Got in to cross country six weeks ago and this has to be the number one question I have also had. Thanks for this, very informative.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

The key to getting past the shuffling stage is developing balance on one ski

excellent videos! They are informative and concise. Thorough demonstrations. Thank you.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked them. Hope they help your skiing

I really appreciate all your videos. You are a good teacher, not to much words and a very clear demonstration. Thank you very much !

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the note. Good luck with your skiing

Great video (s) ! Thank you so much !

Great video! Thank you for answering that so oftenly asked question!

@k2nicol

2 жыл бұрын

You are welcome

Great videos keith, just started this season and am finding these tips really helpful. Greetings from Switzerland!!

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the note...it is a great activity

Thank you sooooooo much!! These are the best tips and instructions I have seen to date, and I have search ALL OVER the internet AND received private lessons. Thank you for breaking it down so simply and telling us what the ultimate result should be so we can practice the correct way to achieve it. Best wishes and much gratitude, FROM Jules in WA, USA.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Great..glad it helped

Hello, congratulations from your channel, it's great. I am starting cross-country skiing in Spain and it is great to see your videos and exercises. Since it is difficult for me to develop the momentum and the descents, but it is a matter of perseverance and learning from your videos, Congratulations.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Great that you started xc skiing...keep at it and you will get better

This is an excellent video. Great video and description of how so many shuffle and not glide.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your note.

Great video thanks

Great video. I get it now. I've been shuffling since day 1. Need to focus on stride.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Most skiers start off shuffling. The key is get to skiing on one ski at a time as your balance improves

Excellent tips - I'm quite new to the sport, and every once in a while feel like I have the hang of it, but then overthink it and lose balance. This will help

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

It takes lots of practice.

Helpful. Thank you.

@k2nicol

6 ай бұрын

Glad it helped

Keith. Great knowledge and experience that you pass on. In PSIA we' focus on the push down or push off in order to transfer the weight and balance on the other ski. It's not the push back. That produces the toe off or mule kick. Slipping. That balance creates the leg lifting in back to balance the torso and arm leaning forward.

@k2nicol

Жыл бұрын

Usually I say push down and back or press the "button" under the ball of the foot and push back

Good and informative. Also love the Norwegian flag on your beanie👍

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you like the video and the beanie!!

Good information. Thank you. I have found your videos very informative and helpful. I do well and then I take my dog skijoring and everything goex out the window for the first part.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Glad the video helped

Great video. I've been doing it all wrong.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

You are not alone...almost all the classic skiers I see at Mt Washington's nordic ski area on Vancouver Island shuffle as did almost all the skiers I used to teach in the Atlantic Canada region. Most skiers find it very difficult to balance on a single ski. It takes lots of "perfect practice" as I discuss in my video- kzread.info/dash/bejne/eWec29V8nNWpebA.html

Good video, for some reason good info on Nordic skiing is kind of hard to come by.

@k2nicol

2 жыл бұрын

I agree .that is why I started doing these videos.

Thanks! This is so helpful! Went cross country skiing for the first time today and after watching this video I realize that I was doing it all wrong! 😂 I was definitely just shuffling.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

If it was your first time ...good for you. Striding will come with practice.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

@Leonel Ray Great to hear.

Outstanding. Thanks Keith for the simple explanation

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

You are welcome

For me, it’s a balance issue, and I have been trying to improve on my technique for the last few years despite being an ‘avid’ cross country skier for many years. I was introduced to cross country skiing during a school winter day trip when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. I have been in love with it every since. I noticed a huge difference in the effort it takes when working on striding, and it’s getting easier. Just have to keep at it, rest when needed and start again. Is it maybe a fear of falling that prevents many ‘shufflers’ from striding? I have fallen many many times😁 Thanks for the motivating videos. Subscribed!

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

I would agree it is a fear of falling from my experience. Balancing on one ski is hard and increases our chances of falling since our base of support is now less than if 2 feet are on the snow. But balance can be improved with practice

Awesome

When I started, I think muscle memory from rollerblading as a kid kept making me want to step forward and glide, but now I try to focus on the down and back kick motion and it's helping me shuffle less.

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Roller blading would be more like ski skating action ...glad this video is helping

Hi Keith. Fantastic explanation and your demonstrations of "what not to do" are very helpful as well! Do you have any suggestions on how to reduce the slapping sound when skis return to the track after being lifted? My kicks are strong with no slipping but I need to refine my technique to reduce the occasional slapping sound. Thank you :)

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

When you glide try standing abit taller on your glide leg. That taller stance will allow the return leg to slide in at or ahead of the glide foot. Of course this requires you to balance abit longer on the glide ski.

