by love ski

The sweet spot in any sport is the point where beautiful things just happen. It is the optimal position where forces meet to accomplish the maximum act in the most efficient manner.

No matter if the sweet spot is on the tennis racket for a rocket return, a golf club swing that makes Wood jealous or a baseball bat hit that launches a missile or a hockey stick slap that blows the goalie down. It is all a function of the athlete's ability to properly position him or herself so that forces strike the sweet spot at the right time.

For skiing and boarding, it is about adjusting your balance over and around the sweet spot.

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In this issue, we will explore the relationship of balance to the ski's sweet spot. Practice these drills at home on a carpet with your equipment to become more aware of your "balance points."

Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart and skis parallel. Make sure you are standing fairly tall with slight bend at the ankle, knee and hip joints and spinal column. Try not to have a straight back but, instead, round your lower back slightly while tightening your stomach muscles gently. This is your athletic stance.

Have your arms in front of your body with hands positioned several inches further apart than the width of your body. Look ahead, keep your head up and face forward. About one-sixth of your body weight rests in your head so a nod or a cock of it can throw you off balance. Now the ski's sweet spot is at the narrowest portion of the ski's "waist".

When your boot is in the ski's binding; the ski's sweet spot is located between your heel and arch. Having a relaxed athletic stance will center you over the ski's sweet spot. Relax your ankles so that you feel even pressure all around the boot cuff of your lower leg. Maintain your weight on the middle of the soles of your feet when on traditional skis and under the balls of your feet for "shaped skis". These points of pressure are known as the balance points. Skis are designed to bend into a circular arc when pressure is applied at this point.

With many new students, I find that they make solid turns on groomed runs but cross their tips on steeper terrain. The typical cause is due to one or both of the following; an incomplete weight transfer with insufficient pressure placed on the new outside ski and/or their balance point is too far back on the heel placing them behind the ski causing them to "drive from the back seat".

By the way, it is common to be on the ski's after body for the last quarter of the turn. As you lower your stance, you move your body's mass back or a skier may choose on the wider shaped skis to pressure behind the ball of the foot and reduce edge angle to make a wider arc turn.

What you want to do in either of these situation is to move up and forward onto your skis to start the new turn and not just sit back or just move straight up. If you're going to be back, be sure you can get forward again quickly. It is important to begin each turn with weight on the ball of the foot (your balance point).

A good weight transfer and balance point awareness drill is lifting one ski about a foot off the ground and holding it for 5 seconds. Then placing that ski back on the ground and lifting the other ski and holding it for 5 seconds. Repeat. The key is to balance on one ski with the ankle flexed. When lifting the ski; if the ski tip is raised higher than the tail, your weight is too far back. Flex the ankle of the leg you're standing on to place more weight on the middle of the sole of your foot or under the ball of your feet. If the tail is higher, your weight is too far forward. Practice keeping the lifted ski parallel to the ground. Practice this until you can nail your balance point. Knowing your balance point and sweet spot now allows you to play around and adjust your skiing.

By thrusting your hips out in front of your feet shifts your center forward and applies pressure to the front of the skis. In this stance, you feel pressure on the boot tongue and you're ready to make short, quick turns because you can pivot the tips and skid the tails.

Placing your hips directly above your feet centers your balance over the skis in the neutral or normal stance (athletic). You will feel pressure along the entire sole of your foot, but mostly over your arch. Medium-radius turns is performed with optimal control of the entire ski; tip, waist and tail.

Bring your hips to the inside in a carved turn, your center will naturally move slightly back. The skis will track on a wider arc and accelerate through the turn. You will feel pressure between your arch and heel (the sweet spot). You are now feeling the forces of acceleration throwing you back. It is critical to stay in balance by driving your upper body forward to counter the forces pulling you to sit back. Remember, you need to react and begin each new turn on the ball of the foot so move up and forward.

It is hard to experience, as well as develop the balance point adjustments unless you're actually skiing and practicing on a constant skiing terrain environment. The most convenient and least expensive way I found to develop your skills in balance point adjustments is on a revolving ski deck. Make your next snow trip an awesome adventure by first training on a revolving deck. You'll then discover "How Sweet It Can Be" on snow! )