Norwegian Elite XC Technique Tapes: Big Breakthru!
Since the Vasa race that I reported on, I organized an Anikin Clinic to try to learn more about
technique myself and to give Michigan skiers a chance to improve their skiing so it could catch
up to their fitness. I’m more sure than ever that my diagnosis is correct about our overall bad
technique. Since then I have also bought my first ski training videos—two from the Norwegian
coaches. They proved to be yet another quantum step up for me beyond the Anikin Clinic.
Man, what tapes! Check em out at Nordic Sports Equipment or other race supply catalog if \
you like. I think that Torbjorn Karlsen does the voice-over. Since he’s also a bigtime US coach,
if you can get a chance to learn anything from him, it’s likely a great idea!
They show World Cup skiers doing classic and skating up a hill in a WC event. They show regular
speed, then slow motion. Front, back and side. They critique the styles and present the basic rules
of skiing, which we here in the US have basically never heard about. (At least I haven’t, and I’ve
only been racing 20 years at just about all levels and in many locations, plus I’ve kept reading up.)
The US skiers are used to show bad form. But the good form is just stunning. You can really
see it. It just looks so different from any skiing we’re used to seeing. The nice easy listening
soundtrack helps, too. It’s just beautiful footage.
The fundamental rules they present are like nothing I’ve ever heard. I’d say that most racers haven’t
done much study or searched hard enough for credible sources. Actually, there haven’t been many
available until quite recently. US XC is getting better for it, too! Average racers think they know
enough. They don’t! It can’t be self taught and locals don’t know it.
It really freaked me to see that they apply all the same technique principles to classic, skate
and HERRINGBONE! In fact, they hardly differentiate H-bone from regular uphill classic.
When they showed the men classicking, they opened the series with them herringboning.
They applied all the same angle, etc., rules without even mentioning the word herringbone
for quite awhile.
Here they are: —Stable trunk, steady torso angle, deep knee and ankle bends, power through
heel, good ‘fall’ on poles (while keeping torso stable, not much up and down), complete followthru
with poling (completely to the rear), total weight transfer with hip. All force down the track. All the
same for every technique. They sure look nice. Best of all were Elena Velbe and Kristian Skjaldall
(I’m just ballparking the spellings.) You will have never seen any skier look like these two, or as
good. When Velbe classics, she looks just like she’s skating and she appears to get just as much
glide.
I plan to do what I can to imitate them from here on out. Too bad I didn’t know this stuff back
when I raced!)
Now, an in-person clinic with a great coach is the best thing you can do. But these videos seem to
be the next best thing. Better than any book, article or info online that I’ve ever seen. They seem to
be a great supplement to the Anikin clinic. Even though some of the rules are different, the basics
seem to be the same.
What we need is an Elite Anikin Clinic for only 20 good racers.
