Braking technique on skis. Plow braking on skis: step-by-step instructions
Cross-country skiing is one of the most popular winter sports. It differs from alpine skiing in the technique and equipment used. Anyone can learn to ride – it’s not difficult at all. In this article we will tell you everything.
Where is the best place for a beginner to learn to ski?
When choosing where to cross-country ski, choose a nearby park or a stadium. If no one has skied before you and there are no ski tracks, you will need to build one. It is better to choose not snow-covered virgin soil, but places with compacted snow, where sliding will be easier and the poles will not sink too much. Lay the ski track in such a way that you have one or two long (about 50 meters) but not very steep climbs along the way. When riding uphill, you will strengthen your muscles well.It’s great if you have the opportunity to practice at a ski lodge. The snow here is rolled by special machines, and the ski tracks are cut with a cutter. Neither bushes, nor hummocks, nor stones will interfere with you.
Cross-country skiing technique
First you need to warm up and warm up thoroughly. Stretch and tense all muscle groups in your legs and arms. Pay special attention to stretching your hips and legs, as well as warming up the joints of your legs and arms. This will allow you to better control your body movements.Cross-country skiing begins with mastering the correct stance: your knees, shoulders and feet should be in the same vertical plane. One of the common mistakes newbies make is using a “back stance.” The center of gravity shifts back, and the chances of falling and getting injured significantly increase.
To avoid falls when learning skiing techniques, you need to constantly imagine that there is something behind you that you cannot sit on under any circumstances. Bend your legs slightly at the knees, but do not move back - you should be able to see your hands. Press your elbows lightly toward the sides of your body. Fix the position and repeat it often. It is also important to learn how to fall correctly, and we will talk about this in more detail at the end of the article.
There are two main styles of cross-country skiing:
Classical. It involves all muscle groups - both lower and upper.
- Skating move. Mainly strengthens the internal muscles of the thigh and side of the body.
Today we will talk about the classic cross-country skiing stroke. Once you get on your skis and take the correct stance, try to slide a little. Just quickly move your legs forward one at a time, and you will understand how much effort you need to put in to slide. You will realize that moving forward requires tension in your legs. You can start learning cross-country skiing without poles.
To move, move your left leg forward and press down with your right leg. Don't try to push away, just push. Next, shift your weight to your left foot, lifting the other ski off the trail. Your arms should follow the movements of your legs. If you started with your right foot, your right arm should be in front and your left arm behind your body. To continue the movement, push off with your left ski and continue sliding. Having caught the rhythm, the sliding process will be greatly facilitated.
When you learn to slide confidently on the snow, take poles. Starting the movement by pushing your right foot into the snow and transferring your weight to your left, stick your left pole in and push - you will accelerate. When pushing off with your left foot, accelerate with your right stick. When moving, stick the stick closer to yourself and do not extend your arms.
When you come across a small hill on the way, climb it in a herringbone pattern. Turn your toes out and keep your ankles in to help the edges of your skis dig into the snow for better traction. Maintain balance with the help of sticks, transferring part of your body weight to them.
Having climbed a hill, you will have to go down from it. Lean forward, but not too much, otherwise you may lose your balance. At first, point the ends of the skis so that they stick into the snow with the nearest edge, and slowly descend in small steps.
How to learn to turn and brake on skis
It is impossible to learn how to ski safely without learning how to turn, brake and fall correctly.Turns
Learning to turn is not difficult, but you need to practice by mastering the basic techniques. When driving on flat surfaces or gentle slopes, you can use the step-over turning method. To turn left, you need to transfer your body weight to your right leg, put your left leg at an angle to the side, and pull your right leg towards it, etc. Don't place your ski at a strong angle to avoid falling, and to turn quickly you just need to step over more often.Braking
The most popular method of braking on cross-country skis is the so-called “plow”. To slow down or stop, you need to straighten your legs springily and, moving your body weight from your heels to your toes, spread the rear ends of the skis with strong pressure. They will be on the inner ribs, and the socks will be aligned. In this case, you need to bring your knees together, distribute your body weight on both skis and lean back slightly. To increase braking, you should move your skis further and place them more on the edges.How to fall correctly when skiing
Regardless of skiing style, every skier should be able to fall correctly, so if you decide to go cross-country skiing, make sure you are familiar with proper falling techniques.When learning to cross-country ski, it is important to practice several techniques that will make riding safer and more comfortable. It is better to fall on your side, spreading your arms wide. When falling, it is necessary to tense your muscles, which will prevent rotation on slopes, and on a flat surface will protect you from injury. It is necessary to practice falls several times, learning to control them.
