Moving on from the previous blog post, there are probably a million directions that could be taken / discussed. My personal opinion is that young (British) athletes are very likely a million miles away from overtraining and that as skiing is a complex skill performed in an open environment, it is the volume (frequency of practice) that truly makes a difference – in essence you have to get seriously good across an ever changing list of parameter / considerations. There is nothing wrong with the sport of swimming & to be good at is is a skill in itself however, ski racing & the variables involved are a long way from laps in a pool where by and large, the environment remains consistent.
Are the youngsters that are currently the fastest now, truly the best talents in the world? Or have they simply practiced more, for longer? Have they always been ‘good’ or have they simply gained confidence & self belief from being at the front of the pack from a young age? Without a parallel universe it would seem hard to conclude with any certainty however, there would certainly seem to be a correlation between those investing more time into ski racing (volume / practice) and the perceived outcomes of success.
The question is, why do you need so much practice in ski racing & how does that differ from other sports?
Firslty, the fact that ski racing is performed in an open environment, with so many variables (weather, terrain, snow type, course setting, temperature) compared to swimming for example is what makes it so interesting to compete at & / or coach. No two days are ever the same (even if they feel like it at times) and no two athletes ever respond in the exact same way. That is the most important thing and is essentially why so many people are drawn to it or, in a coaching sense, addicted to it!
In order to “get good” you therefore need a decent amount of practice and exposure to all that this open environment sport has to throw at you. You need to ski on ice, soft snow, new snow, artificial snow, slush & salted snow. You need to ski on steeps, flats, side hills, rollers, jumps. You need to ski in the day, night, bright, dark, and flat light conditions & of course you need to ski when its warm, cold, snowing, raining and more. Then there the course setting; tight, straight, open, swingy, combinations, shimmy’s and more & last but not least, you need to learn all of the above on Slalom skis, GS skis and possibly SG & DH skis too.
Due to the above, at Ambition, we tend not to spend a great deal of time investing in sessions that take time away from us being on the skis. We are of the opinion that snow time is like gold dust and that we have more than enough to be getting on with (with the variety provided for us) to truly challenge the athletes through everyday training, to develop the skills necessary to improve and succeed.
More to follow, thanks for reading!
Marc.
