Cross-country skiing: 4 exercises to improve your technique

Improve your classic cross-country skiing

Claudia Derungs shows how it’s done in four exercises for you to practise. With a few simple tricks, you’ll improve your technique and be able to ski more quickly with less effort. A positive side-effect is that it’s immediately much more fun.

• Material: Without poles, and only one ski.
  
• Terrain: Flat
• Exercise: At the start of the exercise, your body weight is completely above the foot without a ski. Then take a step forward (push off with the foot without a ski). Shift the weight to the gliding leg and make use of the glide.
• N.B.: Nose, hip, knee and foot all form a vertical line.

• Material: Hold poles in the middle, both skis.
  
• Terrain: Flat
• Exercise: Diagonal step. At the moment you step forward, your body weight must be completely on the push-off leg. Always shift your body weight from left to right.
• N.B.: Look forward and swing your arms shoulder-wide in the direction of your step.

• Material: Hold sticks in the middle.
  
• Terrain: Flat
• Exercise: With each third step, make a longer glide.
• N.B.: While gliding, nose, hip, knee and foot all form a vertical line.

• Material: With both poles, adjust the strap so that the grip lies firmly in your hand.
  
• Terrain: Flat
• Exercise: When inserting the tip of the pole into the snow, stretch your hands forward and keep your arms slightly bent. Insert the tip of the stick at a point approximately parallel to your ski binding. As soon as your hands reach hip level, hold the grip with thumb and index finger only and let the other fingers go – this enables you to guide the pole back smoothly. When swinging forward, grasp the pole again when your hand reaches hip level and straighten up the upper body.
• N.B.: Use your upper body and core muscles to enhance the forward movement.