08 April 2003 - 16:37 Alpine Racing - Technical Statement (by SvetSki) DEVELOPING SKIING SKILLS

Whether young or old, continual learning and improving skiing skills is essential for the long-term development of a ski racer. Skills are the result of learning processes. These processes are maximized when there is a logical plan based on the science of learning and retention.
The learning of skiing skills should follow a progression of introduction, experience, and repetition. Tasks should progress from easy to difficult, general to specific, flat to steep, and from short courses to long courses. Coaches should seek to make movements accurate and automatic.
Learning and acquisition of skills works best when a long-term plan is followed using the learning principles described above.

BALANCE
Balance is the single most important element, which establishes the foundation for all skiing. Balancing is the art of maintaining equilibrium. In alpine skiing, we are mainly concerned with dynamic balance. Dynamic balance refers to maintaining equilibrium while in motion. This entails constant body positional adjustments as the skier moves at different speeds, both accelerating and decelerating, with varying turn radius and traveling over constantly varying terrain.
Being balanced is not one specific position, but rather a range of motions within specific parameters. In skiing, we are concerned with balance in a fore/aft and a lateral, or side-to-side plane. When a skier is balanced, minimal movement is needed to change pressure distribution either fore/aft or laterally. The skier's control is based on the ability to affect these changes. This balanced posture entails minimal muscular movement with no recovery time. When a skier is unbalanced, recovery time is required to regain balance. This recovery time can easily affect line and timing in an adverse manner.
While the skier's fore and aft balance is typically focused on the ball of the foot, turning forces and terrain changes will continually force the skier to adjust and re-center his/her balance. Lateral balance plays an important role as the skier turns out of the fall line and the skier encounters centrifugal force.

by SvetSki