As a beginner that explanation was really helpful and a very simple way to think about the turn. When you say keep you're feet in a more natural position in relation to your body, I assumed you were speaking about shoulder width apart, so I don't get all the comments berating your advice? As you stated, a lot of people who are probably beginners are asking this question, and I clicked on it because it is something that I am trying to improve and understand and it made a whole bunch of sense to me. If I want to be a racer, or go as fast as I can then maybe I'll click on a "racing' or 'go faster' skiing video, but for now I just want to 'Keep my skis parallel', so thanks for the video.
Thank you that’s a very kind comment. You nailed it, that’s exactly what I was talking about. I hope this video helped. Thank you for your kind comment 😀
Have you ever ridden a bike where both feet are always on the pedals securely - it's kinda the same thing... the pedal coming up has zero active pressure on it except for just enough pressure to maintain contact between the shoe sole and the pedal and it's the same in skiing with the inside ski and the snow surface. It's an hip, knee and ankle retraction which 'naturally' dictates outside foot/ski dominance and upper body motion over your hips and down into the fall line. This can be practiced anywhere , even at home in bare feet or shoes... Stand naturally. feet normal walking distance apart, lift up left hip every so lightly, bend left knee and ankle ever so lightly but keep some but less pressure on the floor - you should feel a slight toppling to the left sensation - go left / right. Increase the knee angulation, vary the pressure under the inside foot by a controlled muscle retraction by thinking of it as a piston in a cylinder perhaps , increase the pressure under the outside foot by muscle extension ( pressing into the floor)- you can even start thinking of having skis on by rolling onto ( on~ off) the inside/ outside of your feet to mimic the skis edges and that for most of the skiing demonstrated, that was only what Steve was doing to turn. The skill to build is ankle rolling whilst adjusting pressure under the inside and outside of both foot sole edges by balancing muscle tensions in both thighs at the same time for outside leg extension ( or pressing) against inside leg controlled retraction (or pulling).
@@skicoachingonline I forgot to mention ankle flexion - maybe leave that for another lesson haha. Good luck in ski teaching, it's not an easy career choice !
This is great advice if you are skiing on skis made in 1976 or want to look like you are skiing on skis made in 1976. Also great advice if you want to fight your more modern skis, expend way more energy than is necessary and not be able to ever really use your edges. In short, don’t try to ski with your feet close together.
I agree, one shouldn’t try to ski with the feet together. As mentioned at the end of the video, the outcome of balance on the outside ski, allows for the legs to fall a natural width which will enable more range of movement with that inside leg. Thank you for the comment.
As an ex racer, I can say that you do NOT want your legs together. This stops you getting your legs leaning into the slope as much as you need to get a proper carving turn. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart. Look at any racer going down a course- their legs are simply....apart. Secondly, you will get much better stability by keeping your legs a sensible distance apart.
I have bow legs and with proper boot canting by an excellent boot fitter in town, I was told to ski wider by the boot fitter and by a CSIA Level 4 instuctor.
Absolutely. The racers feet and skis are apart due to the inside leg being more flexed/bent than the outside. I agree with you, too close and this can limit the range of motion of the body, but also too wide can do the same. It can reduce the range of that inside leg and therefore edge angle and potential for grip at high speeds. As I mentioned at the end of the video, balance towards the outside ski allows for an outcome of the legs and skis being a natural distance apart. So you have the range needed for whatever outcome you want. Thank you for your comment.
Absolutely, the instructor would’ve looked at how you are standing and made the call to allow for a distance that could increase the access or range of movement with your legs 👍🏻 this is what would be most useful. For some it’s narrower, and standing more on the outside ski. For some it could be feeling wider allows for more range of movement. Thank you for your comment.
I know for modern aggressive skiing this is not great advice but for groomed runs it is fine and especially important in moguls. If you insist on skis together and aggressive carving you might need to lift that inside ski a little to allow the proper angle for the outside ski.
Absolutely, that was the idea of this video. To ensure people do not ‘try’ to ski with their feet/legs together and that they have some separation between the leg lengths during the turns. Thank you for your comment.
Thank you, I am trying to film enough that I cover all bases from First time up to Advanced, I'm not quite there yet, but I'm still going! :) Thank you for your comment, please let me know what else you would like to see.
I'm a beginner for skiing and l feel stuck on how to skis parallel whenever I turn left or right.. l mean like is really hard to move my ankle on skis.
Keeping the skis together implies keeping the tips and tails together. So parallel but also tips and tails aligned. Where there is dissent about skis together it seems to be more a statement that one does not need to minimise the distance between the tips and tails or feet for that matter to achieve this.
