One of the current hot topics in our national US Cross-Country world is the detail of skating techniques. Technique is an important part of what can also be called work economy in any sport, and work economy is one of three elements that will distinguish great racers from good racers. The other two elements are the skiers maximal aerobic capacity (VO2 max) and Lactate Threshold (LT or AT) — both of which are much more important for a ski-racer’s results than the details of his or her technique.
As a student of human physiology and kinesiology, it is sometimes puzzling as a coach to hear or read how skiing techniques are being argued and discussed based solely on magazine photos and World Cup videos of arguably World Class skiers. The same is true for training principles; these are often also based on a few World Class skiers’ training logs, without knowing exactly how the skiers defined his or her training methods in the log or at what heart rate or intensity the different training sessions were really done. These discussions would be much more useful if we were able to isolate or remove all the variables. For example, if we had two skiers with exactly the same body-build, strength and general technique (i.e. work economy), lactate threshold and VO2 max, skiing on the same equipment and up the same hill, then perhaps we could start looking at how changing elements of the technique would affect the speed.
 is different when skiing on flat terrain versus skiing uphill. </p>
<p>Removing the individual skiers’ differences in strength and power, the basic factors influencing the generation of forward force on skis are:</p>
<p>– the position of the body’s “center of gravity†at the time of the push or kick<br />
– the position and angle of the skis and poles (thus also the angle of the legs and arms)<br />
– the timing and length of the application of force<br />
– the speed of the muscle contractions</p>
<p>In very simple terms, in skating techniques, the maximum weight of the body needs to be “over†the ski when initiating the push, the skating ski needs to be edged to the inside for the skier to be able to push, the poles must be working in sync with the upper body, and the push or kick phase of the legs should be as long and efficient as <I>practically</I> possible (which results in the difference in technique in uphill versus flats). As we start looking at details, it should be the laws of physiology and mechanics of kinesiology that guide us, not only how a perhaps super-human aerobic athlete skis up the hill on a video.</p>
<p>Technique should be taught according to the level and strength of the particular skier. For a general master skier to try to ski as a World Cup skier will never lead to success — the difference in strength and aerobic capacity will create immense challenges for the master skier. However, as mentioned above, the basics should be used and understood by all coaches and good skiers; – how it looks past this will always vary depending on body type and individual differences in strength and capacity. </p>
<p>As a practical example, let me mention the current “hot topic†in the US skating technique discussion — skiing square to the direction of travel or square to the direction of the ski. Using the above basics, the focus moves away from the details of how exactly the nose, shoulders and hips are lined up. The focus switches from upper body angulation to creating an efficient push. The body’s center of gravity (i.e. your bellybutton) must be “over†every pushing ski (i.e. alternating skis), and assist in pre-loading the leg muscles. To take advantage of the pre-load, the push must be initiated with a flat foot, versus the front of the foot, and the push should end in an extended leg to the side to maximize the generation of forward force. This means that the skier’s focus needs to be on the pushing ski, and not on the “next†step (or the “to become†gliding and pushing ski). It is the effect of the push that will bring the center of gravity over to the other ski, and not by your nose leading the way. You may realize that you can create a better push when skiing square to the direction of travel.</p>
<p>Although technique training is very critical for beginner and intermediate skiers, this may not be the case as the skier becomes more racing oriented. As hinted in the introduction of this article, the national Cross-Country racing community should focus on elements more important to results than technique, namely how to develop a better “engineâ€, heart pump or specific aerobic capacity. Focusing the discussion and training efforts on this will bring much faster improvements than small details in technique. Above the intermediate skiing level, technique improvements will not make much difference unless accompanied by similar improvements in aerobic capacity and specific strength. An improved specific aerobic capacity in itself will likely give benefits as large as the total of all other improvements.</p>
<p>So, even though Cross-Country skiing at a high level is one of the most technical sports to master, there are no short-cuts to success — just hard and smart training.</p>
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