Building Blocks Instructional Program, 6 DVD Series

I have now gone entirely through the first DVD in this series Basic Balance.  The 6 DVDs move to very advanced skills, but I have so far only worked on the basics (hence the review title.)

 

I've been skiing for over 20 years, so it ain't what you think of as basic.  The progression of drills on this DVD start with fore/aft balance, then move to lateral balance.  If you stick to them (which I finally did) they develop a rock solid foundation that has allowed me to take my skiing to the next level.  I found many of them fairly easy to do, but when I got to the ones that I had trouble with I discovered a hole in my skill set that needed filling.  A few days on those drills and not only can I ski better on the inside ski, but it carried over immediately to my free skiing.  I will definitely be moving on to DVD 2 Basic Edging.

 

Rick brings his race coaching experience to these DVD's.  As a PSIA Instructor I've always been impressed with what race coaches do - partly because they train the same kids for many many days, instead of us that get a lot of one shot lessons.  Taking this developmental approach works.

 

The on camera introduction is a little stiff, Rick is a great coach, but his talking to a video camera is not polished.  However his voice overs on the drills - the meat of the DVD's - is fantastic.

 

I highly recommend these to any skier at any level who has the time to put in to them.  There is no quick and easy shortcuts on here, you need to be able to dedicate yourself to the progressions.  But if you do - it WILL payoff.

 

In addition the drill cards are a great addition.  I carried them in my jacket pocket and could review them on the lift, making taking notes while watching the DVD's unnecessary.

 I decided to buy this DVD set a supplement to taking private lessons.  They arrived two days after ordering them.  So far I have watched the Basic Balance and Basic Edging DVD's. I have performed most of the exercises on the Balance DVD.  These videos are set up in such a way that a series of drills are demonstrated.  An explanation about the drills and the benefits that they have in advanced level skiing are also given.  The drills start off easy and then progress in difficulty as they continue.  As the name suggests, "Building Blocks", each drill teaches you a new skill that is then applied in the later drills.  This is not a "learn to ski fast" video.  It's offers very in-depth instruction and the ability to learn a very large skill set. After doing most of the drills on the balance DVD...my balance has improved 10 fold! In private ski instruction, I was basically told to keep my weight forward and let's move on.  The drills and instruction on the DVD really touches every aspect in relation to skiing.  The drills are laid out in perfect sequence.....each small skill learned is one step closer to the big picture!  The video, production, and editing  qualities are very good. Each drill has it's own chapter and menu selection, so it's pretty easy and quick to find and  review certain drills when needed. I can't wait to start working on the Edging DVD.  Rick also has a website that is associated with his series.  If you have a question about any of the drills or need any type of help, just send him an e-mail.  He will respond. Trust me, I've already asked a bunch of questions! I wasn't aware that there are also drill cards available. They can be taken with you as a reminder on how to perform each drill.  They would definitely come in handy.