Question for Steven Nyman - Stivot Tactic

[SkierScott]

I am interested in your perspective on the stivot tactic.

a) How do you describe a stivot? Do you feel that the stivot is more of an unpressured float or a steered pressured feather move?

Here is are some photo sequences of the stivot from Ron LeMaster

Bode Miller - Park City GS, 2003, 1st run

http://ronlemaster.com/images/2003-2004/sl...de-pc-gs-1.html

Ted Ligety - Alta Badia GS, 2007 2nd run

http://www.ronlemaster.com/ligety-ab...-home-page.jpg

James Cochran - Beaver Creek SL, 2004, 1st run

http://ronlemaster.com/images/latest-image...-2004-sl-1.html

Videos of stivot

WCSN video of Francois Bourque's 2007 FIS World Cup GS run at Karnjska Gora, Slovenia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcvOYmK7cgA

Video of Ivica Kostelic (bib #5), Rainer Schoenfelder (bib #6) & Benjamin Raich (bib #3) 2004 FIS World Cup SL run at Wengen, Switzerland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGQ9egMTW9s



I have seen various descriptions including:

"Pivot - Float/Feather - Hook up edge to carve bottom of turn while keeping skier center of mass pointed in the intended direction of travel."

"Combined steering and pivoting movement at the start of the turn. Pivot skis dramatically early in the turn. Once skis have bitten snow, redirected and even slowed a bit, pivot skis back outward to desired line to carve." Ron LeMaster - USST technical advisor
http://www.ronlemaster.com/articles/Aksel%...d%20Svindal.pdf

"Stivot-Feather-Butter The Toast" The key is to maintain the balance of the center of the foot to retain control of where the pressure is added instead of initiating a stivot with a windshield wiper turns (initiated from the ski tips). Pete Deisroth - ACA Ontario Ski Team Women's Head Coach
www.alpineontario.ca/site/content/files/Collingwood%20Presentation%202007-%20Pete%20Deisroth.pdf

"Rotating the ski tips in on approach to a gate, sliding to check speed, then rotating tips back out to direction of turn to lock skis in for the turn around the gate" Adam Chadbourne - USSA Development Program
www.njsra.org/images/VARA%20Coaches%20Ed%2015%20Sep%2007.pdf

"It's just when you slide your skis sideways and are redirecting into the turn. It's actively re-directing the skis, as opposed to letting them carve to redirect themselves. And you do it to get rid of speed that you don't want. And you do it to cut off line. You do it before you have the skis heavily weighted. It's much easier obviously. If you have them weighted and you chuck them sideways and displace a huge amount of snow and you slow down a lot." Bode Miller - USST
http://mysnowsports.com/main_cpg/For...opic/p=61.html



b) When should a stivot be used?

It seems that by cutting off the top of the turn the stivot allows for a lower, straighter, more direct line than a pure arc to arc turn. Is this only for cranker turns where pure arcs are virtually impossible, steep icy terrain, awkward sections of course where speed or direction control are required for or is it also used in other situations like recovering a lost line?

c) What is the stivot usage percentage range that you have used in a GS course (0-30%, 0-50%, etc)?

d) What is the stivot usage percentage range that you have used in a SL course (0-30%, 0-50%, etc)?

e) What free skiing & gate drills have you found helpful to learn the stivot tactic?


I am hoping that my questions may encourage other NASTAR forum members to participate in the online discussion with the U.S. Ski Team Ambassadors because of their interest in the topic mentioned in this thread or in new topics/questions (Course Inspection, Race Day Routine, Start Technique, Actual Race Tactics, Finish Technique, Free Skiing Drills, Gate Drills, Speed Suit Advantage, Line, Ski Pressure Management, Development System) prompted by this thread.

If you are interested in the topic mentioned in this thread, please post a response in this thread.

If you have new topic(s) &/or question(s), please feel free to create a new thread.


