CARVING TRANSITION | Understanding this will improve performance

Understand exactly what is needed to transition effectively will improve your carving performance. Paul Lorenz explains the physics involved and how to move to use this to your advantage.
This is an excerpt from the ROAD TO CARVING and provides an example of how concepts are explained in this carving instructional video. The full video includes clear explanations, exercises, diagrams and progressions to improve your carving skills and improve your understanding of the key movements and objectives. To watch the ROAD TO CARVING, head to www.ProjectedP... today!
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[@dannysimpson9472]

Possibly the best explanation I’ve heard. The light bulb came on and this made sense. That’s what really matters in teaching or conveying something. Nice job!

[@paullorenz6389]

Thanks, I’m glad this video was helpful. For the full video, please have a look www.projectedproductions.com/videolibrary

[@trumanhw]

Exactly. You just resist less of the force, so your momentum can move your ass from the inside of one turn to the next turn, (while coordinating all the postural criteria. IMPECCABLE!!

[@raybrown8887]

many years ago during my level 3 exam when questioned on the chair lift riding with the examiner about what I felt was the biggest milestone to become a more dynamic skier from simply open parallel I described the moving diagonally across the skis taking the CM into the inside of the new turn. when pressed how to accomplish that bio-mechanically I was at a bit of a loss since for me it was more cerebral. then I went back to the idea of long leg short leg concept with either extending the short or leg or in some cases just relaxing the long leg. it served me well I passed and eventually ending my career after 26 years of a rewarding experience of helping many many students to enjoy the sport at a higher level.

[@crimmeyd00d47]

Yes. It is that simple! Extension of the outside leg and inclination. The harder bit is what I call the neutral transitional stance which is more toilet seat ( not knees flexed underneath the bum) and from this position the extension of either leg can occur. It's isa position small quick movements can be made from to facilitate direction changes either way. What should he banned is the basic alpine position/ athletic stance and replaced with the neutral transitional stance. All you need now is the force distributed over the full foot as much as possible, ie full foot flat pushing on boot board all the way through the turn. None of this toeheel nonsense.

[@davids949]

Thank you so much for your review. So much fun to watch And remember. I live in Houston and other than the once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm that snarls the entire place up, I live in and amongst palm trees and Gators. I skied from the time I was about two or three. And it has been a major part of my life. And to say the least, I miss it. So watching content like yours helps me not worry so much about having to play so much golf. Keep up the good work.

[@paullorenz6389]

@@davids949 thanks David

[@rzkarimi]

Best video I have watched on turn transition out of 1000s I have watched over the span of 2 years. A big shout out to you.

[@paullorenz6389]

Thank you 🙏

[@johnbarnhart7174]

Paul, This could be your BEST VIDEO EVER !!! Love the frame by frame photo montage visual and commentary. THANK YOU. JAB.

[@paullorenz6389]

Thanks for your comment John. If you like it you should check out the full video. All the best 🙂

[@faing4923]

@@paullorenz6389 where is the full video? Thanks.

[@paullorenz6389]

@@faing4923 please check video description for details. Thanks

[@profpat70]

Frame-by-frame demo is brilliant!

[@paullorenz6389]

Thank you

[@gogglebro9421]

Paul, I concluded from your explanation that I’m not always actively applying pressure to the inside ski during transition. Thank you.

[@михаилтрошин-е4т]

Высший пилотаж!!! Замечательный трек с достойным показом карвинговых поворотов в замедленной сьемке!!!!!!👍👍👍👍👍

[@trouts4444]

Your videos are always excellent. They are simple and clear presentations. The same for text like your article on Angulation & Inclination that is a great read.

[@Borzacchinni]

Finally a video that teaches how to properly bend instead of standing like a pole while carving

[@guyvaes9503]

Super sharp explanation, video and skiing ! Wow !

