Counter in skiing, a lesson fixing too much counter

Learn how much counter is too much for a situation, this is one simple example

[@fourftr]

Deb after being a stiff legged skier, in the backseat most of the times for around 40 years. You have me convinced to take a lesson from someone certified.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Ha, love it

[@OutdoorExperience.101]

Great video, Deb! Indeed, technique has evolved a lot...I remember my coach in the 80's telling me to hold the sticks vertically in both hands and imagine looking out the window at the bottom of the slope...the image had to be always on the center of the "window" regardless of direction changes. In other words, the trunk was always oriented towards the valley, something that seemed unnatural to me. I would like to meet the coach (sadly he is no longer with us) and ask him what he thinks... so, you are right that the old training methods haunt us😊

[@KP-dd2ci]

Deb is a great teacher, but Bridgette is a great student with such a likeable personality too!

[@charliefinn5206]

In the late 80s I started skiing when I was 9 and every weekend I took lessons . My foundation was built on that style. I spent 5 hours today with a level 2 instructor. It is so humbling. I feel like a beginner.

[@amos1678]

Loved this lesson, especially since it focused so much on the student. Finding simplicity in the complexity of the movement is something I can relate to as a 70+ skier

[@debbielombard5132]

Great video, you can clearly see the progression once Bridget understood what you were talking about. Short leg, long leg and how far out to each side her skies are in comparison to her quiet upper body being centered. I'm going to use this video for visualization my next time up on the mountain, thanks Bridget, great job.

[@pergrape]

Wonderful coaching and very useful tips for me. I just picked up skiing after a 22 year hiatus (pre carving days) and find that I have a LOT of old perception to fight. If Deb only where available in Sweden…

[@willpasquill8406]

Bridget, you are not the same skier you were last year. (For the better.). Take pride in yourself for doing the work and being receptive to change. Celebrate your success! Wow! Inspirational work!

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

NICE. ❤️❤️❤️

[@KeithCamden]

Passionate and positive, I love Deb Armstrong's videos. I went back and watched the Mogul video with Olivia Giaccio. While she was working on her mogul skiing turns, her upper body stayed quiet and stayed pointed down the fall line; but when she did her carving turns, her body followed her skis, still quiet but followed the skis. Thanks Deb.

[@McQzv]

To clarify for people, this advice is specific to long-radius carve turns where the direction change is coming mostly from inclination. Counter rotation is fine and desired for short radius where more foot rotation is happening.

[@elhior23]

I am sure Deb is happy for your clarification on her coaching. This is such an arrogant comment it is astounding except this is who instructors are, they can't stand it when their judgements are not heard.

[@Skedawg88]

@@elhior23Instructors are not all the same.

[@thesportmachine2369]

You still need separation between upper body and lower body to Ballance on turning ski, it can't possibly be JUST inclination.

[@thesportmachine2369]

Foot or leg twisting (rotation) is NOT counter rotation.

[@thesportmachine2369]

​@@elhior23so ANYONE that disagrees or challenges what Deb is saying is arrogant, you obviously have not attended University, where you are required to challenge or disagree what you are told by your professor. This is called critical thinking something you lack. You would believe ANYTHING someone tells you, this is called ignorance or being naive.

[@tonyg3091]

Amazing to see the progression and see how it all just comes to her, excellent! 👏👏

[@lmouat]

Love your teaching!

[@garyshepherd9226]

I learned in the 80's and then did not ski for 25 years - it took me a while to unlearn the old stuff because the skis are now different.

[@felisaaero]

Such a good training video! Love the orange suit!!! ❤😍🥰

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Thanks! The suit is tarashakti.com/ I absolutely love mine! So functional and warm. I like function 😉😉

[@jagers4xford471]

Finally, I've coaching people for years to dump the counter. We came up with a system known as DS using the center of mass to steer. We have been getting amazing results with our system. Thanks Deb.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Check this video out that I published a few years ago For Steeps, How to Turn the Legs Independent of the Upper Body kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYLRhJ-oj5urna8

[@robertlincoln2241]

Counter is a beneficial and necessary component of performance skiing, and something that SHOULD be practiced and incorporated even at slow speeds. It's not "weird," it's not something to be dumped.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Watch this video. Twice Ben addresses counter. What the mountain can teach a skier, freeskiing with U16 coach Ben Brown kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6aodGSAfJiMf80

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@robertlincoln2241 I don’t disagree with you at all. In this video the coach adds more to the conversation on two occasions What the mountain can teach a skier, freeskiing with U16 coach Ben Brown kzbin.info/www/bejne/e6aodGSAfJiMf80

[@davidstepro7486]

Amazing how easy it is to teach an expert skier.

