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Post by meput on Jan 28, 2015 19:37:05 GMT -7
The books are great, the videos tremendous demonstration of skill. They are not the same as the camp experience. The nuanced drills that lead you to a movement outcome are hard to replicate without the immediate feedback you get in person. THe chance to see your fellow skiers working on the same movements REALLY improves your own ability to do movement analyses. It has been said before but is worth repeating: Every skier in a group is getting their own individualized private lesson. The other skiers, in a group, are value added as examples of what or what not to be doing. Lynn and Jim, thank you for your posts. Keep them coming and enjoy the rest of your camp experience.
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Post by gary on Jan 29, 2015 8:46:25 GMT -7
Hey guys..sounds like you guys getting great work outs AND....sometimes going back to basics to re-enforce the foundation moves.... KEY! Love that free foot pull back...IMO...absolutely one of the best and most versatile tools for all over the mountain.
Look forward to Jim being our honorary clinic technician at the Guys ski outing at Holiday Valley!!!
Enjoy and safe travels
G
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Post by smackboy1 on Jan 29, 2015 15:04:40 GMT -7
We were given plastic garden sticks to hold between our hands, keeping our hands wider than our shoulders. Alas, I was not able to swing another camp this year. But I have fond memories of the "PMTS Stick" - one of the best aids I've come across. I'll have to live vicariously through all your reports (and Meput's too). What about off the hill activities? Any good meals of note? How is HSS now that they've relocated away from the pot factory?
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Post by JimRatliff on Jan 29, 2015 20:04:39 GMT -7
Hey guys..sounds like you guys getting great work outs AND....sometimes going back to basics to re-enforce the foundation moves.... KEY! Love that free foot pull back...IMO...absolutely one of the best and most versatile tools for all over the mountain. Look forward to Jim being our honorary clinic technician at the Guys ski outing at Holiday Valley!!! Enjoy and safe travels G I agree with reviewing fundamentals. Not only is it a refresher, but the nuances of what is getting taught changes as your technique improves, just like a golf swing coach teaches different nuances based on the golfer skill. Unfortunately, just like golf, there are two parts. One is the coaching, but the limiting factor is usually the skill and aptitude of the coachee. I hereby abdicate any proffered "honorary technician" role to Heluva.
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Post by JimRatliff on Jan 29, 2015 20:09:33 GMT -7
We were given plastic garden sticks to hold between our hands, keeping our hands wider than our shoulders. Alas, I was not able to swing another camp this year. But I have fond memories of the "PMTS Stick" - one of the best aids I've come across. I'll have to live vicariously through all your reports (and Meput's too). What about off the hill activities? Any good meals of note? How is HSS now that they've relocated away from the pot factory? Smackboy: Lacking sticks today, Harald had a few of the group just use their poles. Hold your right pole (assuming right handed?) by the knob, lay it over the top of the left pole and wrap your index finger over it. The left hand should be about six inches above the pole basket of the horizontal pole. I have never had the opportunity to use a real, copyrighted PMTS stick. But it was easy to see the improvement in upper body movement by the guys that were using them. I will leave the rest of your question to my Social Coordinator!
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Post by JimRatliff on Jan 29, 2015 20:29:43 GMT -7
In spite of a certain apprehension at being in "the" group, today I had Harald for a coach for the first time. I have to say that I was blown away by what a good coach he is, and everyone else in our group felt the same way. At the end of yesterday, all of us felt like our skiing had really fallen apart. By the time of the noon video session all of us felt like we were doing our best skiing of the camp (and maybe ever). I've often wonderedwshy he doesn't take a more "figure head" role supporting the coaches, but it is clear from his enthusiasm that this is something that he really enjoys. I was also surprised at the amount of positive feedback. Maybe that's because we were just so awesome, because after about an hour he asked it we knew the most important thing about him. When none of us had a response, he said that "he never blows smoke up anyone's posterior, and he doesn't miss much." The following reinforced this.
To show how much resistance was available from high angle tipping, he had each of us try to pull others down the hill as the pullee flattened and then edged the skis. His comment to one guy was, "that was really well done, but tip the uphill free ski first, just like in skiing." He was right, and I was glad that I had done it correctly out of habit, but that's attention to detail.
