Secrets to Being a Faster Skier #3: Play on skis

This is largely intended for beginning or intermediate skiers who don’t feel comfortable on skis or rollerskis or who feel (or have been told) they look “stiff.” These are some precursor drills to true agility drills. At the end I’ve included some more advanced skills to play with technique. If you feel “too advanced” for these, I’d recommend going through them quickly just to make sure and then tuck them away to teach to newer skiers.

Since it’s rollerski season, I’m going to go through these specifying rollerskis but they can easily translate into being on skis on snow.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing these on pavement, do them on grass first and then progress to pavement. You can use these are a warm-up or do them after your warm-up. If you really don’t feel very comfortable, I’d recommend even repeating this during your session. 

Don't worry...we won't do anything quite this advanced:) Not sure who took this photo circa about 2006 of my friend Jordan who was cheering during the City of Lakes Loppet

First with poles off, go through the following drills:

Side steps: simply step side to side (about 3 steps) without getting any glide.

Weight shift: shift your weight from ski to ski, again without any glide.

Make sure your legs are about shoulder width apart, you have rounded shoulders and a very slight hunch in your upper back. This is the “athletic stance.”

Keep a “soft knee”. To achieve this, bounce on your skis. You shouldn’t get your skis off the ground but instead feel the flex in your rollerskis as you flex your ankles forward and you knees bend.

Now shake out your arms by actively shrugging your shoulders and then letting them drop quickly.

Double check, do you still have a soft knee?

Swing your arms.

Put your hands on your hips and twist from side to side. Your core should be tight but your knees should be soft.

Bounce again.

Now grab your poles. Start by doing some lunges (works best on skate skis).

Then do double pole starts: practice “falling” onto your poles and let them catch you. Don’t actually pole. Just let your poles catch you.

Now balance on one leg and get a good knee bend, flexing at the ankle, like you would at the bottom of your V-2.

Now do V-2 starts by practicing falling onto your poles on only one leg. Again, don’t actually pole so you can do a number of these. Just catch yourself with your poles after you crunch your abs and “drop” onto your poles.

Finally, get on a grassy hill and practice just running up the hill. 

This is why we practice running on skis -- for those once-in-a-lifetime downtown sprints! Photo: Skinnyski.com

 

Now you’re ready for the advanced drills:

Try to do a speed skating start by taking quick skate steps without getting any glide. Try this first on a steep uphill. I honestly can’t quite get it.

Play around with super slow V-2. Think about slowly bringing your non-gliding leg back under you.

Do the “locked and loaded” drill whereby you pole with only your core but keep your arms locked out at about 90 degrees.

Practice some slow but very powerful V-2 strokes.

Here’s my latest “trick” which is doing “tuck the feet under” as I call it, used for world cup sprint starts. I’ve began implementing this into some of my general double poling, particularly up hills, and I feel some extra power and Ahvo tells me I look good:) 

Screenshot from this year's video technique session w/ Ahvo where I'm practicing the tuck my feet under. Kinda blurry cause it's from a video.

And to appease Erik, end with the frog ski: double pole with your legs together and then let them drift wide. When they get about as wide as is comfortable, jump to bring your legs back parallel and pole again.


Happy playing!