[@Dan-uf7ji]

It seems like you see less counter in WC GS nowadays too. At the end of the turn, the racer's belly button if facing across the hill rather than down the fall line. Probably helps them have the proper stacking so they can project into next turn.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

It is a fine line stacking properly. It’s like Goldilocks, too hot, too cold, just right. Same in skiing with stacking and counter😉

[@MikeGilroyAK]

The quick look 1:04 is what a lot of younger skiers don't do. This is a great vid!

[@squish1504]

That’s the first thing I taught my kiddos

[@DomskiPlays]

Whoever doesnt do that has an accident coming their way at SOME point.

[@stevejenkins845]

Great vid

[@maxwerks]

Hey Deb, love your channel it's always thought provoking. This one: we were on GS race training camp in Austria last November. The Italian coach put heavy emphasis on taking a direct line to the gate and exiting the turn immediately. This requires the sharpest possible radius turn. To achieve maximum outside ski pressure we were instructed to keep the hip high, straighten the outside ski and assume an exaggerated C shaped body position over the outside ski. This was only possible by counter rotating the shoulders toward the outside ski, because the hip joint alone has insufficient range of motion. Turning shoulders with the skis as in this video was out of the question. I guess this is one of those situational things, or is this an alternative technique in racing?

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

You are very correct, this is a situational thing. Bridget is not in a World Cup race course, she had an exaggerated, unnecessary movement pattern on the catwalk and we fixed that. Counter is important and comes into play as so many other skiing fundamentals but too much counter is problematic depending on the situation and this video highlights too much counter for this situation Bridget was in

[@mrslkungpowchikn1206]

I gotta learn more about this! As I picture it in my mind doing this I feel like I might be less inclined to make the next turn where I need to especially on a steeper more difficult terrain when I need to be ready for anything. But I wonder if this style also causes me more fatigue faster than if I did more upper body square with skis. My brain is blown right now! 🤯

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Moving into steeps is a different situation requiring a different accent, emphasis

[@shawnphillipsyoga]

"stay square to the turn " !! thank you for this quote ;)

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Yes, in this situation, keep in mind that statement may not fit another situation, one may need more counter force the moment and outcome desired

[@shawnphillipsyoga]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong absolutely ! … real-world skiing involves departures from this controlled state. but what you caoch here is the body’s natural relationship to the turn, which is the basis for integrating techniques such as counter in a natural, even unconscious manner, when appropriate. contrary to what lights up her skiing … most instructors would criticize the inclination and advise her to keep her whole jacket zipper pointed straight to the lodge. yet she’s stacked in her last turn like lindsey-vonn-esque, and in the last 20 seconds all her turns release more smoothly and timely without being cued. your videos lend authority to simple, honest observations about the relationship between skiing and the human body. ( p.s. i love love love your teachings on “what you get for free” !! )

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@shawnphillipsyoga nice!

[@scarface548]

My lower back thanks you for making this video. 'zipper always facing downhill' never really made sense to me. Our spines aren't made of jello.

[@robertduncanmuir]

comparing the turn at 0.06 with 1.42 - what a transformation.

[@jasonr8464]

yeah cool, she was proud of herself ) She made a nice improvement at the end. Nice tip!

[@howardgee8765]

Nice coaching

[@LolaSkates]

Another great video, Deb!! On the topic of upper body, being a figure skater who practices figure skating all year long, but also loves to ski during ski season (unfortunately I'm not that good of a skier, terrified of steeper slopes, so I never leave the greens), I find myself being much more fluid in my skiing, especially doing much better in my turns, when I ski without poles. I basically only use them to stab my bindings when I want the skis off my feet, but not for skiing, I basically ski holding both poles in one hand and always wonder why I take them with me. Do you think this is preventing me from improving my skiing? My husband is an excellent skier, freestyler who loves the park, fearless to go to the double black diamonds and I never join him because I'm terrified of skiing on very steep slopes (we live in Japan and mainly ski in Hakuba, Nagano, Japan, I miss my flat icy, safe figure skating surface but I'm not sure that just trying to use my figure skating skills translated to skiing. including upper body posture and no poles is doing me any favors and preventing me from improving skiing. What do you think? Thank you always for having the best skiing channel on youtube 🥰❤

