GoalsPut equipment, tuning, and maintenence in proper perspectiveIdentify the needs regarding equipment, tuning, & ski maintence for athletes J6 thru college levelCreate an executable, age specific progression which can be successfully implemented across the entire program, and is consistent in focus and outcomes for the athletes / parentsProvide the resources to help you put the plan in place.
Perspective –tuning & maintenance
As a coach, you are versed in the areas of knowledge that createa basis for the development of jralpine ski racers:
1.Stance, balance, edging, pressure, pivoting –physical skills involved in making the ski turn (technique)
2.Physical conditioning, core strength, reaction time, vision, proprioceptiveinputs and reactions, periodizationplans, etc.
3.Mental training
4.Tactics, line, video analysis, etc.
All of these items add up to 95% of the whole
The other 5% can be dictated by the equipment’s nature, performance, and it’s state of tune
Identifying equipment needs –J6 & J51.One pair of skis per athlete. May be handed down, used, or new. Often not significantly different technology or construction between „race“and regular intermediate versions. Skis generally share similar constructionwith price point kid‘s skis –finish quality from factory will most like be the lowest.2.One pair helps to create consistency in learning fundemental skill base.3.Pay special attention to binding (jr, or jr with adult sole compatability) and boot sole (jr, or jr boot with adult sole), check screw lengths...4.Maintenence generally is performed by retail shop and/or parents.5.Ski design and flex should enhance the athlete‘s ability to learn fundementals of balance, stance, carving movements. Athletes do not exhibit a high degree of alignment, not should they, as joints are loose& flexible.6.Ski‘s tune & maintenence should emphasize consistency throughout theseason, easy turning & gliding, edge grip that coincides with the physical strength and carving ability of the athlete.7.Basic recommendation –flat base finish, fine grind, basic wax, 1 deg base edge, 2 degree side edge. Also suggest a basic pre-formed footbed for boot.
Identifying equipment needs –J4 & J3Introduction of event specific models –GS, SL, & for J3’s, the J3 SG ski. Typically 2 pair of skis per athlete at this level. Western USSA athletes are running SPEED events starting at this age.Importance of identical & consistent binding, lifter, etc. between the two skis, as well as accurate & consistent tuning angles on base & edge cannot be overstated.Can be extremely difficult for athletes to switch from SL to GS and back again quickly –longer training blocks are preferred.Ski maintenance usually handled by parent, retail shop, and beginning of introduction of hands on ski maintenance to athletes.Introduction of event specific skis should coincide with the transition from pure fundamentals acquisition to a blending of fundamentals and tactical event skills.Greater carving skills and athlete growth spurts will see more alignment in skiing. Check boots frequently. Recommend basic pre-formed foot bed.Ski’s tuning & maintenance should continue to emphasize consistency throughout the season & between event skis; flat base, fine grind for SL & GS (perhaps season/snow specific grinds for the most elite J3’s), 1 degree base edge (until the athlete is carving arc to arc all the time, and is balanced properly in the boot, then tighter base angles may be experimented with-generally, tighter base angles only help in steeps with great technique); 2 degree side angle for J4’s, start with 3 degree side for J3’s when athlete exhibits strong carving power, skeletal alignment(fore-aft balance), and boot alignment.Tuning & waxing should happen after every training block to ensure consistency in this critical period of technical & tactical development. Basic wax is all that is necessary. Overlays shouldbe used for championship level events only.Coaches should discourage the division of parents/athletes into over-achievers/underachievers with regards to tuning & maintenance.
Identifying equipment needs –J2 thru college
Athletes will have 4 to 6 pairs of skis that must be rotated, tuned, and maintained to consistently equal standards for all racing & training
Consistency theme remains critical –identical setup for binding, plates, lifters, etc. to create identical fore/aft angles is crucial. OK to have different delta angle on SL (gas pedals), esp. for females.
Ski maintenance typically handled by the athlete & parents, withoccasional service by sport shops & coaches.
