Six Simple Ways To Improve Your Good Skiing Muscles

Coaching Harb Ski Camps this season at Fernie reinforces the need for our clients to come physically prepared to get the most out of themselves and their skiing experience.

Many skiers don't have the luxury of skiing more than a few weeks a year.

At Harb Ski Camps we can fast track your improvement through equipment set up that leads to improved balance and performance.

Fast track your on hill skiing through sharing Harb's skiing methods based on efficiency of movement.

During the week we work on all these areas to bring skiers rapid success.

What we can't do for you in a week or two weeks is ensure you have the right strength and fitness your improved skiing will demand of you.

So this month I'll focus on some simple ways to prepare your skiing muscles, which will bring you more rapid skiing success.

This season we consistently found skiers with good physical preparation coped best with their skiing improvement.

As many of our clients progresses rapidly, their new goals and terrain choices progress just as rapidly.

"Now I want to try steeper bumps".
"How can I tighten these turns even further?".
"I want to focus on high speed carving turns".
"Bring on the dark blue, black and double blacks!".

And yes you are "Ready" with the right equipment, set up, movement and understanding.

But is your body ready for the increased athletic demands the steeper terrain, higher speeds and tighter carving turns demand of you?

So below are a few ways to improve your strength and balance so you will be ready for the extra demands your rapid skiing progress will ask of you.

Improved muscle balance leads to improved skiing.

1 - A simple way to test your balance is stand on one foot. How long can you balance for?

2 - To test your balance further, close your eyes and balance on one foot. Give yourself a break in the office and test how long you can balance for with your eyes closed. Let me know how you go and I'll publish the longest time next month.

3 - Harb has also created a skiing teeter board for improving skiing balance and strength. It is an excellent tool. You can make one yourself, details are on Harb's website at www.harbskisystems.com under dryland training.

Improve your good skiing muscles and reap rapid ski improvement rewards.

If you have some Surgical Rope (in Oz called a Therma Band) then the exercises in the early pages of Harb's second book "Anyone can be an Expert Skier" offer a triple benefit - - They strengthen the leg the elastic cord is attached to - They utilises co-contraction of leg muscles like in skiing - They develop and improve the balance on the stance leg Please use your common sense here and get yourself checked out by a qualified physician before you begin any exercise program.

Exercise 1 - Improved fore / aft free foot management to create smoother turn transitions

Better skiing requires the ability to manage your feet so they are always in the 'right' spot before you need them to be.

The number one thing I we worked on throughout the Fernie season was helping skiers to see, recognise, understand and feel how to manage their free foot so it is in the right place.

Many clients arrive at camp with their free foot outpacing their stance foot.

Their free foot races ahead leading to skiing from the back seat. To maintain the free foot and to hold it back requires hamstring effort to decelerate the free foot. How much effort? It varies by many factors including the size of the turn, the speed you are skiing and the steepness of terrain.
One thing to know is, the steeper the terrain, the more hamstring effort required to manage your free foot so it doesn't outpace the stance ski.

A great way to build up your hamstring muscles is by this exercise below. Photos of this exercise are in Anyone can be an Expert Skier II page 19.

Attach the elasticised band to you ankle / foot. Attach the cord to a secure point in front of you at foot level Pull your attached foot back until the leg is stretched behind you.

This exercise will strength the fore / aft 'good skiing muscles' that are required to manage your free foot so it is in the 'right' position before you need it.

Exercise 2 Reverse your position and face away from the fixed end. Stand and balance on one foot.

Extend your other free leg forward until it is straight in front of you.

Exercise 3 Harald Harb says there are two sure fire ways to make an immediate improvement in your skiing.

Narrow your stance and balance on one ski.

The adductor muscles are required to narrow your stance and they get a great work out with this exercise below.

Attach the elasticised band to you ankle / foot. Attach the cord to a secure point to the side of you. Pull the cord away from the fixed point in to the leg you are balancing on.

These exercises will prepare your good skiing muscles for your next skiing adventure, so you continue to get the most out of your time on the ski slope.

Article brought to you by ex-ski coach now peak performance life coach Peter Stone from www.peak-performance-coaching.com.au. Visit us for free resources on how to live a rich and fulfilling life with all the energy, time and money you need to do what you want!