Braking is applied when it is necessary to reduce speed or to come to a complete stop. The main methods of braking include: braking by changing the descent stance, “plough”, “half-plough”, stop, braking with sticks, braking by falling. Let's consider the technique of performing these braking methods.
Braking by changing the descent position. This method is used when rolling out when descending from mountains by changing the stance. For example, from a low stance, a skier moves to the main one, and then to a high one, changing the angle of bending of the legs in knee joints and straightening the torso.
Rice. 28. Plow braking
The same thing happens when you spread the heels of your skis to the sides: the wider the “plow”, the stronger the braking. The angle of the skis and their loading depend on the speed of the skier on the descent, the required braking and the nature of the snow cover.
Half-plough braking- a type of “plough” braking. It is used only on gentle slopes, on plains or rollouts from slopes and in the presence of ski tracks. It is carried out as follows: one ski remains in the track, the other performs the same movements as when braking with a “plow”.
Stop braking(Fig. 29). This method is used when descending obliquely or on a flat, rolled slope, as well as for making a sudden stop on the plain.
 |
Fig.29. Stop braking
When braking when descending obliquely, the skier transfers his body weight to the upper (along the slope) ski, places the other one on the inner edge with the heel to the side (in the stop position) and performs braking. When braking, the ski tips are level to avoid turning. Increasing the angle of abduction and tilting of the ski increases braking. Braking stops when the ski is placed in starting position(parallel).
When braking on the plain, the body weight is transferred to the inner ski, and the outer one is sharply pulled to the side with the heel and turned over.
Sock external ski they push it forward a little, the skier turns around, after turning, the inner ski is placed against the outer one.
Braking with sticks. This method is used only at low speeds. The skier pushes the poles forward with a sharp blow, as if pushing off from them. The hands are slightly further apart than when performing ski moves.
Intentional fall braking(Fig. 30). This method is used in exceptional cases, when an obstacle suddenly appears on the descent, and the distance to it is too small and it is necessary to stop urgently to avoid injury.
The way to fall safely is as follows: before falling, you need to sit down, and then fall, as if sequentially sitting in the snow backwards - to the side - on your hip and on your side. At the same time, the skis should be turned across the slope. Stretch your arms to the sides, throw the rings of the sticks back.
 |
Rice. 30. Fall braking: A - fall; b - getting up
There are several ways to get up after a fall: 1) sit down, bend your legs, lean on poles and, holding your skis on the edges across the slope, stand up; 2) with one hand grab the handles of the poles, with the other - the poles at the rings (toes), push off and stand up; 3) place the skis parallel, push off with your hands from the slope and stand up - fig. 30b.
If the skis are crossed when you fall, you need to roll over onto your back, raise your legs up and bring the skis to their normal position. Then turn over on your side, place your skis across the slope and stand up.
Types of braking on skis .Braking when going downhill is a necessary measure to reduce speed. Typically, cross-country skiers travel the course without braking. Braking has to be resorted to in the event of an unexpected obstacle, a fall of the competitor in front, interference from spectators, due to poor preparation of the track or an insufficient level of preparedness of the athlete.
Plow braking It is used on slopes of various steepness, on hiking trips and on walks. This is the most effective method, which allows you to significantly reduce the speed on a slope or even stop, but in ski racing It is rarely used - the strongest skiers practically do not use it.
Plow braking is performed as follows. When descending in the main stance, the skier springily straightens his legs at the knees and, slightly “throwing” his body up (relieving the pressure on the heels of the skis), with strong pressure, sliding the skis with his heels to the side. The skis rest on the inner ribs (edges of the skis), and their tips remain together; the knees are brought together, the body weight is distributed evenly on both skis, and the torso is slightly leaned back, and the arms take the position as when descending in the main stance. Increasing the angle of the skis and placing them more on the edges significantly increases braking.