This is exactly what I am struggling with right now! I think I need to add more of a bounce to my stride to get away from that shuffle movement. I would also love to hear your thoughts on transitioning from gliding down a hill in a tuck position to returning to diagonal stride. Or is there a better technique to use after going downhill? There’s still a bit of time to ski in Minnesota, and I am going to use it! Thank you for your wonderful videos.

@k2nicol

4 жыл бұрын

To transition from heading downhill to diagonal stride you need to have slowed enough to make the stride work. Simply rise out of your tuck and then start striding ...be sure that you get the timing right...ie push the right ski down and back as you swing the right arm forward to plant the pole.

@TrickyLittleMiss953

4 жыл бұрын

Wow, thanks for the reply, Keith! This was my first season learning to ski, and I learned so much from you, I appreciate you take the time to make these videos. My ski instructor in Minneapolis actually recommends your videos to brand new skiers to get them familiar with the ideas before they hit the track!

It's hard to tell with the parka you're wearing, but I'd suggest that hip rotation is important to effective striding. Driving the knee forward and rotating the hip opposite to the striding ski provides greater power. If you have any doubt, watch Iivo Niskanen in any classical WC race, or his sister Kertu. Both have powerful strides.

@k2nicol

Жыл бұрын

I agree..i teach that once skiers can master the earlier balance and timing issues

Great video......... when I feel myself extending more I can hear the ski slapping as it lands back on the snow, I sense that this may be because I am overdoing the extension ??

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

HI: I would say that the slapping is due to incomplete weight shift...try gliding abit longer ..ie get balanced over the glide ski. You want the recovery ski to contact the snow at or ahead of the ski boot that is gliding. .

I’ve been working on this Keith and this video helps. BTW are you using wax less skis?

@k2nicol

4 жыл бұрын

I have some new skin skis which I am trying

@k2nicol

4 жыл бұрын

Good to hear from you ...how has your winter been?

@MattSargentrower

4 жыл бұрын

@@k2nicol How do you like the skin skis? I am a Birkie Wave 5 skier and trying to decide if I should utilize skins versus waxable skis. I am relatively fit, but have poor technique (working on trying to get better single leg balance).

@MattSargentrower

4 жыл бұрын

@@k2nicol How do you like the skin skis?

@k2nicol

4 жыл бұрын

@@MattSargentrower You need to get the right ski in terms of camber...if you can test a few different stiffnesses until you get the one that works then I would say it is a good bet Also see my video on the Move Switch binding ..it allows a quick movement of the binding to get more grip or glide.

I would suggest it would be better to say , you push down and drive the glide ski forward. I don’t like the word back because it implies a skate board motion which classic skiing is not.

What happened to the kick the soccer ball forward vs kicking backward?

@k2nicol

Жыл бұрын

We don't want to get the lead foot ahead like kicking a soccer ball...it anything think "kick" a soccer ball with your thigh with a bent knee and ankle to keep feet under for balance.

So I've been working on this but I still feel like I get a ski that slaps as it comes up and it seems to be slapping the tip. Is that something that is timing related?

@k2nicol

2 жыл бұрын

HI Adam--hard to say what is happening...I have an on line ski school which uses video that you take of your skiing and I provide feedback. I have a intro offer which might suit you..email me if interested k2nicol@gmail.com

What I feel is that when I am on one ski only, the ski on the floor grips more than if I have a bit of weight on the other one. Is this an adjustment problem?

@k2nicol

Жыл бұрын

Not exactly sure what you mean...but all of the weight on 1 ski flattens the ski to give you grip. Weight on both skis will not flatten the grip zone giving you better glide.

@thierry.lavallee

Жыл бұрын

@@k2nicol yes. This is what I mean. So having one ski completely in the air puts all my weight on the other ski, hence it slows my glide because it grips more.

what ski pants are those?

@k2nicol

3 жыл бұрын

Rossignol pants

@Mustangchef

3 жыл бұрын

@@k2nicol cool thanks

I agree with your pushing DOWN on the ski, but I never teach students to "push back" on the gripping ski. You're pushing straight down and transferring your weight by "falling forward" on to the new gliding ski. Any pushing back is counter productive to keeping your weight forward and keeping your weigh up top of the wax pocket.....as soon as you push back your weight is no longer over the pocket and leads to slipping.