Marcel Hirscher, more on Perfect Transition

Read the post below, before you read his one, they are in order of posting: Here is the second half of the next turn more detailed.

Frame1. After releasing his right ski, (see previous description) by flexing the leg and flattening his outside (downhill) ski, both skis are flat and his legs are at the same flex angle.

Frame 2. As Hirscher increases his inside leg tipping and flexing it allows him to add more angle to that ski because it's less weighted. This brings his body across his skis for the new arc.

Frame 3. Increasing his inside leg flexing and tipping allows his CG to move inside the turn.

Frame 4. Again he becomes more compact bringing his inside arm forward and flexing the inside leg  to move it out of the way so his body can move closer to the snow creating more outside ski angle.  He has yet to apply full big-toe edge tipping, that comes next.

Most coaches are focusing on the wrong side and wrong leg, for modern day skiing. The big toe or outside ski edge, has to come on late, but strong. This can only happen if the body is properly set up. If the big toe edge is the focus (from the beginning) the body is never set up correctly and the skier then grinds his turns, rather than slices his turns. 

Marcel Hirscher perfect GS transition

Setting up well above the gate, inside ski (the left foot) tipping and flexing to set up his body.

Here is the critical move, he brings his body together "compact", Hands forward, yet he continues to tip his inside foot and flex his inside leg. He also adds big toe edge  angle, (that's the right foot and ski) Boots and skis always working together to create the same angles. Inside ski and boot tucked and held, well back, under his hips. Too many racers bale-out here and let the inside ski move forward, that's just slow.

Here is where you can be confident, he flexes his inside leg even further and to do so he has to clear space for it to move up, out of the way. This moves the hip more inside the arc. Most racers here, try to step out of the arc, with the up hill ski, hold on for more speed. 

Hirscher begins to flex and relax the outside leg, (right leg) and prepares for transition. 

Flexing the right leg allows the old holding edge,  to dissipate, moving his Cg, center of gravity to the new turn. Now both legs are now evenly flexed. Notice there is no ski lead. Hirscher has minimal ski lead compared to most other contemporary racers. 

Again little or no tip lead. This part of the turn is created because he continued to increase angles by tipping his inside leg and ski. Too many coaches focus on the wrong leg; the outside ski leg, it is less important and doesn't set up the correct body situations.  Of course, once you are in the right part of the arc, adding outside leg tipping and ski angle is correct, but not to set up the arc.

I'm much more a Porsche guy. Especially this one.

It's a little over the top but sure is fun.

Saw this in Cherry Creek yesterday, Denver.

New Lexus Super Car!

PACKING UP AFTER A GOOD DAY OF TRAINING

                                   Harald and Jon Olsson

Shut up Lance everyone knows you are a doper!

It's time for Lance to own up. We have lost total faith in him and any sponsors that are still using him are despicable.

One of the scariest pictures I've seen in a long while!

What is really scary is, one of them "might" be our next president!
And the best one of the lot, the one, who's "up front" 'quote ha,ha', he's the best candidate for the right, and he's an independent, Good luck!
I'm not an Obama fan, but this is ridicules.

Skied with Jon and Warner today.

Jon Olson studying his video between runs. You thought this guy was brilliant in the air, 6 time X Games big air champion, well let me tell you, he can lay down angles with his skis, on the snow, rivaling many of the world's best.

The last skier who could ski race at the world class level and be the best in the air at the same time was Hermann Gollner.

Jon Olson studying his video between runs.

Audi Corporation, supports the organization that unfairly uses or abuses ski athletes world wide.

The FIS (federation international de Ski) is the world wide ski organization that controls all aspects of international ski racing. Sort of like how Bernie Ecclestone controls F1 Car racing.

There are tremendous amounts of money coming to the FIS from members, license fees, race fees, race organizers, national dues, sponsors, logo rights, TV rights, etc. Where does all this money go? It is difficult to ascertain how it comes back to the athletes, except for the fact that the FIS does maintain and publish a complicated ranking and points system.

The FIS does not organize or run the races, it doesn't pay athletes, it doesn't support training, so what does the FIS do with all this money? It does sanction events, but that is just a stroke of the pen.

It also makes rules, in many cases rules that are unpopular and unjustified in the view of athletes, coaches, manufactures, ski resorts, and spectators. Does something smack of a total authoritarian organization here?

The scary part is that the FIS also can arbitrarily change rules, about course setting, skis, length of courses etc. Often these rules directly impact the safety of racers and even spectators.

In the most reset situation the FIS has mandated a change in Giant Slalom ski, side cut or shape, which directly effects how racers ski or can ski a course. This in turn affects the speed, and trajectory of the skiers. The FIS maintains the new rules make GS skiing safer, everyone else disagrees, yet they are still going ahead with the changes.

Everyone presently associated or formerly associated with the sport has expressed their displeasure over the new ruling. Those in the know, including the athletes, say the new rules make the sport more dangerous, less fun to watch and less elegant; this ex-racer and coach agrees with the athletes.

The battle is ragging and the athletes are speaking out in their defense. In response the FIS has instituted a gag order on athletes; if they speak out, they are fined or sanctioned. Now is that democracy in action?

How can a respected company like "Audi Auto Corporation" and the other sponsors want to be associated with such Tyrannical organization?

Stay tuned for more to come on this subject.

How to beat the FIS

Protests work, but not by athletes, by the public. Sponsors will disappear if the public stops showing up to watch GS races. You have to hit these idiots in the pocket book. Stop buying Atomic ski product, they are the biggest supporters of stupid rules. The World Cup towns, hotels and restaurants, will start to tell the FIS what to do when they stop selling rooms, and Wiener Schnitzels, and schnapps.


BTW. AUDI CARS ARE OVER PRICED AND THEY COST A FORTUNE TO MAINTAIN, A SUBARU IS A MUCH BETTER VALUE. PLUS AUDI SPONSORS THE FIS, A TYRANNICAL ORGANIZATION THAT MAKES RULES THAT HURTS ATHLETES.

The FIS is a tyrannical organization. Tyranny will never advance the sport of Skiing.

Because the FIS is such a repressive organization and about to fine athletes that speak out against their policies, it means we have to get vocal on Facebook, Blogs and any other public media,

to set them right. They shouldn't be able to do this in a democratic world.

Correct hip movements to set up strong edging and angles.

This is what racers should strive for in their skiing.

What always seemed strange to me when I watch ski coaching; is how coaches seem to lean toward or emphasize ideas that are the consequence of movements that are not intended rather than focusing on strong fundamentals.

Two examples of such misdirections in the history of skiing are the Jet Turn and White Pass Turn. Both were mistakes, and many coaches picked up on them as the "latest, greatest techniques", which they never were and never became.

The latest in this history of misdirection of ski technique, is the Skivot or the Pivot turn.
There seems to be an obsession with this type of skiing with many coaches. Unfortunately, it's something that most skiers can already do and can't reduce or control. The skier in this photo, shows what only a handful of skiers in the world can do. Whereas, almost every tourist skier knows how to skid or pivot, and doesn't know how to stop doing it! The same applies to young racers who will never make it, due to the misguided teaching of many coaches.

Rather than working with skiers to gain the fundamentals that will serve skiers well for the rest of their careers, it's always baffling to me, why coaches want to waste the careers of promising skiers with techniques that are dead-ends. Rather than teaching them the fundamentals that could guide them to the types of turns demonstrated by the skier in this photo (above).

Fitting your ski boots for happy feet.

Fit you ski boots everyday to have happy feet.