Pole plants and upper body control for skiing.

To progress as a skier, to master the moguls and powder, one must have a disciplined upper body. This video offers tips. www.skistrong.org/store/

[@natepoulson5987]

These are by far the best ski instruction videos on the internet. You are such a great teacher Deb. Please keep them coming

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Ah shucks. Thank you. Very generous. Spread the word.

[@camelotrooms]

I agree

[@dianeboross6978]

Triangle of power - I love it! Thank you, Deb! This is what I needed.

[@thomasmedeiros5722]

I was fortunate to have been coached at a race clinic by U S Olympic team skiers Barbara and Marilyn Cochran sisters back in the late 1970’s. They ran ran gates with no poles with hands in front and drilled us to do the same. I have never forgotten that clinic. We learned everything you just demonstrated. Great Olympic ski racers like Deb make the best coaches and examples to follow. Thank you for giving so much back to the sport by coaching juniors and making videos like this.

[@fruittsalsaa4647]

i’ve skied my whole life and raced since i was 7 and now im about halfway through my first season coaching little kids and your channel helps so much! I always knew there was a lot that went into good skiing but coaching has given me a new perspective on just how hard it is to make everything make sense haha! huge appreciation for all the coaches out there

[@meredithjoneslee]

Deb - you pack SO MUCH info into a short video. Clearly communicated & demonstrated so well. And fun - you are a delight. Thank you!!

[@alexutube12345]

You're great. I'm probably the biggest fan of your tutorials from Ukraine:) Thank you for sharing your experience. You're explaining like no one else on KZbin.

[@Here_Today_]

Props to the videographer. I love the drills you set up for us and the fundamentals I'm learning from you. Thanks Deb, you make skiing fun.

[@guofuchen2308]

Great video! thanks for explaining the keys to upper body discipline in such easy terms!

[@tommichalski240]

You are absolutely the best! Been watching your videos for a while and learnt a ton from you. Priceless. Thank you so much.

[@VolkerCzechowski]

The best instructions and videos. Thank you very much for making them available public.

[@michaelrupsch2274]

You rock Deb! I only get to ski a couple of days each year. I’m watching you so I’m as ready as my old arthritic body can be.

[@ardenpowers7730]

Excellent . . . and right on !!! I've got to put some of our instructors thru some of these drills ! Thanks for sharing . . .

[@JohnnieKav]

I was out at A Basin on Friday and saw you shooting this clip. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing

[@kevinrush155]

Love your videos and instructions. I learned late in life and still improving but haven’t got to the level I want to be. You remind of the instructor I had the very first time getting on skis. I just spent about 90 mins watching several of your videos and I’m looking forward to applying your techniques this week!

[@jenstellen496]

Great tips! I’ll try this as soon us the snow starts falling in the northwest

[@erinb4919]

super useful video. wish i could take lessons with you... Tried these drills today... Skiing with arms above the head more tricky than anticipated!

[@lilyLily1824]

I have balance issues. I have MS along with fear, so I'm not that great at it, these videos are "The Bomb!" Thank you for them! BUNNY HILLS BEWARE! I'M Coming to get ya!!

[@blackestjake]

You all it the triangle of power, I call it triangle of stability. Great vid, great exercises.

[@johntavenner1379]

You're a great instructor. Spot on.

[@ronanoboyle8432]

That's very interesting Deb thank you. Skiing in 10 days 1st time in 10yrs and I'm definitely trying this....

[@vanessajordan6446]

I wish I saw this sooner! I saw a video of myself this weekend and I looked very stiff. I’m a new skier so I was concentrating on my movements a lot but it wasn’t as fluid as this! Next season I definitely have to work on the upper body separation

[@flyshacker]

I have to echo Mate Poulson’s comments! We are so lucky that we found your videos!!! Yours are the best ski instruction on KZbin! So helpful. I am carefully watching EVERY video you have made! Something important to learn in every video. Thank you, Deb!! You’re amazing!

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Thank you flyshacker!!!!

[@jaymurdoch4893]

Awesome video. Thank you.

[@davidhalesmith2491]

Super helpful, Deb!

[@Cutlerypotato]

What a great teacher

[@soniabaerhuk9669]

Wow your videos are really helping me. i am recreational skier at age 65 learned to ski 15 years ago. i want fun, ease and control. i ski Northeast mostly but wantto try steamboat. that looks fantastic. i want to fly!!

