SPORTING A STABLE TELEMARK TURN?
Exercise to help your "chassis
by Linda Reiss

Your driving down a winding road in a sports car taking each curve with precision leading you into the following curve. Nothing can throw you off this path because the machine your in is built to react to the forces of the turns. Now imagine your riding in a stage coach. Never mind that the roads seem more like mogul fields, each curve makes you feel a little wobbly or as if you may tip over. Does this remind you more of how you felt when you first learned to Telemark ski or maybe what you see in your students?  

Many things may catch your eye in studying the movement of your students. Some of these things can be addressed on snow in the normal lesson but what about exercises that can be done off snow to help our students ski more like a sports car than a stage coach. Assuming that their suspension (legs) are well trained for steering through the turns and absorbing the variations in the terrain, what is happening with the "chassis" or their trunks. Do they look loose, do they fall into the hill on steeper terrain or look as if they are in a perpetual state of recovery? If you answer yes to any of these questions, maybe your student needs a little tune up to help get the chassis back on track.

 The exercise that follows is to train the abdominal muscles to do just that. Sit ups and curl ups are good for strengthening the abdominals but stabilization exercises teach the body how to work more effectively "at play". Try this abdominal stabilization exercise:(SEE FIGURES 1-4)

 Figure 1: Start with your knees bent up, laying on the floor Tighten your abdominal muscles so that your low back flattens to the floor (option: have a rolled towel <2in diameter under your low back)  

 Figure 2: Keeping the back flat (or anchored), bring one knee to your chest.

 Figure 3: Don't let anything move except the second leg as you now lift this knee to your chest  

 Figure 4: Now that your in the working position, lower the first leg so that the foot touches the floor and bring the knee back to the chest again  

 Figures 2 and 3: Now lower and raise the other leg

 Figures 4 and 3: Continue to alternate with each foot to the floor as long as your abdominals stays firm and the back is still.

 Easier variation:1-2-1 Lift one leg then the other, lower the first leg and then the other, repeat (having a foot or both feet on the ground gives a little reprieve to the abdominals)Harder variation:(Variation of figure 3) When bringing the knees to the chest, stop and hold them in a position so that the knees point to the ceiling, continue single leg lowering and raising.

 Adaptations of exercises are made from the works of Shirley Sahrmann, PT,PhD.Questions or comments are welcome.