[@paullorenz6389]

Thank you 🙏

[@rosshimmler9742]

Paul - great videos and detailed explanations. If you want to take things slightly closer to perfect, replace the idea of Centrifugal Force from the discussion with Inertial Mass. Centrifugal Forces do not exist, they are misinterpretations of Inertia in motion. From a Physics standpoint, there is not a force pushing an object to the outside of a flat turn, it is the absence of a force and thereby the Inertial Mass continues to move in the direction is was moving until the unbalanced Center Seeking (Centripetal Force) acts to accelerate the skier in an arc. That's why when the skier loses the Edge and the Normal Force with the snow disappears, the skier will travel in a completely straight line until they crash into fencing or some other object to change the skier's direction.

[@paullorenz6389]

Hi Ross, thanks for your message. This is just a small segment of the full video where what you’ve written is explained. Thanks again

[@rosshimmler9742]

@@paullorenz6389 Paul - thanks so much for the reply and awesome content. Do you know the approximate tangential speed you have when achieving such drastic edge angles?

[@trouts4444]

@@rosshimmler9742 A decent guess would be 45-50+ mph depending on slope angle for 184 lb skier spread over 6 feet. I have a speed app on my cell.

[@trouts4444]

“Centrifugal Forces do not exist, they are misinterpretations of Inertia in motion.” Humm, no, but you have introduced an overall good point and qualified it very well. But centrifugal forces in a context do exist when qualified. A legitimate phenomenon of inertia is centrifugal effect. Paul qualified that in “the feeling of centrifugal force”, your inertia. I think that qualifies its use for Paul. It seems you may have the unfortunate bad luck to have acquired a PhD in physics, probably by studying, a second a second case of bad but bad habit versus bad luck. I had bad luck myself of working with a group of 12 physics PhD’s. Ten from MIT, one from U of Moscow and one from Tsinghua U that got a second PhD also in physics from Stanford. They were all brilliant and could make mistakes at a faster rate than most humans except for PhD’s in mathematics.

[@rosshimmler9742]

@@trouts4444 Thanks for the comment David. I do not have a PhD in Physics, just a lover of skiing and the fundamentals forces at play that allow skiers to do amazing things. I'm just a lowly HS Physics teacher. A real simple solution to why the Centrifugal Force does not exist can be explained in Paul's graphic when he has the Centripetal Force balancing in magnitude with the "Centrifugal Force" If this "feeling" is real, then the skier would be in a state of Dynamic Equilibrium and there would not be any Acceleration of the skier and the skier would travel in a straight line at a constant speed. However; when any object is changing direction that object is in an Accelerated state and therefore there must a Net Force acting on the object. Hence only the Centripetal Force in the horizontal plane coming from a combination of the Normal Force and the Friction Force exist. Skiing purely Carved turns is FUN because the skier is constantly in an accelerated state as they travel in an arc around parts of circles.

[@AlexOlesov]

Excellent explanation and excellent demonstration. Great!!

[@paullorenz6389]

Thank you

[@Williamwconst]

Yeah, this is an incredibly useful video, thanks!!

[@mountainflyhigh]

Great and very helpful video. I had a huge carving revelation lately, after lots of analysis and practice. I was concentrating WAY too much on rolling my feet (edges) and bottom-of-foot pressures, including increased pressure on front of foot. I learned in another video to think a lot more about rolling your lower leg (tib/fib) and instead feeling the pressures on the SIDES of your boots against your leg, and just keeping bottom-of-foot pressure pretty much even front to back. Made an immediate and very noticeable difference in my shorter turns.

[@paullorenz6389]

Glad the video was helpful. Thanks for your comment and all the best for the season ahead 😊

[@crimmeyd00d47]

Alot of these you tubers do advocate the full foot pushing on the bottom of the boot however it is usually glossed over very quickly, easily missed or disregarded and is one of the most important aspects of performance skiing. I remember Tom gellie mentioning it for 1 sec in a long video as if he was actually scared of saying it for fear of condemnation.

[@HS-ob3fz]

this is brilliant explanation!

