Rotational
Rotational drills designed to focus on turning of the body within the Axial or Rotational plane
Javelin TurnsPivot SlipsSpeiss Turns
Javelin Turns
As you start the turn, lift your inside ski and steer your outside ski under the tip of your inside ski. As you finish the turn, turn your inside ski back to a parallel position and place it gently back down on the snow and start the process again. For variations of this drill, try to point the inside tip down, or keep tip level, or point the tip higher to challenge the fore & aft balance.SnoweLab Tips: Tap the inside pole or ski in the start of the turn to act as fulcrum and help to initiate the turn. Stay in balance throughout the turn and aim to steer the outside ski underneath the lifted ski.
Linked Pivot Slips
Can be initiated with an extension or flexion movement. Performed on a steeper groomed blue/black slope, the skis are pivoted under a stable upper while maintaining a corridor. The skis remain parallel as the legs are turned at a consistent rate of rotation. Skis slide once pivoted for roughly the same duration.SnoweLab Tips: Ensure you are balanced throughout the pivot to help stay within the corridor.
Wedge Turns with leg steering using the poles as reference
Using appropriate terrain hold the poles together in front while facing down the hill. As you turn across the hill, steer the skis towards one end of the poles. Then as you steer the skis back down the hill the tips will move towards the middle and then as you cross the fall line, continue to steer the skis towards the other end of the poles. The poles will give you a reference point to steer the skis under a stable upper body. Ensure you are balanced throughout the turn.
Speiss Turns
Speiss(hop/jump) Turns are best practiced on the flat and are a great way to warm up in the morning as well as work on your rotation skills. While skis are pointed across to the fall line and using of vertical movement, jump up and turn your skis to face the other direction. Link them together while turning just enough to not slide forward and without pausing. SnoweTips: The Centre of Gravity COG should move continuously down the fall line as the skis a turned in the air. A well positioned pole plant can help with this drill.
Steering, Pivoting 1. Wedge Turns with strong emphasis on outside foot and leg steering 2. Brushing out one foot then the other from a straight run 3. Wedge Turns with the emphasis on steering both legs 4. Stem Turns with uphill ski, then downhill ski 5. Stem step turns, vary the radius 6. Skate step(Scissor) turns, vary the radius 7. Use upperbody to turn the skis 8. Use lowerbody to turn the skis 9. Use rotation of the entire body to turn the skis. Isolate rotation of shoulders, hips. Try split rotation 10. Use counter rotation to turn the skis 11. Hockey slips out of the fall-line, then link into turns. Add vertical movement – Braquage 12. Link hop turns. Tails only, tips only then whole ski 13. Linked hop turns with different amounts of pivoting displacement across the fall- line 14. Wedge change ups 15. Wedge edge hops, narrow to wide displacement 16. 360 ‘s Flat spins both ways 17. Charleston swing hops 18. Linked hop turns on one ski, switch skis 19. Flat ski (Wedel) turns, quick pivot turns 20. Specified amount of turns within a set distance 21. Wedge Crab Turns. Place hand on outside knee to direct the leg steering 22. Inside leg steering through the progression from Wedge to Parallel 23. Patience turns from fall-line 24. Hop turns while in a J-turn. Lengthen the radius. Hops both out of and into the turn 25. Stationary pole drills to feel the leg muscles 26. Ski with poles held behind the knees 27. Ultra slow parallel turns 28. Short turns with strong emphasis on turning lower body, working towards counter rotation 29. Javelin Turns 30. Steer different turn shapes. Z, hook, comma, semi circle etc.