Greatinstructing.com
Ski Instructor Training Program
Under construction coming October 2024
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Before teaching
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Every person is different, so the creative part of teaching is finding the best way for them to have fun learning. You will teach a wide of ages, ability, motivations, and expectations. Pay close attention and be very aware of how they are doing. Provide clear goals and specific feedback so they have a series of fun challenges like playing a video game.
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Relationships
Build good relationships by being friendly, confident, and enthusiastic. Look them in the eyes and smile. Imaging they are a friend you are trying to help, and have a genuine interest helping them. Some children do not want to take a lesson, are not comfortable with strangers, and may not even want to ski. Bring a lot of energy and ask questions to get them talking. You can ask about siblings, pets, friends, sports, hobbies, school, vacations, video games or anything that gets a spark.
Questions
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Get as much information as possible before the lesson. Ask if they are athletic, do they participate in related sports like skating or rollerblading, are they afraid, and do they understand it will take some time to learn.
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Clothes and gear
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It is hard to have fun if they are not comfortable. Be sure they are dressed properly for the weather, they can be underdressed or overdressed. Look for helmets, goggles or sunglasses, sunscreen, neck gaiter, proper layers, zipped up, jackets, and warm gloves.
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Be sure their boots are they buckles and their pants are not stuffed in the top. Ask if they have one pair of socks and the boots are painful. Many will have wrinkles in their socks and the boots are buckled too tight.Toe warmers may be needed if it is very cold.
How to teach
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1- Provide a simple explanation and a demonstration.
2- Pay attention and make sure they are doing it, provide specific feedback while they perform or right after they finish, it takes a lot of concentration.
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For more advanced lessons, you can also provide feedback from behind while they ski, or have them follow you.
Pace
Go at a pace the is fun without creating fear. Some people need to go very slow and will take much longer to learn. Others learn very fast and can become bored if you are going too slow. Watch to see if they are having fun, if you can not tell, ask them. Encourage them to tell you what they want. In group lessons there can be big differences in ability, so you will assign different tasks to the stronger students and give more help to the slower ones.
A big problem when teaching is going to more advanced terrain before the customer is ready. They need to make good turns before going to steeper terrain, think turns before terrain. Instructors can teach like friends and go to a bigger hill if they do not know what to do next. Going to steeper slopes before the student is ready reinforces movements that make it harder for them to improve and ski in control. Short hour long lessons will have to provide a lot of information about what and where to practice after the lesson.
What to teach
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The most basic move in skiing is moving downhill over the skis as they turn. Video
It is a challenge to do this because the turn forces push people back and uphill. Video
The other issue is people apply the way they move naturally (leaning back on a slope, turning with the upper body, and leaning inside the turn) to skiing, and these are opposite the moves they need for skiing. Video
It is so challenging for most people replace natural moves with ski moves that they need consistent goals right from the start. Each time the slope gets steeper, the speed increases, or the snow conditions get more challenging, the natural moves will reappear. The timeless Ski MovesTM are a constant challenge to develop and maintain. Great skiing is a matter of execution and precise timing.
First time skiers
1- On flat ground- walking, stepping in a circle, making a wedge, athletic stance, ankle flex Video 1 2
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2- Straight run, gliding wedge runs in an athletic stance on beginner slope, wedge stop Video
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3- Link slight wedge turns starting with speed straight downhill. Use an athletic stance in a small wedge. Video
The pattern is straight turn straight
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Momentum helps the skis turn and keeps the skier moving downhill to start the next turn. This is feeling the flow, the most basic move in skiing and developing offensive ski moves right from the first turns. Skiers learn to make minimal turns and keep their momentum moving downhill with gravity. Big "MO" ,let it go, go with the flow.
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Gradually adding speed can spontaneously match the skis so they are parallel very quickly. Video
4- Make turns by pointing both big toes, or pushing on one big toe then the other, or a combination of pointing and pushing. Try reversing the order pushing then pointing. Video
5- Make a specific number of small turns. Then large turns. Combine a specific number of small then large turns. Then reverse the order large to small. Video
Practice turning moves in just boots can be done at any point if needed. Video
How to evaluate and score wedge turns Video
Intermediate skiing
1- Review athletic stance, ankle flex, wedge turns, add speed Video
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2- Make turns with earlier weight transfers then smooth down and up motion Video
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3- Make uphill christie fan exercises for more deliberate matching. Progressive ankle flex, hand to knee Video
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4- Add more edging movements on slightly steeper terrain Video
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5- Add pole touch. Evaluate and grade for parallel on a intermediate slope Video
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Advanced skiing
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1- Review athletic stance, ankle flex, and parallel turns intermediate slope Video
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2- Uphill christie exercises for progressive ankle flex and edging, inside lead Video
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3- Do opposite and extreme exercises Video
4- Make turns of different sizes and shapes Video
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5- Add speed, steepness, challenging conditions, moguls. Evaluate and grade on advanced parallel skiing Video
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Expert level skiers have slopestyle, freeride, mogul, racing, and other competitions to measure their performance
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