[@paullorenz6389]

Thank, hopefully its useful. The full video can be seen at www.projectedproductions.com

[@skicoachingonline]

Nice explanation and great visuals. Awesome stuff Paul 😀

[@paullorenz6389]

Thanks Steve 😊

[@richard975]

i like to move both hands towards the new outside ski, that helps me get balanced on the new ski really early, with a low centre of mass, and from there i can move inside the new turn quicker while staying balanced on that new outside ski

[@yeahmaybe6759]

“cen-TRIPI-tul” force. Awesome skiing!

[@LyubomyrSemkiv]

Super detailed explanations, especially love how you first show frame by frame and than all frames simultaneously, great approach! I have a question though. What is the intention of pressing on inside ski? Should this press be just enough to balance on it while relaxing old stance leg or it should be hard enough to make your hips move up stand on it, i.e. extend.

[@gogglebro9421]

Pressing the inside ski will hasten the lateral (aka crossover) movement and create separation (angulation) to balance the center of mass over this new outside ski.

[@ryosinlineskateskilab3945]

Awesome!! Well visualized mechanics!!

[@soccerstar204]

Nice video. I believe this can help me from holding on to the turn too long.

[@roy87345]

Beautiful. Thanks

[@yaji-oyaji]

Super deep edge angles and a super smooth transition!! Love it!!

[@alpinstef3566]

Great explanation, but centripetal and centrifugal force (pseudo) may not be used in the same frame of reference to explain this motion, the latter being experienced in the skier's frame of reference (a moving/accelerated frame). So this could be replaced with 'inertia' which would try to "unbalance" the skier in an outside frame of observation. The centripetal force would maintain a rotational equilibrium as well, against gravity though the COM.

[@j.s.k.7746]

Awesome graphics

[@paullorenz6389]

Thanks, I think it helps show the movements.

[@rich8304]

Yup !

[@assigno]

bellissimo video, molto interessante. grazie.

[@yuripaganucci4324]

Ottimo! Grazie!!

[@paullorenz6389]

Thanks 😊

[@magnificoas388]

Very nice demo ;) Well well, in physics: CP = - CF But I think you are right, if you press inside ski (when full pressure) you will turn shorter, I mean you decrease your radius an by doing so you increase CF (=mv2/r) so that your CoM will go easier in the center of new turn. This is how you balance repartition of pressure on the skis at full pressure (pic1). 70-30%, 60-40% who knows? But there is something misleading here (my point of view). I don't like "press" on inside ski; you don't press your ski like pressing a switch... Because here all is about weight transfer: from external (pic1) to internal (pic2,). And you do this in a "forward" way too. So the "press on inside ski" should be put in pic2 instead, since in pic1 your intent is to stand against your external foot. Same for "relax outside leg": intent of the skier is going from foot to foot. LO SKI BUM says:"it is not a failure of force it is a load transfer. "Relax" is just a result here.

[@trouts4444]

Your point seems unnecessarily complicated. He uses “press” for pressing against the centripetal force pushing up against the ski. The skier does press, push and the terms are ok. He qualifies the leg actions in a good way with the effect on COM versus centrifugal and centripetal forces. It all seems fine to me and clear.

[@magnificoas388]

Let's say the description of Paul is not orthodox (competition). I understand what press means. Press is here a result, a consequence of the action of the skier. What is important is the action not a simple description of the consequences. If you follow the diagram it seems that load transfer is already done when full pressure. This is not true. Instead You should press EXTERNAL when full pressure pic1 with some balance between the 2 skis and press internal at pic2.. This reflect the actual orthodox load transfer.

[@ionlovsky3983]

✨Love the emphasis on the super-early gradual shift from foot to foot. So tempting to ride out that centripetal platform at the apex of the turn but when skiing this low we need to keep it moving. (How many daily squats do you recommend when training in summer? ;-))

[@PlaneImpactGolf]

Paul when you are in the end of the turn are the ski flat or is there a slight angle on the little toe edge of the uphill ski ?

[@jefffield7676]

Great video. Would you mind telling me who did the music?

