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Can Skiing Slowly Make You a Better Skier?
Speed is an innate element of skiing. Part of the exhilaration we get from skiing comes from speed. Skiing slow usually doesn’t equate to much fun in our minds. However spending some time skiing at a very slow speed can be beneficial to your skiing. Many world class ski athletes perform skiing drills and basic parallel turns at slow speeds as part of their training. They will often do this before even getting into the gates.
When learning new movements or a new sequence of movements or trying to change movements, skiing slowly is helpful. The brain is able to process the information that is coming in from the proprioceptors (sensors) located throughout your body more accurately. The more accurate and complete information that arrives and is processed by the brain, the more successful you will become at achieving the intended movement(s). Having accurate input aids in developing precision and mastery in our skiing skills.
Once we achieve the accuracy at slow sp! eed we can then challenge our bodies and minds by increasing the speed or changing the surface (un-groomed snow or ice) we perform on. Skiing slowly also forces us to execute more discipline in our movements as we cannot rely on the forces of the turn to support our balance and help compensate for inaccuracy. When we ski at high speeds our mind must process information at a faster rate and especially if there are what the mind interprets as imminent dangers ahead, certain bits of information get left out to prioritize decision-making to successfully negotiate the danger. Whatever your focus is in your skiing or if you are trying to change or incorporate new movements, try taking a few runs skiing at a less than moderate speed before bringing the mph back up.
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