Source - Gentle rise overcome by alternating upward movement straight, steeper ones - diagonally or zigzag. If the ski's grip on the snow is insufficient, you can use the herringbone method. (Fig. 22). It is performed with a stepping step straight up. The ski is alternately put forward, turned with its toes outward and placed on the inner ribs. With the next step, the heel of one ski is transferred through the heel of the other. On steep slopes
the skis are spread wider with their toes, placed more on the edges, the stride is made shorter and the support on the poles is stronger. Very steep climb
![](https://i0.wp.com/aktivnyj-otdykh.ru/images/multithumb_thumbs/b_250_0_0_00_images_Lyj_botinky-5.jpg)
overcome using the “ladder” method. (Fig. 23). Standing sideways to the slope, the leg closest to it should be put to the side and lean on the outer edge of the ski. Then, pulling the other leg up, place the ski next to it on the inner edge.
Descent from the mountain and ways to turn
Direct descent stance: skis together, knees bent - they work like springs, arms slightly spread to the sides, poles - back. Descent from the mountain
produced in high, medium (main) and low stance. (Fig. 24). The most convenient is the middle one: in this stance it is easier to make turns, overcome various irregularities, and brake. When going down a mountain, you should never hold poles in front of you, so as not to bump into them. In a high stance, the legs are straightened more than in the main one. In a low stance, the legs are more bent, the head and torso are tilted forward, and the arms are extended forward. For greater stability one pushed forward a little. Going down diagonally, the weight of the body is transferred to the lower ski, slightly pushing the upper ski forward.
In this case, the skis are placed on the edge, and the knees are brought closer to the slope. When descending from a mountain, if the gliding worsens, the body must be tilted back, but if the gliding has improved, lean forward slightly.
At the end of the descent due to the fact that skis Before moving to the horizontal section, they cut deeply into the snow and brake (on the so-called “rollout”), it is recommended to push one ski forward further, tilt the body back, and then take a low stance.
![](https://i0.wp.com/aktivnyj-otdykh.ru/images/multithumb_thumbs/b_250_0_0_00_images_Lyj_botinky-6.jpg)
To descent reduce the speed and gradually slow down, just sit astride the poles in a low stance and press them into the snow. The most reliable way to brake is with a plow. (Fig. 25). When descending the mountain, spread both heels to the sides and place the skis on the inner ribs and bring your slightly bent knees closer together. The more the heels are apart, the stronger the braking will be. The weight of the body is distributed evenly on both skis.
There is another single ski braking method- "half-plough". (Fig. 26). One heel is moved to the side; When descending, they rely only on the ski, which provides support. Ski socks together.
The leg on which you slide is bent and feels the weight of the body.
Side-slip braking on the edges of the skis is used on very steep slopes (Fig. 27). And when you need to slightly change direction or go around an obstacle, they do this by skiing to the right or left. The simplest turn at low speed with pre-braking is plow turn. (Fig. 28). It was previously stated that when braking with a “plow”, the weight of the body is evenly distributed over both skis.
If, during the descent, you transfer the weight of your body to the right ski, then they will turn to the left, if on the left, they will turn to the right.
Descending from the mountain obliquely at high speed, they make “half-plough” turns. (Fig. 29). Descending from the mountain obliquely to the right, upper right ski move the heel to the side at an angle to the left and push it forward slightly. If you then place the left ski flat on the snow and transfer the weight of the body to the right, a turn to the left will begin.
