5 Tips to Power up Your Nordic Skiing

5 Tips to Power Up Your Nordic Skiing

CrossCountrySkiTechnique.com Five Tips to Power Up Your Nordic Skiing

Five Tips to Power Up Your Nordic Skiing by Kim McKenney & Kai Lukowiak

!About Us We’re a mother-son coaching team from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Kai grew up ski racing and Kim had to learn as an adult. ! We’re happy to talk about cross-country skiing with anyone who’s interested. Come join us at crosscountryskitechnique.com

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CrossCountrySkiTechnique.com Five Tips to Power Up Your Nordic Skiing

1. Lean In - More Than You Think

Beginners ski upright, like they’re walking. Even shifting your weight a few centimetres Intermediate skiers have started to develop some forward will make you wonder if you’re doing forward body lean, but need even more. something wrong. It takes time to get used to the feeling. Try this: stand up with your feet shoulder width apart and your knees slightly bent. Now shift your If it feels “different”, that’s probably a good thing. weight forward by moving your hips over your Have a friend watch, or even better, take a video toes. of you. Chances are good you don’t look as strange as you feel. That’s a forward body lean. Notice you didn’t have to shift your weight very far before you The most important thing to remember as you started to feel like you would fall. develop your forward body lean is to keep your hips forward. Gradually Develop Your Lean Don’t lean in by bending at your waist. If you do, Because you’ve spent your entire life walking, your centre of mass will be too far back. Your lean you’re used to keeping your body upright, or has to come from all the way down at your ankles. vertical. Leaning in is going to feel strange.

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2. Make Your Kick Snappy

Remember this equation from high school In classic skiing a snappy kick will set your wax physics? pocket against the snow, giving you a solid base to push against. F = ma (Force = mass x acceleration) In skate skiing, making your kick snappy will help When you push your ski against the snow you you generate more force as you push the inside want to generate as much force as possible to edge of your ski against the snow with each leg push yourself forward. push. Your mass will stay fairly constant, but you can use acceleration to increase the force of your push. Put a Rhythm in Your Stride The faster you accelerate, the more force you’ll Your skiing should have a distinctive beat or generate. tempo. The kick is a “pop” and the glide is a little moment of rest. Accelerate your leg push by making your kick “snappy”. (Your kick is the part of your stride The rhythm of nordic skiing is like a heartbeat: where you push against the snow.) By snappy, we pulse, pause, pulse, pause… mean quick and sharp, especially at the beginning of your kick.

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3. Ride the Glide

Cross-country skiing can be hard work. You want 2. No Poles - Ski without poles for 15-20 to get as much forward movement as possible minutes/session, especially early in the with every stride. season. Hold your poles mid-shaft, not at the handles so they don’t throw off your balance. That requires learning to balance on your glide This drill is a favourite with coaches ski. Not only will better balance maximize your everywhere because it’s such an effective way glide distance, it also sets you up perfectly for to improve balance. your next leg push. You don’t have to be on snow to practice your Regularly Practice Balance Drills balance skills. Even an exercise as simple as Here’s 2 great drills for improving your balance. standing on one leg with your eyes closed is They apply to both skate and classic skiing. helpful.

1. Glide Exaggeration - On every stride hold Just a few minutes a day of balance practice will your glide a second or two longer than feels improve your skiing. “right”. Think about keeping the hip of your stance leg over the toe of your boot during the glide.

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4. Pole for Power

If you’re just getting starting in nordic skiing you’ll 3. Hold your arms in a position of strength. be using your poles for balance. Straight arms that reach out in front of you and swing far behind are not strong. Your arm That’s ﬁne, but as you get more comfortable on is not a giant pendulum. Keep your elbows your skis you should work on getting more power bent and slightly ﬂared out from your torso. from your poling. Your hand should be at eye level when your The Secrets to Perfect Poling pole hits the snow.

1. First, make sure your poles are the correct 4. Beware of sloppy arms. Your poling will get length. This is so important we wrote an entire messy when you get tired. Keep your hands article about it. shoulder width apart and don’t let them wobble during the push or the recovery 2. When poling, angle your poles slightly swing. If you can keep your poling strong, backwards and plant the tip in the snow near your overall technique will be more efﬁcient. the toe of your boot.

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5. Believe in Your Abilities

Too many adult skiers think that because they Of course your ﬁtness and innate athletic abilities didn’t race as kids they can’t learn expert will play a role, but having a positive, can-do technique. attitude is a big advantage everyone can apply.

It’s true that youth racers have a conﬁdence on skis that’s difﬁcult for adult skiers to replicate, but you can come close to that level of skill. The key is a positive attitude. “Whether you think you I know it’s a cliché, but your mind really can set can, or you think you can’t - limits on your potential. Your attitude can lock you you’re right.” into intermediate status. ~ Henry Ford Don’t let that happen.

Don’t let your outlook set limits on your potential. There are plenty of expert skiers who didn’t get started until later in life.

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