Hi,
In this weeks video we are going to take a closer look at a WC carving technique called FLEX TO RELEASE and RETRACTION TRANSITION. Basically you stay low all the time. Very close to the snow. High edge angles. Like the WC ski racers on TV.
Many of us me included have been taught to up-unweight our transitions, edge change between turns. This is a valid technique to ski crud and normal parallel skiing but when it comes to high end WC SL technique we need to do the complete opposite, we need to flex through the transition.
Check the video and enjoy :)
For entire script mail me at tdk.skiracing@gmail.com
I started skiing in my 50's and have spent the last 17 years trying to learn how to do what you are describing in your video. I am not sure how it happened but this season is the first time that I have learned how to adopted this technique in my skiing and it feels like a radioactive spider had bit me and I now can ski down steep terrain like some kind of Marvel superhero. It is the most amazing feeling that I have experienced since I was 5 years old when my Dad took off the training wheels from my bicycle.
Wow, thanks for sharing. Goes to show that we can always learn new things. And get the thrills. Great story. Thanks. Cheers, Tom
Great respect for you sir, I'm 20 and sometimes I worry it will be getting more difficult progressing as a skiier. Maybe I won't become a professional racer but I still have time to become extremely good. Right now I only have money for 5 days a year, it isn't much but I think I already carve well. Videos like these help me improve.
It’s exactly my story. Word for word. My 50’s, this season, excitement of the newly gained feeling when steeps and longer steep while bending in transition
Iim 69 and been skiing since the late 70’s. I watched this last year and played with this retract legs between turns. I realized that I learned to do this many years ago but had never heard anyone talking about it. This is the best ski technique video I have come across in my almost 50 years of skiing.
@WhirledPeas agree. 66 yo this season ( 23-24), and I look forward to practicing this drill
At last, an instructor who is able to describe ACCURATELY the movements needed to produce the desired output. Too many instructors (including KZheadrs) use vague language to describe skiing, but here is someone who is technically and mechanically correct.
Thank you so much for such good verdict on the content of the video. And for watching. Thank you. Cheers, Tom
Wow, this seems to be the the first video about carving where someone is pointing out this particular move (at least as far as I know). It makes absolutely perfect sense! Thanks, well done my friend.
Wow, thanks! Cheers, Tom
This video is life changing. A true “ah ha!” Lightbulb moment!
kzhead.info/sun/bJSLc8yqaKGqo4k/bejne.html
Harald Harb of PMTS has been teaching flex to release for more than 20 YEARS now.
Check out Harald Harb and PMTS skiing. He gets way more in depth on this. Great vid showing the flex to release!
I had been stuck with my carving technique for several seasons. Not getting high enough edge angles, not getting fast transitions between the turns etc.. and losing the control totally on steeper parts of the slopes. Then I watched this video and really paid attention to not extend fully up (like I have been taught, lol) and boy it changed my skiing. First time this season I was able to touch the slope with my knuckles while doing carved turn on my 23m radius all-mountain skis! So, big thanks for this video, I think most of the guides on youtube do not explain this, even they are doing it also in their videos.
Hi, so glad to have you on my channel and great to hear such good feedback and foremost, that you actually took your carving to the next level. The problem with sports in general is that so called correct technique is not something grabbed out of nowhere. It is based on environment resources and limitations and how you interact accordingly. Many therefore ski correctly but they dont know what they are doing. Just like a monkey climbing a three or a tiger chasing a zebra. Many times not even instructors or coaches. My approach has always been analyzing great skiers and then applying their movement patterns to whom I coach. Combining ski instruction and race coaching has also been working great for me as there are so many miss conceptions regarding both spectrums. Cheers, Tom
I have tried it today .... and boy😳😲 it is a gamechanger. Thank you very very very very much for this video.
Thank you for watching! Cool, glad it made a difference! Cheers, Tom
I'm 52... being skiing since I was 9. I was instructor in the late 80's into the 90's. So I learned (and taught), the gliding turn/extension into the turn technique. As such, my carving is very inconsistent. Going to try this next time I go out!