Stop braking
Stop braking is more often used when descending obliquely. The skier transfers his body weight to the upper (sliding straight) ski, and puts the lower one in the stop position: the heel is to the side, the toes are held together, the ski is edged on the inside edge. Increasing the angle of abduction and tilt of the ski increases braking. Throughout the entire braking, the body weight remains on the ski sliding straight (top), although a partial transfer of body weight to the ski that is in stop will lead to a change in the direction of movement, i.e. to turn with emphasis. This method is sometimes called "half-plow" braking.
Students who have mastered plow braking well usually easily master stop braking. When studying this method, you must first imitate the movements while standing still, taking the described positions several times. The learning methods and errors encountered when braking with a stop are similar to the errors encountered when braking with a plow. In the future, schoolchildren must master braking on slopes in both directions (from different legs).
Slide braking
Braking by side sliding (turning the skis) is used when the athlete needs to stop and go down the slope, achieving lateral sliding by edging the skis.
Braking is performed as follows. When descending obliquely, the skier squats slightly, then straightens up with a rather sharp push forward, removing the load from the skis, placing them flatter and moving the heels of the skis to the side with a lateral movement of the ankle joints. This is helped by the counter rotational movement of the torso and shoulders, as well as additional support on the stick. After moving the backs of the skis to the side, the amount of braking force depends on the angle of the skis: for sharp braking or even a complete stop, you need to place the skis across the slope and steeply on the edge. To study side-slip braking, lead-in exercises are used to turn on parallel skis from a stop. When teaching girls this method of braking, it is necessary to avoid very steep slopes.
When driving down a slope at high speed and unexpectedly appearing obstacles, it sometimes becomes necessary to brake sharply or even stop. If the distance to the obstacle is too short, the only way to prevent a collision is to deliberately fall. A controlled fall will reduce the possibility of injury and allow you to quickly get up and continue moving. Before falling, you need to sit down and then fall (gently “falling”) back to the side - on your hip and on your side. At the same time, the skis should be turned across the slope. It is better to scatter your hands with sticks up the slope. From this position, sitting down and then leaning on poles, it is easy to get up and, turning your skis, continue moving down the slope.
If the skis are crossed when you fall, you need to turn over on your back, raise your legs up and bring the skis to their normal position. Then turn over on your side again (skis across the slope) and stand up. In exceptional cases, when braking with skis is impossible (on a hiking trip, on a walk - in deep snow cover), and falling is impractical, skiers can use pole braking (one on the side, two on the side, two between the skis). These methods will help to slightly reduce the speed in case of unforeseen circumstances. In cross-country skiing, such braking methods are not used.
Braking with sticks
Used in cases where it is impossible or irrational to brake with skis. This method allows you to slow down only slightly, for example, to avoid hitting a skier in front of you coming down the slope. To brake, the poles are vigorously pressed against the snow, being sure to hold them with their rings (paws, segments) back and closer to the body. The braking effect depends on the amount and duration of pressure on the poles. When they are separated from the snow, the braking effect ends.
Drop braking
Stopping by falling is used in emergency cases when you need to quickly stop the descent. To do this, you need to squat down as low as possible and fall to the side, throwing your arms and poles back, spread out, put your skis across the direction of descent and, resting them on the snow, slow down further sliding. A typical mistake is falling without first grouping the body, which can lead to bruises.
Braking when descending mountains is used in cases where you need to reduce the speed of descent or stop.
Braking is performed:
1. Using skis, when both skis or one slide at an angle in the direction of movement (plough, stop, side sliding)
2. Using poles (sticks between the skis, on the side)
3. Combined (skis and poles at the same time).
Most often, skiers use plow braking and stops.
PLOW BRAKING. The skier smoothly spreads the skis with his heels to the sides and places them on the edge, while the toes of the skis are brought together, the knees in this position are slightly bent and somewhat closer.
The hands are also slightly brought together and turned inward, so that the lower ends of the sticks diverge to the sides.
When learning to brake with a plow, the following on-site preparatory exercises are used; Students, on command, take the position of the plow, the teacher checks the correctness of this exercise and corrects mistakes.
