Ski Jump Techniques: Taking Your First Air

To get the best results in ski jumping, one combines strength, timing, and body posture. Additionally a sport that can be quite harmful if done improperly is this one. To cut resistance on takeoff, jumpers crouch into an aerodynamic tuck. This lowers drag and raises lift, so allowing athletes to fly farther.

Take-off

The concept of flying has captivated ski jumpers whether or not they are aware of it. Legends of mankind shaping wings to soar above the heavens abound even in the early days of jumping. They must thus maximise lift and reduce drag. As jumpers fly across it, air strikes horizontally in their faces; but, the collisions with their bodies create lift that balances gravity and enables them to soar further down the hill. Jumpers must match their bodies and skis as flat as possible to maximise lift, hence maximising surface area for air contacts. To keep a streamlined posture and lower air friction and resistance that would slow them down, they also stoop low into a tuck. On the steep ramp sometimes known as the in-run, they can thus attain speeds of up to 90km/h (56 mph).

Rotation

To maximise lift, athletes fold their body into an aerodynamic V-shape using a crouched posture in the in-run—that steep slope leading to the leap. Then they stretch their bodies and skis to the completely stretched posture at the moment where the back section of their skis contacts the lip of the jump. The pop timing is absolutely crucial. Should a pop fall short, the athlete will nosedive into the ground. Enough momentum for the flip needs a big pop. To acquire additional air when jumping, athletes also employ a technique known as Springing—or the Ollie. Whereas the Ollie includes spreading the skis to jump even higher, springing is a bit like jumping normally but employs the upper legs and body to give a terrific flight. Although both approaches have great power, they also have certain drawbacks. Learning both will enable you to fly brilliantly every time you jump.

Flip

Whether or not the Winter Olympics appeal to you, you may have observed that ski jumping calls for a lot of training and ability. For most casual viewers, though, the sport is only something Olympic competitors do—a spectacle of athletic ability perfect for TV. At the end of an in-run, jumpers slip onto a start bar; then, stoop low into a tuck and position their long skis on either ice (winter) or porcelain tracks (summer). We call this the take-off stance. Jumpers must get as much lift as possible to fly higher; they want to reduce the surface area of their bodies and skis impacting the air. Starting Swedish jumper Jan Bokloev in 1985, the present "V" posture of the skis in flight improves surface area to enable them create lift. Known as "cocking," ankle bending aids to provide additional stability in the skis during aerial performance.

Landing

Skiers change their position to get ready for landing during a jump's flight. This maximising lift allows them to remain steady in the air. This is a challenging stage since hopping on skis generates a lot of additional friction between the feet and legs, therefore slowing down the run down the in-run. The skis also have to be kept flat on the in-run, which calls for excellent balance. Ski jumpers will enter a V-style posture at the end of the in-run to maximise their surface area and hence the amount of lift they produce, so optimising their distance and lift. Jan Boklov invented this modern style recently in order to get past the restrictions of earlier methods including the Kongsberger and Daescher. This posture also lets them keep their arms forwards along the torso instead of cocked back as in the old-fashioned skiing. This helps the landing to be more pleasant, particularly on heavier snow.