutral yet). I often struggle in irregular bumps or off piste because I simply can't do a couple of very quick turns in succession.

Here's a link to what I'm talking about with Jeff and Bob from Ski Essentials (the link is queued up to the correct timestamp).

More "what are the precursors to this that I should be working on, and what drills should I be focusing on?"

Will be drilling more sideslipping, falling leaves, and working up to pivot slips on the menu for me and learning to get cleanly released turns. For this in particular type of little course correction, anything obvious come to mind?

 

[Wasatchman]

OK, I descended into the morass of work for a week and change, I'm presently getting my head up and above water and ready for my final ski trip of the year in just a few days (YAY!)

One of the things I definitely cannot do is these super quick weight transfers/little turns. All of my turns are overcommitted (and as we'd discussed on another thread, I don't have much sense of neutral yet). I often struggle in irregular bumps or off piste because I simply can't do a couple of very quick turns in succession.

Here's a link to what I'm talking about with Jeff and Bob from Ski Essentials (the link is queued up to the correct timestamp).

More "what are the precursors to this that I should be working on, and what drills should I be focusing on?"

Will be drilling more sideslipping, falling leaves, and working up to pivot slips on the menu for me and learning to get cleanly released turns. For this in particular type of little course correction, anything obvious come to mind?

The Phantom

 

[Chris V.]

^^^Pay close attention to the movements and resulting orientation of the pelvis in these clips.

 

[KingGrump]

I often struggle in irregular bumps or off piste because I simply can't do a couple of very quick turns in succession.

You (generic you) do not need to turn quick in the bumps. You need to turn accurately.

 

[Chris V.]

Ability to make very quick turns in succession is surely useful in various situations. And to make them accurately, as with all your turns.

When it comes to making this or any other given size and style of turn, I think it's mostly a matter of adjusting the mix of fundamental movements that you apply--including foot tipping, upper body balancing movements, fore-aft pattern, flexion and extension, and rotational movements at foot level. So that means that you have to have the building blocks all nailed, and be able to call them up as needed. There's no magic bullet for your issue. Your past threads have given attention to ways to improve some of your basics, and I'd suggest continuing to work along the same lines.

That being said, difficulty with making short turns often stems from the skier's method of release being too slow. Think about that.

 

[Yepow]

Thanks, all. Wasn't of course looking for any magic bullets, just an excuse to start thinking of cues to connect what I've already learned, what I need to learn. I have no dearth of things to work on, but the picture of all of these interconnected things starting to come together.

 

[Tony S]

I am working on little weight transfers from my gut to my abs. So far it's been a challenge. I prescribe more skiing.

****

Anyway, I think one partial response to your question is embedded right in the thread title.

Imagine treading on a stairmaster with steps that are 5cm high instead of 50cm. Can you do this same movement while straightlining a very shallow beginner slope? Good. How fast can you tread? (Quickness.) How slow? (Balance.)

The movements being made in your reference clip are quite small. Big movements are slow.

I am not an instructor, so this may may be complete crapola. Except for the abs part.

 

[Yepow]

I am working on little weight transfers from my gut to my abs. So far it's been a challenge. I prescribe more skiing.

I begrudgingly accept your prescription and will go take my medicine on Monday!

 

[KevinF]

I was skiing with @Erik Timmerman a few seasons back (and, well, several times since then) but he said "Balance is the ability to make whatever movement you need to make whenever you need to make it". (And I probably butchered his exact quote, but close enough). Many people equate "balance" to "didn't fall", but falling is simply the extreme end of a spectrum of balance.

"Fast feet", "being quick", etc. -- it's easy once you're in balance.

When I'm skiing bumps well -- and most equate bump skiing to "fast reflexes" -- it feels smooth and relaxed. The bumps are coming in slow motion -- assuming I'm balanced. Once I get "rocked back" or "jammed" or whatever other euphemism you choose for "in trouble" -- yeah, some reflexes come in handy.