Yes, having a bit of flex with the the inside leg will make it easier to keep the tips and tails parallel. The distance apart will depend on the skiers body. Thank you for your comment.
I watch these videos to try an sharpen my skills but when I try it it just doesn't feel natural and I tend to do better just skiing as I normally do but I do like all the videos I see
Thank you for watching. It’s does take some time to implement new things into your own skiing. Don’t worry about it feeling unnatural as when you change something it’ll feel a bit strange. 😀 Thank you for your comment.
I suppose the distance between skis really should be gaged based on your bodie's (or more importantly your shins) angle with respect to the ski slope. The more acute the angle, the closer your skis must be to maintain an edge in the snow, especially in groomed or packed/icy conditions.
Interesting question. It’s worth trying, but I think overcooking it too close or too far apart limits movement of the legs. Thank you for your comment. I’ll give it a try.
Having some space between the feet through a bend of the inside leg and a lengthening of the outside leg will ensure some balance over the outside foot/ski. Having the ankles touching all the way down a run will make it difficult to balance whilst trying to turn. Thank you for your comment
I do not actively twist my hips or body, I twist my legs more than my body. They (the hips and body) will move and should move to allow for strength and support in the body. Actively twisting or trying to stop movement in the body and hips can result in a weaker stance and potentially make it harder to balance over the outside ski. It’s worth playing with some twisting to see how much is too much. 😀 Thank you for your comment.
I thought your vid was really good for the beginner/intermediate stuck in a snow plough or wedge christy and looking for advice. What a shame that instructors make a vid like this, then all the experts make comments having a crack at the bloke.
After watching the video I can understand how the choice of words “ close together “ was misleading and resulted in some criticism. While the instructions and demonstration was not the best that I have watched it does show the transition from turn to turn, outside foot/ leg to inside foot/ leg to initiate new turn. He does mention how outside leg is longer and inside leg get shorter etc. As a long time ski industry person I strongly recommend watching Deb Armstrong or Tom Gellie on RUclips for world class coaching.
Hello and thank you for your comment. Apologies for the “close together” being misleading. I used that term because that is what is commonly searched in RUclips when asking how to ski parallel. This video is aimed at people looking at improving their parallel turns. As you mentioned you have been in the industry for some time it may seem obvious to you what was said in this video. But I was trying to explain it in simple terms, and this has worked for lots of people that I’ve skied with at this level. I do agree that Deb Armstrong stuff is quality, I do not know her but I do recommend everyone watch her stuff it’s great. And Tom I would class as a friend, and again his stuff is quality too, I believe in looking around and gathering as much information as possible and if it works for you keep it, if not leave it 😀
Having watched both Tom and Deb extensively, incidentally, I prefer Tom over Deb a little, however, I'm still giving a thumbs up to Steve here as It's demonstrated and explained perfectly well what the problem is and how to solve it. The title having 'close skis' within it causes an unnecessary knee /keyboard jerk reaction. Whilst not mainstream, Benni Walch's close ski's together style seems not to hinder him - there ain't nobody that say's he can't ski! Just type his name in the search bar and you'll see exactly what I mean.
Thank you for your comment, yes I can see how just reading the title and not watching the video might have got people thinking a certain way. Benni's skiing is great, he can bend a ski very well! I love his short turns@@TAH1712
Completely wrong advices. To everyone who is trying to improve their skills: this advices are bad and wrong. Except soft powder off-piste, Your legs should be apart ( shoulder distance) and you should keep balance of weight distribution between legs ( of course never upper leg pressure - higher than lower). Look at any world cup completion at TV. Nobody is keeping legs together. It was a technique walid 40 years ago
I gave no advice on putting your feet closer together. I spoke about moving them apart using a bending of the inside leg to remained balanced over the outside foot. The result being the skis/legs being a natural distance apart relative to the makeup of the body of the skier. Thank you for your comment.
As a beginner that explanation was really helpful and a very simple way to think about the turn. When you say keep you're feet in a more natural position in relation to your body, I assumed you were speaking about shoulder width apart, so I don't get all the comments berating your advice? As you stated, a lot of people who are probably beginners are asking this question, and I clicked on it because it is something that I am trying to improve and understand and it made a whole bunch of sense to me. If I want to be a racer, or go as fast as I can then maybe I'll click on a "racing' or 'go faster' skiing video, but for now I just want to 'Keep my skis parallel', so thanks for the video.
