Of course, snow conditions can influence these strategies in a big way. On very hard snow, some aggressive action is often necessary, at the very least to control speed while the reverse is absolutely true on softer runs.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Learning from the young (continued)
Another learning element that comes from observing racers is the deliberate choice, or the happy medium, between smooth gliding and aggression while racing. Younger and female skiers generally seem to do better with the former while their older and male counterparts tend to pick the opposite approach. It's clear however that too much force goes against fine gliding and that a happy medium can be hard to strike.
Of course, snow conditions can influence these strategies in a big way. On very hard snow, some aggressive action is often necessary, at the very least to control speed while the reverse is absolutely true on softer runs.
At any rate the soft versus hard approach remains a continuous subject for debate. I'm clearly in favor of the former, but that's an opinion dictated more by my style and my athletic abilities than by some absolute proof!
Of course, snow conditions can influence these strategies in a big way. On very hard snow, some aggressive action is often necessary, at the very least to control speed while the reverse is absolutely true on softer runs.
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1 comment:
I really like your analysis of competitive skiing and find it absolutely right. It applies also to any artistic/athletic performance, like dancing, ice skating, etc. At the base is the method and knowledge, which gives the smoothness (nice technical term), the elegance and style. One needs to master the tools (snow, equipment) and the environment (slope, weather, course design). The aggression is the spice one adds to the preparation, the salt and pepper, that should enhance the rest but not overcome the base knowledge. It is conceivable that the competitors can reach the same degree of skills and physical ability. Then only the measure of risk and aggression makes the difference, the ability to define how far one can go without having the efficiency curve plateau or dip...or fall off (in the nets, a tree, a gate, etc.).
As in many endeavors, as performance increases, the cost of errors rises, hence the risks. It is like finances: the higher the risks, the higher the returns, but since nobody gets physically hurt when it crashes, any jerk becomes a banker. Which is an argument for bringing corporal punishment to sanction business failure. Lets whip the dumb financier with a number of lashes equal to the number of dollars he/she lost through stupidity.
Sorry, way too long for a simple comment.
Bill
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