Alpine Coaching Dictionary

apex: / - peks/ The point in a turn that A coincides with the fall-line. arc: /ɑrk/ The curved track left by a carved ab·sor·bing: / Body əbˈzɔːbɪŋ/ v. turn. movements such as flexing and extending to ath·le·tic stance: /aTHˈletik stans/ A body help reduce, increase, or maintain the posture such that the skier is pressure on the base or edges that biomechanically aligned in their joints and results from terrain variations or turn muscle lengths so they can react optimally dynamics. to external forces or respond with agile aero·dy·nam·ics: /ar- -d - nam-iks/ movements as the demand dictates. Refers to how well an athlete moves through the air. The smaller the skier can make themselves usually the more aerodynamic they are. B aft: / aft/ adv. Toward the rear or tail of the banking: The action, or result, of tipping ski(s). the entire body toward the inside of the ski align·ment: /əˈlaɪnmənt/ 1: The positioning turn. Usually has a negative connotation. of the body so that the forces derived from blocking pole plant: The action of the interaction of the skis on the pass stabilizing the torso through pole contact through the body's center of mass to produce with the snow in conjunction with the edge the intended movement. 2: The set at turn completion. –Syn. breaking pole interrelationship of the forward plant. lean, zeppa, canting, and the binding's delta angle on the stance of the skier. an·kle an·gu·la·tion: / a -k l/ Rotation of C the ankle to assist with edging the ski. carving: The skis, traveling along their an·gu·la·tion: Creating lateral angles in the longitudinal axis through the arc of a turn, body for balance while resisting the external where the tails follow as closely as forces from the turn or gravity. This can physically possible the same path as the tips occur with the hip, knee, ankle, or a of the skis. combination of the three. –Syn. comma catching the edge: slang. Establish balance position. and pressure quickly on new outside ski. an·tic·i·pa·tion: /anˌtisəˈpāSHən/ n. 1: A center-of-mass: The point in the skier’s movement in preparation for turning, during body where the skier’s weight is which the upper and lower body are brought concentrated during a specific body posture. into a twisted relationship. The consequently –Syn. CM, CoM, center of gravity. The stretched muscles are quicker and stronger terms "center-of-mass" and "center-of- in contracting and causing movement. The gravity" can be used synonymously. hips play an intermediary role. A skier can cen·trif·u·gal force: /senˈtrif(y)əgəl fɔrs/ A anticipate by twisting the torso in relation to pseudo-force, or effect, that is "felt" when the legs, or the legs in relation to the torso. the skier is attempting to following a curved Usually, both mechanisms interact with one path. being dominant. 2: Mental expectation for cen·trip·e·tal force: /senˈtripətl fɔrs / A any action on skis precedes the physical force that causes a body to follow a curved execution of movements. path; always directed toward the center of the curved path. In centripetal force is

Alpine Coaching Dictionary 1 exerted on a turning ski’s edges and bottoms other ski. 2: Type or variety of ski used for by the snow. the downhill ski racing event. clean skis: slang. Ski-snow interaction that drag: The force that opposes an object's has very little friction and braking. motion. In skiing this is usually through the come from behind: slang, archaic. Tactic air and on the snow. where the ski racer performs a large percentage of his or her turn above the gate. co·or·di·na·tion: /kōˌôrdnˈāSHən/ Behavior E of two or more joints in relation to each edge angle: The degree of tilt of the ski other to produce skilled activity. about its longitudinal axis in relation to the coun·ter: /ˈkountər/ To oppose or to go to supporting surface. Skis placed flat on the the opposite way. In skiing, typically snow have an edge angle of 0°. referred to a relationship in which the lower edge change: Tipping a ski from one edge body turns against or opposes the upper or set of edges to a new edge or set of edges. body or vice versa. edge control: The ability to maintain proper countering movements: Movements that adjustment of the angle between the skis’ place the upper and lower body in a twisted running surface and the snow for the ski relationship, for example, allowing the feet maneuver being performed. to continue to turn while stabilizing the edge control movements: Movements that upper body with a pole plant. Skiers increase or decrease edge angles. generally use countering movements to put edge lock: A situation where the ski is the body into an anticipated position. aggressively edged with the intent of staying counter position: A body position in which on the edge. the chest does not face the direction of edge release: Flattening the skis by travel. In a traverse the chest faces downhill, changing the angle of the edge relative to the in a turn it faces the outside of the turn. slope. counter-rotation: Movement of the upper edge set: A purposeful edge engagement and lower body about the vertical axis in that provides a platform for the next turn. opposite directions. edging: The interaction of the ski with the cross-over: Moving the body’s center-of- supporting surface (snow) and, more mass (CoM) forward and across the skis. specifically, relates to the angle between the The CoM moves from the inside of one turn running surface of the ski and the snow. to the inside of the next turn. edging movements: Movements that

