This is a long report to explain a good tuck and hopefully help with how to do it correctly. I try to be
short but stumbled to make it clear.
The tuck is a stance or posture we assume while skiing. This is the most basic aerodynamic
position when running flat or turning on a flatter hill. Being aerodynamic the tuck reduces the
amount of drag that is measured as a down force on your skis; this down force slows you down.
So ,if we can carve an entire course in a tuck or aerodynamic position we can reduce drag and go
faster, possibly much faster.
The reality is that most of us cannot maintain a tuck, whether high or low tuck, and carve clean
turns in most courses. This is why when you assume your tuck becomes a critical tactical
decision. This decision relates to your own abilities, skill sets and how well developed your
perception, and movement in the course.. You always need to use your eyes and perceptions in
racing at all times.
To help world cup skiers they usually spend their summers working in professional wind tunnel!
For our relative feeling the best way is to drive quickly down the road and put your hand out side
and notice the wind drag. The best racers use every trick at their disposal to gain an advantage
over the clock .These tricks include powerful starts, running straight and late where possible and
of course, using a tuck whenever it is optimal.
Back to the basics of the tuck. When a skier is standing up with their arms down they catch a lot
of air and as stated above the air and wind hitting the racer increases drag slowing the racer
down.
To assume the tuck the racer lowers their overall stance and levels their back more parallel to the
slope with the buttocks a bit higher than the head, poles tucked under the arms and close to the
body and hands together extended slightly in front of the chin to keep a “tight package”.
The tuck position allows skiers to move faster because less wind is able to hit the body. Imagine
an egg with legs; that's what the position we are trying to maintain. In this position wind moves
around and behind the skier rather than collecting on surfaces on the front of the skier such as the
chest, abdomen, upper legs and hip.
So now we know why a tuck benefits the skier . Now before you start practicing the tuck for the
serious Alberta Masters Club racer , Beer League or big time racer need to spend hours working
on performing “Arc-to-Arc” turns in race course before they try to develop the perfect tuck.
For a racer running “Hands down” (non-tuck position) and has clean arcs will have a better time
than a racer holding their tuck from top to bottom and sacrificing the turn.. Okay, okay, just said
a little differently to make sure you’ve got it and are out there working on your turns FIRST,
then playing with your tuck once you can carve down the hill.
The most important factor is having both the skill and strength to hold your tuck longer and
deeper over more terrain and turn situations while keeping your turns clean. The more you tuck
with clean turns the greater the benefit over the length of the course. An example would be one
of those dead straight courses we see from time to time. Holding the tuck, clean turns and flatter
skis wins the race, every time. But the racer who can hold his/her tuck in a course with turns,
ruts, holes, bumps, ice and so on while making clean turns wins the race by a good margin over
the racer who has to drop their hands .
So now you know everything you need to know about the basics of the tuck. Now how do you
get in a decent tuck?
You want your feet hip-width apart. You want both skis tracking in the same direction with equal
and minimal edging for the situation or turn. If you get your feet too wide you will put yourself
on your inside edges and lose the advantage of gliding. You want your knees bent; ankles flexed
forward, your back at least level if not butt high. Having poles with a slight bend will help you
achieve the proper hand position. Roll your hands inwards towards you, moving your little
fingers in until your palms are up. As you roll your hands in move them up in front of your chin
and KEEP THEM THERE. Too many racers get the hand roll right but leave their hands too low
catching air in their chest defeating the point of the tuck, reducing drag.
Is this you??
Or maybe something like this person??
In the pictures above both racers have their hands too low and are catching air . We would like to
see if you can bring the shoulders down and the hands in front . See pictures below.
A good high tuck with proper hand position is way better than a low tuck that could cause a poor
turn..
The high tuck is by far the most widely used by most racers and world cup racers. You can turn
fairly effectively from the high tuck as well as move with the terrain. A low tuck is really for
very straight sections and when you can run on very flat skis. Remember from a low tuck you’ve
got nowhere to go to absorb sudden or quick changes in terrain such as a compression or bump.
Perfecting the tuck, or coming as close to perfecting it is possible, this still requires a lot of core
body and lower body strength, power and flexibility. The fastest skier athletes are the best at
maintaining their tuck throughout the run. They have to remain as aerodynamic as possible in a
turn, which means having the ski edges, shins and knees as close to parallel as possible, and they
must carry that form into the turn, through the setup and into the next turn.
Maintaining the tuck and keeping the body balanced and centered over the middle of the skis,
helps the skier to have better control and a better gliding phase. During the glide, the skier wants
as much of the skis' surface to be in contact with the snow as possible. Skiers that move slower is
because the skis are on an edge. Hitting that when the ski is on edge and possibility losing their
tuck position and their aerodynamic . When you lose the tuck in Super G or Downhill you could
possibly lose the race.
I hope this helps if not clear see me on the hill or call or even e-mail