Thanks for sharing your story. Quite similar to mine. And many others so lots of people can identify themselves with your comment. This drill is EXACTLY what guys and gals like you and me should work on. And as you can see for me at least it worked out very well. Thats why I hope that by sharing this technique here on KZhead as many as possible can gain access to high edge angles and killer turns. Cheers, Tom
Almost 30 years ago I was actually called out NOT to do this during my Level 3 PSIA exam by one of the examiners! I protested that it was the most efficient carved turn but then shrugged and gave them plenty of tall cross over. And, yes, I passed the exam. I also went away knowing I could out ski almost every one of the examiners. 😂
Hahahaaa.... I know that feeling. I remember that we had to ski a racing track when I took my cert and the examiner said it was all wrong.... that it looked like Alberto Tomba.... but that was WRONG! Cheers, T
This is your best explanation video. I was a cert 3, USA instructor, and I was having trouble understanding how the World Cup skier achieved such great angles. A flexed transition is definitely what they are doing! I have used a flexed transition for mogul skiing and even for powder, but I had not tried it for race carving. Thx!
Thanks for watching. Yes, I was also first using this method in the bumps but after seeing Jens Byggmark brake all the rules of proper skiing and winning all the races he participated in at first before everybody else caught the bandwagon my understanding for high end carving emerged. kzhead.info/sun/fJyioNFqoaKNjas/bejne.html Happy Holidays, the Triggerboy Team
PSIA methods just kill people from skiing better.
You are correct in noting that the greatest extension is in the middle of the turn, the Center of Mass moving towards the inside of the turn. In order to pass from extension to extension, the retraction is necessary. Note that this also relaxes the muscles in the transition. It’s important to understand that the skier is NOT turning in the center of the transition; when the skis are 100% flat there is no turning. Thus you should be flexed/relaxed here, before entering the new turn.
Thanks very much for your series on carving. I was taught old skool given I’m 58 yrs old now. But I’ve never really ‘got’ carving until I watched these videos.
Wow, that is HUGE. Being part of your first successful carving experience and journey! Cheers, Tom
This is an exceptional description of a perfect carved turn. The video and drills are top quality and I find myself getting into the flexed position in steeper terrain. I am a ski patroller and love seeing this broken down and know that it will help my skiing. Kudos!
Glad to hear it resonated with you. Thanks for watching. Happy Holidays, the Triggerboy Team!
Thank you for these videos! Your channel is one of my favourites for skiing!
Wow! Happy to hear that! Cheers, Tom
Superb! thank you for such an in depth training video, best I've ever seen on KZhead!!
Wow, thanks!
I’ve actually been doing this to a number of years but didn’t understand what I was doing. It’s fun. Even at Canada’s most southern ski area that is small it’s fun. This is the best video with clear demonstration. I’m going to get at it tomorrow morning Thanks so much for the encouragement from a 77 year old.
Great going Dennis. Hopefully you had a good day out on the slope. Cheers, Tom
So good- thanks for the excellent explanation of flexing into the transition!
You're so welcome!
These breakdowns are so good. They have helped me a ton to be a better skier.
Wow, thanks a million. And thanks for watching. Cheers, Tom
This was so helpful, can't wait to try it on the slopes this weekend. Thank for the video!
Good luck!
I appreciate what you do so much. Your videos are amazing. I can't wait to get out and practice this drill 🙂
Thank you so much for watching and hope your turns improve. Cheers, Tom
This video might have just changed mine & my racers lives. Thank you for all these amazing videos! Always giving me new drill ideas & ways of explaining things to my kiddos :)
Wow, glad to have been of such inspiration and hopefully help as well. All the best. Happy Holidays, Triggerboy & Team!
Great demo, kudos! Can't wait to try your technique. That was excellent carving!
Thanks, Tom
I just cant get enough of your videos. Thanks, perfect coaching
Happy to hear that! Reg, T
I have been struggling to make quicker transitions. Finally, a step by step explanation of how to do it. Fantastic video! Can't wait to take this info out on the slopes and onto the race course.
Best of luck to you! Cheers, Tom
Thanks for your video! This is exactly what I need to learn. I Always wanted to carv lower and now I'm finally understanding the fundamental mistake I've made going into every turn. Can't wait for januari to go skiing again :D
Great to hear. I see so many trying to carve low and struggling really badly. When you do it like I do it in the video you carve automatically almost hips on the snow. In just a few turns on a very moderate pitched slope with almost no speed. Cheers, Tom
Thank you for the great tips. Just what I needed for improving my slalom technique
Great to hear! Cheers, Tom
Absolute gold. Thank you for creating and sharing.
