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   "SKIING IS A SLIDING SPORT":
 Conventional Skiing Wisdoms (CSW's) 
by Bill Jones, Ski Instructor
Certified Professional Ski Instructor (Registration #110478), Level III
How To Reserve a Private Ski Lesson with Bill Jones

 CSW # 7: "Wind-up the upper body to initiate turns."

In an earlier time when skis were harder to turn than they are now, extra turning force was applied to get them to pivot around. For instance, we can move the body at the end of a turn in a direction opposite to the next turn so that we could then twist around farther and get more turning effect in the coming turn (called counter-rotation). A variation is to move the body in the same direction as the next turn and then block the upper body with muscle tension while continuing to twist the lower body, called "split-rotation".) The trouble is that these powerful moves are difficult to finesse once put in motion, and so turns are hard to alter as we go around. Modern skis turn so easily that we can turn the legs in the pelvis sockets to create the turn and fine-tune it as we go. Still, the wind-up can be useful to make a turn more quickly, as in moguls with a blocking pole plant around which we can spin in a tighter arc. The wind-up can also be useful in heavier and wetter snow. Keep it in your bag of tricks, but apply this only when the best option.

main CSW contents
prior CSW #6: "Up-unweight to initiate turns"
next CSW #8: "Skiing moguls ruins your knees, or back"

"SKIING IS A SLIDING SPORT"--a skiing web manual:    Skiing Web Manual Contents   Why Read This Skiing Web Manual  That First Skiing Lesson  A Little Skiing History  Motion in Skiing  CONVENTIONAL SKIING WISDOMS  Skier Excuses   Fear in Skiing  Conditioning for Skiing   Equipment and Technique  Skiing Equipment  How Skis Work   How to Develop Balance on Skis  A Skiing Turn Simplified  The Final Skiing Skill: pressure management  Tactics for Terrains and Snow Textures and Racing  Skiing Tips and Tales--a potpourri    Exercises for Developing Skiing Skills  Children and Skiing  Age and Skiing  Gender & Skiing  Culture & Skiing  Skiing Ethics and Survival  Slope Safety  Skiing Environment  Glossary Acknowledgements SkiMyBest Website Contents  

This "CSW #7: 'Wind up the upper body...'" page last modified January 9, 2022. Did you come here from a link on another website? For latest version of this page, copy to your browser: http://www.SkiMyBest.com/skiCSW07.htm. Copyright © 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. William R Jones.