Braking training is carried out according to the generally accepted scheme (story - demonstration - explanation), then students imitate movements in this method of braking. First, out of the blue, after showing and telling, schoolchildren take a working position several times (the “plow” position) and perform springy half-squats. The teacher checks the correctness adopted provision. Then, on a moderately steep slope, students take turns braking, taking a position immediately after starting to move at the top of the mountain, and maintaining this position until the end of the descent or until they stop.
Having mastered uniform braking, you can move on to regulating the braking force by spreading or bringing the heels of the skis together. Next, they improve braking on the mountain, marked with landmarks that indicate the part of the slope traversed without braking, the place of its beginning, end or complete stop. By changing these distances, you can make the task more difficult or easier, depending on the preparedness of the students.
Then the students perform braking at the command of the teacher. Gradually, you can move on to improving braking on steeper slopes and on descents with changing terrain. When studying this method of braking, schoolchildren most often encounter the following:errors : crossing ski toes; skiing flat, not on the edges; uneven pressure on both skis, which leads to a change in direction of movement; insufficient spread of ski heels; knees are slightly bent and not brought together, etc.
To correct mistakes, take the “plow” position again several times on level ground. Further, “plough” braking is repeated and improved on slopes of varying steepness, with changing terrain and varying depths of snow cover. You should pay attention to firmly holding the skis in the “plow” position, especially the toes, in order to avoid them colliding with each other.
Stop braking
more often used when descending obliquely. The skier transfers his body weight to the upper (sliding straight) ski, and puts the lower one in the stop position: the heel is to the side, the toes are held together, the ski is edged on the inside edge. Increasing the angle of abduction and tilt of the ski increases braking. Throughout the entire braking, the body weight remains on the ski sliding straight (top), although a partial transfer of body weight to the ski, which is in stop, will lead to a change in the direction of movement, i.e. to turn with emphasis. This method is sometimes called “half-plough” braking.
Students who have mastered plow braking well usually easily master stop braking. When studying this method, you must first imitate the movements while standing still, taking the described positions several times. The learning methods and errors encountered when braking with a stop are similar to the errors encountered when braking with a plow. In the future, schoolchildren must master braking on slopes in both directions (with different legs).
Braking by side sliding (turning skis) used when the athlete needs to stop and go further down the slope, achieving lateral sliding by edging the skis.
Braking is performed as follows. When descending obliquely, the skier squats slightly, then straightens up with a rather sharp push forward, removing the load from the skis, placing them flatter and moving laterally ankle joints moves the heels of the skis to the side. This is helped by the counter rotational movement of the torso and shoulders, as well as additional support on the stick. After moving the backs of the skis to the side, the amount of braking force depends on the angle of the skis: for sharp braking or even a complete stop, you need to place the skis across the slope and steeply on the edge. To study side-slip braking, lead-up exercises are used to turn on parallel skis from a stop. When teaching girls this method of braking, it is necessary to avoid very steep slopes.
When driving down a slope at high speed and unexpectedly appearing obstacles, it sometimes becomes necessary to brake sharply or even stop. If the distance to the obstacle is too short, the only way to prevent a collision isdeliberate fall . A controlled fall will reduce the possibility of injury and allow you to quickly get up and continue moving. Before falling, you need to sit down and then fall (gently “falling”) back to the side - on your hip and on your side. At the same time, the skis should be turned across the slope. It is better to scatter your hands with sticks up the slope. From this position, sitting down and then leaning on poles, it is easy to get up and, turning your skis, continue moving down the slope.
If the skis are crossed when you fall, you need to turn over on your back, raise your legs up and bring the skis to their normal position. Then turn over on your side again (skis across the slope) and stand up. In exceptional cases, when braking with skis is impossible (in tourist trip, on a walk - in deep snow cover), and falling is impractical, skiers can use pole braking (one on the side, two on the side, two between the skis). These methods will help to slightly reduce the speed in case of unforeseen circumstances. In cross-country skiing, such braking methods are not used.
Braking when going downhill is a necessary measure to reduce speed. Typically, cross-country skiers travel the course without braking. Braking has to be resorted to in the event of an unexpected obstacle, a fall of the competitor in front, interference from spectators, due to poor preparation of the track or an insufficient level of preparedness of the athlete.