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Hi. I will be skiing in Japan in March, I’m excited. As for poles, if you have larger goals for your skiing than where you are now then yes, using poles would be good. Poles will help your proposition for balance, pole touches help with tempo, pole can help with regaining balance. Pole planting can be helpful to stabilize the upper body at the end of a turn. If you are happy with your skiing right now then skiing with no poles is just fine, keep enjoying the slopes

[@LolaSkates]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong Thank you so much for your reply!! :) While I don't feel issues with balancing, every single ski teacher I've had around here tells me to keep my arms/hands in front of me for a correct skiing stance/posture. I mostly keep my arms relaxed next to my body, while only my legs move for the parallel turns. I definitely want to improve my skiing, maybe it will help me with my mental block of being terrified of steeper terrain and I can join my husband instead of making him come to the easy slopes. I get mental blocks in skating too but my coach is amazing and I always overcome them. I'll work on practicing using my poles :) Hopefully you will love skiing here in Japan, if you come to Hakuba area, the snow is awesome and the scenery/nature is breathtaking 😃 We came yesterday from there and already want to go back

[@elmercyperro]

Bridgette is an insanely good skier, any way you cut it.

[@igorgoga7985]

How did you make a video of what exactly I needed and was thinking was happening with past techniques and all, mind reading? There is no snow in Vancouver, big fat zero...

[@pablotheplug5494]

Hey Deb, long time viewer and proponent. This video confused me because of all the other stuff youve taught about lower-upper body separation. If could please explain the situations it does and doesnt apply. Maybe a video on it. 🎉😊

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Steeps more counter, groomed and larger turns less counter

[@richardkozar3694]

Why?

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@richardkozar3694 Richard, need a lesson and more of my time🤣 find my tip jar on the about page of my KZbin channel. I’ll give you plenty of pointers😘😘😘😘

[@tedjones1127]

Steeps and short radius turns will use more leg rotation to turn the ski under the body creating more counter. Large radius carved turns use more tipping of the leg and upper body which does not create as much counter.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@tedjones1127 well said!

[@kilkahamsa]

Thanks!

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Thank you🙏🙏

[@drl1046]

Wow great video. I’m definitely a twisty skier, exaggerating my counter (especially counter-rotation in that I’ve been consciously thinking about having my chest face my bases in turns) and is something I’m working on taming. But as you said in a reply elsewhere here more counter / separation for short turns / steeps, less for longer radius turns (which makes sense, otherwise you’d be holding this unnatural counter position all the way across the pitch, whereas for a short turn or slalom you’d be moving your upper body mass quickly back-and-forth and so on which would be inefficient). Is that correct? This is literally what I was working on this weekend after the Alain Veth video a little bit ago. I’m focusing on slalom turns presently and trying to find that balance. Could you do a video at some point about how to drive your stance ski into and through the turn as opposed to just passively riding it through the turn (or maybe have I that concept wrong too? This is for slalom). Thanks so much

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

I’ll thinking that! That’s for the comment

[@rickroll9086]

I get this, but not Deb’s comment in the video that this is ‘new’? For the last 40 years the upper body is more fall line/downhill (aka counter-rotated) on short radius, mogul, slalom skiing and square to the skis on GS size turns. An exercise that’s been around forever for cruising caved turns is dropping the (inside) hip and tapping the snow with your inside hand, precisely to feel separation while keeping square to turn. The main difference is that with modern equipment you don’t need to unweight as much as the ‘old’ days (just roll edges instead) and the inside ski is more evenly weighted (and with wider stance). But the quiet upper body is the same just following the hips is the same. Unless you’re Stein Erickson.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@rickroll9086 of course this is not new but unfortunately there is a lot of confusion out there. My goal is to help folks understand. With the “new” shaped equipment we can square up more. Far too many folks are stuck in the past with their understanding, like Bridget was as she began the video too twisty based on her understanding and lessons from the past

[@drl1046]

Maybe it’s because I grew up by Lake Placid / Whiteface, and still ski pretty much on ice all the time (Northeast) but I’m still weighting my outside ski quite a lot (like 90%+ at some points) for slalom type turns. But if there’s a lot of fresh snow (very rare) I stay home, I have zero technique / ability / equipment for it!