[@karlo407]

At 2:50, did the new inside leg extend a bit, from photo 3 and photo 4?

[@kingonthehill7]

Amazing skiing, but the physics analysis is flawed. Centrifugal force is fictitious force (does not exist) and therefore does not belong on a freebody diagram or in the force analysis. There are two forces on the skier, The normal force of snow against ski (what you are calling the centripetal force) and the gravitational (weight) force (which you left out) of the earth against the skier. A true centripetal force must point directly at the center of the turn radius (horizontally in this case), thus the normal force is not truly centripetal. The vector sum of the normal force and the weight force would be inward (centripetal). Also keep in mind that this is not an equilibrium situation because skier is accelerating.

[@michaelyu5182]

Great! Real early edging

[@williamtristanclemmensen2424]

I Got a question is Carving the same as slalom?

[@normalizedaudio2481]

You guys are nuts to go that long.

[@karlo407]

Love the video. The up transition helps get both the pelvis and COM forward? Without the up, the former is not accomplished. Is there a movement that accomplishes the latter?

[@trouts4444]

Up is up not forward. Other parts of the body get forward going while you go up. It is similar for slightly rising (staying low) and having the skis cross under you. You can get into what position you want, back, over your boots or forward. Many times WC tech skiers seem to be almost in the back seat but the forces/momentum forward allow that to be acceptable and only an almost instantaneous thing that vanishes by the time of full transition on turn exit. The speed of that is controlled by when the right and left legs act with slight upper body adjustments as needed depending on the dynamics of speed, turn type (SL, GS).

[@JanosKoranyi]

In order to understand, you must deliver correct pictures. The centripetal and the centrifugal forces on the center of mass must be the same, only the directions are opposite. In your drawing they have different directions. This is a smaller mistake. But there is a big mistake in this video. It is just not true, that you should or even can increase your inside ski-pressure at the apex point in order to start the transition. I am convinced, that if you really try to do this, you will lose balance or fall over. The only way to get into the transition phase is to unload your both skis at the apex point. By decreasing the ski-pressures on both skis, you let the centrifugal force "win" over the centripetal force and your CM will be lifted up from the snow surface by this centrifugal force. Even if it looks like that there is a leg extension in the inside leg, at the apex point, it is not the case! Think logically. An extension of the inside leg at the apex point would move the CM in a perpendicular direction from the skis surface, starting at the middle point of the ski. This direction is not at all what you would need to lift up the CM from the snow surface, it is further inside the turn. Why don´t you try this first before you recommend it! So before apex you extend your both legs but different much and at apex you start to flex your legs, but different much and this goes on until the start of the next turn.

[@kingonthehill7]

Those are not newton's third law action, reaction pair forces. Centrifugal force is fictitious & does not exist. The reaction force of centripetal force of snow against ski is the force of the ski against the snow. The weight force is missing from the video analysis.

[@JanosKoranyi]

@@kingonthehill7 you are not right You must be able to look at the forces in the center of mass. The anus are not the CM!!. So the centripetal force arrive s from the ski edges abs there is the centrifugal force as well in the CM.

[@JanosKoranyi]

@@kingonthehill7 sorry, anus = ski. The skis are not the CM.

[@kingonthehill7]

@@JanosKoranyi I am a college physics instructor. It is not a requirement to look at the forces at the center of mass, and doing so does not change the forces.

[@JanosKoranyi]

@@kingonthehill7 It is highly interesting to look at the forces at the COM. It is so, because by this you can understand what you feel in your body during your ski-turns. In a ski-turn you can feel that the tensions in your legs increase a lot and you can understand this if you look at the forces at the COM. These tensions are due to the cetrifugal force that presses your COM in the direction from the COM to the center points of your skis, creating high ski-pressures and you react to this by leg extensions in order to let the centripetal force go further to your COM. These CP and CF forces are very high, may be 3-4 times your body-weight and so they are very important. Maybe you should change your opinion about what is a requirement and what is not.