Now as to why you're not feeling balanced enough to make rapid, precise (to borrow @KingGrump 's phrasing) turns -- that's a much more complex question and one that I'm not even remotely qualified to answer. But don't think about fast / quick / athletic -- think about balance and watch the mountain slow down.

 

[Tony S]

"Fast feet", "being quick", etc. -- it's easy once you're in balance.

+1

 

[tromano]

What @KevinF said. Balance, balance, balance. Small balance change around neutral lead to quick feet and quick turns like in the video. Move less.

Rhythym and flow. To ski like that you also need rhythm in your skiing, which basicly means being on time with your movements. Sing a song while skiing. Then sing medley of two songs one fast one slower. Turn in time with the song.

And my personal nemesis look where your going.

 

[Yepow]

What @KevinF said. Balance, balance, balance. Small balance change around neutral lead to quick feet and quick turns like in the video. Move less. Rhythym and flow.

Coming back to "having balance" and "neutral"! My time working on neutral and on that release will be well spent. At least I have some hope that a number of things may "come together" at some point in the future

 

[Yepow]

And my personal nemesis look where your going.

But like 3 feet in front of me, in way-too-much-furrowed-brow-concentration, is so attractive!

 

[Sanity]

OK, I descended into the morass of work for a week and change, I'm presently getting my head up and above water and ready for my final ski trip of the year in just a few days (YAY!)

One of the things I definitely cannot do is these super quick weight transfers/little turns. All of my turns are overcommitted (and as we'd discussed on another thread, I don't have much sense of neutral yet). I often struggle in irregular bumps or off piste because I simply can't do a couple of very quick turns in succession.

Here's a link to what I'm talking about with Jeff and Bob from Ski Essentials (the link is queued up to the correct timestamp).

More "what are the precursors to this that I should be working on, and what drills should I be focusing on?"

Will be drilling more sideslipping, falling leaves, and working up to pivot slips on the menu for me and learning to get cleanly released turns. For this in particular type of little course correction, anything obvious come to mind?

It's not a little weight transfer, and it's not sideslipping or falling leaves or pivot slips. Those all tend to be slow to impossible unless the skis are unweighted. It's a big weight shift, forward pressure on the cuffs, knee angulation. You can't go for big hip angulation and high edge angles, because that's all too slow, but you still need response from the ski to be quick. Therefore, you need to keep the upper body completely stable and vertical. If your upper body leans for each turn, you'll decrease the edge grip, the ski will smear, there will be no response, and it will be very slow to bring around.

Practice this turn on the groomed. Weight shift, constant forward pressure, knee angulation, completely stable upper body, stable hands in front with a pole flick to the front and a light touch on the snow. In the other thread you were talking about trouble getting forward. I think your boots are too stiff and upright, and that will cause problems with these types of quick turns. Also, if your canting is off, you've got no chance.

The turns on the groomed will be slower than in the bumps, because in the bumps you can use the terrain to unweight the tips and tails, so that you can get some pivoting at the top of the turn that speeds things up.

A drill to do is the Javelin drill making sure to keep the hands pointed across the skis down the hill. Hands, upper body face down the hill the entire time.

Here's me doing the types of turns I'm describing. Take it or leave it as you like.

 

[Kneale Brownson]

The difference between slow and quick is intensity.

A drill (for those less aged than myself): hops from foot to foot in a narrow wedge on really flat terrain.

 

[locknload]

I'm a big fan of this video...

 

[pchewn]

I prescribe 1/2 hour of bongo boarding every day.

 

[Tony S]

I dismiss out of hand anything that has people who look like that on the cover. I know I'm not their audience.

 

[locknload]

I prescribe 1/2 hour of bongo boarding every day.

Will my abs look like this dude if I do this workout?

 

[Yepow]

I prescribe 1/2 hour of bongo boarding every day.

I just about bought one of these at the fitness store the day back from my trip... I stood on it and was concerned I would break my head (could wear a helmet inside I guess) Is there an easy version?! I bought a simpler little balance disk.

Have you actually used this and improved your balance and proprioception over the course of an offseason?