Product Description

Whether you ski competitively or recreationally, you know that great skiing requires great control. Only with total command of your body can you achieve and maintain balance in motion. Exceptionally good skiing and performance skiing does not come from wearing a flashy powder suit. Performance skiing comes form the condition of the motor under all the stretch neon and Gore-Tex.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #809892 in Books
• Published on: 1992-07
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 208 pages

From Library Journal
Thomas, an experienced ski coach, writes for the advanced competitive skier who wants to design a total conditioning program to improve performance. Topics covered include fitness testing, calisthenic and flexibility exercises, and weight training. Later chapters describe skiing skills, techniques, and equipment, with many specific drills to enhance performance. A helpful feature is the inclusion of an annual ski plan, which consists of a five-phase cycle to achieve and maintain fitness before and during the ski season. Performance Skiing covers a wider range of topics than Merle L. Foss and James G. Garrick's Ski Conditioning (Wiley, 1978. o.p.) but lacks the detailed, step-by-step photos for each exercise described in the text. Purchase for larger sports collections where interest warrants.
- Sandra Math, St. John's Univ. Lib., Staten Island, N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

packed with information, highly professional, very clear
I would give this book 6 stars if I could as it is the best book on skiing-related fitness I have seen so far. Written by a professional ski coach, it is filled with information starting from the body metabolism, plyometric and strength training exercises, to training which can be perfomed while skiing. All off-snow exercises which I saw in skiing videos, books, skiing journals, and on the internet are in this book. The importance of each group of exercises is clearly explained. No special equipment is required (except for the access to an average gym for strength training). The suggested training routines are based on US skiing team manuals and on over 80 references cited in the bibliography. All 200 pages are densely packed with information, all presented so well that it does not overwhelm you at all. Another aspect of this book which I liked is that the author treats the readers as intellegent people, who can put together their own training schedule according to their needs and possibilities. There is no suggested training schedules, just recommendations how much one should exercise and why not more or less than that. Although it is not a book on skiing, there are some tips on racing and ski tuning as well. This book is worth many others published on this topic, and I applaud the author for doing such a fine job!

Excellent book on training
I ordered this book because I am looking for training tips for my son -a young ski racer. The book is 80% devoted to training excercises, both on/off snow. The author is correct that the new shaped skiis have little effect on the validity of the training taught within. I would recommend the book to coaches, racers, and others for whom skiing isn't just something to do on the slopes, but for whom the pursuit of maximum performance is most important.

Sophisticated ski advice
A very practical book with a focus on the physical skills involved in alpine skiing. The best combined collection of off-hill and on-hill training exercises I've seen and, as a bonus, excellent race skill development tips from an experienced coach (who's also done it himself). If you are interested in philosophy or the Newtonian physics of a ski turn, there are other books. If you like to (or want to learn to) ski hard, this is a great book.