[@kevinhoule6547]

You are speaking to me Deb - my brother makes fun of me like I’m boxing. Me and my son will be doing this Wednesday at Keystone love The Basin . (Kids coached by you are so lucky)

[@cjtathome]

Love your videos - wish you were my coach !

[@joaquincortada1483]

Coincidentally I watched this while wearing my favorite A-basin hoodie 🙂 I'll be out there in about 10 days

[@stephenweiss6001]

So grateful for your videos. My wife graciously let me buy a season pass for myself and our 12yr old son (Keystone), but on our lower income tight budget I can't afford ski lessons on top of that so I have to figure it out some other way. Your videos are so helpful. I've been stuck at what I'd rate as lower intermediate level. I want to progress to blues but at 6'0, 235 pounds I lack speed control, get going too fast (on steeper blues), and just have to keep skid stopping. So I've been stuck mostly on greens for this reason.. Lol This video nails exactly what one of my many problems is which may be stopping progression: I don't keep my upper body facing downhill throughout the turn. As you say in this video, I need to keep my upper body isolated and keep my lower body active. I will try your drills immediately. Hopefully I can develop a feel for this. Did I say how grateful I am to you? ;)

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Practice your turn shape as well. Watch my turn shape for speed control video. And get back to me. When one gets going too fast it isnt possible to work on technique because 99% of the time the skier is out of balance and on their heels. From this position one can not effectively work on the pressure, edging or turning skills.

[@davidbeazer9799]

Some great ideas! Also, i just got a new POC Obex Spin and POC Fovea Clarity comp goggles. At least I look as cool as you while I'm standing!

[@irishkitty7257]

Great tips. Didn’t know pole planting was done with wrists.

[@philiplacey5430]

One of the best things you can do is ditch the poles for a morning and do a variety of easy skiing, simple drills, 360 spins and carving with nice round turn shapes. If you can, pick a time when you can ski right back to the lift line to minimize your lack of mobility on the flat. Then get your poles back and feel how much more centered and balanced you are when you take on more challenging terrain.

[@gu5907]

Our feet have a huge network of proprioceptors giving us feedback on balance requirements. Our hips don't. Therefore, we have little awareness of how our hips contribute to said balance. One commonly hears the phrase 'I didn't rotate' even though video shows femur rotation occured, bringing the outside hip towards the ski tips. We don't register it because it's a natural bodily adjustment to gravity pulling the skis downhill and you turning your ski tios inwards to turn, and we don't have enough proprioceptors from the hip area to tell us we're misaligning our stance hip at every turn. Hands-to-the-hip/angry mother drills are so important to develop the awareness of how to stop the stance leg's femur from rotation and the outside hip from following. I also like to use the poles as a hip-o-meter: one pole on either side of the hips, hook them together at the tips with the pole straps, and try to keep it level both vertically and fore-aft.

[@patbrown2611]

Thank you for your videos. Really great help in my teaching. Level III Cert.

[@jathompson37]

I tried these yesterday at the beginning of my day. When I went to more challenging terrain later I was so much more aware when my upper body started doing ‘wonky’ things & knocking me out of position. So helpful!!! - Thanks!

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

GREAT. Thanks Jennifer. Have a great season this year!! Hey, do you mind if I use this as a testimonial?

[@jathompson37]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong Please do. 😊

[@SeattleDiverSkier]

Someone saw my skiing vides on Alpental's back bowls and recommended your channel to learn to ski properly. I'd be interested in some lessons if you're around Alpental at any point.

[@marktsui01]

Thanks!

[@jesushatesyoutoo]

I love the "triangle of power".

[@Osnosis]

Beats the ‘cone of shame’! Woof!

[@readgildner-blinn1710]

This is often a hard pill for instructors to swallow. It made sense to me when I saw your first video on the topic (hands in front never got ME forward), but fellow instructors frequently don't get it. I was teaching a school group yesterday (lvl 6), most of whom kept up with their equipment (hips over boots) beautifully, so I didn't talk about arms. My fellow instructor (it was a big group) obviously didn't like that, because he kept focusing on arms - "Arms forward! Arms forward!" - and the students did that. The single skier who really was back stuck her arms out dutifully, but she was still way back. The other instructor liked it better, though. Not ragging on him - an excellent instructor and a great help to me otherwise - but the hands-forward myth is strong. Thanks for helping to change that.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Ya, agreed. Arms are the easiest to see and understand. It is not easy to teach to the feet and ankles as they are invisible. It is not easy to teach alignment because most do not understand alignment, etc. Folks teach what they understand

[@readgildner-blinn1710]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong I tried your method (ski tips on my knees; student moves hips forward) the other day, with good results - and I gave you credit. 😎 Thanks Deb!