This is done several times, after which they proceed to braking during the descent.
The wider the plow, the stronger the braking.
Typical mistakes when learning to brake with a plow:
1) The toes of the skis are not brought together, because of this the skis move apart and the skier falls.
2) There is more pressure on one ski than on the other. This causes a turn to the side.
3) Insufficient spread of the ski heels to the side.
4) Insufficient leg flexion.
5) Sharp braking in deep snow, which causes you to fall forward.
At the end of the training, landmarks (flags) should be installed on the slope and taught to walk certain distances at different speeds, as well as stop at a certain place.
STOP BRAKING used during descent in an oblique direction.
To brake, the rear end of the lower ski is moved forward - to the side and placed on the edge, the toes of the skis are brought together.
The upper leg bends more strongly at the knee, and the weight of the body is transferred to it.
They are first taught to take the position of the stop on level ground.
Typical mistakes:
1) Bending the leg abducted to the side at the knee.
2) Insufficient transfer of body weight to the upper leg and its straightening.
3) Transferring body weight to the lower leg.
4) Raising the skis to the side.
Preparatory exercises on the spot help eliminate errors in braking.
Analysis of the ALTERNATE FOUR-STEP STROKE technique. Teaching methodology. Typical errors and their correction.
Cycle of movements The alternating four-step move consists of four sliding steps and two alternating push-offs with the hands on the last two steps.
Length – 7-10m, average speed in a cycle on the plain – 4.0-6.0 m/s,
At the same time with the first push With his foot, the rider brings his hand with the stick forward and upward. The kick in this move is done in the same way as in the two-step alternating move. By the end of the push, the skier must raise the hand of the half-bent arm extended forward to shoulder level. The lower end of the stick is facing backwards.
With the end of the push with the leg and the extension of the same hand, the rider begins to slide on one leg and bring forward the second arm and the leg freed after the push.
This is done in such a way that by the end of the second kick, the arm and leg complete the movement at the same time.
During the extension of the second arm and leg after the first push, the skier, with the hand that started the movement earlier, moves the stick to the ring forward position.
After the end of the second push, the rider prepares for the third kick.
With the beginning of the third shock The stick of the same name as the push leg should be placed in a position with the ring facing away from you. During the third kick, the foot is placed at an acute angle.
Fourth push The skier does the same thing with his foot as the third. As it begins, the skier places a stick in the snow for a second push with his hand. During the fourth kick, he makes a movement with his other hand, similar to the movement of the first hand at the moment of the third kick, and therefore, by the end of the fourth kick, the conditions are created for the start of the push with the second hand.
TRAINING METHODOLOGY
The alternating four-step move is quite complex in its rhythm.
The cycle of movements in this move consists of alternating four steps and two alternating pushes with sticks for the last two steps. Removing the sticks before pushing off is performed alternately for the first two steps in the stroke cycle.
When moving on the plain, a skier covers up to 8-10 m per cycle at an average speed of 4-6 m/s. Most often, the alternating four-step move is used on the plain and gentle slopes with poor support for poles (when moving with a backpack on hiking trips), when movement with an alternating two-step move and simultaneous moves is difficult. In terms of coordination, this method of movement is one of the most difficult.
In the beginning, you should try to teach this move to schoolchildren using a holistic teaching method.
Sometimes this brings the desired results, given that schoolchildren have already mastered most of the elements of the alternating four-step move, having studied the alternating two-step move.
Students are then asked to independently complete the move as a whole in the study circle.
Moving around the learning circle, students, based on the received idea, try to complete the move as a whole. At first, you should not demand from students precision movements in all elements of the move; the main thing here is to master at least the general scheme of coordination of movements, consistency in the work of arms and legs. Have students walk several circles, constantly trying to establish consistency in their movements. At this time, you can correct students on the fly, prompt them on certain points, and give instructions.
Sometimes it is advisable to accompany movements with the commands “Take out, take out!” "Push-push!" It is very important that these commands are given in a timely manner in combination with footwork - for each step.
