Why I am stuck at same level!!!

I had a "eurika" moment on the ski slopes last week about why some skiers are stuck on the same ski level year after year.

By chance I taught two very different personality types just a few days apart and even if I was teaching the same techniques on same conditions, one skier progressed after just 3 hours while the other still remained at same ability level.

I kept wondering how I had "failed" the second skier. What I could have done to to help. Then in a flash, the solution came. Here it is!!!

But first let me provide the personality profiles of A and B skier.

A is a Romanian student who has an open mind about learning. He had no idea at all about ski technique and had very poor ski equipment. He instantly accepted his role as student and mine as teacher. This is what he "understood" was the learning context. A teacher (which you did not question) and a student (which applied the techniques)!

B is a administrator in a large utility company. Older and set in his ways as far as; political opinions, social causes, how to solve problems. The man was a doer, an administrator to "gets things done", (and wants results)! He was a success because he made people do what he wanted! He knew what he wanted!

A skier was far weaker skier , with no technical skills. His equipment was "last generation circa" while the B skier had latest products. B skied every week and traveled to the biggest ski centers at least once every month!

The same teaching approach was used for both skiers. The same ski resort was used and both had same teaching time. Yet skier A progressed in amazing speed, while B skier still had same problems.


Here is the key, the source of the learning blockage!

Skier A accepted that he had lots to learn, accepted that I would help him and let me "get into his brain" totally! After first hour he instantly applied all the techniques I had demonstrated.

Skier B questioned from the onset of the classes, "this new way to teach". He skied the moguls and wanted to be better in the moguls, thus wondering why we were not in the moguls! HE HAD A SET LESSON PLAN FOR ME! He knew how he would teach this if he was the ski instructor.

I was not teaching him the way he expected to be taught! He questioned all the "exercises, drills" often suggesting he needed new skis, new boots. As a final demonstration to him that it was not the skiing equipment that was the cause of his skiing shortcomings, I took his skis and he took mine. I did all the drills perfectly with his "old" skis ( while great difficulty since they were poorly tuned and not waxed at all) while he could not follow me with my skis. To him it was clear, it was not the equipment that was the cause ! IT WAS HIS LACK OF MUSCULAR STRENGTH according to him. He was going to do more endurance work in his studio!

See the pattern!

Skier B never accepted me as his teacher. Yes he wanted to learn to ski better ( and pay 80$ an hour to do so) but he was not willing PSYCHOLOGICALLY to accept my role as teacher, thus do all drills without question.
Often I would hear, "how is this going to make me a better mogul skier"!
I even brought in a small model of a "shaped" ski and tried to explain the mechanics of an efficient turn. My message did not passed his ears.

Learning skiing is like learning anything. You must be open to new ideas, new techniques and you must trust your teacher. Skier B failed on both counts. Although skier B had more money, better equipment and more skiing experience than skier A from Romania, he was a much weaker learner and would "plateau" since he felt he had good BASIC skiing technique.

Learning to ski begins in that mysterious area between the two ears. Free the mind of, "my way", the "best way".

A skier instructor is a guide. Let him/her lead you to higher bliss!

Absolutly, if it where not for the great respect I have for Ali Ross I would still be on that platau, respect of your instructors opinion is essential, as a profile of me I am Manging Director of my own company and sit on the board of six others, so I am pretty set in my ways, and old (old dog new tricks comes to mind) find an instructor you respect and get the best from your skiing.

Mike

Mike,

Thank you for your insight. I no longer just meet skiers and start teaching right away. First we have coffee ( on my time and expense) and we talk about goals, past experiences and what WE want to accomplish!

Then I allow two runs of free skiing where I just ski behind client. Then we decide what to work on!

This approach seems to work with 90% of skiers.

Like you Mike I am "set" in my ways but in this day of "change' we must learn to accept new ideas, new ways, new products. Just think what this generation has "experienced" as change; television, cell phones, computers, release bindings, ATM, Ipod, etc......

Of course now shaped skis with this new ski technique.

But once you learn it,,,,,,,heaven!!!

pavelski,may i ask which resort you are working at,found your comments very interesting,and if by some fluke ended up at your resort ,would be interested in lessons.

pavelski wrote:



Like you Mike I am "set" in my ways but in this day of "change' we must learn to accept new ideas, new ways, new products. Just think what this generation has "experienced" as change; television, cell phones, computers, release bindings, ATM, Ipod, etc......
quote]

because I'm so inclined .....

Edited 3 times. Last update at 31-Jan-2007

Exactly, It is those very things that mean, one can not have a closed mind anymore. Ideas move so fast. With the wealth of infomation available, it is now easier to see a bigger picture and distill concepts. I think that is why it is important to try as many sports as possible and cross bench the core concepts.

Movement is movement, only the interface and the enviroment change. If I were young again, I would seriousely consider le Parkour as a sport. If you can run up a wall, then you would have no problem understanding how to pressure the edges of your skis; it's the same princible. As for for getting a feel for rotation....

http://streetstunts.co.uk/3run/a_brothers_journey.wmv

Trencher

Trencher,

If I were young??????

You are young Trencher. From your replies you demonstrate flexibility, open mind and a desire to search new ideas new products. You are young!

Be your physical activities and search for new sports you show you are young!

Be sharing your ideas you are young.

There are some very old 15 year olds as there are some very young 70 year olds. You decide which you are!

Cheers!

Exactly!! I found the same thing trying to teach a teacher (male) windsurfing who would simply not do the things I told him to and wanted to short cut everything. He would make the same mistakes over and over again and implied it was my fault for telling him it wrong and kept asking more and more convoluted questions exasperating me to death. A young female PE teacher progressd 100 times quicker than the 20 years experience maths teacher. It is the same teaching female school pupils compared with male school pupils, the boys try to use physical strength to uphaul etc while the girls use exactly the techniques I tell them and progrees much faster. It is also the same trying to teach golf some people will not accept the fact that someone knows better than them and are exasperating to say the least. But I suppose it is the nature of the population to want to get on as fast as possible in the corporate world of Britain and the USA.