Plow braking(Fig. 20) is used on slopes of various steepness, on hiking trips and on walks. This is the most effective method, which allows you to significantly reduce speed on a slope or even stop, but it is rarely used in ski racing - the strongest skiers practically do not use it.
Plow braking is performed as follows. When descending in the main stance, the skier springily straightens his legs at the knees and, slightly “throwing” his body up (relieving the pressure on the heels of the skis), with strong pressure, sliding the skis with his heels to the side. The skis rest on the inner ribs (edges of the skis), and their tips remain together; the knees are brought together, the body weight is distributed evenly on both skis, and the torso is slightly leaned back, and the arms take the position as when descending in the main stance. Increasing the angle of the skis and placing them more on the edges significantly increases braking.
Stop braking(Fig. 21)
more often used when descending obliquely. The skier transfers his body weight to the upper (sliding straight) ski, and puts the lower one in the stop position: the heel is to the side, the toes are held together, the ski is edged on the inside edge. Increasing the angle of abduction and tilt of the ski increases braking. Throughout the entire braking, the body weight remains on the ski sliding straight (top), although a partial transfer of body weight to the ski, which is in stop, will lead to a change in the direction of movement, i.e. to turn with emphasis. This method is sometimes called “half-plough” braking.
Side slip braking(by turning the skis) is used when the athlete needs to stop and go down further down the slope, achieving lateral sliding by edging the skis.
Braking is performed as follows. When descending obliquely, the skier squats slightly, then straightens up with a rather sharp push forward, removing the load from the skis, placing them flatter and moving the heels of the skis to the side with a lateral movement of the ankle joints. This is helped by the counter rotational movement of the torso and shoulders, as well as additional support on the stick. After moving the backs of the skis to the side, the amount of braking force depends on the angle of the skis: for sharp braking or even a complete stop, you need to place the skis across the slope and steeply on the edge.
When driving down a slope at high speed and unexpectedly appearing obstacles, it sometimes becomes necessary to brake sharply or even stop. If the distance to the obstacle is too short, the only way to prevent a collision is deliberate fall. A controlled fall will reduce the possibility of injury and allow you to quickly get up and continue moving. Before falling, you need to sit down and then fall (gently “falling”) back to the side - on your hip and on your side. At the same time, the skis should be turned across the slope. It is better to scatter your hands with sticks up the slope. From this position, sitting down and then leaning on poles, it is easy to get up and, turning your skis, continue moving down the slope.
If the skis are crossed when you fall, you need to turn over on your back, raise your legs up and bring the skis to their normal position. Then turn over on your side again (skis across the slope) and stand up. In exceptional cases, when braking with skis is impossible (on a hiking trip, on a walk - in deep snow cover), and falling is impractical, skiers can use pole braking (one on the side, two on the side, two between the skis). These methods will help to slightly reduce the speed in case of unforeseen circumstances. In cross-country skiing, such braking methods are not used.
