Total Skiing Chris Fellows Human Kinetics Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Fellows, Chris, 1959- Total skiing / Chris Fellows. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-8365-2 (soft cover) ISBN-10: 0-7360-8365-0 (soft cover) 1. Skis and skiing--Training. 2. Physical fitness. I. Title. GV854.85F45 2011 796.93--dc22 2010031232 ISBN-10: 0-7360-8365-0 (print) ISBN-13: 978-0-7360-8365-2 (print) Copyright © 2011 by Chris Fellows All rights reserved. Except for use in a review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying, and recording, and in any information storage and retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher. This publication is written and published to provide accurate and authoritative information relevant to the subject matter presented. It is published and sold with the understanding that the author and publisher are not engaged in rendering legal, medical, or other professional services by reason of their authorship or publication of this work. If medical or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought. Notice: Permission to reproduce the following material is granted to instructors and agencies who have purchased Total Skiing: pp. 10, 30, and 44. The reproduction of other parts of this book is expressly forbidden by the above copyright notice. Persons or agencies who have not purchased Total Skiing may not reproduce any material. The Web addresses cited in this text were current as of September 28, 2010, unless otherwise noted. Acquisitions Editor: Laurel Plotzke Garcia; Developmental Editor: Laura Floch; Project Consultant: Darcy Norman; Assistant Editors: Elizabeth Evans and Bethany J. Bentley; Copyeditor: Joy Wotherspoon; Indexers: Robert and Cynthia Swanson; Permission Manager: Martha Gullo; Graphic Designer: Nancy Rasmus; Graphic Artist: Kim McFarland; Cover Designer: Keith Blomberg; Photographer (cover and interior): Jonathan Sel- kowitz; Visual Production Assistant: Joyce Brumfield; Photo Production Manager: Jason Allen; Art Manager: Kelly Hendren; Associate Art Manager: Alan L. Wilborn; Printer: United Graphics We thank the Center for Health and Sports Performance in Truckee, CA; Sugar Bowl on Donner Summit in Norden, CA; and Squaw Valley USA in Olympic Valley, CA for assistance in providing the locations for the photo shoots for this book. Selected text in the preface and chapter 1 is adapted, by permission of the Professional Ski Instructors of America Education Foundation, from C. Fellows with N. Norman, 2008, “From the Ground Up: The Psychology of Physiol- ogy,” The Professional Skier (Winter 2008): 12-16. Human Kinetics books are available at special discounts for bulk purchase. Special editions or book excerpts can also be created to specification. For details, contact the Special Sales Manager at Human Kinetics. Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The paper in this book is certified under a sustainable forestry program. Human Kinetics Web site: www.HumanKinetics.com United States: Human Kinetics Australia: Human Kinetics P.O. Box 5076 57A Price Avenue Champaign, IL 61825-5076 Lower Mitcham, South Australia 5062 800-747-4457 08 8372 0999 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Canada: Human Kinetics New Zealand: Human Kinetics 475 Devonshire Road Unit 100 P.O. Box 80 Windsor, ON N8Y 2L5 Torrens Park, South Australia 5062 800-465-7301 (in Canada only) 0800 222 062 e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Europe: Human Kinetics 107 Bradford Road, Stanningley Leeds LS28 6AT, United Kingdom +44 (0) 113 255 5665 e-mail: [email protected] E4843 To my wife, Jenny: Thank you for the love, support, and strength that you have given me ever since the day we laid out the first plans for the North American Ski Training Center in 1994. Your sense of humor, consistency, and level-headedness have kept us going strong through both good times and challenging times. Your ability to manage a business while raising our three beautiful children and keeping your outdoor passions alive is truly amazing. Thank you. Contents Preface vi Acknowledgments vii PART I Ski Performance Components 1 The Performance Pyramid 3 2 Focusing on Functional Movement 7 3 Targeting Ski Fitness 25 4 Mastering Essential Technique 41 5 Adjusting Tactics for All-Mountain Skiing 55 6 Identifying Your Skiing Profile and Equipment Needs 75 PART II Training, Drills, and Exercises for Ski Performance 7 Functional-Movement Exercises 93 8 Fitness Training and Exercises 115 9 Technique and Tactics Drills 139 iv PART III Programming for Ski Performance 10 Guidelines for Program Development 177 11 The Overpowered Skier 189 12 The Underpowered Skier 203 13 The Underskilled Skier 217 14 The Combination Skier 231 Bibliography 247 Index 249 About the Author 255 v Preface In my developmental years as a ski instructor, I often found myself spouting the dogma of adopt- ing an athletic stance, proper leg steering, functional pole use, early edging, and a variety of other “instructor-speak” catchphrases. Using the latest drills and exercise lines, I had worked with my students ad nauseam trying to ingrain the “proper skiing moves.” Eventually the students came to believe that a strict diet of these technique drills would deliver them to greatness. I soon began to question myself, wondering if I was fooling myself and my students by believing their troubles could be cured with technique modification alone. It was hard for me to admit that I might see more success if I approached technique improvement from a different point of view. Then, in the early 1990s, the legendary ski racing coach Warren Witherell crisscrossed the country introducing ski instructors, ski coaches, ski racing athletes and anyone who desired to ski better to the benefits of balancing boots for optimum ski performance. I remember Witherell swaggering