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Benjamin Disraeli,
Prime Minister of England
"I have brought
myself by long meditation to the conviction that a human being with
a settled goal MUST accomplish it, and that nothing can resist the
will which will stake even existence upon its fulfillment."
____________________________________________________________________________________
HOW DOES A CHAMPION
SKI?
By Lane Bowers
OFF-SEASON TRAINING
PRE-SEASON TRAINING
IN-SEASON TRAINING
When I first started
to compete, the most important thing I wanted to learnwas how a champion
skied. What was it that a champion did during his ski sets that made him
succeed while I practiced just as much and wanted it justas passionately?
What I began to realize over a period of time was that themore that I was
able to mimic the thoughts and actions of past and currentchampions, the more
I was able to produce similar results. What I will dofor you is summarize
the information that I have learned that has helped meto become a World
Champion.
The best way for
you to use this information is to learn how to become anexpert at goal-setting
and mimicking. If you will set achievable yetchallenging goals
in each of the areas I address in this article, then youwill be on your
way to achieving your dreams. In addition, if you learn tomimic other great
achievers, then you will learn the turbo route toconquering your
goals of becoming a champion. Although I can't spend muchtime on goal-setting
here, let me recommend that you be as specific aspossible in your
goal-setting. Write your goals down and include anempowering picture
and quote that will dare you to become a champion evertime you see them!
I have outlined
a training schedule that helps me immensely. My year oftraining is split
up into three separate seasons; off-season, pre-season,and in-season.
OFF-SEASON TRAINING:
The off-season training
begins when the tournament season ends and is aminimum of two to
three months in which I allow myself to heal mentally andphysically (depending
on the climate in which you live, this period could betwice as long due
to cold weather). During this time, I try to stay veryactive physically
in any way other than skiing. I find it especiallybeneficial to engage
in activities that will improve my skiing the followingseason. This chill-down
period should include an aerobic and anaerobictraining program.
Bicycling, swimming, roller-blading, stair masters, or even cross-country
skiing are all excellent activities that will keep yourbody focused for
the up-coming season. I have especially become a big style6">believer in a structured
weight training program which should be overseen bya professional.
I have my own lifting coach who helps me set strength training goals that
are specifically related to my skiing goals. Make sure that your program
is a total body program that targets problem areas such as injury prone or
weak areas. Be specific with these goals and don't forget toinclude flexibility
exercises.
This off-season
training should also include video analysis of the last season, and should
also include video input of a champion that you have chosen to mimic.
The consistent use of video analysis will give you a greatjump on achieving
your skiing goals. The videos from a previous season canalso be used by
your lifting coach or partner to help you set strengthtraining goals.
PRE-SEASON TRAINING:
After several months
of not skiing, I am stronger, healthier, and more enthusiastic about
beginning to ski again. During this next five month period, I begin
to increase my skiing quantity while continuing a very rigorous strength
and aerobic training schedule. It is during this time that I begin learning
any new tricks that I will add into my runs for the competitive season.
If you are jumping I do believe that boom and Puppy Paw (similar
to shoe-skis) jumping will help improve your jumping form while still keeping
the risk level relatively low (please consult a professional to
ensure that you are using an effective yet safe program thatwill be best for
you).
I use this season
to put as much time as possible into "dry-land " practicing in which
I hook a handle up to a door knob or something else andpractice my trick-runs
or more difficult tricks. This is a great way toanalyze and improve
my form.This pre-season
period is when I begin my progressive training program. This involves a high
concentration of practices centered on perfecting thebasics (Posture
and Glide). By careful analysis of my form I am able to make small
almost imperceptible steps
of improvement that will progressively build momentum.Although many people
have difficulty slowing themselves down to analyzetheir form, I believe
this to be a quintessential part of my season's success and to achieving
top rank among the champions!
