Nordic Combined – Basic Mechanics

Instead of randomly learning about the skiing methods, you should first understand the basic mechanics behind the process. It will help you grasp the techniques of Nordic Combined quickly and easily.

Way of going down

When we talk about sliding, it means slipping downwards on a slope. There is an angle made by our body with the snow while sliding which makes our journey simple. This is why we slide on a downward slope. Here the weight creates a force component in the direction of slope. We can get frictional force when reaction of snow is multiplied with coefficient of friction. We will start sliding when the force component created by weight becomes more than the frictional component.

How to sail smoothly

A skier will move in the direction towards which the ski is pointing because of least friction. If the skier will move in the direction of point of the ski then the ski will find its path of least resistance, and hence the player can move faster. If the skier will follow any other path then it will be hard for him to move because frictional force between ski and snow will increase. On the contrary, a skier can use this technique to stop himself on his way.

Know how to distribute your body weight

Along the edges of the ski, the player must push the ski in a regular manner. Edges are the areas where we can avail most of the strength and power. We have to place ourselves in the middle of the ski so that we can distribute our weight throughout the ski. If we want to lean forward while moving with a ski, then we have to use the bindings of the ski properly.

Control of Body

A player has to shift the weight of his body away from the centre of the ski at the time of initiation of manoeuvers. In case of sliding sideways also, this technique can be used by the skier. We know that that part of the ski will tilt downwards on which we will put our weight, so the skier has to apply his weight on the front side of the ski if he wants to make a forward turn. If the skier wants to turn it backward, then weight will be applied on the back side.

Weight shifting on skies

Sometimes if the skier will shift his weight properly on the ski, then he can attain a great turn while moving on a direction. But he must be an expert player in shifting his weight on the ski because if a player will shift his weight sideways or frontwards or backwards then speed of the ski will vary and hence, the direction of movement will also change.