Thank YOU for watching. Cheers, Tom
used your drills last season, improved my curving and edging a lot. This is the exact technic I need for the next level. Thank you so much
Perfect! And great to have a student progressing through several of my videos. This video is the third level of 3 Levels of Carving. Cheers, Tom
I've seen multiple skiing channels over the past couple years. Some are pretty good, but none came to the quality of explanation and examples as you do! Great job!
Wow, thanks! And thanks for watching, Tom
Your descriptions of each video are clear and very helpful. Thanks. I'm going to focus on your advice starting this week
Wonderful! Hope to hear from you with feedback. Cheers, Tom
Totally insane! Your video is so much engaging! It is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so much! 🙏🙏🙏🙏
You're so welcome! Thank you for watching. Cheers, Tom
This video is eye opening. I was one of those people that believed the stacked position was the only position. I can’t wait to get on the slopes with this new insight
So glad I could bring something new to your skiing. Have fun. Cheers, Tom
Harald Harb will be very proud of you, I swear that's all he talks about in his books (esp the "Essentials of Skiing"). Most people think I'm crazy for learning how to ski from books, but his books talk about tipping, flexing, fore/aft, counterbalancing, and counteracting in amazing details that I think all skiers MUST read. I'm a true believer, learned how to properly ski at age 42. His third book, Essentials of Skiing, is by far the best one.
Thats a great book 👍
Yes you can learn to ski by reading a book. Or watchinga video 👍
The most comprehensive video of correct carving!! Thank you!’
Thank you for another high quality skiing tutorial and making your expertise and instructional approach available freely! It's because of people like you that internet has value!
Great to hear you say that. I have learned so much myself from KZhead. That is my go to place for all advice I need. Had to start my boat engine with a screw driver in a storm once and checked it out on YT. Food, hotels, trips, computer, camera, tennis, swing.... its all here. And yes, its free and I do not hide any info or direct you to any pay sites. Its all here. T
Making sense. Loving it❤. Thank you Tom for the detailed breakdown. I’ll keep in mind and check out the advanced skiers in this weekend’s races in Vihti 😉
Hahaa... was Santa there? Happy Holidays, Triggerboy & Team!
I love the cue you shared about not falling into the turn, but instead extending and pushing with your legs into the turn. Excellent content delivered nice and clear! Thank you so much!
Thank you and thank you for watching. That cue is as good as it gets. Especially when we know where it came from. Cheers, Tom
This is an excellent video on how to effectively transition from the old edges to the new edges in transition (flex to release rather than extend to release). The skier should not however push into the turn (actively extend their legs to create pressure) once they have reached the new edges through flexing as they exit the transition. That extending movement tends to push you out of balance. Rather you should actively flex the inside leg while balancing over the outside foot and allow that outside leg to lengthen naturally without forcefully extending it. The pressure is created by the snow pushing against the outside tipped ski to equally offset the forces ( both centrifugal and gravitational) as the ski arcs towards and past the apex of the turn. The exercise Tom describes (an excellent exercise) will however require that you actively extend the legs through the arc and then retract them in transition in order to experience the feeling of flexing to release followed by lengthening of the legs in the arc. Active conscious flexing and extending is required because they are being performed at slow speed and the skier is learning new movements and the timing of those movements.
Yep, the sensation and controll of carve you are getting by pushing into turn / activelly extending legs during turn is fabulous. That is the way for controlling the arc, that is the way to 'bite' into snow. Have no clue why some are still promoting up lifting and passive lean over technique for carving... which fails short on anything other than green/blue and soft.
I remember the first time I really bent a ski, carved deep on edge. I was 12yr. Old going around this slight bank at my local hill. I remember going low and pressing underfoot hard, turning camber into rocker. As soon as I released to link the carve, I shot out of the turn, and launched maybe 10 feet further than expected and wiped out hard. That was a great feeling and the day I learned how to put a ski on edge.
Great story. Thanks for sharing. Tom
Been hearing about staying low flexed in transition for a long time at PSIA events. but this video provides a simple drill and crystal clear explanation of how to get there more effectively. Will be out skiing on the toilet seat next chance I get
I have not heard this carving manoeuvre described like this before! Extremely interesting will try in Les Arcs 7th January!