[@mrslkungpowchikn1206]

I’d like to see slow down body analysis comparing this method with an advanced expert skier vs intermediate skier on same hill who almost always rotates shoulders causing them not to attack the next turn quick enough and also not carve. I’d also like to see when NOT to do this because in my mind it is making me late for the turns and then get scared feeling out of control (probably old mental baggage coming into play there! 😂)! I’d like to see examples of this in detail compare different sized turns and terrains. Like we would not do this in moguls or Uber steeps right? Furthermore if we dust off the old straight race skis we picked up at bargain basement prices back in 94 or 95 at the ski swap brand new (cuz why not!?) would we change the technique to twist our body to always face downhill on them but not if they were shorter shaped skis? That might make more sense to me and I’m still learning the new “shapes “. 😂 My hubby actually went back to his old straight race skis when skiing Mt. Bachelor! 😂

[@MarcoFD]

@2:12 just a bit more inside leg edging to not a frame and its pretty much spot on.

[@stevedoe1630]

Forgive my ignorance… ¿Is there a situation with modern equipmunk where it’s beneficial to keep the shoulders square to the fall line? Obviously not PSIA perfect turn; but maybe short-pivoting turns, such as moguls? I see the coiling of the upper vs. lower torso like loading a spring

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Of course

[@jeremymoran7728]

When in a high edge angle turn how much rotation is needed? I have a habit of pointing my outside arm too far inside, but when I try to fix it, I think I might now be trying to keep my upper body facing forward, I'm not sure what exactly I need to be doing.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Your question refers to how square, how much counter, finding that sweet spot for the moment. Thats lifelong learning. I don’t think no can answer your question without seeing you ski. There is only so much I can accomplish over KZbin😉😉🤣😘

[@evgenyeidelzon3054]

Is it uncut video, coz the change is happening within a few turns. Bravo if so!

[@margaretreid6570]

I had to watch a few times to see the difference as I thought Bridgets body was facing downhill throughout. Later in the video, her body seems to be following the direction of the skis more with quick edge/ direction changes. Is that what is happening? Im also not clear what shortening the inside leg means. Is that driving it forward as in the previous video with all weight not on the downhill ski and using the edges? To be honest as I have skied in each decade since the 70s, my skiing is a mix of everything these days 😅.

[@Allen-by6ci]

How is Steamboat looking for this year Deb? Thanks for the videos :)

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

It’s looking good. Been good skiing but we can always use more snow. The new gondola is awesome

[@samsno3667]

That is just one way to keep upper calm and let the lower body "roll" with the terrain with the edges of the skis. It is better to use the sticks on the snow

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

There are a zillion ways to go about fixing issues when skiing. In this case it was Bridget who chose to place her poles across her body and then she began rotating. I was wondering “ what are you doing” and it was at that point I said to her “ you are doing something weird with your upper body”. It was Bridget who went to a weird place from her past skiing experience that in the moment and I felt the need to correct her understanding and her movement pattern. I did this and lightbulbs went off for her. Back to your point she should have her poles on the snow. “Should”’is a strong statement. In this video what was said met the moment and was effective for Bridget. She did other things wrong that still need work but this video is not the end all be all to everything skiing, it is one small window.

[@ajtheguy]

Old coaching from the past! I genuinely thought facing upper body towards falling is the golden standard! So what changed, there are still KZbin vids preaching it.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

The amount of counter depends on the situation. Sure, folks out there are preaching all sorts of stuff, does that make it accurate?🤔🥴😉😜

[@nerduro]

A quiet upper body is still the goal, but our understanding of how to best relay the concept of a quiet upper body to students has evolved. "Facing the torso ( or jacket) down the fall line" is what I was told to do when this concept was introduced to me. Now that I'm an instructor I have learned that this is a bad cue - Often people introduce spinal twisting in an effort to make the torso face the fall line, which does not achieve the goal of a quiet upper body. You can actually see the spinal twisting evidenced in the fabric of her jacket prior to Deb's intervention. We will get better results if we focus on our legs, not our torso.

[@No_Name_2604]

It‘s situational from my understanding. If you‘re carving on long turn radius’s you don‘t need to keep the body toward fall line. But once you‘re trying to do anything short turn it basically gets reintegrated.

[@dartboardearth]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong I'm genuinely trying to understand this. I went back to the PSIA Tech manual and recent PSIA clinics I've had. Is this more "modern" than this or am I misinterpreting what PSIA is saying (separation at the hip)? Or am I missing when this is helpful and when it is not. I certainly want to be teaching this correctly.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@dartboardearth I have no clue what PSIA is saying these days. Their technical statements need updating and clarification. Sorry it is all so confusing. It shouldn’t be. Ask PSIA for more clarity for their consumer, you😉 all the best to you. I’m here to help and fill a the technical gap.

