How are where to relax
In recent lessons on snow I have been focusing on relaxation, very specific relaxation of certain areas of the body to facilitate efficient movement for transition, angulation and ski performance. We already know that being relaxed when we ski is important. Relaxation means many things to many people. How do we or should we relax? It is obvious that we can?t relax every muscle when skiing. Some parts of the body relax others are in tension and still others are moving through muscle co-contraction. Co-contraction, which I introduced in Book 1 and the Instructor Manual, refers to muscles on opposite sides of joints balancing and stabilizing the joint. It can also refer to muscles working in conjunction to absorb uneven surfaces. For example, the quad muscles extend the leg to maintain contact with the surface and the hamstring muscles control the body from dropping or lowering to quickly when the quads relax. We often speak about these activities in bump and powder skiing.
Muscle overuse
We also talk about ?relaxing to release? stance leg pressure at the end of a turn to allow tipping of the new free foot and leg. We know to the contrary, that in a wedge the muscles are always under tension. The muscles in both legs are contracted to maintain wedge stances. Beginners therefore suffer from muscle pain and fatigue. Theses issues are never addressed for this approach to skiing. Put a beginner from sea level in Colorado and teach him the wedge. About a half hour of this will reduce even a well conditioned person to a ball of mush. In a wedge there is never any relaxation period. The amount of overall tension in the wedge learner?s body also contributes to early fatigue. Fatigue and lactic acid in muscles interferes with quality of movement and mental acuity. This are the scenarios for skiers at the early levels of wedge teaching progressions.
Movement Efficiency
With the PMTS system the advantages go well beyond the immediate benefits of parallel skiing. With PMTS the skiers do last longer in the lesson without fatigue because stepping, shuffling and tipping movements are less debilitating to the muscles. In each step or movement there is a recovery period for the opposite muscle group. The PMTS system is efficient from every stand point, bio-mechanically, as well as in extending muscle endurance.
Efficiency at higher levels
Now let?s take this to the intermediate and advanced level. The intermediate skier trying to steer the skis to turn is actually doing to things. He is turning the femurs to turn the skis and he is contorting the body to stay in control. The deliberate steering actions of both legs can?t allow the body to keep the hip in an angulated position as the legs are twisting the pelvis into rotation. Now the skier has a dilemma. The skis are skidding and gaining speed. The only defense the skier has is to push the lower leg away to dig the ski into the snow to slow down, the same way they did in the wedge turn stop. This is an ugly picture. We have all seen it on the slopes.
Balance and separation of activity
When a skier is taught to balance on one leg the other leg can relax and valuable oxygenated blood rushes to the muscle. This keeps lactic acid from building in the muscles. (the leg on the inside does have activity, it tips to the inside of the turn with foot tipping from the extended phantom move activity, but this activity is an action of the invertors of the foot and external rotators of the hip.) These are different muscles then the ones used on the stance side. Some of you may see now why accurate delivery of movement is so important when teaching skiing. The proper movements help keep lactic acid from building up. The free ski side of the body can relax and the stance ski side does the balance and stance work.
Relaxing for performance
Now take this further, what if the free ski side of the body starting with the inside leg relaxes so much the body begins to collapse? This relaxation should move up the body and also apply to the hip and lower back. The collapsing through further relaxation moves the inside hip and CM farther into the center of the turn. More body angles are developed and the skis carve more efficiently. At the point of release the stance leg must relax and bend or flex to move to a new turn. When the legs relax in this way it is easy to tilt and move the feet and ankles so the skis move to their new edges. Compare this approach to pushing the CM into the turn. Pushing not only creates tension, but it also disrupts balance.
Tension of any kind in the legs during the release and transition, will interfere with a smooth turn entry. Pushing the CM around destroys balance and is very difficult to adjust for tuning of balance. Relaxing to let the body move with the natural forces of the mountain is the way to ski with balance and conservation of energy. PMTS presents the total picture. It is holistic in more ways than efficient movement it is bio-mechanically accurate and physiologically efficient.
More on this topic in the next installation on relaxing, I will also introduce the concept of mid body relaxation to achieve mid and upper body co-ordination.