Congratulations on your 3 World Cup DH podiums (2nd place & 3rd place Beaver Creek, USA + 1st place Val Gardena, ITA) - most recently 2nd place in DH at Beaver Creek in Nov 2007 (FIS Results for Steven http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/613.html?sec...0&limit=100 or www.nymansworld.com).

Nyman Videos
2006 Val Gardena DH www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMJgrk8KWX4
2007 Beaver Creek DH http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEqRVFLNfKE

What are your goals for this season?

[StevenNyman]

To be frank. DONT STIVOT unless you have to. Being able to carve and go direct is way faster. We never practice the stivot and it isnt fast. Like Bode said is is a method to control speed. You carve to gain speed and you stivot to slow down. We never train it it is just something that happens. You learn it when you learning how to wedge as a beginner skier.
Learn to carve then learn to carve tighter.

I am interested in your perspective on the stivot tactic.

a) How do you describe a stivot? Do you feel that the stivot is more of an unpressured float or a steered pressured feather move?

Here is are some photo sequences of the stivot from Ron LeMaster

Bode Miller - Park City GS, 2003, 1st run

http://ronlemaster.com/images/2003-2004/sl...de-pc-gs-1.html

Ted Ligety - Alta Badia GS, 2007 2nd run

http://www.ronlemaster.com/ligety-ab...-home-page.jpg

James Cochran - Beaver Creek SL, 2004, 1st run

http://ronlemaster.com/images/latest-image...-2004-sl-1.html

Videos of stivot

WCSN video of Francois Bourque's 2007 FIS World Cup GS run at Karnjska Gora, Slovenia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcvOYmK7cgA

Video of Ivica Kostelic (bib #5), Rainer Schoenfelder (bib #6) & Benjamin Raich (bib #3) 2004 FIS World Cup SL run at Wengen, Switzerland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGQ9egMTW9s
I have seen various descriptions including:

"Pivot - Float/Feather - Hook up edge to carve bottom of turn while keeping skier center of mass pointed in the intended direction of travel."

"Combined steering and pivoting movement at the start of the turn. Pivot skis dramatically early in the turn. Once skis have bitten snow, redirected and even slowed a bit, pivot skis back outward to desired line to carve." Ron LeMaster - USST technical advisor
http://www.ronlemaster.com/articles/Aksel%...d%20Svindal.pdf

"Stivot-Feather-Butter The Toast" The key is to maintain the balance of the center of the foot to retain control of where the pressure is added instead of initiating a stivot with a windshield wiper turns (initiated from the ski tips). Pete Deisroth - ACA Ontario Ski Team Women's Head Coach
www.alpineontario.ca/site/content/files/Collingwood%20Presentation%202007-%20Pete%20Deisroth.pdf

"Rotating the ski tips in on approach to a gate, sliding to check speed, then rotating tips back out to direction of turn to lock skis in for the turn around the gate" Adam Chadbourne - USSA Development Program
www.njsra.org/images/VARA%20Coaches%20Ed%2015%20Sep%2007.pdf

"It's just when you slide your skis sideways and are redirecting into the turn. It's actively re-directing the skis, as opposed to letting them carve to redirect themselves. And you do it to get rid of speed that you don't want. And you do it to cut off line. You do it before you have the skis heavily weighted. It's much easier obviously. If you have them weighted and you chuck them sideways and displace a huge amount of snow and you slow down a lot." Bode Miller - USST
http://mysnowsports.com/main_cpg/For...opic/p=61.html
b) When should a stivot be used?

It seems that by cutting off the top of the turn the stivot allows for a lower, straighter, more direct line than a pure arc to arc turn. Is this only for cranker turns where pure arcs are virtually impossible, steep icy terrain, awkward sections of course where speed or direction control are required for or is it also used in other situations like recovering a lost line?

c) What is the stivot usage percentage range that you have used in a GS course (0-30%, 0-50%, etc)?

d) What is the stivot usage percentage range that you have used in a SL course (0-30%, 0-50%, etc)?

e) What free skiing & gate drills have you found helpful to learn the stivot tactic?
I am hoping that my questions may encourage other NASTAR forum members to participate in the online discussion with the U.S. Ski Team Ambassadors because of their interest in the topic mentioned in this thread or in new topics/questions (Course Inspection, Race Day Routine, Start Technique, Actual Race Tactics, Finish Technique, Free Skiing Drills, Gate Drills, Speed Suit Advantage, Line, Ski Pressure Management, Development System) prompted by this thread.

