Yes, you are allowed to coach me

[RazorRoss3]

I run into this problem all the time and from both sides. Someone I'm skiing with thinks "this guy is better than me" and on account of that chooses not to say anything while I'm skiing even if they notice something that looks funky. Maybe I'm alone here but if something looks funky, I'd prefer to know. Ok, maybe they can't work it back to the root of the problem but if they notice something that turns out to be a symptom then with any luck, I can work back to the cause.

 

I have been in a slump most of the season, missing passes I simply don't miss. Today, a skier I was with told me I was dipping my shoulder in at the turn and swiping the handle across my chest. Both accurate, both symptoms, and both things I wasn't aware I was doing. Because he mentioned those things I was able to attempt to address them head on and was able to work back to what the underlying cause was.

 

So maybe others will disagree but if any of you ever ski with me and think something looks funky please don't hesitate to mention it, yes, you are allowed to coach me.

[Ilivetoski]

I had a skier who runs into 41 a few weekends ago tell me just this. Had me correcting his 38 and 39 which I had never even ridden at

[RazorRoss3]

Exactly, just because you don't put up the same scores doesn't mean your eyes don't work and the worst case scenario is the skier says "no, I want to be doing that and here is why..." and you learn something.

[6balls]

I've had a non-skier girlfriend call me on gates, and make a simple statement about how one of us had strain on our face in the pull and the other didn't. Was actually insightful when we thought about why this was the case.

[gregy]

If you are skiing you can always ask the person in the boat to look for something. If I'm in the boat I like to ask the person regardless of skill if they want coaching. Sometimes a person might be working on a particular thing already and may not want anything else to concentrate on.

[RazorRoss3]

Very true, although in that case they may also ask you to specifically watch for that thing. I have done that myself when I know one thing I want to fix that day.

[skihart]

Ha. Great post. I ran into this just this summer. I was skiing with a guy who is clearly a better skier and although I had a few thoughts on his skiing I kept my mouth shut as I didnt feel qualified to coach him. He helped me out tons, I should have said something.

Next time I will!

[RazorRoss3]

As I said, they might tell you that you're wrong but if they do they'll probably say why and you'll learn something. You can go about it by saying something like "I notice you are doing xxxx, is that intentional and why?" Or you can be more direct if you see something that looks truly off. Maybe I'm alone but I will always prefer feedback.

[skihart]

Absolutley. Would probably say something along the lines of..."now I am no expert, but from what i can see your biggest problem is dragon ass syndrome".....

 

[Wish]

Unless you are Nate and a hand full of others, accepting observations from others is a good thing. I'm even interested in what the driver has to say. I've coached guys better then me. Ya pretty much get a feel if a guy is coachable or not but the level doesn't matter.

[lpskier]

KLP: "What do you see?"

Me: "I don't know how to run 39."

KLP: "I don't want you to coach me, just tell me what you see."

What I wanted to say: "In that case, your fly is down."

What I actually said: I don't recall but it wasn't as funny as what I wanted to say.

[lpskier]

Can you imagine being coached every shot by the guy you're golfing with? I'd hit him with a nine iron by the fifth hole.

[OldboyII]

If someone tells me (in any sport activity) : "You did a very good job today", I immediately put him in the "Liars List" ))

[hemlock]

I've always been in favor of not giving advice, unless it's asked for. :)

[gregy]

I might say something like "what are you trying to do in your turn" and see how they respond.

[ShererSkier]

I'm with you on this. I usually video myself and/or have @PacMan spotting to give feedback. But when that's not the case, If someone sees something, I'd prefer to know right off the bat before I keep doing something that can lead to a bad habit.

 

That being said, I have hesitated to comment on better skiers than me when they post videos on BoS.

[RazorRoss3]

And obviously be situational about it, read the room as it were. If you're in the boat with a skier much better than you then maybe defer to them to coach or ask them "hey, is it odd that the skier is doing xxx?" And if you can tell the skier just doesn't want to hear anything from anyone then just sit back and watch. I think most skiers at the end of the day will be more than open to hearing you out and giving you a response if you approach it the right way.

[Ilivetoski]

i think it also helps if you ski with the person on somewhat of a regular basis. I have a friend who can run mid 38, and is a much better skier than I am and if I see something I'll let him know. That said, if someone came skiing with us and he just met the guy, any and all advice would go in one ear and out the other