Twitch to the Love Spot
The Clendenin Method (CM) defines and teaches Passive Moves™ that make great skiing easy, efficient and powerful. Passive Moves™ and moves like The Twitch Move™ are what separate CSM from the toil and grind of other programs. Come take a CM Camp or Lesson and learn how to Twitch to the Love Spot™
What about this Twitch Move™?
Most clients arrive at our camps having been taught how to engage their edges when turning. Unfortunately, few have learned the art of releasing edges to initiate a turn. In fact, most stem their turns in the bumps. CSM’s Twitch Move™ guarantees parallel turns with ski-snow contact.
4 reasons why you should Twitch and not Stem:
1) The Twitch Move™ is as easy as scratching an itch, it’s simple, and all Hot Doggers do it.
2) The Twitch Move™ is a little move that allows you to manage turn shape and the powerful forces of momentum and gravity.
3) The Twitch Move™ guarantees a Passive and Parallel Turn Entry™.
4) The Twitch Move™ releases the bottom ski first and that my friends, is a lynch pin of CSM. If you release the top ski first you Stem. If you Stem your body is out of alignment, your muscles fatigue, and your bump skiing life will end soon!
Here’s how you do the Twitch Move™
Stand up tall and relaxed in your living room. Now tip your feet like you’re edging both skis in a turn. Notice that one foot rolled toward the big-toe side and the other foot rolled toward the little-toe side, just like you’re edging skis. Pretend you’re at the end of a turn and want to change directions. Before you initiate the turn imagine the foot balanced on the little-toe side is Uphill, and the foot balanced on the big-toe side is Downhill. When you pretend to start your new turn, flatten the big-toe side to the floor.
As you flatten the foot to the surface, allow your core or center of mass to move with the foot as it flattens. Voila… the Twitch Move™.
The Twitch™ is an easy movement, but it does big, powerful things. When starting a ski turn, the twitch simply pulls your center of mass in the direction of the new turn. As the Twitch™ pulls your center down the slope, your UPHILL SKI automatically releases also.
When the Twitch Move™ of the downhill foot releases the edge grip of the Uphill ski, it’s known as a Passive Turn Entry™. This passive entry allows the Uphill foot to do its all-important job of securing balance while maintaining ski-snow contact. If you stem or step to release, then gravity, balance and momentum eventually wreak havoc.
Tune in next time
We’ll explore one of the most wonderful moments in skiing. When you release your edges with the Twitch Move™, you’re primed for the Love Spot™.
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Love the Twitch, do it every day with every turn
Always my goal to get everyone twitching, it stops the twisting
If only Elvis could twitch and not twist he would have been a great skier
Sven Coomer tells a great story about the time he asked Killy how the “Great One” makes a turn. Sven approached JC after a race in the late 60′s, expecting to listen closely and try to understand the secrets of Killy’s technique, prepared to memorize all the subtle details of Killy’s turn.
Jean Claude simply pointed down to his skis and tipped the right ski ever so slightly. The movement was almost unnoticeable. It was, in fact, just a quick foot twitch!
“Like so,” said JC. And that was it.
That was more than 40 years ago and Sven has never forgotten the moment–or the profound lesson!
Seems like basics never change…
That was the best explanation I’ve seen for the twitch move. Keep going w/ these explanations of love spot, squeegee move, etc.
This twitch has me so stoked I want to get back on skis. Ah me.
HERE’S A transferable thought to your golf program:
Most golfers are arm swingers flailing away with little body unification ,
the rest throw their ass at the ball to be “powerful”.
Your “Twitch” is right on for golf.
A slight “twitch” just before the completion of the take away engages the body and the whole system flows just as skis do with the “ski twitch”.
The golf twitch being that slight movement of the hips forward which allows everything else to just automatically power though almost effortlessly with no part of the body in the way.
I’m just pissed off at not being there to put your ski twitch in play . It is without question what was missing for years as I never know how to commit to the turn, and just timidly attempted to load the uphill, throw my weight over to that ski and then try to muscle around.
WHERE WERE YOU WHEN I NEEDED YOU?
What I love about the twitch is I have trained myself to use it as one of my “triggers” to initiate my turn. This was especially evident in the heavier powder we experienced that last day of camp in Park City. A lot of people think they need to ski differently in the powder, me being one of them. I have learned that by diligently re-applying the method, and the tip here is so important, makes skiing powder effortless.
Love Doug’s comment above about engaging the body, it really does commit one’s core and allows you to ski with intention! And as Doug so eloquently puts it, the whole “system flows”…….(you have to be committed in deep pow!)
Quick story about twitching and tipping. I was getting a massage in Portillo one year and the masseuse asked me if I had any problem areas, I said the outside of my calves and the outside of my feet……..She laughed and said “you must be one of John’s students, you’ve been tipping your downhill ski all day haven’t you?”. That’s when I said “y’know what, let’s just focus on my glutes for an hour……hahaha!!!”.
Love ya coach, keep em coming!
The twitch, cued by the pole touch is way more effective and powerful than pushing on the other ski. It allows me the opportunity to be a casual possibly lazy skier even while skiing steeps or a zipperline in the bumps. As a somewhat egotistical and competitive ski instructor, I do not want all of my peers to catch on to this seemingly magical move. I say let them keep going to the gym and get strong to be able to handle the toughest terrain and snow conditions. The twitch is a foundational cornerstone of true expert skiing…All conditions, all terrain, no problem!