An earlier post discussed the four basic styles of learning: doing, thinking, seeing, and feeling. This post explores the thinking learning style. and does so by explaining the same improvement focus as the previous post; isolate your upper body from your lower body.
Archive for the ‘Teaching Philosophy’ Category
Today is the Men’s Combined Event at the Torino 2006 Games; the racers will compete in both a downhill and a slalom course. The downhill event will be first followed by the slalom, with the medals going to the racers who can show a broad range of skills by being fast in both. The challenge of fhe Combined is that these two events have very little in common except that they’re both alpine skiing. It takes an extra special skier to be able to excel at two disimilar activities in the same day; we can learn alot about skiing skills by watching the Combined and comparing how the racers change their movements between the downhill and slalom.
An earlier post discussed the four basic styles of learning: doing, thinking, seeing, and feeling. This post explores the feeling learning style. and does so by explaining the same improvement focus as the previous post; isolate your upper body from your lower body.
The men’s downhill events at Torino 2006 are today; our hopes are with Bode and Darren for fast snow and faster times. Since everything goes to an extreme when you’re going 86 mph, (135 kph), you can learn a lot about balance by watching downhillers as some movements become very obvious. Balance is key at that speed; to understand more about balance in skiing, watch where the racer’s hands are.
There are four basic styles of learning: doing, thinking, seeing, and feeling. Every person generally has one learning style which is most effective for them, with a combination of the other styles playing a part to various degrees. In skiing and riding instruction, these learning styles are the basis for almost every improvement suggestion. As an example, this post explores the doing learning style.
Here’s a suggestion for improving edging in your skiing. Traditionally, this is a child-centered learning (a.k.a. for the kids) type of tip, but it typically appeals to any skier of all ages due to its effectiveness and simplicity. To improve your edging, move your knees as if they were the headlights of your body.
How do you ask for a private ski lesson or private snowboard lesson? You want to get the most bang for your buck, right? Take these tips into consideration.
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Skiing on the outside leg only is one of the true gold standards of improving one’s skiing. It’s an activity that has several benefits, capable of being used for different movements and sensations. For this post, let’s talk about stance.
One leg skiing could be considered a ‘cheater’ exercise in that it isn’t really how you ski, but doing it successfully exposes you to highly effective motions and sensations. Go to easy terrain and begin to make a comfortable parallel turn at medium speed. After a few turns, start making turns where you lift your inside leg only a couple inches of the snow, alternating with each new turn. After it’s off the snow, it will be easier to balance on the support leg if you rest the raised leg against the boot of the support leg. If you struggle at first, try just tapping the inside ski through each turn; this effort is lower-impact and will give you the same sensation.
The world of sports has many examples where the introduction of new equipment has changed the nature of the activity. Consider what hockey was like before goalie masks. Consider playing in the NBA with low-top sneakers. Consider sailing with cloth sails. The equipment innovations that replaced these conditions were far from a crutch; they allowed athletes to refine their movements and reach new levels of performance.
In the early nineties, the availability of skis with exaggerated sidecut dimensions brought renewed ease of effort and fun to skiers of all abilities. These new style of skis were so exotic in appearance that they were initially referred to by such phrases as “hourglass skis, parabolics, or goofies”. After barely a decade, this class of skis is simply referred to as “shaped” and represents the contemporary ski of choice on the slopes today.
There are many learning styles in skiing including visual, thinking, doing, and feeling. When you’re out working on your skiing by yourself, feeling has an advantage over the other three in that it provides direct and tangible feedback through your body. The other three really require external reinforcement by a coach to help you determine if you’re making the desired moves or not. Since feeling allows you to work solo, so to speak, it’s a useful method for a self-check to determine if you’re moving in a balanced stance. How your gear feels on your body is excellent feedback and one specific sensation to know if you’re balanced is where you feel your ski boots on your calf.