Learning PMTS with a Coach: A Video Diary

[A.L.E]

Fore/aft is improving and the hands started to improve from about 4.50 onwards.

I have a few willing family mambers that I would like to teach PMTS and this series of videos is very educational, thank you Rob and Max in particular for giving up your time.

[Max_501]

Max501, you implied that Rob's boots may have been too big. Did you address this at all?

Based on measuring Rob's foot and comparing it to my foot I suspect his boots are too wide but I'm not a boot fitter so there wasn't much I could do to help with that. Length is probably OK.

Also, what kind of footbeds were in those bad boys?

They are custom footbeds Rob had made by a non-PMTS tech. Can't speak for the effectiveness.

[oggy]

I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but that's really some progress for just 3 days. Kudos to both of you. I'm scared of what will the day 4 footage bring, I'm guessing shots of Rob blazing through those bumps, preferably backwards, on one ski, all the while reading a book (the other hand holding the obligatory pipe).

On a more serious note, I'm really having difficulties spotting problems in Rob's skiing in this footage (apart from the bump runs, obviously). OK, CB in the longer turns to the left seems like it could use some improvement, and the hands could still be better, but nothing major.

[rocket1015]

Sorry to make the comments that I did on April 12, 2010. I clearly did not understand the PMTS terminology. Bob is doing very good under your instruction and he is an excellent student who will continue to improve. Rocket

[Max_501]

Bob is doing very good under your instruction and he is an excellent student who will continue to improve.

Rarely have I seen a statement that rings so true. When one considers that I am not a professional coach (far, far from it), Rob's progress is all the more stunning.

Truth is that I am much more of a drill Sergeant!

I recall a conversion along the lines of -

Max: "More CA"

Rob: "I can't CA more than I already am.".

Max: "Of course you can and don't use the phrase 'I can't' because its self defeating".

Rob: "Really, I can't access more CA"

Max: "Don't be a pussy"

[MonsterMan]

There is hope for us drill sergeants after all. I often feel guilty when I try to help family and friends, but now I know this works so well I'll stick to my style.

[Max_501]

There is hope for us drill sergeants after all. I often feel guilty when I try to help family and friends, but now I know this works so well I'll stick to my style.

From what HH tells me it only works if you are accredited. So, get yourself to the PMTS accreditation an learn how to coach the PMTS way!

[idahorob]

Max: "Don't be a pussy"

So, I continued, "I don't mean 'can't' as in forever, I mean for right now." Then I took my skis off and worked on it without the sliding, then added skis again and it might have been a little better. I have to learn to be a lot more clear in my language with a drill sergeant, because, in general, he's right. Don't let Max's modesty fool you, though. He's a really fine teacher, especially given that he hasn't spent much time coaching with a rehab project like I was.

By the way, did anyone catch the change after lunch Max referred to? It had to do with the boots and was something that could be done while having a couple of Oregon microbrew Porters in the lodge. Sorry, Max, couldn't resist another hint!

[idahorob]

By the way, did anyone catch the change after lunch Max referred to? It had to do with the boots and was something that could be done while having a couple of Oregon microbrew Porters in the lodge. Sorry, Max, couldn't resist another hint!

Forget this. I just came online and went right to the last post instead of looking at the previous page where the secret was revealed. Can I blame the Oregon porter I just had with dinner?

[idahorob]

Also, what kind of footbeds were in those bad boys? Harald alluded to possible foot issues (video of Rob's feet from the rear were interesting especially left foot).

Footbeds are Conformables. They're from a highly respected local ski shop, but I asked so many questions about them they told me to come back in a week when the regional rep would be in town and he would personally do my footbeds. This guy looked at my feet, grinned, removed his shoe and sock and put his foot next to mine. They looked interchangeable. I figured he would have an understanding of my feet, since he'd been living with them his whole life.

That may have been true, but he didn't understand their interface with skiing. Harald writes that an on-snow evaluation is absolutely necessary and I believe it for sure now. In my alignment video many were surprised that I didn't track more to the inside, but this doesn't show up in the shop like it does on the slope. They were blind, as is every shop I know. Those footbeds weren't made for my Nordicas. However, trying on the Speedmachines in the store, I was worried they were too tight, but putting my footbeds in there made them fit comfortably and snugly. I wanted the 14s, as they were stiffer, but the shop doesn't carry those because, they say, they're too stiff for any local skier to use. I just walked away and found my current boots on Craig's list. The previous owner said he'd never skied in them, but couldn't get them to fit right. Max and I speculated that the heel lifts were a shop's attempt to fit them.