[@kenkoellner9421]

One of the best tips I ever heard is -- you ski well by doing the correct things with your lower body and not doing the incorrect things with your upper body.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Wonderdul! And yes

[@user-cq4en5pj6w]

Спасибо большое.

[@ashesbasnet8122]

How do I convince you to teach me skiing one-on-one? Your videos are the best that is out there. I am willing to cook you Nepali food for an entire year and also free travel guide services to freestyle skiing in the mountains of Nepal! Please! But seriously! Thanks for all your informational videos!!

[@sowmyavideo]

Such an awesome video. What if the upper body is too erect and hands are like zombie hands - any tips to get the back slightly rounded and the hand not locked stretched and at the right level?

[@eddiehaynes7120]

I wish you had mentioned at what point in the turn you plant them. Also the “plant”seems so light, why do we even do it? I’m guessing it isn’t a pivot point, but I just don’t get the basic concept of poles except for moving upslope to the lift line.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

HA, fun comments. Plant turn, plant turn. How about that. plant the downhill pole then turn. there are different types of pole "plants" or "touches". sometimes it is a plant, a firm plant to stop some type of movements. other times it is just a light pole touch for proprioception and timing. pole use is important. I should do another video to expand on pole use. Would this be helpful?

[@eddiehaynes7120]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong It would be great to see a video showing when to ‘touch’ vs when to ‘plant’. None of it feels natural or instinctive to me. For some reason I become MORE uncoordinated when trying to focus on it or practice pole plants. Thanks!

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@eddiehaynes7120 have you seen my "triangle of power" . Focus more on that than worrying about the "plant". I get yiur points. One day I will make another polenta video. Give me some time.😊

[@Premierskis]

I like the "triangle of power" description. Can I steal this :D?

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Of course!!!!!!!!!

[@shmuliktaiber3013]

i think Tina Turner wrote a song about you - simply the best ! i'm hoping to fly to colorado this year just to meet you ! i promise you i'll be the biggest challenge of your career - 200 lbs and 40 years of bad form and bad temper ..... let's see your friendly smile after a day with me and my wife :-) you rock !!!!!!

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

I love Tina Turner!!!!!!!

[@johnpeterka8355]

Ms. Armstrong, what exercises and ski runs do you recommend for someone four months past left knee full replacement? I plan to realign the camber and cuffs on my Atomic boots and have my skis tuned before skiing.

[@etanklean7256]

Hi Deb- great videos. It seems like usually you are at Steamboat. Which ski resort was this filmed at?

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

This video was filmed at A-basin.

[@jamesdunn9714]

Very good! I could actually make 4 or 5 clinics out of your video.

[@euanswan4653]

I see very little pole planting in World Cup racing!

[@milomirkrunic5971]

SUPER🎉

[@VickiKech]

Hi Deb, thanks for this video. I accidentally deleted my comment so am re-typing it. 2 things: in the early 90s, I learned the "tea tray" position for quieting the upper body and keeping hands in front. I noticed you didn't mention that position and was wondering if there was a problem with that. 2. A good 'hands in front' position for me turns into Frankenstein arms on steeper, more challenging runs. Any tips besides the upper body control info here that might help with that? Happy Thanksgiving!

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

The "tea tray" is just fine. As for the "Frankenstein arms" fair point. Remember that we don't want to be stiff or static. Maintaining the "triangle of power" is not a static position, not fixed. It is a goal to shoot for. But when we ski we do move, flow, bend. Yet we can not be unwieldy.

[@thomasmedeiros5722]

Vicki Kechekian Personally I try not to hold the pole grip too tight. This helps with using the wrist to make your pole plant as Deb mentioned. Yes you need to hold a ski pole, handle bars on a mountain bike, or grip a tennis racquet but don’t squeeze them to death. I think this relates to what she said about being flexible and flowing and adjusting to terrain. I Mountain Bike to train for skiing. You learn to flow with the bike and not be tight and inflexible. My handlebars never fall behind me or move up and down so helps me with my hand control for skiing. Hope this helps.