increase or decrease edge angle. e·qui·lib·ri·um: /ˌēkwəˈlibrēəm,/ n. A state D of equal internal and external forces to deep: slang. A tactic where the ski racer create balance. gives lateral distance to the gate. Not to be ex·ten·sion: /ikˈstenSHən/ n. 1: An confused with vertical distance. unbending of a joint between the bones of a de·lib·er·ate prac·tice: limb by which the angle between the bones /diˈlibərit ˈpraktəs/ adj. v. Repetitious is increased. 2: Lengthening or training that has a specific focus. straightening of the muscle; any movement DIRT: Acronym for Duration, Intensity, resulting in an increase of a joint angle. Rate, and Timing. Used in ski instruction ex·ten·sors: n. Muscles that enable and coaching when talking about ski extension at a joint. technique. external forces: An outside force affecting dirty: slang. The result of a stivot, redirect, performance. or skid at turn initiation. downhill ski: 1: The ski which is most down the hill or lower in elevation than the

Alpine Coaching Dictionary 2

gliding: Forward sliding of the skis, either in a direct line down the hill or through a F turn. glisse·ment: /glees-mahn/ French Referring fall-line: The imaginary path, through any to optimizing the actions of the skier and ski single point on the slope, that follows the in which there is limited distraction from steepest descent. The fall-line is the trail on achieving the goal of the turn or run. A which a ball would roll if it were released has more glissement than a down the slope. skidded turn. A damped ski has more FIS: Acronym for Fédération Internationale glissement than a vibrating ski. A tuck has de Ski (International Ski Federation). The more glissement than a standing position. governing body for international ski racing. grounded: slang. Keeping the ski on the flex·ion: /ˈflekSHən/ n. A bending of the snow. joint between the bones of a limb that diminishes the angle between the bones. flex·ors: /ˈflekˌsər,-ˌsôr / n. Any muscle which creates flexion. H flipping the ski: slang. In slalom, it refers hip angulation: Internal rotation of the to the rapid rotation of the ski from its uphill femur, with slight adduction and flexion of edge to its new downhill edge very rapidly, the hip of the outside turning leg along with as opposed to "rolling the ski" which is external rotation of the inside leg's femur slower. It is intended to offer the skier early and hip flexion. edge and allow for early pressure. hip ro·ta·tion: /hip rōˈtāSHən/ n. Turning force: An agent or action that produces a the hips, usually in the direction of the change in the speed and/or direction of a intended turn, for positive or negative body's motion. External forces include effects. gravity, air resistance, and ski-to-snow and hor·i·zon·tal depth: /ˌhôrəˈzän(t)l/ /depTH/ pole-to-snow interactions. Internal force is The horizontal distance the ski racer is from generated by muscle contractions. from gate. fore: Toward the tips of the skis. In front of hor·i·zon·tal dis·tance: /ˌhôrəˈzän(t)l the bindings. //ˈdistəns/ The length (usually in meters) fric·tion: /ˈfrikSHən/ n. Resistance to an across the hill in which the turning gate is object sliding across a surface. A ski sliding set. on ice experiences less friction than a ski hor·i·zon·tal plane: sliding through wet snow. /ˌhôrəˈzän(t)l// plān / n. fron·tal plane: /ˈfrəntl plān/ adj. A vertical A horizontal plane or plane or any plane parallel to it that passes any plane parallel to it through the body from side to side, dividing which passes through it into anterior and posterior halves. –Syn. the body, near the lateral plane, coronal plane. navel, dividing it into full gas: slang. Going 100%. upper and lower haves of equal mass. –Syn. transverse plane. G gate: 1: Two or four poles in which the skier must ski between. 2: Slang for "pole". I glide: Using the least amount of edging in·cli·na·tion: /ˌinkləˈnāSHən/ n. Deviation necessary to achieve the desired direction of from a vertical body position. Specifically, travel. inclination refers to the angle formed by the -to-feet axis of the body and the line of action. A skier is inclined when angulating

