Friends, this is THE FIRST NORD-nique we ever wrote and it has seen many, many eyeballs. We're pushing it into the blog so more skate skiers can read our good words about advancing technique goals. Content below is as presented to our email nordies.
We appreciate your patience while we put our technique newsletter through the wringer. Honestly, we weren't entirely sure there would be that much interest, but wowza - the incoming emails to NORDJÖRK implied otherwise. Some of our students wanted to pick our brains, share feedback from other coaches, and otherwise "talk-shop" about some of their technique concerns.
Most notable among the trailside (or trunk side) conversations? Students' frustrations regarding their trajectory to Ski Tour status. In other words, "I don't feel like I'm progressing as a skate skier, what gives?"
So, the good coaches at NORDJÖRK thought they'd bury themselves in a beanie and come out with the "top 3 reasons why you aren't progressing as a skate skier and what you can do about it" list.
And with that, let's get to it.
why you aren't progressing as a skate skier and what you can do about it.
Number 1: Lack of Ankle Flexion
All great skiers - the ones you want to watch - have dynamic behavior on skis. That is JOINT MOVEMENT, and sadly, if you can't be comfy skating around with your knees almost over your toes and less weight in your heels, you gonna struggle.
That's a bit of a mouthful, but it is the reality of almost all sliding sports. Below is an image that shows Coach Kevin demonstrating ideal and unideal ankle flexion.
🚨Note the RED lines that show his restricted ankle movement and what happens to his center mass (hips/pelvic area) - it's BACK, behind his heels. This is an unideal body position, and it will set up any skier for frustration - as you will likely feel slow, inefficient, and may perceive yourself to be working harder than your friends.
✅ By comparison, note the GREEN lines. Kevin is centered over the ski, with more weight on the balls of his feet, which will ensure better pressure, control and balance along the base of the ski = more efficiency, fun, and flow while skating.
What Can You Do About It?
👉 Off-the-snow exercises. Hit the mat and work that ankle joint. An incredible wealth of information about joint flexibility and mobility exists within easy reach. In fact, with the growth of CrossFit and other heavy-lifting activities, there has been no better time in history to read about joint health and movement. Reach out to your local personal trainer, physical therapist, or doctor. Here are a few informative links to get you started safely:
Dr. Michael Lau at Prehab: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8Vqc2gypkE
Phase Six, general movement, joint strength: https://www.phase6online.com/
👉 Have the flexion, but just can't "do it" on a sliding thing in the snow? Time to drop the poles. Truly. There is no easier, cost-free, stress-free way to find a more natural position on your skis. There is immediate feedback between your body position and the movement of your skis.
why you aren't progressing as a skate skier and what you can do about it.
Number 2: Excessive Upper Body Motion
All great skiers - the ones you want to watch - have QUIET upper bodies, regardless of V1, V2, or V2A. And any instructor or helpful friend who tells you to dip, dive, rock, roll, or twist the upper body is ultimately hampering your progress.
The upper body will, inherently, move under stress - but it is NOT a primary driver. Purposely swinging your shoulders in an attempt to get your jacket's zipper to line up over a ski is only diverting energy AWAY from the skis.
🚨 Note the RED line of our student's upper body position during an easy V1. The tilt/leaning of the shoulders away from the imaginary center line.
✅ The clean, straight GREEN line of Coach Jenn is a stable, squared-to-the-trail upper body to keep all the engines diverted to the legs.*
👉🏻 Yes, we have seen World Cup athletes "face the ski", particularly in steep V1 climbing conditions - but, ah - you are not a World Cup skier. (If you are and have somehow wandered onto this blog - welcome. But you might want to check-in with your coach?) Seriously though, as a recreational skier, "facing the ski" is a subtle motion that is layered on TOP of highly proficient fundamental body movement. Chasing this cue, without proper lower-half mechanics is still an attempt to bypass the result of poor skating mechanics.
What Can You Do About It?
👉 Um, stop moving the upper body. In general, most intermediate skate skiers move MORE than they think. Ski within yourself. Skate skiing isn't all legs and arms flailing around. Cross-country skiing motions are purposeful, precise, with proper movements; practice them that way. Nothing extraneous.
Ski with your poles in a horizontal position at your waist or eye level and watch for sway - fore/aft/up/down.
Focus on a distal point - a tree, snow stake or object far away and ski toward it. If that target starts wavering in/out of eyesight, you're moving too much.
Pretend your shoulder points are headlights on a car. You want them pointing on your direction of travel NOT moving from side to side.
📷 Have a friend snap some video. And take a look. Are you listing, lifting, swinging? Not sure? Send it to us, we're happy to help!
why you aren't progressing as a skate skier and what you can do about it.
Number 3: Garbage IN, Garbage OUT.
All great skiers - the ones you want to watch - have spent hundreds upon thousands of hours working on the fundamentals with accredited, experienced coaches. For example:
Poor information + no time practicing = no progress
Good information + no time practicing = no progress
Poor information + time practicing = some progress
Good information + time practicing = JACKPOT
It is the reality of learning a complex sport filled with compound movements.
If you want to progress, you must be willing to spend some time working through the drills, cues, and movements with a skilled instructor or coach. Skiing with friends and gleaning information from questionable feeds, vids, and posts may yet hamper your advancement. And even then, you must be patient and diligent in that effort.
Sadly, most students aren't willing to do additional work and believe they can become proficient skiers in 1 hour of skiing with some easy tips. It's unrealistic. Does that mean every single minute of every ski has to be brain-crunching technique work? Not necessarily.
As coaches, we have no expectations for students beyond their own goals. BUT, if you're stuck in your technique, you'll likely need to put more time and effort into progressing - and that only happens with mindful practice alongside a proficient instructor.
What Can You Do About It?
Setting aside 10, 15, or 20 minutes of each ski to mindfully work your way through ideal positions and cues will accelerate your learning. Find the right coach or instructor to help you progress as there are specific points in every skier's journey where you will need a more experienced or higher accredited instructor to help break through with your technique - different drills, language, cues, and progressions can make a huge difference.
the closer What We're Thinking About
We've got so technique ideas in the hopper. But, we're thinking it's time to re-introduce Bailey and Eric's early-season skate technique and dive into V2. Should be fun and helpful for anyone looking to learn more about this very important gear. We'll see.
Until then,
Takk
Jenn + Kevin
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