[@VickiKech]

@@thomasmedeiros5722 thanks, I appreciate the input, it is likely part of my issues. I will certainly tuck it away for when I am on slopes.

[@paulc.8727]

hi Deb, I want to ask a question about pole length. For modern day slalom racing, should I follow the 90 degree rule or go for one size shorter? Thank you!

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

For racing? I think the 90 rule is good. If you poles are too short you don't get the same leverage out of the start gate so 90 degrees is good. for freeskiing, moguls and the like a bit shorter may be good.

[@paulc.8727]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong Thank you very much Deb!!

[@marg1919]

Fab

[@jerrytravelstead1075]

No one seems to answer WHY one does the pole plant. What does it physically accomplish or do?

[@karentait-lane3687]

It disciplines your upper body and acts as a four wheel drive on difficult/ steep terrain

[@jerrytravelstead1075]

Noni Lane I understand that the poles are physically doing something when in deep stuff or on moguls, just didn’t quite understand why it was necessary for downhill. The only thing it seems to do is make sure my arms are where they belong all of the time, to keep my mind from drifting. Barely touching the snow does nothing to physically aid the turn per se.

[@GeroLubovnik]

The easiest way to create separation is to focus on the function of a continuously active inside ski.

[@mrsmartypants_1]

Like with every sport - golf probably being the most extreme - folks develop their own set of mental keys that really help them. Whereas yours obviously works for you must people would be clueless as to what this means and couldn’t visualize it.

[@andrenguyen5194]

Please tell me what ski resort are you at?

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

I work at Steamboat

[@gogglebro9421]

Deb - In your view, is the center of mass part of the upper body?

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Nope. And the arms are not the entirety of the upper body but I hope you get the gist of my points.

[@gogglebro9421]

I'm not following you completely. It seems a quiet upper body is not enough for me. I am well aware that my upper body is perennially throwing my balance off, so I am moving my upper body to recenter my balance frequently. Are you saying to maintain the triangle of power to stay centered so ones upper body does not interfere with the lower body? And that the arms work with the hips,legs,ankles and feet? I'm being specific about the technique so I can play with it and be able to demonstrate in class.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@gogglebro9421 "Are you saying to maintain the triangle of power to stay centered so ones upper body does not interfere with the lower body?", to this I say YES. as for the arms working with the hips, legs, ankles, feet - not exactly. The legs, ankles, feet are a part of the lower body. The hips, core, arms are a part of the upper body. The upper body and the lower body work independently of one another. The lower body does the turning of the legs and skis. The upper body adjusts to maintain balance with the skis. How is that? answer your question?

[@gogglebro9421]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong I was a bit confused by the video. Thank you for your confirmation that the upper body adjusts to maintain balance. I think I had mistakenly read into your comment something to the effect that the upper body only throws the balance off. Essentially the upper body can assist or defeat balance. I stress with guests the importance of stance right from the get go.

[@canadianwebsurfer]

Are those one finger mitts warmer than gloves but colder than mitts?? 🤔

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Ha! For me warmer than gloves yet more versatile than mittens.

[@canadianwebsurfer]

Deb Armstrong 👍 might have to make the switch 😉. Nice session 🙏

[@DragonvalePost]

2:02 🤣

[@michaelatherton5761]

Without poles there's wasn't complete upper body separation. It was more of a unified body.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

Separation refers to the lower body working separate from the upper body. The lower body was doing all of the turning of the skis and the upper body is quiet.

[@michaelatherton5761]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong But in the video your entire body is involved in the turn. I understand when the upper body is "still." Yours was not. Take a look at your own video.

[@DebArmstrongSkiStrong]

@@michaelatherton5761 As we ski we are not robots. Not fixed and rigid. Yes, I am moving, flowing, balancing all the time. Also I do not have movements with my upper body that are throwing me out of balance. That is the important point, control of the upper body in a flowing and functional way. Many skiers do not have this functional control. These drills will help with that. Does this address what you are seeing?

[@michaelatherton5761]

@@DebArmstrongSkiStrong Just pointing it out. You see true body isolation in tight slalom gates, aka Mikaela. I believe in deviant styles and rule breaking. ;-) Don't mind me.

[@rossschneidmiller814]

Thanks!