The instruction pages

The instruction pages are listed in the menu, whereby those in light gray have not been published yet.

What you should know/(be able to) do

Although very little technical knowledge is required to use the Pro Ski Instruction (PSI) program, there are number of matters that you should know/(be able to) do before proceeding to the actual instruction pages. They are:

1. 10 squats.
2. The naming of the skis while skiing.
3. A few more terms.
4. Good insight into radius, corridor width and short and long turns.
5. How certain angles look.
6. Find a suited slope with proper sight.
7. How to use the videos.
8. Persistent problems? Have yourself evaluated.
9. Be gentle and patient with children.

1. 10 squats

Although recreational skiing is much more a coordination than a strength sport, you should be able to do 10 squats, because you will be skiing whole days. Each squat should go to just about full knee flexion. You may find balance support on an object, but only with your two index fingers:

2. The naming of the skis while skiing

Downhill ski

The ski that is downhill when traversing.

Uphill ski

The ski that is uphill when traversing.

New downhill ski

The ski that will become the downhill ski after a turn.

New uphill ski

The ski that will become the uphill ski after a turn.

Inner ski

The ski that is on the inside of a turn.

Outer ski

The ski that is on the outside of a turn.

New inner ski

The ski that will become the inner ski of a new turn.

New outer ski

The ski that will become the outer ski of a new turn.

3. A few more terms

At the bottom on a number of pages, you will find a section Technical reference. That is for people who want to or should know more, such as ski instructors.

On the other hand, these terms you should know:

Continuous parallel

Collective term for all techniques in which the skis stay parallel, also in the turns.

Natural fall line

The line that a snowball would take rolling down a slope, and in certain cases any line parallel to that. Compare chosen fall line.

Chosen fall line

The straight line between the skier and the downhill point where he wants to go, and in certain cases any line parallel to that. Compare natural fall line.

Schussing

Skiing in a straight downhill line with parallel skis. Derived from the German word Schuss (= shot).

Traverse

To ski across a slope without turns.

Words that are marked like this at their first instance on the pages are defined on Terminology. Furthermore, at the bottom of each page that is a version greater than 1.0, you will find its Change log. Whole- and decimal point changes are listed, centesimal- are not.

4. Good insight into radius, corridor width and short and long turns.

The terms short and long turn are quite frequently used incorrectly. Why that is and what the correct use is, is explained on About radius, corridor width and short and long turns.

5. How certain angles look

You should know what the following angles look like: 0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, 90°, 120°, 180°, 270° and 360°.

Furthermore:

• Perpendicular to = at a right angle = forming a 90° angle.
• 90° = 270°, depending on whether one measures the interior or exterior angle.
• In turn angles, the movement of the ski tails, whereby the tips are considered to stay more or less in place, determines how to measure:

  

6. Find a suited slope with proper sight

It's very important that you find a suited slope for the training goal in question. The characteristics of the required slope will be mentioned on the respective instruction page. You will also need proper sight. The rule of thumb for that is that you should be able to see the sun through the clouds, or better.

If you found a suited one, stay on it as long as you need to. That may feel like quite an investment if the other members of your group want to go elsewhere. But it will pay back double in skiing enjoyment later on — the conditions on/of a slope can make or break a training.

7. How to use the videos

You'll notice that the embedded videos often start and/or finish at certain times, and that their sound is muted. That's for a reason: the other parts and the sound/comment are then irrelevant and maybe even incorrect.

I've invested much time in finding the very best video fragments. And if you don't want to loose any valuable time, you should withstand the temptation to watch the other parts of the videos. If you'd like to watch the embedded fragment again, refresh the whole PSI.com web page. The start and finish times are then set again.

8. Persistent problems? Have yourself evaluated

What you think you're doing and what you're actually doing are quite often different things. You should therefore have yourself evaluated, if you have problems that seem persistent. Either by someone who's judgment you trust or by video recording.

In both cases, the videos embedded on this website should serve as comparison material. Evaluation by video recording is the most effective way. Many people who see videos of themselves skiing are surprised, sometimes even shocked, by the sight of how they're actually doing it.

9. Be gentle and patient with children

The PSI program can also be used for children. However, you must be compassionate with them, especially with young children. From their verbal skills you might get the impression that their motor skills are quite advanced as well, but those two develop at a different pace.

Another issue is that the boots of small children have a quite low cuff. That makes the boots easier to walk on, but makes it more difficult to generate shin pressure. That in turn makes proper turning more difficult.

Teaching young children to ski should therefore first be aimed at having fun in a physically safe and socially secure way. As they get a bit older their ability to translate instruction into physical action will get better, as will their shoes (which will go from one to two buckles). More technical teaching can then be introduced.

Change log (last five versions; all)

• V. 1.1: added remark about Change logs to 'A few more things.'
• V. 1.2: added item 'Find a suited slope.'
• V. 1.3: changed item 'Use of copyrighted material.'
• V. 1.4: added sub-item about proper sight to item 'Find a suited slope.'
• V. 1.5: added item 'Still problems? Go back.'
• V. 1.6: added item 'Persistent problems? Have yourself evaluated.'
• V. 1.7: deleted some items.
• V. 1.8: added item 'How to use the videos.'
• V. 1.9: added item 'Be gentle and patient with children.'
• V. 1.10: added item 'Good insight into radius, corridor width and short and long turns.'