Thank you that’s a very kind comment. You nailed it, that’s exactly what I was talking about. I hope this video helped. Thank you for your kind comment 😀
Have you ever ridden a bike where both feet are always on the pedals securely - it's kinda the same thing... the pedal coming up has zero active pressure on it except for just enough pressure to maintain contact between the shoe sole and the pedal and it's the same in skiing with the inside ski and the snow surface. It's an hip, knee and ankle retraction which 'naturally' dictates outside foot/ski dominance and upper body motion over your hips and down into the fall line. This can be practiced anywhere , even at home in bare feet or shoes... Stand naturally. feet normal walking distance apart, lift up left hip every so lightly, bend left knee and ankle ever so lightly but keep some but less pressure on the floor - you should feel a slight toppling to the left sensation - go left / right. Increase the knee angulation, vary the pressure under the inside foot by a controlled muscle retraction by thinking of it as a piston in a cylinder perhaps , increase the pressure under the outside foot by muscle extension ( pressing into the floor)- you can even start thinking of having skis on by rolling onto ( on~ off) the inside/ outside of your feet to mimic the skis edges and that for most of the skiing demonstrated, that was only what Steve was doing to turn. The skill to build is ankle rolling whilst adjusting pressure under the inside and outside of both foot sole edges by balancing muscle tensions in both thighs at the same time for outside leg extension ( or pressing) against inside leg controlled retraction (or pulling).
Very detailed explanation, nice one. I love it, it's hard not to do it when you're just standng there. #skierhabits 😁@@TAH1712
@@skicoachingonline I forgot to mention ankle flexion - maybe leave that for another lesson haha.
Good luck in ski teaching, it's not an easy career choice !
Thanks, yes I'll do some videos with that focus.
Thank you. @@TAH1712
This is great advice if you are skiing on skis made in 1976 or want to look like you are skiing on skis made in 1976. Also great advice if you want to fight your more modern skis, expend way more energy than is necessary and not be able to ever really use your edges.
In short, don’t try to ski with your feet close together.
I agree, one shouldn’t try to ski with the feet together. As mentioned at the end of the video, the outcome of balance on the outside ski, allows for the legs to fall a natural width which will enable more range of movement with that inside leg.
Thank you for the comment.
As an ex racer, I can say that you do NOT want your legs together. This stops you getting your legs leaning into the slope as much as you need to get a proper carving turn. Your feet should be about shoulder width apart. Look at any racer going down a course- their legs are simply....apart. Secondly, you will get much better stability by keeping your legs a sensible distance apart.
I have bow legs and with proper boot canting by an excellent boot fitter in town, I was told to ski wider by the boot fitter and by a CSIA Level 4 instuctor.
Benson got it right
Take down that picture of Stien you have above your bed
Absolutely. The racers feet and skis are apart due to the inside leg being more flexed/bent than the outside.
I agree with you, too close and this can limit the range of motion of the body, but also too wide can do the same. It can reduce the range of that inside leg and therefore edge angle and potential for grip at high speeds.
As I mentioned at the end of the video, balance towards the outside ski allows for an outcome of the legs and skis being a natural distance apart. So you have the range needed for whatever outcome you want.
Thank you for your comment.
Absolutely, the instructor would’ve looked at how you are standing and made the call to allow for a distance that could increase the access or range of movement with your legs 👍🏻 this is what would be most useful.
For some it’s narrower, and standing more on the outside ski. For some it could be feeling wider allows for more range of movement.
Thank you for your comment.
I know for modern aggressive skiing this is not great advice but for groomed runs it is fine and especially important in moguls. If you insist on skis together and aggressive carving you might need to lift that inside ski a little to allow the proper angle for the outside ski.
Absolutely, that was the idea of this video. To ensure people do not ‘try’ to ski with their feet/legs together and that they have some separation between the leg lengths during the turns.
Thank you for your comment.
Did you actually watch the video and listened to it? Or did you just read “ski’s closer together” and went for it?
I appreciate you making these videos for beginners/intermediate ! I feel most videos are for intermediate advanced….
Thank you, I am trying to film enough that I cover all bases from First time up to Advanced, I'm not quite there yet, but I'm still going! :)
Thank you for your comment, please let me know what else you would like to see.
I'm a beginner for skiing and l feel stuck on how to skis parallel whenever I turn left or right.. l mean like is really hard to move my ankle on skis.
What seems to be the issue? I’ll make a video for it 😀
Thank you for the comment.
Keeping the skis together implies keeping the tips and tails together. So parallel but also tips and tails aligned. Where there is dissent about skis together it seems to be more a statement that one does not need to minimise the distance between the tips and tails or feet for that matter to achieve this.
Yes, having a bit of flex with the the inside leg will make it easier to keep the tips and tails parallel. The distance apart will depend on the skiers body.
Thank you for your comment.