Athletes often experience great difficulties in finding time to properly prepare skis, due to other commitments and the quantity of skis they are using.
Ski’s tuning & maintenance should continue to emphasize consistency throughout the season & between event skis; flat base, fine grind for SL, season/snow specific grinds should be used for GS & speed events (do not overdo this…), base edge angles should be experimented with as a group at the start of the on snow prep period, working from 0 outwards to 1. A 3 degree side edge angles should be employed for all events; for some females, 2 degree side is OK for speed.
Tuning & waxing should happen after every training block to ensure consistency in this critical period of tactical & event specific development. Basic wax should be emphasized, but higher end waxes should be employed in the correct conditions. Overlays should be used when appropriate, and should be handled only by the coach/program.
Coaches should discourage the division of parents/athletes into over-achievers/underachievers with regards to tuning & maintenance.
Executable progression -overview
Have a program wide meeting to establish clearly defined roles –which coach(es) will handle equipment tuning & maintenance progression at each level in the program
Establish the last 5% as a key concept to train and prepare for from J6 onward.
Provide clear, concise steps for each level that guides parents and athletes in the right direction without creating confusion, or over-tech’ingwhere not necessary.
Get the local shop that you work with on the EXACT same page that you want them to be on, so that parents and athletes will be sold the service andproducts that the club is keyed in to. This is esp. important with grinds and tune specs. Work with the shop long before the season starts to ensure that their output is what you are looking for, and have a strong relationship with just one tech who will perform all the grinding work for your program.
Strongly consider having a f/tequipment manager for all larger programs, clubs, academies. The benefits can be enormous, and the organization and efficiency created by this effort is a bonus for everyone.
Straps!
Coaches tuned & tuning!
FLOW:
J6 & J5Basic tuning, wax by parentswith shop help. Keys: flat baseSkill specific sharpness, glide
J4 & J3Basic tuning for consistency by parents, shop,& intro to athlete tuning. Formal plan of trainingAthletes to perform small tuning steps leading to entire daily maintenance.Basic tuning & waxing done well at this level.
glideJ2 –collegeSkilled tuning occurs; consistencyAcross skis by event; high end shopInvolved for grinds, athlete performsAll work under supervision of coaches
J6 & J5
Make ski maintenance & tuning part of the program –don’t leave it up to the parents to figure out.
Coaches should meet with parents and establish a clearly defined, season long maintenance program. This may involve a local shop, if applicable. Your suggestions to the parents should be very concrete, not theoretical –e.g., give them a program like this:
Oct/Nov : New skis –take to shop ____ and ask for base flattening, fine grind, and a hand finished 1D base & 2D side edge.
Oct/Nov: Waxing –wax, scrape, and brush the skis a total of 3-5 times before your son/daughter’s 1ston hill session. Use basic hydrocarbon wax, and let it cool for1 day between each coat.
Dec 1st: J6/J5 parents tuning clinic –show parents what to do, how to do it, keep it very simple, do not overwhelm with lingo, tools, or techniques. Focus on basic skills for consistent results. Make this clinic mandatory for parents –hold it while the athletes are on the hill training, no longer than 45 minutes. Have an exact shopping list of basic tools & wax available.
Dec/Jan: use a diamond stone in a guide after each day to removeburrs. File skis to sharp 2-3 passes, polish lightly with diamond and de-burr with gummi. Hot wax, allow to cool overnight, & scrape & brush. Use a brass oval brush.
Feb 15th: ski check day @ the club…Coach will check all skis for base flatness and to recommend any additional service.
Feb/March/April: continue the same plan of parental maintenance.Show parents how to clean skis in spring conditions
J4 & J3
Tuning clinics should be presented to parents separately & also parents & athletes together. Parents should be educated to perform the basics even better, rather than expanding into more technical & complex deviations in hope of 1/100’s. This is fundamentally in keeping with the athletes developmental progression of mastering basic skills and technique at this level before specialization.
