Since this subject reemerged in the last week, I have thought about it a lot. Part of the problem with any approach to slalom skiing but especially the traditional 6 passes starting with an easy opening pass and progressing to a pass that you cannot run, is a lack of constructive repetition.
Consider this scenario: Your opening pass is quite easy, mainly serving as a warm-up for your muscles. The subsequent passes, up to the third or fourth, are at an intermediate level that you run with confidence. There might even be a back-to-back pass in there. Your final two or three passes are at a level where you struggle to complete or cannot run them at all.
The first 6 balls are warm-up. Maybe important but it is unlikely that you are learning anything or reinforcing any good habits.
The next 12 to 18 balls you are in the zone where “if” you execute technically or not, you will feel the difference. This is the time when you should be aware of mistakes and learn from them. This is where foundational skills are put into muscle memory.
For the last 12 balls you are likely hair on fire and mostly try to survive to achieve a score you are proud of.
In this scenario
1/6 of the ride was a throwaway
1/3 or 1/2 has the potential to be building good foundational habits
1/3 or 1/2 are likely enforcing bad habits
Does this look like a plan for building foundational skills and getting ready for a successful tournament season?
Don’t get me wrong – tournament sets are critical in season. You have to invest a portion of your season banging at your hardest pass. You have to balance this with the fact that missing passes or running them late and narrow is literally practicing skiing poorly.