VIDEO: Co-ordination and Rhythm

Video Transcript

Hello I'm Nicky Parsons from the specialist cross-country ski holiday company Nordic Challenge I'm here on behalf of onsnow.co.uk to show you a few simple things that the novas skier can do to prepare themselves for their first cross-country ski holiday. In this video I'm going to be talking about co-ordination and rhythm.

The first technique that you will be taught on your first cross-country ski holiday is something we call the diagonal stride. This is called diagonal stride because the leg that forward will be the opposite one to the arm that is forward diagonal forward, each time.

A few things to help you with your co-ordination are those little co-ordination exercises we all learnt as party tricks as a kid, to be able to rub your stomach and pat your head. The other way round, rub your head and pat your stomach, not easy!

To co-ordinate an arm with a leg, to maybe circle, right arm, left leg, the other way. Then maybe try one going one way and the other going the other way, try that both sides. So that you can get your body used to operating independently, left side and right side.

Rhythm is important for your timing; your body has four powerhouse’s two legs and two arms. It is important that you give these powerhouses their fair share of glory in the action of diagonal stride.

One of the easiest ways to maintain a good rhythm is to get a little song in your head, anything something that the beat works, anything that gets you rhythmical.

Now there is another thing you can do while you are practicing this rhythm and co-ordination which sometimes takes you a few days on your holiday to adapt to so if you half got it in advance you are going to be streets ahead of the other people in your class.

Something you can do is to work your arms at the same time. To work your arms just hold some weights, you may have weights at home but if you don't, don't rush out and buy them anything will do, cans of soup for example, heavy stones, something that weighs about ½ kg maybe a kg at the most, no more, but just singing away excising your arms, getting your rhythm and co-ordination.