[@crimmeyd00d47]

Looks to me the problem was the sloppy inside leg which had very little tension due to a very upright position. This was 'fixed' with a lean forward from the hips. Was this really fixing counter? As I understand it counter starts from the hips and her hips weren't counter. Her upper torso was slightly ' countered' As someone has already mentioned her shoulders were more level.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Yep, her inside leg generally speaking needs work as well. Life long learning as I so often say. Cant fix all in one run and in one video, yet for Bridget the approaches worked for the moment. Lightbulbs went off and she felt something new and had new understanding. What more can you realistically ask for in a run😉

[@crimmeyd00d47]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong should have said at first...not denying you've done a great job, as always, as video clearly shows. just semantics as the hardest thing in skiing I think is to explain things.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Counter starting from the hips? Who taught you that? I think print differently. Watch this, For Steeps, How to Turn the Legs Independent of the Upper Body kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYLRhJ-oj5urna8

[@vitaliy1515]

Красота

[@OKuusava]

Hmm, and what you lose if still counter-rotate? As we know hockey-stop would be hard without, and if rotate, it is easy to over-rotate. BTW interesting "slope" as like skiing a snowy road.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Counter depends on the situation. Short turns down a steep more counter, groomed runs for a longer radius turn less so

[@bold3132]

Yes,Yes Yes. Square allows you to carve. counter and over rotation creats drifts, skidding. ski how you walk- ski how you run. Play the game.👍

[@robertlincoln2241]

Square limits your ability to get to higher edge angles in performance skiing and causes loss of grip on the outside ski. Counter stabilizes the glutes and outside hip joint to support the forces of higher level skiing at speed, and stacks the upper body (head and sternum) over the primary base of support, the outside foot. Skiing is a fundamentally different movement pattern and muscular activity than standing, walking, and running on a flat level surface, all of which require balance on the full soles of the feet (performance skiing requires balance on a thin edge on the SIDES of the feet). Walking and running rely on plantar flexion and leg extension for balance and propulsion, skiing requires dorsiflexion and foot pullback while gliding for balance and propulsion.

[@luckygoose844]

Ok, just to clarify. The upper body now turns with you and no longer being made to face downhill? Huh?

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

It’s all Situational. No one exact turn works in all situations. Bridget is on a flat cat walk here, she is not in moguls, or the steeps, or bending a carved deep arc where more counter may be necessary. Generally speaking the public has been told to keep your body facing down the hill, Bridget was told this in her past and that was exactly the movement pattern she went to as we began this video. For the flatter terrain, making larger turns, no the body does not need to be facing down the hill unnecessarily

[@luckygoose844]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong oh ok, got it. Situational! Thank you!🙏

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Watch this, For Steeps, How to Turn the Legs Independent of the Upper Body kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYLRhJ-oj5urna8

[@lgmtk]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong thank you! I needed that clarification, I have written in a previous comment "Why shouldn't we use the "old teachings" of always pointing the body downhill?" Now it all makes sense, I won't feel bad if I don't face downhill. So why all the older videos put an emphasis on this?

[@markmd9]

Empty your cup. Feel the force Luke.

[@zukacs]

wow had no idea this was the nee way!

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

This is nothing “new” yet for many it is as they are stuck in old understandings. I hope this version helps to clarify

[@artfunamori4442]

I like this A LOT! I can see how the "poles pointing downhill drills-legs turn underneath body" gets ingrained into our heads and translated into all skiing!

[@robertlincoln2241]

Your instruction has caused her to rotate and lean into her turns. Her first turns with upper body countering movements enhanced her outside ski grip and balance. Her later turns after your instructions have caused her shoulders to drop and rotate to the inside of her turns, pushing her COM away from her base of support. "Skiing square" may be adequate for gentle sidecut-riding on flat terrain. But no expert skier skis "square" like this on steeper faster terrain. Watch any World Cup skier free skiing, or in a SL/GS course. They all use ample and NECESSARY upper body countering. They wouldn't survive two turns in a course skiing "square" like this.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

I agree she needs to level her shoulders as she began to tip into the turn when she squared up. However her initial rotating was unnecessary and we did fit this. This video is a small snapshot into a relevant moment because in the beginning Bridget was unnecessarily rotating. For her a lightbulb went off understanding an unnecessary movement. This will now have to be built upon in her skill development. When she gets into steeper terrain, or bumps, or narrow shoots, a World Cup GS course as you say in your comment she will have to developed and emphasize more counter, a pole plant if necessary, more weight on the outside ski etc.