It's my understanding when you extend up your skis lose a certain amount of grip on the snow. I still catch myself extending up, but more and more staying low as you say here. It's changed my skiing. A ski patrol person asked me yesterday on the lift "How did you learn to ski like that?" I said hours and hours of practice and watching lots of great instructors like yourself on YT. Thank you.
Wow, thank you very much. That was awesome. The best recommendations and marketing always come from customers. The thing is that when you extend against and away from your base of support (edged skis carving in the snow), you increase pressure. The instance you stop, pressure drops. So instead of extending up during transition when you dont need any pressure you should be extending sideways into the turn during the turn when you need pressure and as extension and turn forces end you release and float through the transition. Happy Holidays both of you, the Triggerboy Team!
Totally awesome video. It really hit the nail on the head. As an older skier, I now realize that I am still a slave to the whole unweighting movement and this has been getting in the way of any improvement in the transition, despite plenty of practice. I have been using Carv to help with this, and it has been useful, but this was a revelation as to what I have been doing wrong. The whole unweighting of the ski by moving the body upward is no longer necessary in a carved turn. This was a real eye opener. Thanks.
Wow!!! You got it! So nice to hear. Yes, you need to extend into the transition is some cases as when skiing basic parallel turns or in crud or very steep and narrow places but when you carve you definitely do not need to do that. If you extend you most likely mess everything else up. No quick transition, no early edge engagement, difficult to build high edge angles etc. etc. Thanks for watching and glad to have been of any help. Cheers, Tom
Excellent
Actually you still do unweigt your legs, but not anymore by going up. Now you raise your legs to unweigt them, which is much faster so you can start the next turn much earlier. :)
One of the best videos on basis of ski carving! Thank you.
Wow, thanks! Cheers, Tom
I’m learning to ski. I’ve watched many vids and I think this is the best one I’ve seen so far. Pure gold
Thanks. Be sure to watch my beginner and intermediate lessons in my playlist. Dont be discurraged, I have all my students, even advanced ones, wedge and do basic drills. Cheers, Tom
Tom - You are "nailing" it again! Thanks for getting this video out. I am coaching Age Class athletes at the moment (U10's and U 12's) and realize this is the age to introduce these movements. Tough fighting against traditional concepts, however, I feel like my group that I'm working with are "opening" up their thinking. Keep these videos coming. Thanks, Coach Crawford Pierce
Fantastic! Great to hear. Yes, U10 and U12s are the right age for these sorts of movement drills. The long poles are introduced too early in my opinion. The longer we can wait with the gate blocking the better. At least get the kids into the right movement patterns before blocking gates. I know this is not always possible as we do not teach kids individually. Keep up your good work. Happy Holidays, Triggerboy & Team
I've always loved skiing this way, particularly in poor light where feel for the snow seems way better to me. However, following the experience of my son from U12 to U14, I'd be wary of choosing one technique for all kids this age. Introduce it for sure, but keep a wary eye on different athlete builds. My son's now in a feeder team for the Swiss Ski team. His U12 coach got him to top 3 level regionally. Then in U14 his new coaches got him skiing this way, extending into the turn, and with his physique it turned out very badly. He's grown 34cm in 2.5 years, tall and thin, and it's only now in his last year of U16 that this technique is starting to work well for him. The U12 coach (a FIS level ex-racer) said it was too early for him to make the progression to this technique, given his physique (though he could do it seemingly fine). The two U14-16 coaches ignored this, but in my son's case the U12 coach was right. It took him 18 months to get back to where he'd been before in SL, a frustrating period for him. With thin beansprout athletes, watch out for over-reliance on hip angulation at the expense of ankle-knee at initiation, and ending up with hips too far back/insufficient shin pressure against the boot at initiation. Shorter, stocky, powerful kids seem to make this transition more easily, perhaps because they have shorter levers. As the lanky ones shoot up at this age, they get all uncoordinated, not knowing what to do with their long limbs! However personally I'd always choose to use what Tom describes so well here - great job Tom 👍
Nice video, waiting to try this low transition on Saturday. I see this low transition always in SL, but in GS seems there are some skiers that seems to extend their position in the transition (Odermatt)
Thanks and thanks for watching. Let me know how the drill worked out on the slope on Saturday. Yes, primarily in SL but as you can see from the video, also in GS. Depends on the course. If it is very tight then lots of low transitions. Odermatt typically stays more extended. But there is so much more to skiing than the transition. Maybe its the Stöckli skis :)
This is the best ski school video I've seen so far, and I've watched a lot of them. Thank you, best regards
Wow, thanks! And thanks for watching. Tom
Fantastic exclamation and demonstration of how to carve properly. Thank you!
