World of Skiing:

Balance Basics

Skiing, unlike bowling for example, is an open-skilled sport. And that means that all the elements of the technique have to be changed according to the demands of the situation. For instance, sometimes we have our feet far apart, sometimes close together. Sometimes we up on weight, sometimes we down on weight. With all the elements of technique being variable, isn't there anything that's a constant? Well there is, actually, and its the effort to maintain balance. Everything we do to up on weight, to change pressure, to turn, to add edging, should be done in a way that enhances our balance. It doesn't screw the balance up too much.

And here's what I see quite often: people when they add pressure, when they want to add pressure and edge they push forward with the knee like this. And somehow this tightening of these muscles here also gets translated into the back muscles, and we see this kind of thing... where these muscles get shortened too. So now when that happens, look what happens to the butt -- it starts to stick out, and then we have to go down here to counter-balance, and maybe stick the hands out forwards like that. Does that look balanced? No. What you want to do, generally, is be taller. And here's a little balance mantra you can try: "ears over the feet, ears over the heel, ears over the feet". And then as you flex, and as you're turning and adding pressure and doing all that kind of thing, you try and keep your ears over your feet. And that may help you to keep this part forward where it belongs.

Now, if you think you have some of those bad habits for balance, do yourself a favour... give yourself a chance to learn some new habits by trying something really simple, maybe just a traverse like this. When you move up and down, you just say to yourself "ears over the heel". Try to do that a few times, so that you can build up some muscle memory from balancing that way before you add the complications that come with turning. But even as you start to turn, try to balance the same way: ears over the heel. The effort to remain in balance is the only constant. You'll be able to balance more effectively if you can avoid overflexing any particular group of muscles, especially those ones around the base of the spine. You want the base of the spine to be loose, you want the cord to be forward, over your feet, you want your feet, generally, to be a little farther ahead than you might be used to... and all of this might come to you a little more easily if you use that idea "ears over the heels." I hope so.