Braking when going downhill is a necessary measure to reduce speed. Typically, cross-country skiers travel the course without braking. Braking has to be resorted to in the event of an unexpected obstacle, a fall of the competitor in front, interference from spectators, due to poor preparation of the track or an insufficient level of preparedness of the athlete. Plow braking Plow braking is used on slopes of varying steepness, on hikes and on walks. This is the most effective method, which allows you to significantly reduce speed on a slope or even stop, but it is rarely used in cross-country skiing - the strongest skiers practically do not use it. Plow braking is performed as follows. When descending in the main stance, the skier springily straightens his legs at the knees and, slightly “throwing” his body up (relieving the pressure on the heels of the skis), with strong pressure, sliding the skis with his heels to the side. The skis rest on the inner ribs (edges of the skis), and their tips remain together; the knees are brought together, the body weight is distributed evenly on both skis, and the torso is slightly leaned back, and the arms take the position as when descending in the main stance. Increasing the angle of spread of the skis and placing them more on the ribs significantly increases braking. First, on level ground, try several times to take a working position (the “plow” position) and perform springy half-squats. Then, on a moderately steep slope, perform braking, taking a position immediately after starting the movement at the top of the mountain, and maintaining this position until the end of the descent or until you stop. Having mastered uniform braking, you can move on to regulating the braking force by spreading or bringing the heels of the skis together. Next, they improve braking on the mountain, marked with landmarks that indicate the part of the slope traversed without braking, the place of its beginning, end or complete stop. By changing these distances, you can make the task more difficult or easier, depending on your preparedness. Gradually, you can move on to improving braking on steeper slopes and on descents with changing terrain. When studying this method of braking, the most common problems encountered are following errors: - crossing ski toes; - skiing flat, not on the edges; - uneven pressure on both skis, which leads to a change in the direction of movement; - insufficient separation of the heels of the skis; - knees are slightly bent and not brought together, etc. To correct mistakes, take the “plow” position again several times on level ground. Further, “plow” braking is repeated and improved on slopes of varying steepness, with changing terrain and varying depths of snow cover. You should pay attention to firmly holding the skis in the “plow” position, especially the tips, in order to avoid them colliding with each other. 
Stop braking This type of braking is most often used when descending obliquely. The skier transfers his body weight to the upper (sliding straight) ski, and puts the lower one in the stop position: the heel is to the side, the toes are held together, the ski is edged on the inside edge. Increasing the angle of abduction and tilt of the ski increases braking. Throughout the entire braking, the body weight remains on the ski sliding straight (top), although a partial transfer of body weight to the ski, which is in stop, will lead to a change in the direction of movement, i.e. to turn with emphasis. Sometimes this method is called “half-plow” braking. When studying this method, you must first imitate the movements while standing still, taking the described positions several times. The learning methods and errors encountered when braking with a stop are similar to the errors encountered when braking with a plow. In the future, you must master braking on slopes in both directions (from different legs). Braking by side sliding (turning skis). This type of braking is used when the athlete needs to stop and go further down the slope, achieving lateral sliding by edging the skis. Braking is performed as follows. When descending obliquely, the skier squats slightly, then straightens up with a rather sharp push forward, removing the load from the skis, placing them flatter and moving the heels of the skis to the side with a lateral movement of the ankle joints. This is helped by the counter rotational movement of the torso and shoulders, as well as additional support on the stick. After moving the backs of the skis to the side, the amount of braking force depends on the angle of the skis: for sharp braking or even a complete stop, you need to place the skis across the slope and steeply on the edge. To study side-slip braking, lead-up exercises are used to turn on parallel skis from a stop. When teaching girls this method of braking, it is necessary to avoid very steep slopes. When driving down a slope at high speed and unexpectedly appearing obstacles, it sometimes becomes necessary to brake sharply or even stop. If the distance to the obstacle is too short, the only way to prevent a collision is deliberate fall. A controlled fall will reduce the possibility of injury and allow you to quickly get up and continue moving. Before falling, you need to squat down, and then fall (softly “falling”) back to the side - on your hip and side. At the same time, the skis should be turned across the slope. It is better to scatter your hands with sticks up the slope. From this position, sitting down and then leaning on poles, it is easy to get up and, turning your skis, continue moving down the slope. If the skis are crossed when you fall, you need to turn over on your back, raise your legs up and bring the skis to their normal position. Then turn over on your side again (skis across the slope) and stand up. In exceptional cases, when braking with skis is impossible (on a hiking trip, on a walk - in deep snow cover), and falling is impractical, skiers can use braking with poles(one on the side, two on the side, two between the skis). These methods will help to slightly reduce the speed in case of unforeseen circumstances. In cross-country skiing, such braking methods are not used.
Braking
Mastery of all braking methods allows you to intelligently regulate the speed of descent and quickly stop in the desired place.
Rice. 86.
