learn-to-train

Ski Walking, Striding, and Bounding

Posted on by Luk Arbuckle

Before doing ski walking or bounding, work on some of the drills for natural or barefoot running (e.g., landing on forefoot, toe-knee-nose, straight stance leg, drive knee forward). This will prepare athletes for ski striding, which will simulate the kick phase of diagonal stride.

CCC Technique Checklist

  • Forward body lean comes from a flexed ankle so that the middle of hips is over toes at initiation of leg push.
  • Complete extension of the leg and arm at the end of their respective pushes (NB: shorter poles than for skiing on snow must be used to achieve this).
  • The skier’s strides end by landing the recovery leg on a flat foot (not on the heel!), as if the skier had skis on.
  • On pole plant, hands are at or below shoulder height with a 90 degree angle at the elbow.

Videos

Progressions

These progressions should be done on a slight hill, from ski walking, to ski striding, to ski bounding. Introduce poles after a couple of sessions without poles, once the athletes are comfortable with the techniques. Note that ski poles are usually a bit shorter for these dryland exercises.

Ski Walking

  1. lean forward (without bending at the hips) until you need to drive the right (left) knee forward to land on the forefoot (toe-knee-nose, back leg remains straight), three times per side
  2. repeat while focusing on slipping the driving foot into a slipper with all weight ending on the driving leg, while holding the back leg straight, three times per side
  3. start with the right leg, then repeat the three steps with the left leg
    1. swing the driving leg forward and backwards while standing in one place, three times
    2. repeat with arms swinging in step (opposite arm pushing forward with driving leg), three times
    3. swing the driving leg forward and bring the knee up, then swing the driving leg backward and straighten it out while standing in one place,  three times
  4. put the sequence together into a slow walk up the hill in a controlled manner counting “one steamboat” per step
    • lean forward until you need to drive a knee forward and bring your hips with the driving knee, bring the back foot up to the forward foot while holding your balance, and now repeat with the opposite foot/leg, arms swinging in step (athletes should be going side-to-side as their hips follow the driving knee, with the weight over that foot)

Ski Striding

  1. repeat at a moderate walking pace, building a slight bounce in the step (no heels, hips following the driving leg to create a side-side motion going forward)
  2. repeat at a fast walking pace, but watch for proper technique!

Ski Bounding

  1. Repeat at a fast walking pace, but with an explosive bounce to emphasize the push off
    • Make sure the landing is on the forefront of the foot, with the back leg straight and then driving forward, with the hips following the driving leg to ensure proper weight transfer
  2. Repeat with a larger side-to-side bounce to simulate the push off in skate skiing

Adding Poles

  1. While standing, swing arms side to side while holding the poles near their balance point, hands reaching up to shoulder height with elbows about 90 degrees at the elbow
    • this should feel natural, arms not stretched out or pulled in when they are raised to shoulder height
  2. Repeat ski walking, striding, and bounding while holding the poles near their balance point
    • the weight of the poles will help emphasize the movement of the arms and improve timing and coordination
  3. While standing, swing arms side to side while holding poles by their grips, hands reaching up to shoulder height with elbows about 90 degrees at the elbow during plant
    • again, this should feel natural, arms not stretched out or pulled in when they are raised to shoulder height
  4. Repeat ski walking, striding, and bounding while using poles

Double Poling

Posted on by Luk Arbuckle

Double poling relies upon upper body strength and coordination. It is the fastest and most powerful classical technique, known as the third gear in classic skiing, after one-step double pole (second gear) and diagonal stride (first gear). It is also the fundamental movement that classical and skate styles have in common, and so as coaches we should place considerable emphasis on it in our training sessions, especially at the beginning of the year.

Recent Development in Double Poling

With the development of sprint racing over the last decade, a stronger and faster, more aggressive double poling technique has evolved. In the past double poling has focused on full extension of arms and poles after the final push and on a torso parallel with the ground. In the fast tempo of current double poling, a quick crunch-motion has replaced the long recovery phase taught in the past. In classic sprints where up hills are short, double poling can be the sole technique used in a race, but it is, of course, not sustainable in longer races where the ascents last too long.

CCC Technique Checklist

  • The hips, upper body, and arms are well forward and high to load the poles on pole plant (poles are planted in front of the bindings).
  • The skier pulls down on the poles, engaging the back, shoulder, core, and arm muscles.
  • Legs are slightly flexed on pole plant, with flex increasing noticeably – but not excessively– during the poling action.
  • Upper body compression ends before the horizontal position.
  • At pole plant, the shafts are nearly vertical, with grips slightly ahead of pole tips to allow for lag time before applying significant force onto the poles. Poles are planted parallel to each other and at shoulder width for maximal power transfer into poles (straight back and down).

Videos

HHAC(S)–Double Poling Mnemonic

Teach the following in a progression:

  1. Hands (H) come up to eye height so that they frame the face; elbows should be lower than hands.
  2. Hips (H) are forward with knee slightly bent (ready position); imagine a string attached to the skier’s belly button pulling him or her forward.
  3. Abdominal Crunch (AC) generates the power with weight pulling down on poles; core should be activated not hip flexors for force production; breathing out should be linked with contraction.
  4. Slight Squat (S) is introduced when the previous steps are done well; stress quick arm recovery by limiting the hands from passing the hips.

Throughout the doubling pole technique, there is a dynamic motion of ankle, knee, and hip joints. One’s eyes should also be looking forward throughout the entire cycle.

Skill Level

At the end of a season of Jackrabbit Level 3, an athlete can be expected to double pole effectively for 400 meters on the flats. At the “basic” level, they should be able to do the following:

  • after upper body bends to the horizontal position, arms extend pushing the poles with strength
  • arms and upper body come from finish forward at the same time with arms going in a straight line as if going up a handrail

At the “good” level, more can be expected of the athlete:

  • skier leans slightly forward with hands at shoulder level, elbows slightly bent, and poles at a slight angle to snow, pointing slightly backwards
  • skier uses upper-body weight when bending to horizontal position
  • skier’s elbows do not bend to less than 90 degrees
  • skier’s legs are not excessively bent

Errors to Watch For

The most fundamental problem with new skiers is that they do not use their core to generate power through their poles. All of the following errors, which are taken from CCC and CAC coaching materials (Training to Train: On Snow Module), are variants of this problem.

  • Jackknife Position: The skier does not use the body weight to enhance the power of the poling action. The body weight is over the heels instead of the toes. Instruct the skier to get his or her hips forward.
  • Excessive Flexion of the Trunk: Some skiers will flex the upper body to the horizontal position and beyond. This error forces the skier to waste time and energy to return to a high pole plant position. Instruct the skier to stop the hands at the knees at the end of the poling action.
  • Head Ducking: The skier is unable to gain power from the action of the abdominal muscles. Emphasize that the shoulder must be the first arm joint to be used in the upper body.
  • Sitting Double Pole: This error is similar to jackknifing, except that the skier sits down through excessive flexing of the knees. In this case, the flexion in the knees counteracts the contraction from the abdominal muscles and trunk. Instruct the skier to get a high pole plant with forward lean and to avoid bending at the knee.
Special thanks to Grant Williams for this summary.