In this move, the removal of the sticks is somewhat slow, and students sometimes make a mistake that disrupts all coordination of movements - they immediately take the stick forward one step and hold it in a static position; a similar movement is performed with the other hand.
The following methodological technique allows you to correct this shortcoming and achieve consistency.
The teacher invites schoolchildren to carry out the sticks in a pendulum-like motion with a greater amplitude than necessary: forward to a horizontal position and even slightly upward.
Then the stick is lowered down and placed on the snow. This movement takes more time, and students complete long sliding steps in a timely manner.
In the future, training follows the path of eliminating errors in the stroke cycle and improving it in various conditions. Then the students try to do it themselves at the teacher’s command.
It is advisable to place a student who has a good command of the move at the front of the line of students.
Movements in divisions are performed as follows: on the count of “one” - step with the right one in the position of single-support sliding (the push is completed with the left leg and right hand) and carry the left stick forward; on the count of “two” - step with the left foot and carry the right stick forward; on the count of “three” - step with your right foot and place your left stick on the snow; on the intermediate count “and” - a push with the left stick, which is slightly ahead of the push with the foot; on the count of “four” - again step with the left foot, on the snow, place the right stick, sliding position on the left ski; on the intermediate count “and” - push with the right stick.
When students master full coordination of movements in a variable four-step move, they can begin to improve it on a training track with a variety of terrain.
When improving the move in general, attention is paid to strengthening the pushes with the arms and legs and lengthening the sliding steps (all this increases the speed of movement).
When studying the alternating four-step move, students may experience following errors: lack of coordination in hand movements with sliding steps, movement on straight or insufficiently bent legs, bouncing movement, general stiffness of movements, non-linear carrying out of sticks, short “running up” steps, tense carrying out of sticks.
Elimination of these errors occurs in the training circle. The teacher stops students making mistakes, explains and shows the correct movements. Sometimes it is advisable to return to the dissected method and counting movements, or even repeat the sliding step with short push-offs with sticks for the third or fourth step in the stroke cycle.
©2015-2019 site
All rights belong to their authors. This site does not claim authorship, but provides free use.
Page creation date: 2016-02-12
Many people love active recreation and go to a ski resort in winter. Beginners immediately take several skiing lessons from an instructor. From the outside, everything seems so easy, but it takes special skill to descend slopes correctly. It is important to learn braking techniques in order to ride beautifully and with pleasure. The most important braking technique is “plow” and “stop” (“semi-plough”).
In what cases is it used?
Experienced skiers navigate the slopes without using braking, because many years of experience give them many different tricks. An insufficiently prepared skier often cannot cope with high speed on the fly, so it is imperative to learn how to reduce it. “Plow” or “stop” braking is used in cases when an unexpected obstacle appears, if one of the participating skiers suddenly falls.
At competitions, spectators can be a nuisance. The “plow” braking technique on skis is sometimes used when the route is not well known, on very sharp slopes. This is a very effective way of suspending. It helps you adjust your fast pace and slow down.
Start with a plow stance
What is the meaning of the expression “in the plough”? Anyone who has ever seen the structure and operation of an ordinary plow will immediately understand what position the athlete should take. For the skier, this means that he must adopt a stance that will help him control his speed through braking or stop. Even a novice athlete can perform braking with a “plow” without difficulty. Where to start performing a stand? It is carried out according to the following plan:
- The fronts of the skis must be brought together, and the backs must be spread out to the sides as much as possible. The ideal distance between socks would be 6-8 cm.
- Legs need to be bent at the knees and ankles.
- The body must be bent forward.
- Your arms, slightly bent at the elbows, should be extended in front of you.
- It is advisable to distribute body weight equally on both skis.
- The poles should be pointing backwards.
Several ways to use this stand
There are several ways to learn how to perform plow braking on skis:
- The simplest technique is to put one leg to the side. It must be performed while in the main stance (legs bent at the knees, body tilted forward, arms in front). One leg remains in place, and the other needs to be set aside, but the toe should not move further than 10 cm from the other.