[@crimmeyd00d47]

Don't u think its the extension of the outside leg and the following inclination that puts the ski on edge and not on this 'foot/ankle roll'? Can also be obtained by a rotation of the femur to move the knees and lower leg. The 'hips move inside' looks just like inclination to me by extension of the outside leg. It's just that You give the impression that you actually move the hips in relation to the rest of the body yet you look stacked

[@karlo407]

“up… that’s ok. As an intermediate, we’re not using as much edge angle.” I don’t understand why the “up” would prevent anyone from ultimately getting to high edge angle. By not going up, doesn’t that simply allow one to get to higher edge angle more quickly? In fact, wouldn’t it be easier to teach an intermediate to get to high edge angle with the up, and slow down all the movements to high edge angle?

[@zaclines8067]

Yeah, all true, but you have far less time to get to a high edge angle, and you'll run out of turn, and it'll feel like the force against you that allows a high edge angle dissipates too soon

[@karlo407]

@@zaclines8067 We’re talking carving. Low edge angle and slowly to higher angle yields big turn. IMO, lots of time.

[@shooter7a]

If you get tall, and then "fall over", it is very very slow. This means you are are going to build angles slowly. To build high edge angles, you need to get right to it...meaning you very quickly establish a high angle, hold it, then transition to a high edge angle the other way. If you get tall, and build angles slowly, you will spend way too much time building and then decreasing angles. In math terms, think of a sine wave vs a square wave. The square wave instantly goes from +1 to -1. A sine wave slowly builds and diminishes. The RMS of a square wave is 1 (more powerful). The RMS of a sine wave is .707....30% weaker.

[@ahamao]

engage inside ski early

[@keim3548]

I've never heard the forces pronounced those ways

[@draganradojkovic9204]

During your turns don't change space between your ski.

[@donaldfiesta8666]

I see world cup skiers come up doing turn transitions.

[@trouts4444]

Some do and some don't. There is no fixed right way. It depends on speed, terrain, skier body type, strength, quickness & etc. Staying low and having your skis cross under you instead of up unweighting (your "come up") is faster and more aerodynamic. That is good for short turns like slalom where it very little time between gates.

[@normalizedaudio2481]

01:01 That's a bit much. Almost a 90 degree edge angle. Relax man.

[@benpennington7532]

Centrifugal force and centripetal force are not at different angles. They are equal and opposite by definition. This is basic physics.

[@kingonthehill7]

Those are not newton's third law action, reaction pair forces. Centrifugal force is fictitious & does not exist. The reaction force of centripetal force of snow against ski is the force of the ski against the snow.

[@CostantinoLenzi]

That is the key! 👍

[@paullorenz6389]

Transition is super important

[@shooter7a]

This idea of moving across the skis may work from an instructional standpoint, but it is not correct. Your legs, your feet, the skis, they move under and away from you. It is not your body being further inside...it is the skis being further out. When you listen to FIS level skiers, they always talk about putting the skis farther out, not about the body being further in. This is all frame of reference, and maybe either perspective will work from a coaching/instruction perspective. But I just never hear top skiers talking about moving across the skis, they talk about the skis passing under them. They never talk about toppling either.

[@Skedawg88]

Cross over, cross under, the legs lengthening or shortening. None of the terminology matters except that understanding must occur.

[@ronfeast932]

Rubbish physics are incorrect.

[@markbaldock6659]

Yes, it's also inferior carving technique that causes crunched up hips, bent over waist and too much weight on the inside ski. This leads to an unnecessary extension of the inside leg. You would never get away with this technique in a wc slalom race. Look at Marcel Herschers technique, total different and perfect.

[@sandrokobulia9100]

what does hips crossing the skis mean?

[@crimmeyd00d47]

It's just inclination, the skis are allowed to carryon to the outside whilst the body resists this movement in the direction of the ski by legs exerting pressure on the outside ski and the ground and stays inside of the turn. The hips in relation to the legs don't really move the hips in relation to the skis/ turn are inside of......Very confusing.