Very welcome!
Thanks for this Tom. I’ve been working on improving my carving by focusing on toppling and not really progressing. On occasion I’ve stumbled across the sensation of my knees coming up under me as I move through the transition followed by my legs extending out. When it happens it just feel right but it didn’t seem consistent with my “understanding” of what I should be doing. This lesson was a big light bulb moment for me and I can’t wait to get back out and work on this.
Fantastic! Glad to play a part in your skiing. Hopefully your next time on the slope will be a revelation. Cheers, Tom
I also "stumbled" across this technique then spent several days combing thru videos looking for vindication. Like many people I thought you had to extend before the transition. I found Klaus Mair's video with side by side comparesons of slalom racers. He calls it a compression turn. Then I found this excellent video. I use compression turns most in quick short turns. It gets you on edge right away. Thanks Tom for helping steer me in the right direction
@@davidriedmiller6576 kzhead.info/sun/odCGnpmNkYB8q5s/bejne.html
What a mind blowing technique video! I also stumbled across this technique when skiing in New Zealand 2023. The NZ National qualification races were on for a few days and I was watching and copying a similar drill the coaches were having the racers do. It felt exactly like this video. Body low, legs coming up and under me then extending and biting the snow. It felt so amazing.
Nice lecture. Last year I casually discovered I could ski better when having the feeling I was "constantly sitting" with low center of gravity, "close to the ground" like a running cat. Don't know why I stopped doing so. This video is going to take me back to the right track.
Yes, thats a good one. Cats stay low. So should we. Nice to have been able to point you back in the right direction again. If only I had done the same over the years, stuck with what works instead of listening to "super" coaches. Keep it up. It is never too late to start over. Happy Holidays, the Triggerboy Team
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO. Seriously I have needed this for the past two seasons
Glad I could be of help. Cheers, T
Great job explaining this! I forwarded this on to my kids to watch. Thank you so much!
Awesome! Thank you! Happy Holidays, Triggerboy & Team!
Harb (PMTS) has been teaching this for years. Great demo, though.
Yes, this is a standard drill for them. Thanks for watching, Tom
I have been trying to improve my skiiing for a number of years, and have been experimenting with bending more in the knees/waist and taking a lower approach, but I was never sure if that was "correct" or not. I am planning a lesson for this season with an expert coach and was going to bring this topic up (if being low or not during transition was proper). Keeping low in the transition always felt fast and snappy between turns but I never knee if it was proper. Your video has gave me great food for thought, I will definitely be trying out your drill. I wanted to add, that as a person watching these kinds of help videos, shots of "bad" technique are very valuable. I do see you do this quite a bit and I appreciate it, I would say continue that focus, showing a comparison of the good and bad techniques. Thank you.
Thank you very much for watching and taking much time to comment with content appreciations and suggestions. I agree with you. It is very valuable information for the student what it looks like. What bad looks like and what good looks like. That is actually the whole purpose of when we shoot our students and ski racers on video. My motto has always been, if it looks great than it is also great. If your video looks like Hirscher then you ski like Hirscher. I will keep your comment in mind and try to use more "contrasting" video lessons. Or segments in the videos. Thanks. Cheers, Tom
These Videos are absolutely amazing! So glad I stumbled upon this channel, the best ski instructions video so far, for me, by a large margin! Thank you so much!
Wow!!! Welcome aboard! Thank you for watching and stay tuned for more videos in the very near future. Cheers, Tom
Quality of this video is off the charts. You inspire me to go out there and improve everyday
A million thanks for such good feedback and thanks for watching. Happy New Year, Tom & sons
I started skiing when I was 3 and I ALWAYS followed the technique where I would fully extend for a transition. I've recently noticed that no matter what I do I couldn't achieve those sharp turn radiuses and deep carvs. I'm really looking forward to trying your drills this season. Thank you for the great content and in-depth explanation!