Semi-plough braking (one-sided stop) is practiced mainly when descending obliquely down a slope. To brake, the heel of the ski, located lower down the slope, is moved to the side, and the ski is placed on its edge; the second ski glides in the direction of travel.
For sharper braking, it is necessary to press the heel of the boot to move the back of the lower ski even further, place it steeper on the edge and increase the pressure (Fig. 86).
Rice. 87
Plow braking (double-sided support) is used on slopes of medium and low steepness during straight descents: holding the toes together, spread the heels of the skis to the sides and place the skis on the inner ribs, which is achieved by bringing the knees closer together and transferring the weight to the heels. To increase braking efficiency, you should move the ski pads further apart and place them more steeply on the inner ribs (Fig. 87).
Rice. 88
Braking with poles is used when descending obliquely to a slope or during a straight descent. To do this, you need to stick the poles folded together with their pins into the snow and, increasing the pressure, slow down the movement. The hand closest to the slope clasps the stick from above. and the other is below (Fig. 88). Braking with poles between the legs is not advisable for a number of reasons, including the possibility of breaking the poles.
Stopping by falling is used in emergency cases when you need to quickly stop the descent. To do this, you need to squat as low as possible and fall to the side, throwing your arms and poles back, spread out, put your skis across the direction of descent and, resting them on the snow, slow down further sliding. A typical mistake is falling without first grouping the body, which can lead to bruises (Fig. 89). 
Rice. 89. Stopping by falling: a - squatting before falling; b - the position of the fallen skier at the moment of stopping.
Turns
A heavy backpack on your back and fastenings that do not provide rigid fixation of the boot do not allow you to use turns, which are widespread among skiers. Tourist skiers use the simplest Turns: stepping, from the position of a plow and half-plow.
Stepping turns are used at low speeds on gentle slopes and in any type of snow cover. It is reminiscent of a skating motion, with stronger thrusts being made with the foot on the outside of the turning arc. To do this, you need to transfer the weight of your body to the ski, which will be “outside” when turning, and sit down slightly on it, pull up and turn the other ski in the desired direction, transfer the weight of your body to it and, sliding on this (inner) ski, pull up the other. Stepping in motion can be done by moving to the side not the toe, but the heels of the skis. This method is usually used when moving in forests and bushes.
Rice. 90. Turning with a semi-plough (on the left) and a plow: a - the beginning of loading the ski; b - continuing to increase the load on the ski until the turn is completed.
Turning from the plow position (Fig. 90) is usually used after slowing down the speed of descent on moderately steep slopes for any type of snow. To turn, for example, to the left, you need to transfer the weight of your body to your right leg, place the ski steeply on the edge, and unload the left one and, pulling up the heel, place it parallel to the right one.
Turning from a semi-plough position (Fig. 90) is performed at higher speeds and steep slopes, when the direction of movement must be changed in smooth turns. It is more convenient to start from the descent obliquely to the slope: the heel of the unloaded “upper” ski should be moved to the side, the ski should be placed on the edge and the weight of the body should be transferred to it, and the “lower” ski should be placed flat on the snow and the heel should be pulled up, due to which the turn is carried out .
Getting up after falling while going downhill. Tourist skiers must learn to get up after falling on the slopes. 
The first rule is that the help of comrades to a fallen person, especially a woman, is obligatory.
Rice. 91. Getting up when falling on a slope with dense snow: 1 - the poles are grabbed by the hand from below; 2 - the same from above.
When falling on slopes with deep and loose snow cover, when relying on poles does not have an effect (they fall into the snow under load), it is best to remove the backpack, turn around so that the skis are lower than the body and perpendicular to the line of the slope, group the body and, leaning stand on poles placed together on the snow, shake off the snow and put on a backpack; attempts to stand in such conditions without taking off the backpack are usually unsuccessful and a lot of effort and time are wasted.
On a slope with hard snow, you should pull your skis to your body, firmly rest them on the snow and, leaning on poles folded together, climb up (Fig. 91). Strong skiers do this without removing their backpack.
