Improve your skate skiing

This month let's look at skating from a direction slightly backward from the usual approach. Most instruction starts with the explanation phase and then the student trying to master the goal for the lesson.

This time I'm recommending total video immersion preceded by minimal explanation. The first step is to get your hands on some great video footage. And by far, the best skating DVDs for total immersion I've ever seen were made from video shot of the elite Birkie wave from the lead snowmobile.

The 2011 American Birkebeiner Video is available at www.birkie.com. And nope, I'm not on the Birkie payroll. The skiers filmed at the front are just that good.

Why do I think they are the best for visual learning? First, the tape of the leaders is about two hours in length so it lasts a long time, yet your are not repeatedly viewing the same footage.

Second, the skiers at the front are not going full throttle but skiing at a survival pace so they have enough in the tank to finish as well as they can. In other words, they are skiing relative to their abilities. That's what the average skier should do. No doubt, the average skier goes much slower and usually doesn't ski as smoothly, but the feeling will be quite close.

Compare that to the most viewed skier on the World Cup, Norway's Peter Northug, who is often featured in his incredible sprint to the finish, poles flashing in the sun. Makes good video but is a display of athleticism well beyond the reach of the average skier.

Instead of the thrashing style of Northug, our subconscious goal is to learn to ski in a relaxed, efficient, yet fast style manner, and one that can be maintained for great distances.

The gliding phase
First, a brief explanation of what we'll be looking for in our total immersion sessions. While there are at least five skating variations (the V-1, flying herringbone, V-2, Open Field and the no-poles skates), there are only two ways skis themselves glide and skate off the snow.

In the faster skate techniques (Open Field, no poles and V-2), there is a distinct gliding phase before the poles are planted and the next skate-off occurs. However, when the terrain gets steeper, the poles must be planted as soon as the new gliding ski hits the ground. Why? Gravity with friction from the snow would bring the skier to a halt if the pole plants were delayed. And that stop/start motion is a very inefficient way to ski.

So our total immersion sessions will concentrate on the gliding skis of the elite skiers on different terrain. First, in faster snow conditions, the ski glides before the poles are planted. Second, in slower snow conditions, the poles are planted just as, or slightly before, the gliding ski touches the snow (or pavement when roller skiing).

Rather than try to analyze what is happening, just get the feel for what you see. Try to ingrain those feelings so that you can duplicate rather than imitate.

For instance, during the glide before poling you should feel the gradual rhythmic swaying of your body from side to side. Your ski will automatically be placed flatter on the snow and the off-leg will leisurely float over, with exact timing, so that when it is next to the gliding ski, you are ready for the next skate-off. In the early days, I described this as the floating comma.

Then note what happens to the gliding skis when the hills steepen and the V-1 comes into play. Because conditions are slower, you must plant the poles sooner or you would just slow down too much during the glide, skiing in a stop/start motion. So the poles must be planted immediately (or even slightly before) when the strong-side ski touches the snow/pavement.

Now focus on how the leg action changes drastically when a skier transitions from a faster skate to the V-1. The off ski now immediately moves forward; there is no delayed gradual floating of the off-leg on the slower skates. If there was, you'd slow down too much on each stroke. So in hillier conditions, the legs are in constant dynamic motion.

Yes, the skis are still gliding, but the off-ski is moving forward during the glide. That's quite different from the pure glide phase of the faster skates. This is much easier seen by watching elite skiers, so immerse yourself in the video until the difference between the two forms of skating has been ingrained in your subconscious.

Now one more tip for the average skier. While the strongest skiers will ski up some moderate hills using V-2, I'd strongly suggest that the average skier use the more efficient V-1 upon encountering hills. It just requires less strength and is much easier to get up hills when you stay in the aerobic zone. For many skiers, V-1 is the only stroke they use, whether on flats or hills. While you'll probably never win the Birkie with that strategy, many skiers would be far better off and enjoy skiing more if they made to V-1 their stroke of choice.

So try to absorb the feeling of the different skates. Focus on the angles of the skis in different conditions. How far apart are the tips? While we were concentrating on ski glide this session, you could do the same for poling action or even how the body moves through the different strokes.

No matter what you were concentrating on during your video sessions, the next time you ski or roller ski, let the feelings you've absorbed dictate how you ski. Hopefully, you'll find yourself skiing in a more relaxed and flowing manner, enjoying it more.

Lee Borowski is a past USSA Nordic Coach of the Year, Badger State Winter Games Athlete of the Year and the coach for several junior, senior and collegiate skiers of the year. He has also coached many master skiers who have won both national and world championships. Borowski is the author of several books and articles, and producer of four videos on cross-country skiing technique. He runs the website thesimplesecrets.com.

To order Borowski's "NEW Simple Secrets of Skating" or "The Simple Secrets of Striding," demonstrated through footage of Olympic and world champions, and available on VHS and DVD, send $25 plus $1.75 shipping to Lee Borowski, 4500 Cherokee Drive, Brookfield, WI 53045. Wisconsin residents add $1.27 tax.