His zinger of the day in my direction, which we all enjoyed immensely. Those were some really good turns Jim, considering you're making GS turns with those slalom skis. Of course, any of you that know me know that my "sense of humor" earlier in the day had earned it. It seems that he didn't buy the excuse that the reason I couldn't do a particular drill had something to do with blast injuries sustained in VietNam.
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Post by lynn on Jan 29, 2015 21:00:32 GMT -7
Greetings!
The journey continues. We switched coaches today. As Jim noted he has Harald. He had some trepidation about being in HH's group, but todays outing was really great for him. I could see him a couple of times across the slope from our group and could get quick glimpses of his skiing. Some very nice improvements.
Geoff D. was our groups coach. We had a really good day with him. Despite being the newest coach, his eye for analysis is spot on. Excellent feedback and encouragement.
Some of us were feeling like we were "getting it". So then we went to steeper terrain. And we watched it all fall apart. And went up again to the same slope and did it again. Okay, not a total mess . The third time up, well, some good things, some fear interfering with doing what we had on the blues.
Take away lesson; practice on the easier terrain and get it close to perfect before going to play on the steeps. Challenge oneself, but if your skiing falls apart and you revert to the old survival tactics, then go back to easier terrain and re-ingrain the movements.
We did video on the penultimate run and none of us was happy with our skiing. Starting my first turn on video all I could think was " what the f**k am I supposed to do first? " Everything felt out of whack and couldn't remember what my arms were supposed to be doing, where the pelvis was going etc. Then I just did what I had been working on earlier. Viewing the video at days end, none of us was as awful as we thought. We had ingrained enough muscle memory to keep enough of the good stuff going even though we were all pretty tired: physically and mentally.
THe last run, Geoff asked us what one particular movement we would focus on. Each named one until they he got to me. I told him I couldn't think of anything anymore. I was just going to ski without thinking of anything.
Smackboy: Jim and I are being a bit austere this trip. We are in a condo and eating in. From past trip(s, our favorite breakfast places are Butterhorn cafe in Frisco (on Main St) and Sunshine Cafe in Dillon.
As far as restaurants, there are none that really blow us away in the Dillon/Silverthorne area. Usually when we eat out, its because its too much effort to cook. Some of the more interesting food places have been closer to Beaver Creek. Northside Coffee and Kitchen is a favorite.
HSS new space is a bit smaller, but nicely set up and smells better. Less altitude, if you get my drift.
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Post by livingproof on Jan 30, 2015 6:09:45 GMT -7
Jim and Lynn Thanks for taking the time to provide an extended review of your ski days. It's a great read, plus, it reminds me that there are drills I've not done recently. Yesterday, I did a fair amount of Jim's downhill racer position and making turns by very active counter-acting. It taught me, very quickly, how little motion there is in my counteracting. Also, I am reminded that my hand positions just sorta suck and the No-Swing pole plant needs reintroduction.
BTW, always felt that flexing and extending is my personal unreachable dream in PMTS skiing. A racer friend just finished a clinic and was working a drill called "toilet bowl", yup, the squatting position for the daily dump. I find it a little helpful when practicing flexing. When reading Essentials and looking at the montage of the standard turn, HH's thighs are parallel to the ground at release, just like the dump movement.
A skiing bud told me yesterday that he considers my turns as "racer type", thank you PMTS.
Jim, looking forward to seeing and skiing with you this weekend. I'm a much less attractive roommate than Lynn, so you are going to rough it for a few nights. HelluvaSkier promises to emulate HH in delivering feedback. Yeah....right.
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Post by smackboy1 on Jan 30, 2015 11:21:37 GMT -7
You know me too well! I am always feeling a wee bit peckish.
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Post by JimRatliff on Jan 30, 2015 16:29:05 GMT -7
SMackboy. Sorry about that. Blame Swype (or me for using it). I think smackboy may not be in its approved word dictionary, whereas sNackboy is as American as McDonalds.
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