Hi, thanks for watching. Yes, this drill is a very good way to access those high edge angles and tight turns. Good luck. Cheers, Tom
Thank's for another great video. You have the very rare gift of explaining things in a very easy way. Personally worked with plenty of trainers back in the days when I was racing, none of them were so easy to understand as you are, even though they eventually made some good skiers. Now when I teach my daugher, I'm trying to explain her the basics the way you do it- it's so easy to get when you just try to use it! Thank you so much, you're such an inspiration! That's my daughter some time ago, now she's way better ;) kzhead.info/sun/a9xwibuFmJl6bHA/bejne.html
Wow, thanks for such great comment. Thank you. Funny thing is that we had a very good ski racing jr joining our club and when I gave him feedback he was going - I cannot understand a word you are saying! He had been listening to other coaches all his life and had no clue to what he actually should be doing. Glad to hear you think my advice is simple. BTW, your daughter is a really good jr racer. If you have not seen the video My Story about Chris please do. And show it to your daughter. She is doing the right movements. From there she will suddenly just shoot for the stars. Cheers, Tom
Fantastic explanation of "flexed transition", thank you!
Thank you! Tom
You outdid yourself this time, Tom. Excellent video. I will be working on this next time on snow and when coaching my athletes.
Wow, thanks and thanks for watching. Im honored. Cheers, Tom
@@Triggerboy62 Did you see my video from Saas Fee? It was difficult to carve on the loose snow. At least that's my excuse!
Have to say - this is the best video I have found so far on how to carve. Well done
Thanks and thanks for watching. Cheers, Tom
Thanks for detailed and perfect explanation on carving technique that İ've never heard before.
Very welcome. Nice to have been able to bring new ski technique and ideas to watchers here on my channel. Cheers, Tom
Thank you for sharing and your explanation is really clear and easy to understand. I will try it next time.
Please do! Cheers, Tom
Best advice I have received to improve my recreational carving abilities! Thank you!!
Very welcome!
Brilliant instruction - well paced and detailed makes it simple to understand
Thanks a million. T
This is awesome! Thank you for a really great tutorial. It makes so much sense!
You're very welcome!
Great instructional video. Learned a ton. Thx.
Great to hear!
watched many video but by far this one was the most helpful to understand how to carv low. Thank u~
Awesome, thank you!
OMG, WOW, poetry in motion at 12.26 in, beautiful, so nice to have you back making these.
Thank you and thank you for watching. Great to be back and to feel appreciated. Cheers, Tom
What a good video, seems that this flex to realease technique is what I need to improve my skiing, thank you !
You're very welcome!
Finally a video that explains how to carve. Looking forward to trying and work hard. I am ski instructor and you just change my life. i always wanted to learn that
Wow, that is awesome. I feel humble. Good luck in your work as a ski instructor and with your carving. Cheers, Tom
Excellent... At last the explanation of what I had thought for years.
Thanks for watching. T
Wonderful thank you for wonderful tuition. Very impressive & technical at a level we can all understand. Thank you
You're very welcome!