By training progressively
my skiing condition increases at the same rate asthe difficulty of
my work-outs. For example, I believe that it would be foolish for me to
begin to practice one of my most difficult tricks on oneof my first sessions
of the year. This difficult trick does need to bepracticed but I
would choose to do it when I feel that I have my condition level at a place
where I am confident that my body will be able to do what my mind is telling
it to do. Improper training can cause serious injury andwill certainly kill
my momentum. The more difficult the workout that I am doing, the more
I demand of my mind and body so I strive to train smart.
But what do I actually
do for one of my progressive workouts? My typicalpre-season workout
would be about a twenty five minute ski set which I woulddo about four days
a week and would include the following runs:
one run of slow
tumble-turns,two to four runs
of all front and back toe-holds on both sides of the wake
two to four passes
of front and back slalom runs.
several runs of
various surface turns on the Puppy Paws.
If I were working
on learning a new trick then I would work this on the boomand the Puppy Paws.
As this season progresses, I will add some of the surface turns that I had
been practicing on the J-skis onto my bare feet. I will start rotating one
group of surface turns at a time so that by the end of this season I will
have at least touched base with every group of tricks.
IN-SEASON TRAINING:
By this time I am
ready to begin what I call cluster training. This is practicing tricks
in similar groups together. These are almost complete trick runs with
the emphasis on rhythm and smoothness. No matter what level of skier you are
the same principles will apply. If you are practicing tumble turns, then
practice them in groups of four(basics and reverses). If you are going to
use four two foot 180 degree surface turns then you need to practice all four
turns together. Get out of the habit of just practicing your most comfortable
tricks. If you are unable to perform a reverse, the pre-season is the
time to work on them. You should not be working on tricks that are not going
to be part of your trick runs at this time of the year.
The main goal of
these practices are to have the handle in your hands at both ends of the
pass the majority of the time.The second biggest
part of in-season training is what I call the principle of honesty in skiing.
This principle is a crucial part of my training and it involves merging
the reality of the tournament confines with the loftiness of my goals. It
would be nice if my friends and parents were the ones who judged me at tournaments,
but this is not reality. I now ask objective questions about
my skiing which will shape how I practice. What tricks are being performed
in time... for credit? What did I score today if this was atournament? Is my
slalom easy for the judges to see and score? What percentage of my
jumps am I landing and what distance would I have jumped if I only had three
jumps. By trying to think like a judge, and putting myself under tournament
pressure I will understand exactly where I am at and where I need to be to
meet my goals.
I am now practicing
about four to five days a week and performing my trick runs and slalom
runs under tournament conditions at least two to three times a week. The rest
of the time is spent going over problem areas out of the actual trick runs
to build up my confidence. Jumping is now a high priority. I will be taking
three to five jumps about three times a week. My video analysis is done
on a daily basis with additional input from my coaches.
If you commit to
putting your skiing calendar under this training scrutiny,I believe that you
and your coach will be able to accomplish more than ever before. Please ski
smart and remember to keep skiing in its proper perspective by not
neglecting other areas of your life and you will enjoy your skiing career.
Also,
please do me a huge favor and refer someone to my newsletter. I
work really hard on these articles and I need your help to help
the sport we love so much grow! Just cut and paste the following
into an email to your friends!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi (Insert
their name here)
Do you subscribe
to Lane "Dawg" Bowers Free Barefoot Tips Newsletter?
I do, and I
think it's great because....(insert your own reasons here)
Subscriptions
are FREE and you get a copy of Lane's 159-page
"Be the
Best Barefooter on Your Lake" Ebook with 48 articles covering
everything from The Easiest Way to Learn to Barefoot Water Ski to
Learning to Backwards Barefoot to Jumping Inverted...
Just go to
http://www.thefootersedge.com and you can get all the details.
Talk to you
soon!
(Your Name
Here)
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Thanks for
helping out! I appreciate it...
I am available
to personally help you achieve your skiing goals by calling 1-877-685-6270
or visit our website @ www.thefootersedge.com.
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