When I got the boots I just thought that's the way Nordica made boots. And, I'll tell you, after taking those heel lifts out, there was a lot more volume in the boots. At the end of the video diary I want to write a post about the pitfalls of doing it yourself, even with PMTS. There are a lot of us out there trying this and my case highlights how it can go wrong. More on that later.

[nugget]

[i]"That may have been true, but he didn't understand their interface with skiing. Harald writes that an on-snow evaluation is absolutely necessary and I believe it for sure now. In my alignment video many were surprised that I didn't track more to the inside, but this doesn't show up in the shop like it does on the slope. They were blind, as is every shop I know".[/i]

Ain't that the truth. I am guessing that if most people see skiing as a two footed activity versus an often/mostly one footed activity with active balance transfer then it is hardly surprising. Two footed flexion of hips, knees and ankle while static does not correlate with dynamic one footed skiing at all and says nothing about being balanced in the boot whilst on the snow.

You have made impressive gains. Max501 has done an excellent job professional coach or not! It also demonstrates the efficacy of PMTS instruction (and the pitfalls of DIY which we all succumb to eventually) and of the system as a whole.

[h.harb]

Harald writes that an on-snow evaluation is absolutely necessary and I believe it for sure now.

We have so much experience with skiers on snow, we can look at a boot set up on snow and already make many determinations about the set up inside the boot, relative to ramp, footbed type, boot size and fit. Remember Harb Ski Systems invented the on snow alignment process, and I don't think anyone has come close. We do this everyday and we do it until we get it right.
Before I instituted the first on snow alignment center in the history of skiing, for recreational skiers, at Winter Park, I canted my ski racer athletes during my whole coaching career.
After that I operated on snow Alignment Centers for seven years at three resorts including Winter Park, one at Aspen and one at Telluride.


In the last 12 years since we started our company; we have added to and documented all assessments to gain an amazing amount of data on feet, boots, footbeds, alignment and how they relate to on snow situations.

Therefore, now we can do an almost perfect job indoors, without the skiing on snow evaluation, but we prefer to have the skiing evaluation as confirmation. We still ski with 85 percent of all the skiers who buy ski boots from us, when we are at our camps or privately. So even if we have not seen every skier, skiing, we are sure of excellent results.

We can make a foot bed and do a total assessment at our shop and it will be very close to a final result, we get on snow, possibly with some miner tweaks. No on else in the ski industry has this understanding and can prove their results as we can. Especially when you consider the on snow proof and experience we bring. We can do this because we construct footbeds like no other ski shop. Our footbeds are based on needs for one footed, balanced, on snow performance and we have the knowledge to make them perfect. Harb Ski Systems, leads the Ski industry in all aspects of alignment and we innovate the process on a continual bases.

[jclayton]

Probably no one else will ever do this . Profit margins are never going to be high without fast,mass turnover . The crafstman is fast disappearing .

[Max_501]

Day 3 was a great day. Excellent weather, good progress on movements, and the discovery of the heel lifts.



In the morning hours (Part 1) quite a bit of work was done on flexing/extending and home base arm position. Rob's tipping was going well so all that was needed there was an occasional reminder to tip the inside ski while doing the other stuff. A bit of work on CA/CB and then we moved to the OFR and TFR work. During the release drills Rob worked hard on finding more CA which showed in the skiing following the release work.



The afternoon hours (Part 2) were a new fore/aft experience for Rob because we had removed the heel lifts discovered during our lunch break. The first couple of runs were mainly for Rob to feel the new fore/aft balance. We did a flexing/extending range of motion test to see if he could still access his full range of motion. And then we started work on pulling everything together into a BPST. To do this we'd have a quick chat about turn size/shape, a focus on an essential like CA, and then I'd set a track for Rob to follow. I'd give him feedback on what was working and what was missing. If one of the essentials needed more work we'd do a drill to address it. A consistent bit of feedback was a reminder to keep the inside foot tucked in and pulled back for a nice narrow stance.

I wanted to work on fore/aft drills but with the removal of the heel lifts Rob's heel was slipping too much so they weren't productive.

Throughout the day we mixed in a focus on homebase by holding the poles horizontally with both hands and keeping them parallel with the shoulders and pelvis.

From my point of view the day had been a huge success because the essentials were all coming together.

[MonsterMan]

Nice work with a slipping heel.