This is one of the most insightful tips ever. Brilliant
Thank you and thank you for watching. Cheers, Tom
@@Triggerboy62 I was coached in the 80s....so I was totally backwards in my approach. your video made it all so clear. The more aggressively I carved, the more "pop" I was getting coming out of the turn and when I got into the new turn, it took forever for the ski to set a new carve. It was a mess. The quickness from edge to edge using this low transition is amazing. You have to learn to use that energy to drive the skis out, but not get lazy and push your whole body up. Once you start carving hard, a low transition is a must. There is just too much energy to do any other way. But I will say this.....doing the low transition is brutally exhausting for an old guy. I wonder if you could do another video on the importance of inside ski carving/edging in achieving high edge angles with your OUTSIDE ski. For the last few months, I had been trying in vain to really achieve high edge angles. I am talking FIS level hip dragging GS turns.... As an ex-racer, I see no reason I can not do this at least on easy snow, but I have been struggling. There are two issues which were holding me back. #1 problem was not doing a low transition, per this video. That problem is solved now. Thanks. #2 problem was more complex. I was not understanding what was meant by "shorten the inside leg". I had poor inside ski sensitivity and control. I thought I had good "similarity" between DH and inside skis, but I did not. I was still A-framing a bit. Then I would try to achieve higher angles by "shortening" my inside leg. This would just result in me A-framing with a wider stance, and completely losing my outside edge. No one explains "how" to shorten your inside leg, and this leads you to believe that you just drive your knee up, using leg and hip flexor muscles. I eventually learned that is NOT true. They way you shorten your inside leg is using the inside ski to "carve away from the outside ski" by tipping your inside ski effectively MORE than your outside ski. This is extremely hard from a muscle control standpoint. It requires ankle dorsiflexion, and good inside ski awareness + dynamic balance developed through "one ski" drills. But once you start to develop the ability to use edging to pull your inside leg into position, it is amazing. You are pretty much guaranteed to have a rock solid outside edge at a very high angle. Your inside ski carves away to the inside, effectively increasing your whole body lean and outside ski edge angle, but in a way that is very stable. In other words, you do not shorten your leg by shortening your leg. Shortening it is a result of having the inside ski control to "over turn" your inside ski. Thus your inside ski effectively determines your turning arc and edge angle. As you edge your inside ski away, and your outside edge angle then increases, your outside edge angle effectively instantly catches up to your inside ski. What happens in practice is you crank a harder turn! How come no one ever explains this in this way. They just say "drive your inside knee"....which creates a mess if you do not realize HOW to do that.
as a ski coach ,really great and educational video. i will used this a lot to even improve my personal skiing. thank you.
Great to hear Ron! We all need to work on our own skills and technique. Luckily I have a great environment to do that. Lots of instructors and coaches, jr and masters racers and friends and family to hang with and ski with. Today I did 3 hours of ski instructor coaching, some video filming of how to ski behind an instructor or good ski buddy can help you find the right line and there though all the right movements and then 4 hours of testing new ski boots. It was cold but I made a few runs, then into the hut to change into different boots, then a few runs and then new insoles, then a few runs, then back to the other boots with the new insoles etc. etc. Tom had a really good day out on the hill today :)
Best explanation of short fast carving turns yet! Can’t wait to put it into action
Awesome! Thank you!
Thank you! So important. Nice, patient explanation. Hope we get some snow soon so I can try it
Thanks for watching. Where do you live? In Finland we have loads of snow and -30degC.
Thanks for sharing those great tips, the breakdowns are very useful and easy to get
Glad you like them! Happy Holidays, Triggerboy & Team
@@Triggerboy62 Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much for putting this video together! Looking forward to the snowing falling.
Glad you enjoyed it! Ive been skiing for 2 days now and its been so much fun.
I remember when you were just starting your channel both you and Chris have come so far it's been wonderful to watch. Keep up the good work. When I feel my skiing is off a little I go to your channel for a review. 😊
Hi Mike, so nice of you to be such a devoted follower of our channel. And yes, we have come very far and its good to remember that we have already achieved all our goals a 100 times and over. Soon we must do a My Story part 2 of Chris. Still trying to keep the channel interesting and bringing you techniques both for beginners and experts alike. Cheers, Tom
Excellent video. Learning how to flex in order to release edges is a key technique never taught in my Canadian ski instructor training (to level 3). Yet it is crucial. Thanks Tom for the showing this important technique to us!
Thank you so much for watching. And glad I could be of help. It is a concept quite rarely explained properly so I tried to do my best. Cheers, T
- What an amazingly clear explanation. Thanks!
You're very welcome! Cheers, Tom
Will try this out next week!!! Great explanation
Good luck!
I have never heard the carve described this way before. Thanks so much for the excellent advice. Will try it this winter for sure!
So glad to hear you have come over advice you never heard before. Please let me know how it worked out. Just got back from my first ski trip and cant wait to go skiing again. Cheers, Tom
Thanks for this video. It meant a lot to me. I started improving just the following day!!! I also shared it with my son and both enjoyed the hints and suggestions you showed us. Thanks again, really WELL DONE!!!!
