American athletes, at first reluctant to use any foreign coaching methods, have now incorporated plyometrics in all sports, from high school level to professionals. Now, our athletes are bigger, stronger, and more explosive than ever. For skiing, plyometrics training is essential. While working out with U.S. Ski Team, I was amazed at the amount of explosive exercises they do during a two-hour workout. Isometric contractions, such as occur when pushing against a wall, have no major movement.
Concentric contractions occur when the muscle shortens, such as in the initiation of a turn.
This outside force lengthens the muscle as the muscle tries to counter the movement. Visualizing this allows us to understand the pounding our legs take while skiing. The key is to develop muscle resiliency through plyometrics. When doing plyometrics, muscles become loaded. When you move to the direction of travel, the muscles that are coiled and compressed are released, and you are propelled forward and upward.