Reaching hand: palm direction

[webbdawg99]

In the past, I've almost always reached with my thumb towards the sky, or palm facing down-course. Yesterday I tried a little experiment and very consciously thought about reaching with my palm down towards the water. For whatever reason, I really seemed to ski better! One of the guys I was skiing with mentioned that he knew of a pro that always suggested reaching palm down. The question I have is why?

 

My hypothesis is how palm direction impacts shoulder rotation. It feels like reaching with palm down, its easier and more natural to keep my shoulders level. Rotating the palm back seems to open up the shoulder which seems to make it easier for the upper body to want to fall in and back.

 

Considering I just read @luzz 's article about internal vs external references, I'm debating if I should even continue to pursue this new found technique. But I gotta say, it has yielded good results early on.

 

Does anyone have any similar experiences or thoughts as to why this may improve one's skiing?

[Bruce_Butterfield]

A couple of things:

 

If have an underlying body position problem, it can sometimes be helped by focusing on something simple, i.e. hand position, ear to the shoulder that can make it more natural to correct the underlying issue without directly thinking about it.

 

Similarly, you can get a placebo effect, where what you are changing really has nothing to do with what your body is actually doing, but you changed "something" and it feels better.

 

Bottom line is that palm direction doesn't matter, but if it helps you get better body/shoulder/hip alignment, then it can be a very useful key to think about. Just be sure that you don't try to pass it on to your ski buddies as the holy grail, when it may or may not help their underlying problems.

[alex38]

I get amazing turns when I extend and then twist my palm down, always thought the conscious effort just made me more patient in the turn. Like it was something to do other than thinking about when the turn is going to finish.

[webbdawg99]

I know I certainly have underlying body position problems. (otherwise I'd be running 38 every day) I've had a hard time finding the happy medium between dropping the head shoulders to the inside of the turn......to the opposite where I end up getting "bowed up" at the end of the turn......where the hips get way ahead of the upper body and I get a lot of tip rise. This palm down technique seemed to help me find that happy medium. It may be a placebo....but I'll certainly keep tinkering with it

[Luzz]

@webbdawg99 the end result is what matters. If keeping the palm down allows you better turns, then go for it. The internal vs. external focus of attention is about how you think about this movement. In this case, since brining the palm down results in the handle being horizontal, thinking about the handle rather than focusing on the palm of your hand should lead to more consistency and better performance under stress.

[Chef23]

@Luzz is there a recommended position for the handle in the turn? I have never thought about it.

[Razorskier1]

@webbdawg99 -- you are too tall. If you were shorter like the rest of us you wouldn't have these issues!

[webbdawg99]

@Raxorskier1 Sounds like a valid excuse.....but CP...... Back to the excuse drawing board for me!

[Razorskier1]

When I was at Chet's Noah told me my power was both my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. You are also a powerful skier. The trick is managing when, where, and how much of that power you use. Too much and you turn the line into a bunge cord, too little and you don't get to the right place at the right time. I have found thinking about head position works better than thinking about shoulder position. If I keep my head up throughout the pass then I don't put myself in a position of overloading, and I also don't end up bowing at the waist. My head is easier to think about because all I have to do is keep my vision horizontal -- immediate feedback in realtime vs. having to watch video to see if my shoulders were level.

[Luzz]

@Chef23 no clue really. I was just transforming @webbdawg99 's newfound movement from being internally focused to externally.

You guys need to remember (see my last article on BOS) that I have very little consideration of "recommended position" ;)

That said, I can give you my own personal opinion haha

[liquid d]

Palm down creates a loop motion bringing the handle back in. I'd look elsewhere for improvements in body position. It also allows for a "handle across the body" finish to the turn, usually resulting in falling back to take hit and not finishing turn. As the body/ski finishes a shortline turn, the distance between the body and water is much closer...handle in water turns are usually something you want to avoid....my2cents.

 

 

 

[webbdawg99]

@liquid d Not quite sure I agree with you on that one. It it was more efficient on the onside. On the offside, you rotate the handle over to reach and back over to grab. But this only happens on the offside turn. As far as the "looping motion" or handle across the body, I don't see that. And handle in the water? I dont get that either. Maybe we aren't talking about the same thing?