How to Coach Skiing

Skiing is often thought of as a relaxing endeavor for outdoor sports enthusiasts, but racing can get extremely competitive. There are many skiers who dream of becoming good enough to make it to the Olympics or professional competition. As a skiing coach, you need to provide each of your skiers with the tools they need to reach their goals. These individual benchmarks help your team improve during competitions.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Distribute a bound instruction booklet to your ski team that supplements your teaching. Young skiers process techniques and tips from their coaches through visual aids and practice. Books like Martin Heckelman's "The New Guide to Skiing" offer diagrams of stopping and mogul turns (see Resources below).
2. Tell your skiers to practice occasionally on any backup equipment that they have. Skiers should use replacement bindings, poles and skis in order to test any differences they make in performance. You can also coach your team on the proper way to assemble and disassemble their equipment.
3. Expose your skiers to various types of skiing to increase versatility. Cross-country skiing helps athletes improve their endurance while moguls increase reaction time and agility. The key to using different types of skiing is to keep the pace slower than competition level to avoid injuries.
4. Keep your ski team healthy by developing an off-season program that focuses on core workouts. Skiers need to work on their abdominal muscles, back and quadriceps to maintain power during competition. You should coach each skier to stretch frequently to avoid muscle pulls and strains.
5. Check each of your skiers during practices and meets to ensure they have the right attire. The cold weather that is requisite in skiing can lead to frostbite and colds if ski clothing is inadequate. Your equipment manager or trainer should bring extra gloves, hats and goggles to ensure your team is ready to race.

Tips & Warnings

• Work with local ski hills and resorts to find an inexpensive practice area for your team. Running a ski team is costly and regular trips to a ski resort may leave few funds for travel or equipment. Family-oriented resorts or little-known ski areas may provide discounts in exchange for your regular use of their services.

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