Sierra Samaritans - National Ski Patrol

STRETCHING
It’s never too early or too late in the season
to get in the habit of stretching after a workout
in order to keep the muscles loose. For
example, throughout a day on the moun-
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photo 11
PHOTOS BY LLOYD MULLER
Single-leg Lunge
photo 12
Bosu Hops
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similar to the single-leg press, so you
shouldn’t do both on the same day. Start
with one foot on the floor and the other
on a bench behind you. The foot on the
floor should be far enough in front of you
so that the front knee does not extend
beyond the toes as you bend it (photo 11).
Try to do 10 to 12 repetitions on each leg,
switching legs after one set. This works the
glutes, hip, and quadriceps, key muscles
used in skiing and snowboarding. Once
this gets easy, try it on the Bosu!
ance. Use the following drills to test and
improve your stability in motion.
Jumps
Use a solid stationary box such as a milk
crate or a gym bench that is no more than
a foot off the ground. Jump from the box
to the ground and use the power from
your leg muscles to propel you into the
DYNAMIC BALANCE EXERCISES
When you’ve developed good strength and
stationary balance using the previous exercises,
you’re ready to test your dynamic
balance, or balance in motion. Obviously,
when you’re skiing or riding, you’re not
standing still. You’re moving downhill at
high speeds and constantly adjusting your
body and your center of mass, which
means you’re constantly adjusting your
balance. Jumping exercises that use the
Bosu and stationary objects such as boxes
or benches can help you simulate the situations
you face on the mountain and help
train your body to develop dynamic baltwo
or more Bosus, hop from one to the
next (photo 12). First hop forward with
both feet. As you develop confidence and
balance, jump laterally and then with one
leg or the other. (If you have any kind of
ankle problems, this exercise can be dangerous!
Be sensible with this drill, and only
do it if you’ve done other jumping exercises
before.)
Jumping exercises that use the Bosu and stationary objects
such as boxes or benches can help you simulate
the situations you face on the mountain.
air. Concentrate on sticking the landing
and absorbing the impact with your
ankles and knees. Most likely, your body
will teeter one way or the other, but the
strength you’ve built up in your abs, back,
and legs should help you adjust your
body and keep you from falling over. Use
your abs to hold your upper body upright
and squared over your hips.
Bosu Hops
Agility and speed are important factors in
dynamic balance, especially on the slopes
where you might have to react quickly to
changing conditions and terrain. Using
It is best to first become adept on the
box jumps, making sure you can plant
your landing with both feet simultaneously.
Allow yourself to develop in this
skill, as it will help you in moguls and
jumps on the slopes. It is important to get
the feel of controlling your landings, so the
knees don’t take the shock of the jumps.
34 Ski Patrol Magazine | Winter 2005