If you are interested in the topic mentioned in this thread, please post a response in this thread.

If you have new topic(s) &/or question(s), please feel free to create a new thread.
Congratulations on your 3 World Cup DH podiums (2nd place & 3rd place Beaver Creek, USA + 1st place Val Gardena, ITA) - most recently 2nd place in DH at Beaver Creek in Nov 2007 (FIS Results for Steven http://www.fis-ski.com/uk/604/613.html?sec...0&limit=100 or www.nymansworld.com).

Nyman Videos
2006 Val Gardena DH www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMJgrk8KWX4
2007 Beaver Creek DH http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEqRVFLNfKE

What are your goals for this season?[/b]

[SkierScott]

To be frank. DONT STIVOT unless you have to. Being able to carve and go direct is way faster. We never practice the stivot and it isnt fast. Like Bode said is is a method to control speed. You carve to gain speed and you stivot to slow down. We never train it it is just something that happens. You learn it when you learning how to wedge as a beginner skier.
Learn to carve then learn to carve tighter.[/b]

Thanks for your feedback.

It is interesting to hear that the USST never trains the stivot as it seems like the Canadians have developed a specific drill (Rosee drill) for their high level juniors (level 7) to train a stivot type drill with pivot slide (see info below).

Does the USST have a drill similar to this Rosee drill but call it another name? Please describe the drill in detail if possible.


CANADA

Rosee Drill Video www.vivatexte.com/eprep/cscf/husky/make_module.asp?module=E674ADDE-C623-466B-AB06-CF71CBCC4EEB

CSCF Husky Snow Stars
Select Level 7
Scroll to bottom of page in Skill Duals section
Click on link SELECT APPROPRIATE DRILL FROM DVD. TEACH DRILL FREE SKIING
Click on Video filmstrip graphic on right side of screen

4:20-5:20 or move slider just past half way. Rosee drill (stivot type drill with pivot slide) go through 2 sets of corridor markers then pivot.


Rosee Drill Explanation www.vivatexte.com/eprep/cscf/husky/make_module.asp?module=E674ADDE-C623-466B-AB06-CF71CBCC4EEB

CSCF Husky Snow Stars
Select Level 7
Scroll to Technical Skills section
Click on link ROSEE DRILL (ADDENDUM)

or page 97 of Husky Snow Stars Technical Manual at www.snowpro.com/posts/cscf/e/20051215160711.pdf

Level 7 Technical Skills

ROSEE DRILL (ADDENDUM)

An excellent drill designed by Jamie Rosewarne for developing speed of separation or quickness of steering feet underneath the upper body.

Set with stubbies or brushes. Set a rectangle in the fall line 1m x 4m. Leave a space of 6- 8m in the fall line and then set another rectangle as above. Set at least 8 rectangles and spaces between them as above.

The skiers are to run straight through the rectangle and pivot the skis across the fall line and back again as fast as possible and run straight through the next rectangle.

The shorter the space between rectangles the more difficult the drill.

The aim is not to slow down. Maintain the same speed or speed up staying very centered over the skis. Any sitting back will make fast pivoting very difficult.

This drill was named after Jamie Rosewarne. He is a past president of the CSCF and currently sits on the CSCF Board of Directors and Technical Committee. His coaching credentials include Level 3 (CSCF & NCCP) Coaching Certification, Level 4 Instructor (CSIA) as well as eighteen seasons as Head Coach at Ottawa Ski Club. He was Interim Technical Director Alpine Ontario Alpin.