I have been skating for years, but only in the past few years have I taken up classic technique. While I think I do okay with classic technique on the snow, I have been having trouble on rollerskis. Specifically, my rollerskis don't track well--every time I kick, not having the benefit of set tracks, my kicking rollerski veers off to one side or the other. When I rollerski on my classic rollerskis, I mostly resort to double poling. I am convinced that I just have poor technique. Any advice?
FasterSkier Forums » Coaching
Classic roller ski technique help
(7 posts)-
Posted 2 years ago #
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There are most likely several things going on. First of all mostly double poling on rollerskis is a good thing. Classic striding on rollerskis can lead to bad technique habits because the ratchet doesn't simulate wax very well - you don't have to "set" the ratchet - you can kick straight back. This can lead to late kick. This can be especially true if you are relatively new to classic. All the double poling will greatly benefit your on-snow skiing, and you can work on your legs more by running and cycling.
But there are good reasons to stride. You may not be strong enough to double pole everywhere without spiking you heart rate, and striding on rollerskis can be very good for developing balance and proper weight shift. It is also more fun.
Your problem most likely stems from two factors - first rollerski wheels wear unevenly due to the crown of the road, your personal alignment and how often you switch skis. Unevenly worn wheels will track poorly. This is a fact of rollerskiing and something most skiers have to put up with.
You can try to avoid it by switching skis halfway through a workout. You can also sometime remedy the problem by flipping one of the non-ratcheted wheels, so the worn part is on the other side. Crowned roads cause wear on the same side of both skis, making switching skis useless. THis flipping technique can help with that.
It is also possible that you are having some technique issues. You need to be sure you are fully committing your weight to the gliding ski. Try to get a flat ski, with your foot perfectly parallel to the ground. If you are canted in, the ski will not track straight. The best way to get a flat ski is to fully shift your weight. You can work on this by no pole skiing.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Unless you have a coach watching or a least a knowledgeable training partner, you can definitely pick up a lot of bad habits while kicking on roller skis. Our junior team does no classic striding on roller skis, leaving the technique and specificity to ski walking/bounding. Personally, I rarely kick, only having used the ratchets on my skis once all summer and keeping my "classic" skiing limited to double pole only workouts, including ODs. You get plenty of leg strength and specificity on foot with short poles.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Perhaps Sven was referring to the tracking (or lack of) of the ski after you have kicked. If you leave it on the ground - no problem, but if you commit all your weight to the gliding ski and the other ski comes off the ground, the ski often will not re-connect with the ground "straight" but rather veering off in an unwelcome direction. Without the third wheel seen on Marwe skis to aid in this tracking you are left to control the skis direction on your own. This can be frustrating! The boot/binding combination has something to do with this (don't use floppy boots!). Would the pilot classic binding help with this? I took out the soft classic bumper on the profil binding and put in a stiff one. This seems to have helped counteract the heavier weight of the rollerski and keeps it closer to the boot allowing it to "track" better on the return.
Some people also have trouble returning their ski straight into the track on snow due to biomechanical issues
Posted 2 years ago # -
I agree with glidetest on the interpretation, perhaps you can clue us in on what you mean?
I once tried a friends proskis, it was horrible, they were too short and just flopped all over the place.
My V2 940's track straight, and this veering is less of an issue, but I have to concentrate on "down the road"
Posted 2 years ago # -
To me this sounds like just a lack of strength and coordination in the lower legs while striding on classic roller skis. When you first start out the skis move all over the road, expecially when striding. Usually things work themselves out after a period of adaptation and you learn how to keep you feet moving in line just like you were in classic tracks on snow.
When I was a junior racer and with the groups I coach now we always did classic striding on roller skis. I think with good feedback the coach can make sure that skiers are using the right technique and avoid any of these bad habits that can be a result of the perfect grip. I think it depends a lot on the terrain you have available, the length of your ski season, how much classic skiing you get during the winter. I know some teams in the far north that don't skate during the winter because it is too cold, so they only skate rollerski in the summer. My group is on snow by late December some years and needs to get in the hours on classic skis during the dryland season (with lots of ski-striding work as well).
Posted 2 years ago # -
I coach a HS team & see this problem some/often. There can be several causes of the problem you describe. W/O a coach to observe you, here's a simple way to help you figure out what's going on. Have a friend video tape you for 30-60 sec. both head on & in profiles as you roller ski. Look for knee or leg alignment issues & incomplete weight transfer. Often I see roller skiers riding the inside edge, rotating the back leg, keeping their feet too wide or incomplete weight transfer. This will cause the roller to vier outward. Riding the outside edge will do the reverse. Even a small amount of wheel wear when combined with one of these problems will cause a roller ski to wander. Video can also be a big help evaluating your technique. Fear of falling on pavement makes it harder to create sound technique on classic rollers.
Goo luck.
triguy, I really appreciated you comments about the roll of roller skiing on your team, thanks.
Posted 2 years ago #
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