Alpine Coaching Dictionary 3 or banking. This term is used to describe the method: The process whereby a sport is overall appearance of the body in taught. Methodology is the overall approach relationship to a vertical reference. to, or orderly arrangement of, the process of Inclination may be sideways in the frontal teaching various movement options. plane or forward/backward in the sagittal movement analysis: The process of plane. assessing a skier's ability – the movement inside arm clear: Method in slalom ski patterns and skill blending – and identifying racing in which the inside arm, or arm the cause-and-effect relationships. The closest to the gate, is used to move the gate coach analyzes the separate components of out of the way such that the ski racer can the athlete's movements to determine the take a tighter path to the gate. focus of the training and identify the steps inside ski: The ski which is most inside the that will produce the desired results. –Syn. arc of the turn. movement assessment, observational internal force: A force produced by the assessment, observation, systematic muscles of the body. observation, qualitative assessment, qualitative analysis, skill analysis, visual analysis, subjective analysis, clinical K diagnosis, error detection, and eyeballing. kin·es·thet·ic: /kɪn əsˈθɛt ɪk/ adj. The body’s sense of motion. ki·netic en·er·gy: /kəˈnetik ˈenərjē/ n. N Energy of motion. Newton's 1st law of motion: An object knee angulation: An appearance of a lateral continues in a state of rest or constant angle of the skier's knee that is from the velocity unless acted on by an external internal rotation of the femur with adduction force. and flexion of the knee. Newton's 2nd law of motion: The resultant force acting on an object is proportional to the rate of change of momentum being in the same direction as the force. L rd Newton's 3 law of motion: If one object lateral movements: Side-to-side body exerts a force on another then there is a movements used to create edge angles and simultaneous equal and opposite force on to maintain body balance while managing or the first object exerted by the second. resisting forces. Newton's laws of motion: The relationship lateral space: The amount of horizontal between force and motion formulated by Sir distance across the hill that the ski racer Isaac Newton. allows when approaching the gate. left foot turn: A ski turn where the left foot (ski) is on the outside of the ski path. A left foot turn would be a right hand turn. O linked turns: Ski turns without or with outside arm clear: Method in slalom ski limited traverse such that the completion and racing in which the outside arm is used to initiation phases blend seamlessly together. move the gate out of the way such that the lower body: The parts of the body that ski racer can take a tighter path to the gate. includes the legs. Specifically the femurs –Syn. "cross-block". down to the feet. Not the pelvis. outside edge: 1: The left hand edge of the left ski and/or the right hand edge of the right ski. 2: The ski edge which is farthest M from the center of the skier or ski turn. outside ski: The ski which is on the outside meter: Equal to 39.37 inches. of the arc during a ski turn.

Alpine Coaching Dictionary 4

is touched to the snow surface rather than firmly inserted into the snow surface. P pole use: Movements that involve the ski poles, such as swinging, touching, planting, parallel position: A body position that is or gate clearing using the ski poles. Timing, continually changing throughout the turn but placing, and technique of the pole maintains parallel skis, and an aligned lead movements affect rhythm and timing of the of the inside of the body to allow for equal turn as well as direction and outcome of ankle flexion. Skier's ankles, knees, hips and body movements. shoulders are aligned corresponding to the pressure: The distribution of force over an lead (inside) ski. area. Pressure underneath the ski can be : A turn made on fore/aft, side-to-side, or ski to ski. corresponding ski edges with simultaneous pressure control: The action of actively edge release and engagement. The skis adjusting the pressure exerted by the skis remain parallel throughout the turn as against the snow. opposed to converging or diverging. pressure control movements: Movements pel·vis: /ˈpelvis/ n. that may affect pressure on the skis. Pressure A cone-shaped bony control and manipulation is achieved ring made up of the through leverage, flexion, extension, right and left pelvic redistribution of weight from foot to foot, bones joined in front increasing and decreasing edge angle, and in back. muscle tension, changing turn shape and picking up the ski: size, etc. slang. Finding the inside edge of the new pro·gres·sion: /prəˈgreSHən/ n. Ordered outside ski early in the turn. steps of learning on a continuum of easiest pin (pin it): slang. Go for it! to mastery. pinch: 1: A turn that is overly tight on the pull radius: slang. Shortening or tighening gate resulting in insufficient space for the the turn radius. ski racers body. 2: A turn that decreases radius after the gate, creating a "comma" shaped turn. pipe: slang. A carved turn. R pivoting: Turning the skis about an axis rebound: The recoil or springing back of a perpendicular to the running surface which decambered ski. When a skier bends the skis results in the skis being displaced at an angle through the turn (i.e., decambering) and then to the skier's direction of travel. releases the pressure and forces, the skis can pole: The FIS term for the tall (1.8m) red rebound and create a snappy linkage from and blue sticks placed in the snow that ski turn to turn. racers ski around. redirect: A turn initiation technique where pole plant: Touching or brushing the pole the skis are pivoted to "redirect" them before tip in the snow as a signal to change edging. direction, to assist with the change of reference-of-correctness: Refers to body direction, to help stabilize the upper body, or position(s) that are regarded as vital to the to help maintain balance. maintenance of dynamic balance. pole swing: Movement of the in the re·trac·tion: /ri-trak-shuh n/ n. Flexion of direction of the new ski turn center either the legs as a result of muscular effort from the movement of the skier's center-of- causing the skis to come to the body (active mass or from the skier's wrist and arm retraction) or allowing the legs to fold due to motions. a terrain change such as a bump (passive pole touch: A more modern term which retraction). replaces pole plant when the tip of the pole