[@robertlincoln2241]

A few responses, Deb. "Rotating" refers to turning the upper body INTO the turn. "Countering" is turning the upper body toward the outside of the turn. That being said, when you watch elite skiers and racers on catwalks, even at slow speeds, they ALL "unnecessarily" counter the upper body in response to tipping the feet and legs. It's a move that's required for performance skiing at speed and on steeps, it's also a "counter-intuitive" body movement compared to most other athletic activities... so most elite skiers practice it even at slow speeds. It really doesn't make sense to teach a student to ski "square and inclined" at slow speeds (because most any sloppy skiing "works" adequately at slow speeds), then teach them to counter at faster/performance levels. Even though you think it's "unnecessary" to counter at 4 mph on a flat catwalk, even a slight countering of the upper body and pelvis DOES enhance hip function/stabilization, balance, and grip on the outside ski. We can see this in the video... when she forced herself to ski square and inclined in the second half, her outside ski tail frequently smeared and lost grip. This idea of "skiing square" does not match with any principles of physics and biomechanics as they relate to skiing.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@robertlincoln2241 watch Bridget’s initial turns, she chose to twist her body unnecessarily and my point to her is to quiet that down and she did quiet it down. Did she incline too much, sure, can she be more precise with her inside leg sure. My points to her were very specific for the moment and it helped her. To make more grandiose statements about skiing and especially high level skiing, which I understand by the way, that is a different conversation. I don’t need to prove everything I understand in skiing for this video. I can accept what it is for Bridget’s situation and understanding. For her it worked, she had a lightbulb moment. That is what ski teaching is all about. If I need to prove to you what I understand about skiing refer to more of my videos where I address counter and many other topics.

[@josephgdraper]

Thanks for explaining that this is just one tiny step in Bridget’s progression to more efficient skiing. Too many folks are going to extremes of thinking, such as “Deb is telling me I don’t need counter,” “leaning must be ok”, etc.). You have been very clear that the amount of counter needed is very situational and that Bridget’s shoulders (and hips) should be parallel to the snow, but that can be addressed another day. Ski improvement is a process of “peeling the onion” that we are that day.

[@4dogsannacat]

No one ever said “twist” your body. They said and do say the rotation of our femurs in our hip sockets create a countered relationship with our upper body.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Thank you😉 Here is a video for people For Steeps, How to Turn the Legs Independent of the Upper Body kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYLRhJ-oj5urna8

[@lgmtk]

So, I am a novice skier. Why shouldn't we use the "old teachings" of always pointing the body downhill? I am asking from a POV of "why did it change" and "so, I shouldn't do it anymore?"

[@showze21]

her skiing did look better! but, what about edge grip? this ski season has been really icy everywhere. so, edge grip has become super important. isnt she leaning in a bit, without much hip angulation? and therefore, has less edge grip. im older and dont have the fexibility at the hip, but i keep going back to that classic ski racer teapot drill, to get edge grip on steep ice

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

This video does not cover everything about skiing. I have a ton of videos that cover edge grip, pole plants, moguls, etc. Bridget was working on different focus than edge grip

[@mrslkungpowchikn1206]

Ok then I officially ski old and outdated! 😂 Guess it was good I didn’t teach my daughter this old pole drill because I’m a face upper body down the hill always kind of gal (even in my race days but some people told me to turn my shoulders it was stronger and I could not listen and felt I’d resort to being an intermediate skier if I did that!). I’d be curious to dissect the difference between keeping upper body more in line with skis vs twisting to face down hill - like you see intermediates turn shoulders all the time and it’s not good but in an advanced skiier who is also doing that what is the difference? I watched my mom ski all my life and thought if she could just stop letting her shoulders turn she would have been a much better skiier! She took lessons many years and seemed to have all the other stuff down - but the shoulders made her less aggressive to charge down the hill and use her edges better to slice through the hill, as forward facing with allow her to roll her knees in towards the uphill direction with her body knees etc in balance facing forward, no? So I’d LOVE to see a motion video comparison analyses even in slow motion with Deb talking over it to point out what’s going on so I can better understand what’s happening! 👍🏼💙❄️💖⛷️