- While in the main position, you can put the skis aside one by one: the front ends are together, the rear ends are apart. In this case, the skis should tilt on the inner ribs.
- Jumping plow technique. To do this, you need to jump slightly and at the same time bring your toes together and spread your heels.
- The fourth effective technique is to use gentle pressure on the runners to push your heels apart, slowly straightening your knees and ankles. As a result, your legs need to be straightened completely.
Plow braking while moving
Once a beginner skier has tried the plow stance, it's time to test it in motion and learn to pause at the bottom of the piste. Most often, long slopes with access to straight terrain are chosen for the route. In such cases, there is no risk of injury due to a sudden fall.
First, the athlete climbs the slope. After this, he takes the basic ski stance (described above). He then moves straight down the track. After gaining speed, he prepares to perform “plow” braking: gradually straightens his legs, straightening his knees. Then the skier bends his knees, presses on the inner ribs of the skis and spreads the backs to the sides. Thus, this action resembles the work of a plow. While rolling out, he applies braking, transferring his body weight to the inner ribs of the skis.
Beginner skiers may have numb legs after the first braking, but don’t worry - this is normal at first.
"Plow" helps control speed
On steep slopes, plow braking helps control your riding speed. What will it depend on? To experiment, you need to climb a sloping slope. After this, you should take a “plough” on the slope. Then in this position you need to start moving down. You should not be afraid of high speed, because this braking is very reliable. If you systematically bend and straighten your legs, and also press on the inner edge of the skis, and change the gap between the backs, then you can safely reduce or increase the speed. When the angle between the rears increases, the movement will slow down, and when it decreases, the ride will speed up.
Improving braking
Once a beginner skier has mastered braking on small slopes, you can begin to master steeper slopes or slopes where the terrain changes. The most common mistakes that beginners make when mastering the “plow” method are the following: the tips of the skis sometimes cross, the pressure on each ski is unevenly distributed, which changes the direction of movement. Sometimes beginners don’t spread their heels far enough or bend their knees a little and don’t bring them together. If such errors occur, you should practice several more times on low slopes.
"Push" technique
Anyone who has mastered “plough” braking can easily use the “stop” method. To make it easier to understand its essence, you can imitate movements on the spot several times. Such braking is intended for descents obliquely, diagonally. This is a kind of ski turn or side slip. Here is an example instruction for stop braking:
- To begin with, when descending, you need to sit down slightly.
- Then you should make a sharp push forward and straighten up. This allows you to take the load off your skis.
- The next action is to turn the ankle joints, which helps turn the skis at an angle on their side.
- To perform this movement, the shoulders and torso are involved.
- The greater the ski turning angle, the stronger the braking will be.
Ultimately, you can use a stick support. In order to come to a complete stop, the skis must be placed across the slope strictly on the edge. Most often, this braking method is used by men or experienced athletes; girls are better off using it on low slopes, because it requires a lot of strength and dexterity to perform it.
Controlled fall
What to do in cases where it is impossible to use either the “plough” or the “emphasis” technique? There are times when a skier is moving down the slope at high speed, and suddenly an obstacle suddenly appears in his way. In this case, you simply need to brake or stop sharply.
Sometimes the only way to prevent hitting an object is by deliberately falling. This is in cases where the obstacle took the skier by surprise and is so close that there is no way to slow down. If you skillfully manage a fall, then there is a chance of not getting injured, quickly getting up and continuing skating.
For such a case, you need to know the following tricks of a controlled fall:
- First you need to try to sit down.
- Then you need to try to fall back and to the side.
- At the same time, you should turn your skis across the track.
- Then, with the help of poles, you can easily rise and continue sliding again.
There are cases when such a fall causes the skis to cross. Then you should roll over onto your back, raise your legs up and point your skis to the desired position. After this, you need to turn over on your side and get up.
In some cases, tourists use stick braking. This happens when there is a lot of snow on the slopes, when falling is inappropriate. These methods are only suitable for amateurs; athletes do not use them in racing.