Alpine Coaching Dictionary 5 right foot turn: A ski turn where the right skillful: 1: consists in the ability to bring foot (ski) is on the outside of the ski path. A about some end result with maximum right foot turn would be a turn to the left. certainty and minimum outlay of energy, or rolling the ski: slang, archiac. Movement time and energy. 2: is the process of of the ski from its uphill edge to its new mastering redundant degrees of freedom in downhill edge. Older term that has been the moving organ. A conversion to a replace with "flipping the ski". controllable system. rotary movement: Movements that sliding: Forward movement of the skis in increase, limit, or decrease the rotation of the direction of their longitudinal axis. the skis. Rotary movements can be either slipping: Movement of the skis sideways. with the entire body, or with the lower body Slipping can occur with the skis rotating in the opposite of the upper body. perpendicular to the line of travel rotary push-off: A mechanism of pushing (sideslipping) or in other orientations, such off from one or both feet in a manner that as in a turn. imparts a rotary motion to the body about its snow contact: The skis and edges maintain vertical axis. A pushing off that creates a contact with the snow. pre-rotation and an up unweighting. square position: slang. Skier stance where the hips and shoulders are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the skis. S steering: The muscular guidance of the ski into the turn by a twisting action of the sag·it·tal plane: /ˈsajitl plān/ n. Vertical lower limbs resulting in the change of the plane, or any plane parallel to it that passes skier’s direction. through the body from front to back, stalancing: slang. Refers to staying in dividing it into right and left halves. –Syn. balance while in motion using stance as a anteroposterior. tool. se·quen·tial leg ro·ta·tion: /siˈkwenCHəl sti·vot: A high speed skid at turn initiation leg rōˈtāSHən/ adj. A non-simultaneous used in alpine ski racing to improve line rotation of the legs such that one leg is used while maintaining speed. “st” from steering as a platform against which the opposite leg and “ivot” from pivot. is rotated. Diverging, converging step turns straddle: When each leg goes to a different are examples. side of a race gate. shelf: The squared off edge that is left on strong inside half: slang. Cliché that refers the gate side of a rut. to body alignment where pelvis and si·mul·ta·ne·ous leg ro·ta·tion: shoulders align with the lead change of the /ˌsīməlˈtānēəs leg rōˈtāSHən/ adj. Rotation skis. of both legs at the same time. skidding: The composite result of ski moving forward (sliding) and sideways (slipping). T skill(s): 1: Movements that are dependent tac·tics: /ˈtaktik/ n. The strategic application on practice and experience for their of technique and line, based on experience execution, as opposed to being genetically and skill, to a given turn or turn sequence, defined. 2: The level of proficiency on a terrain or snow condition. specific task or limited group of tasks tech·nique: /tekˈnēk/ n. The manner in acquired through practice and experience. 3: which fundamental elements of skiing are A learned movement that is controlled, executed. A movement option for coordinated, and efficient. 4: Indigenous accomplishing a given goal. movements that have fundamental or basic timing: The precise sequencing of the intrinsic features that the sport could not do various turn phases in relation to the fall- without. line, rhythm, and set of the gates, speed and

Alpine Coaching Dictionary 6 terrain conditions, all the while maintaining dynamic balance and the optimal line. trav·erse: /trəˈvərs/ v. To ski across the slope in a horizontal or diagonal path. turn shape: The geometric form of the turn made by the skis in or on the snow: round, ellipse, angled, elongated, etc.

U unweighting: Taking varying amounts of weight off the skis to manipulate and control pressure. uphill ski: The ski that is of higher elevation when compared to the other ski when on a slope. upper body: Part of the human body that includes head, arms, and torso (which includes the pelvis). up-weighting: Pressure created under the skis by active extension of the legs. up-unweighting: Unweighting accomplished by slowing or stopping an extension. The intensity of the lightness

Alpine Coaching Dictionary 7