Using the Feet

On my most recent trip, an instructor advised a pal to ski on the balls of his feet, essentially to lift his foot and use the ball of his foot behind the big toe to initiate and apply pressure on the turns. He also was pretty dismissive of the shins on the front of the boot advice that I have been striving to maintain for years

I should perhaps mention that my pal is somewhat inclined to crouch down, especially when under pressure, as am I. This sometimes leaves us in the backseat. Having tried the technique a little bit, it did seem to improve our posture so perhaps it was more a drill to get us more upright that a technique in its own right

We have all been skiing for a good few years and this is the first time that any instructor has given this particular piece of advice. Does this make sense to the more experienced skiers out there

Wanderer,
I tend to crouch down as well, when I'm feeling nervous, but so far none of my instructors have told me to ski on the balls of my feet. They usually tell me to stand up straighter, keep my weight forwards, and lean downhill. Plus, they all seem to think that ski-ing with my shins against the front of my boots is a good idea.

I find the best way to fix this problem in myself, is to start telling, and listening to jokes, because when doing this I find myself leaning forwards to hear the next joke and I totally forget about the steepness of the slope and relax and ski much better. A really good joke will keep me ski-ing relaxed for several hours

Ally

Feeling the front of your boots with your shins only works if you are doing the right thing everywhere else.

Pablo,
Have you ever heard of being told to ski on the balls of your feet?

Yep. Stand up and try to balance on the balls of your feet... you need to be pretty centered to do it.

Pablo Escobar wrote:Yep. Stand up and try to balance on the balls of your feet... you need to be pretty centered to do it.

Thanks Pablo,
Oh well, then, that would explain it. Maybe Wanderer had an English speaking instructor. I don't think any of my French ones knew how to say 'the balls of your feet'. I've been told endlessly about keeping a correct 'mid position' and staying centred etc.

Ally

If it works to keep you centered it is a good way to think about it. Really easy to feel the balls of your feet although in poorly fitted boots I would imagine your control over the skis may be limited

I have been told to imagine, whilst turning, that you are rolling a can (of beer) from underneath your toes to under the arch of your foot. Different things work for different people.

Pablo Escobar wrote:If it works to keep you centered it is a good way to think about it. Really easy to feel the balls of your feet although in poorly fitted boots I would imagine your control over the skis may be limited

I have been told to imagine, whilst turning, that you are rolling a can (of beer) from underneath your toes to under the arch of your foot. Different things work for different people.

I'm not sure I can stand on a can of beer, even when I'm not wearing ski boots. I used to be quite good at walking on a barrel though, if it's anything the same as that.

It's okay Pablo, you can stop nagging me about my boots now

I'm off to Profeet in London to buy myself some new boots as soon as my broken, infected toe has healed. I am hoping they will still have some boots left in my size.