into the Squaw Valley ski school locker room with a roll of duct tape in one hand and an obscure leg-measuring device in the other. He said he could improve our skiing instantly by tipping our boots laterally in the binding, giving us a positive and direct effect on the ski edge. Amazingly, he was right. After measuring, eyeballing, and putting various layers and widths of tape on our ski bindings, he had us ski so we could feel how the edge interacted with the snow. It was unbelievable: the skis actually came around easier and held better on firm snow. Witherell said he’d done this somewhat crude form of alignment adjustment for World Cup racers with great results. He really knew how to talk to ski instructors. He also said it might have been the equipment—not the technique or “pilot error”—that had been holding us back. (This gave us another reason to love him.) After much experimentation with different thicknesses and widths of tape on my bindings, I was convinced, and since then I have had my boot soles planed and balanced every season. Witherell’s influence has spread throughout the land, and a cottage industry of custom boot fitting has sprung up due to his book, The Athletic Skier, as well as to his persistence in getting the ski industry to adopt his methods. But even though many skiers now realize the tremendous benefits of making equipment adjustments of just a few degrees, there are just as many who still aren’t taking the time to consider the effects of improper alignment. Before my introduction to Witherell’s boot balancing theories, I was one of them. After I’d been “Witherell-ized,” the experience kept nagging at me as I watched student after student fail when trying to make basic movement changes on the ski slope. They all wanted faster results and I wanted to see faster results. So, à la Witherell, I took his alignment approach one step further and measured and tested my students for weakness and asymmetries in their over- all physiology. I started by asking students to perform fundamental movements such as a basic squat, a lateral lunge, and balancing on one leg. As I expected, many of them had great difficulty performing these simple tasks on a flat cafeteria floor. To me it was a relief to see students strug- gling to perform a basic depth squat, because it revealed a limit to what they could physically do. It was absurd to expect deep flexion movements out on the slope from a student who could not flex properly indoors. The solution was clear as students became aware of their limitations. This awareness was the foundation on which a total program of improvement was built. The students saw improvement in movement, increased performance, and more enjoyment in their skiing. vi Acknowledgments This book represents the collaboration and passion of many. It is impossible to list them all, but here is my feeble attempt. The book wouldn’t be half the book it is without the expert photography of Jonathan Selkowitz; thank you, Selko. Thanks to my talented and patient editors, Laura Floch and Laurel Plotzke Garcia. You have taught me much and I owe you a big debt of gratitude. A big shout out to expert reviewers Darcy Norman and Per Lundstam, whose insights in the exercise sections were invaluable. Thanks to Kim Mann, our manager at the North American Ski Train- ing Center (NASTC), who helped on this project. Thanks to Jim Schaffner, Greg Hoffman, Jim Lindsay, and Mark Elling for their helpful reviews and casual chats about the equipment sections. Thanks to Michael Silitch for his two-week intensive on-the-fly interview while climbing and skiing. Jeff Hamilton shared his training insights and continues to show me that pain is lessened when shared with someone else on our weekly rides. Perry Norris is saving the Sierra open space so our kids will have the same wilderness we enjoy. Dave Achey, Ted Pitcher, John Nyhan, and Mike Sodergren (posthumously), thank you for your ongoing insights since the first NASTC course in 1994. Marco Sullivan’s support means a lot as he continues to inspire skiing athletes young and old (like me). On the note of skiing inspiration, I wish to thank my past and present PSIA Alpine teammates, whose talents and dedication inspire us all to do our best every day with our students. Very big thanks go out to the skiing models: Mike Hafer, Richie Jamieson, Jenny Fellows, Kim Mann, Trevor Tanhoff, and Heidi Ettlinger. Special thanks to Mike and Heidi for modeling for the gym shots as well. Thanks to Truckee’s Center for Health and Sports Performance and Dr. Nina Winans for allowing us to use their facility for the indoor photo shoot and a special thanks to the U.S. Forest Service office in Truckee, California. I wish to thank Mike Iman, Mike Porter, and Victor Gerdin, who are true professionals and mentors. Nick Herrin, Rob Sogard, and Michael Rogan are exceptional leaders in our sport and great sounding boards. Mark Palamaras and Charlie Pendrell offered help and vision from the beginning. Thanks to Howard Shao for his inspiration and loyal support over the years. Thanks to Mike Livak and Tom Murphy at Squaw Valley and to Rob Kautz and John Monson at Sugar Bowl; they all supported the project and hosted our photo shoots. Jason Newell and Jeff Sarlo at Rossignol, Bruce Old and Eric Neuron at Patagonia, Dave Goode at Goode, Dino Dardano at Hestra, Keith D’Entremont and Steve Poulin at Uvex, and Jim Marble at Eurosock, all contributed their resources to this book with their top-notch products. There are so many others who supported this book in spirit. Each of our clients at NASTC and all you skiers out there drive projects like this with your passion. Last but most important, I could not have done this without the loving support of my wife, Jenny, whose shared passion for skiing brings us much joy and adventure together. vii Part I Ski Performance Components