Thank you so much for watching and so glad you could put the info to use out on the slopes. Say hi to your son from me as skiing with own kids is the best there is. Cheers, T
This is awesome thanks! Watched a Ted Legety video talking about the important of extending the downhill ski and retracting the uphill ski, but this is the final piece of the puzzle of what to do with the transition. Thanks!
Great to hear. Yes, not many point out this important move. The missing ps of the puzzle so to speak. Thanks for watching, Tom
Great lesson, probably my favorite TDK video.
Wow, thanks! T
Tom, thank you this was transformational for my skiing. Tried it today and it was exactly what I needed. Even though I was on powder skis in soft snow (East Coast US had a good storm this weekend) I was able to make faster transitions and get higher edge angles. Thank you! Let me know when you come to NY, mid-station beers on me!
Great job! So nice to hear it worked. Yes, beer #1 is on you and the next beer is on me! Happy Holidays, Triggerboy & Team!
Incredible explanation and lesson from a lifetime’s experience. Thank you for sharing. Subscribed!
Welcome! And thanks. T
Merci beacoup!!! Amazing explanations. I am so happy I found this video. Thank you so much!
You are welcome! Cheers, Tom
Fantastic video Tom. I think flexing to release must be one of the most important techniques along with counter. Your slow-mo and diagrams really illustrate perfectly!
Thanks. This drill is super easy helps with flexing to release that is otherwise hard to comprehend and practice. Cheers, Tom
This is a fantastic tutorial - you are an excellent teacher! This is a game changer for me - thank you!
You're very welcome! So glad you found the video useful. Cheers, Tom
I like your instruction about how to ski like world class ski racers. Even I am not intending to reach this level of goal, but I do enjoy your teaching and try to practice as you said in the video. Your video just accidently bumped into my KZhead watching screen. I really enjoyed it.
Wow, nice to have a new skier on the channel. Be sure to subscribe. I have hundreds of videos so I bet there would be many of great interest to you. If you go to "playlists" you can find ski instruction for different levels. Have fun, Cheers, Tom
Most articulate and accurate video on youtube on high performance carving. No big words, straight to the crux of the matter. Cheers for this!
Thanks, Tom
Finally good explanation how to carve good! Your way of explaining and analysing skiing technique is phenomenal!
Wow, thank you! All the best, T
Really enjoyed the video thanks. I will be sharing with skiers that I coach to help them with their underpinning knowledge.
Great. Thanks. T
Best explanation of high performance carving I’ve seen !
Thank you very much and thank you for watching. Cheers, Tom
Hi Tom, this video is great and also valuable addition to your previous videos on carving. This season I am focusing on learning how to stay low during transition and how to control the speed on steep slopes without dropping carve turns. Many thanks!
Great to hear! How nice of you to watch my videos and glad to be of any help. And glad to be part of your journey. Cheers, Tom
im not sure how skiing my whole life and racing a bit, i never got this right. this video was exceptional and now i can't wait to go practice this "backwards" technique until my brain and leg muscles have accepted it. thank you!
What an eye opener, it makes so much sense .
Thanks for watching. Cheers, Tom
Thank you for this amazing video! Usually most other tutorials show the proper techniques but they never point out common mistakes. For example the part where you compared the two pictures, low in knees vs extended, I'm a 100% sure i'm making that mistake and without actually pointing it out I'd never figured that out myself. Once again thanks and keep up the nice vids!
Thank you for watching and glad I could be of assistance. Good luck with this drill. Let me know how it went. Cheers, Tom
Awesome video. You can watch good skiers all day long and not have a clue how to mirror them. Your breakdown of the technique really helps show what they are actually doing diffetent and how you can apply it. Looking forward to trying this next season. Thanks a bunch! Now gotta check out your other vids.
Hi Mike and welcome to the channel. Glad you liked the how to carve low video and I am sure you will love other content here on the channel as well. Both published and future videos. I was just shooting video at Interski in Levi and I have truly awesome footage to be released. Stay tuned. Cheers, Tom
Fantastic video Tom. I am looking forward to giving this a try. Been working on breaking the A-frame and working the inside leg a lot. Your videos have been extremely helpful. Thank you! Keep up the great work!
Thank you and good luck with your skiing. Cheers, T
damn, this is it. this answers all the questions i never knew i had and Covers the excact problem i encounter while carving. thank you so much!
Glad I could be of help! Cheers, Tom