I have been skiing for about two weeks here. There are lots of race teams here from ten year olds to university age. Yesterday Harald came with a small group of 13 year olds. All week I have been watching coaches and their racers ski down as fast as crowd and conditions permit. today in the lift line I overheard a young coach tell her ten year olds to go,as,fast as they can.
What was immediately noticeable about Harald's group is how slowly they skied down and how many times each run they would stop for coaching. The other race groups may stop once and then they just go to the bottom. Harald's kids might do 25 turns and stop and then get immediate feedback. Harald's kids are skiing no wider than a groomer width.
I observed some of Harald's coaching close up today. There isn't a lot of talking. Each kid gets their feedback and then Harald' does a demo and waives them down or sends them down a short distance for more feedback. What these kids are doing is tough, they are constantly working under a watchful coach. I noticed a big difference from yesterday to today in their skiing. Their turns are round, speed is controlled at the top of the turn and they are making a real effort to employ all the essentials in their skiing.
These kids are learning more than PMTS, they are also learning discipline. In the space that Harald's kids are making 25 turns, the other race kids are maybe doing 4 turns at double or triple the turn width. Harald's coaching and the kids participation is working. The kids are smart enought to know that their hard work is paying off. I read a quote which I think is appropriate, "discipline is the bridge between goals and achievements."
I mentioned to Harald the difference I saw in his coaching methods as opposed to the other coaches having their kids go fast. I suggested that the other coaches preferred the fast speed runs because the other coaches can't do a demo of slow speed short turns like Harald can, so they ski fast and have their kids do the same.