Going to try it. How do I get part 2?
It’s later on in the same video. Talking about speed.
Thank you for the comment.
I watch these videos to try an sharpen my skills but when I try it it just doesn't feel natural and I tend to do better just skiing as I normally do but I do like all the videos I see
Thank you for watching. It’s does take some time to implement new things into your own skiing. Don’t worry about it feeling unnatural as when you change something it’ll feel a bit strange. 😀
Thank you for your comment.
@@skicoachingonline thanks for your advice
I suppose the distance between skis really should be gaged based on your bodie's (or more importantly your shins) angle with respect to the ski slope. The more acute the angle, the closer your skis must be to maintain an edge in the snow, especially in groomed or packed/icy conditions.
Interesting question. It’s worth trying, but I think overcooking it too close or too far apart limits movement of the legs.
Thank you for your comment. I’ll give it a try.
And after you ski nice parallel, how can you do speed control in parallel and still go flowy from a slope?
Thx in advance.
Yes. Thank you for the comment.
How do i ski with ankles nearly touching the whole way like a 60's skier?
Having some space between the feet through a bend of the inside leg and a lengthening of the outside leg will ensure some balance over the outside foot/ski.
Having the ankles touching all the way down a run will make it difficult to balance whilst trying to turn.
Thank you for your comment
Should I twist my hips and upper body like you do?
I do not actively twist my hips or body, I twist my legs more than my body. They (the hips and body) will move and should move to allow for strength and support in the body.
Actively twisting or trying to stop movement in the body and hips can result in a weaker stance and potentially make it harder to balance over the outside ski.
It’s worth playing with some twisting to see how much is too much. 😀
Thank you for your comment.
I thought your vid was really good for the beginner/intermediate stuck in a snow plough or wedge christy and looking for advice.
What a shame that instructors make a vid like this, then all the experts make comments having a crack at the bloke.
Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate that you got the point of the video 😀 I hope it can help those people.
Thank you for the comment.
Great video!
Thanks Jason. 👍🏻
After watching the video I can understand how the choice of words “ close together “ was misleading and resulted in some criticism. While the instructions and demonstration was not the best that I have watched it does show the transition from turn to turn, outside foot/ leg to inside foot/ leg to initiate new turn. He does mention how outside leg is longer and inside leg get shorter etc. As a long time ski industry person I strongly recommend watching Deb Armstrong or Tom Gellie on RUclips for world class coaching.
Hello and thank you for your comment.
Apologies for the “close together” being misleading. I used that term because that is what is commonly searched in RUclips when asking how to ski parallel.
This video is aimed at people looking at improving their parallel turns.
As you mentioned you have been in the industry for some time it may seem obvious to you what was said in this video. But I was trying to explain it in simple terms, and this has worked for lots of people that I’ve skied with at this level.
I do agree that Deb Armstrong stuff is quality, I do not know her but I do recommend everyone watch her stuff it’s great. And Tom I would class as a friend, and again his stuff is quality too, I believe in looking around and gathering as much information as possible and if it works for you keep it, if not leave it 😀
Having watched both Tom and Deb extensively, incidentally, I prefer Tom over Deb a little, however, I'm still giving a thumbs up to Steve here as It's demonstrated and explained perfectly well what the problem is and how to solve it. The title having 'close skis' within it causes an unnecessary knee /keyboard jerk reaction. Whilst not mainstream, Benni Walch's close ski's together style seems not to hinder him - there ain't nobody that say's he can't ski! Just type his name in the search bar and you'll see exactly what I mean.
Thank you for your comment, yes I can see how just reading the title and not watching the video might have got people thinking a certain way.
Benni's skiing is great, he can bend a ski very well! I love his short turns@@TAH1712
Completely wrong advices. To everyone who is trying to improve their skills: this advices are bad and wrong. Except soft powder off-piste, Your legs should be apart ( shoulder distance) and you should keep balance of weight distribution between legs ( of course never upper leg pressure - higher than lower).
Look at any world cup completion at TV. Nobody is keeping legs together. It was a technique walid 40 years ago
I gave no advice on putting your feet closer together. I spoke about moving them apart using a bending of the inside leg to remained balanced over the outside foot.
The result being the skis/legs being a natural distance apart relative to the makeup of the body of the skier.
Thank you for your comment.
Bizarre d’insister sur skis parallèles ??? Le repère serait plutôt TIBIAS parallèles !!!
Sure that is another way of talking about it. 👍🏻 I’ve used that in the past with some success too.
Thank you for the commment.
@@skicoachingonline 👍 👍 👍
You must have lost something in your education .
Hello, thank you for your comment. What has been lost?