Coaching of basic tuning skills is integrated in clubs educational model.
one training block per month is dedicated to athletes & coaches working together on one aspect of tuning/maintenance. Parents are invited to watch allowing the coaching staff to reinforce the concept of increasing perfection of the basics at this level.
Parents/shops may still perform up to 70% of the tuning load, but athletes should be participating in a regular portion of the tuning process on a daily basis until they master that skill group; e.g., scraping & brushing or de-burring
J4 & J3 continued
Parents & athletes should be presented with a written out maintenance plan by the club/program which details what is expected for participation. Proper maintenance will allow for greater results in training & racing, and consistent glide & edge grip will allow more productive training sessions.
Plan should emphasize the following points:
1.Resist the temptation to expand in more complicated processes atthis level. Athletes need only properly prepared skis, not the world’s fastest. Consistency it critical and performing the basic maintenance steps will ensure the fastest skis and thebest training & racing, not a hundred dollar wax job. Speed will arrive from the athletes ability to blend good technique with appropriate tactics for the course, and to minimize execution errors. Speed will not be found by dumping hundreds into expensive race wax jobs at this level.
2.Truly flat skis (base) from the start to the end of the season. Identical and consistent base & edge bevels. On all but the most world class and fully developedJ3’s, the base bevel should err to the looser side to accommodate the growth, changesin alignment, and lack of pure physical strength to handle the arc to arc action in higherspeed/pitch &/or tighter line/radius situations. A true 1D base on a truly flat base is ideal.
3.Teach athletes at this level to rotate their skis to keep them consistent.
4.Proper ski set up initially will make it radically easier for parents & athletes to maintain consistency in their tuning efforts. Every ski should be properly set up, shaped, ground, waxed or hot boxed, etc. long before the 1sttraining session.
J2 thru college
Much larger ski fleet requires more time management skills on the part of the athlete & coach. Identify tactics to make ski tuning& maintenance an integral part of this groups activities & coach the acquisition and refinement of skills. Do not allow some athletesto fall aside because they are not “tech minded”–don’t make it a tech session, make it a portion of the training.
Encourage athletes to wax both pair of skis by discipline after training. This will ensure that the athlete has a good rotation going and the wax can harden for at least 24 hours. This will make theskis more durable for demanding snow conditions and training, and will make them faster.
Schedule time during the training block that is specifically forski maintenance. Coaches should be present for this time coaching these skills. This needs to only be 5-30 minutes per training day.
J2 thru college -continued
Check skis condition frequently each week, esp, during SL training.
Encourage true sharpness in tuning, coach athletes in how to getit, and demand it be consistently applied for all racing & training sessions. It is not possible to successfully train on dull skis and race on sharp ones.
Require skis to be fully prepped, shaped, and waxed in before the season starts (either athlete performed or by sport shop).
Coach should place an emphasis on showing athletes how to keep up the tune & maintenance to the highest levels on the least amount of time. The time spent in daily maintenance should be roughly 75% of what isspent for a race day. Most athletes spend 500% more time on race day prep –at the expense of their results & consistency.
Tune with your athletes.
Wrap Up –Progression Specifics
•Overall goal for your program is to coach the parents & athleteson the why’s, how to’s, and specifics of proper tuning & maintenance on a continual basis starting at the youngest and continuing onward to the top.
•Have an exact program and goal that is coached towards for each age group and keep everyone on track to achieve that goal.
•Create a strong base of basic, repeatable, tuning skills that are mastered by the parent or athlete from J6 thru J3–do not confuse the situation with over-techingthe key basics.
•Keep the focus on the whole developmental package and keep maintenance & tuning in it’s 5% corner –but an important corner. Do not let parents/athletes substitute “over or under teching”for other deficiencies / strengths; at the same time, be certain that everyone knows that the gains they make in all other critical areas (technique, tactics, mental & physical training, etc.) can be easily lost if the last 5% is not attended to.
Comments
Write New Comment ▼
Write New Comment
Sorry! This knol's owner(s) have blocked you from editing, making suggestions, or commenting here.