For decades the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) promoted a student-centered teaching method referred to as “Skills Concept” where the focus was communicating body movements to students. In 1987 PSIA wrote their manual titled “American Teaching System.” The teaching direction emphasized Edging Movements, Rotary Movements, Pressure Movements and Balancing Movements. Removed from the curriculum were the physics and the biomechanics of the skis interacting with the snow surface. This teaching method downplayed technical teaching.
At the same time, radical technological changes in ski manufacturing began creating equipment that made it much easier to turn in all snow conditions. Skis just turned for students, “let the ski designers handle physics and mechanics,” said PSIA, “teach the student to make the appropriate body movements,” became PSIA’s goal. Besides, claimed PSIA, “students didn’t want to know the technical stuff, they just want the skis to turn.” Instead of teaching students to understand the technique, movements were used to generate outcomes without regards to whether they might effectivelead to good skiing.
The de-emphasis of biomechanics and ski physics left ski instructors with a lack of understanding of how biomechanical movements might affect the physical interaction between the snow surface and the skis. Without this knowledge, adapting learning progressions for student’s skiing on technologically superior equipment became stagnant. Racing Coaches were the only ski professionals teaching students how to extract every performance benefits. Over the last two decades as ski technology improved, race coaches gravitated towards the study of biomechanics and physics to try to find ways to squeeze every advantage. After 25 years of shaped ski evolution and studying the human athlete’s progress, PSIA decided to complement their teaching methodology by adding a technical manual as required reading for their members. The “Alpine Technical Manual” was newly published in 2015 and has become an excellent tool for OET Instructor reference.
Since 2014, NSP saw elements of biomechanic body stacking begin to creep into our teaching methods. “Maintaining BOS under CM” became a mantra that permeated down through our Division. But none of this leads to teaching well until we begin to understand why it’s important. Understanding “all” FIVE skiing fundamental together leads to a far more effective understanding of the skiing technique and how to teach students.
At NSP we strive to teach students the most efficient and effective skiing technique that revolves around ski riding or carving. The technology revolution that swept through the ski industry gave us the shaped skis that carved easily. Engaging skis that carve often takes a large muscular burden off the human athlete, as the ski’s technical performance frees the athlete to ride an efficiently edged and bent ski. The question is, how do we teach the student to set up a carved ski and patiently extract the ski’s available capabilities to increase skier efficiency and performance.
The answer lies in understanding PSIA’s “Five Fundamentals of Skiing” and how they relate to each other. NSP OET published the Five in 2017 directly from our partner PSIA.
The FIVE:
- Control the relationship of the CM to the BOS to direct PRESSURE along the length of the ski.
- Control PRESSURE from ski to ski directing PRESSURE towards the outside skis.
- Control EDGE angles through a combination of inclination and angulation.
- Control the skis’ ROTATION (turning, pivoting, steering) using leg rotation, separate from the upper body.
- Regulate the magnitude of PRESSURE created through ski-snow interaction.
Effectively stacking skiers on their skeleton and employing the Five Fundamentals delivers kinesthetic breakthroughs for students. Continued guided practice and coaching help students solidify the movements. New skiing techniques begin to replace the old less effective habituated movements, as students experience the progress in their performance.
Not only do the Five Fundamentals help progress student’s skiing, but it also leads to improvements in performing “Patroller Skills” important while handling rescue toboggans. Review the Five with your students when sideslipping and your students will experience a more effective biomechanical stance, leveraging their ability to pressure the snow and feel the improvements when regulating it across the length of the entire ski.
Whether teaching a skiing enhancement event for Patrollers or coaching students in a Toboggan Handling course; employing the Five Fundamentals can be the fastest way of helping students make progress. They will feel the benefits and walk away from your event with new or improved skills that can be employed the next day and into the future. As a Patrol Trainer, skiing athlete and an Instructor, consider adding the “PSIA Alpine Technical Manual” to your collection of books. It makes for a helpful reference for every OET Instructor.
