On this page:
- Dryland training: pole walking and inline skating
- Classic ski instructional and drills videos
- Classic ski dryland exercises
- Skate ski instructional and drills videos
- Skate ski dryland exercises
- More videos
Dryland training - pole walking
SOBC cross country skiing athletes and coaches took to the trails in summer 2015 to continue their training, but instead of using cross country skis, they trained using runners and their poles. Many thanks to Provincial Head Coach Garth Vickers for leading this session and Curtis Chance for filming.
Dryland training - inline skating
Inline skating expert Dallas Kurtz has been working with SOBC speed skating and cross country skiing coaches and athletes. Inline skating has proven to be a useful training tool and critical for athlete development. Dallas Kurtz is passionate about helping Special Olympics athletes - please feel free to contact him at d3what[at]hotmail.com.
Cross country skiing - classic style
Videos created at the SOBC Cross Country and Alpine Skiing Performance Camp March 28 and 29, 2015. The cross-country skiers worked with expert Chris Harmata, who had wonderful teaching tools and drills to help our athletes succeed. Some of the audio may be distorted by wind; apologies for any interruptions.
Classic Instructional and Drills Videos
Double poling instructional
In this video Chris works with SOBC – Prince George athlete Josh Pudney on double poling and proper body position, addressing a common error that athletes make when they want to generate more power.
Double poling - body position instructional
In this video Chris works with SOBC – Prince George athlete Danny LaFreniere on double poling and proper body position, addressing another common error that athletes make when they want to generate more power in their double poling technique.
Drills to increase kick zone and arm power
In this video, Chris works with SOBC – Kelowna athlete Neil Melesko on how to increase an athlete’s kick zone and poling zone for increased power output. Chris works on a typical classic cross country ski error called “beaver tailing”. This occurs when an athlete plants their ski behind the lead ski creating a slapping noise, rather than driving their ski in front of the lead ski. The other common error Chris works on is “lazy arms”, when athletes forget the final flick in their poling motion and cut their poling zone short therefore generating less power.
Drills to improve diagonal stride without poles
In this video, Chris goes over a drill without poles to help with the diagonal stride technique. He emphasizes slow-motion movement and driving forward the trail leg and gliding to obtain maximum power.
Classic Dryland Exercises
Dryland exercise for double poling
In this video Chris works with SOBC – Kelowna athlete Francis Stanley on a dryland drill that he can use during the summer to maintain his strength and continue working on sport-specific skills.
Dryland drill for balance and preloading
In this video, Chris works with SOBC – Kelowna athlete Dimitri on a dryland training drill to improve balance and preloading.
Cross-country skiing - skate style
Videos created at the SOBC Cross Country and Alpine Skiing Performance Camp March 28 and 29, 2015. The cross country skiers worked with expert Chris Harmata, who had wonderful teaching tools and drills to help our athletes succeed. Some of the audio may be distorted by wind; apologies for any interruptions.
Skate Instructional and Drills Videos
Mr. NoseKneeToeSki
In this video, Chris talks about the importance of body position over the skate ski and a clever mnemonic to help with remembering.
Balance contest and drills
In this video, Chris describes a contest that the athletes can either compete against themselves or against one another. The athlete stands in the classic cross country tracks and counts how many times he or she can double pole while standing on one leg.
Free skate instructional and drills
In this video Chris covers a lot of information about proper body position to attain proper balance and the importance of poling technique. He goes over a drill that over-corrects foot placement for correction once the drill is over.
Drills for free skate
In this video, Chris provides a great drill for the “Free Skate” technique. He outlines the importance of balance and technique and proceeds into a drill of the leg skating motion without poles to ensure proper rhythm and balance.
Double poling action with skating action
This video has a lot of information about the double poling action with the skating action in combination. Chris emphasizes the importance of super slow motion to cement the rhythm of the movement, the standing gliding motion, and the ski position.
One skate to offset
In this video Chris demonstrates the one skate technique to the offset technique to efficiently climb hills.
Technique for racing and hills
In this video, Chris goes over useful tips and techniques about hills and racing. He discusses how to pace yourself and continue momentum so that you have better speed throughout the race. He also goes over stability for athletes when going downhill.
Skate Dryland Exercises
Dryland drill for skate-skiing strength
In this video, Chris explain a dryland drill to develop core muscle strength and work on sport specific technique while not on skis.