Jackrabbit Level 1 – Lessons 1 – 7

Trains, Planes & Automobiles -move like vehicles (airplanes, motorcycle, bus etc.)

-falling and rising

star turn

Rising – tuck skis close to bum, lean forward with hands on skis and stand up

Star turn -arms out for balance 

-stepping in one direction 

-tips apart and tails together

-ready position

-skiers stand in ready position

-arms and hands forward, knees and ankles slightly bent, relaxed upper body

-on signal skier skis forward to finish line (flags or a finish ribbon to ski through)

– ski in the tracks

– movement on skis

Skiing in tracks 

-skis parallel, walking motion

Movement on skis 

-skis parallel, walking motion

Herringbone position 

–tips apart, tails together

Ball juggling

-skiers toss large ball into the air as they ski forward (could try with other objects –bean bags, hats etc.

Make sure all skiers who want to get a chance to be the wolf, two wolves at a time works well

Timber

-skiers are trees, when coach calls “timber” they all fall over and get up

-skiers form a circle 

-skiers take turns to ski forward to put      something in the imaginary suitcase that they will take on the trip (chocolate, bathing suit, toothbrush etc.) then ski backwards to their place 

Take a trip

-you can fly to get there or take the train, motorcycle etc.

-ready position

-falling and rising, 

-star turn, 

-side stepping

Practice circle for falling and rising and star turn  

Side stepping

Body in ready position, balance on one ski, step sideways with the other leg

-Balance on second leg, bring skis parallel

-Side step in opposite direction 

movement on skis (running step)

No poles

-skiers ski in a running motion around the area marked out

Encourage 

-bent knees and ankles

-jogging motion with arms

-skiers run on skis 

-make a herringbone position and say the name of a favourite pie to keep from being caught

-skiers are only safe for 5 seconds

-Ski a distance to have snack in a different area

-at “bridge” (real or imaginary) skiers must answer a riddle that the troll asks (ex. What can you do to keep warm while skiing?)

Toss

-throw a soft ball (or a stuffed animal) in an arc to skier, such that they have to move forward to catch it 

-skier does a star turn when they catch the ball

-skiers rock forward and back between their tows and their heels

-skiers try to find the best balance point

Reach for the sky

-skiers reach for the sky going up on their toes

Practice circle: falling and rising, star turn, side stepping, ready position

movement on skis (running step)

No poles

-skiers keep knees and ankles flexed

-bob up and down in one spot to demonstrate this as a dynamic position (shocks on a car, bumpy bus ride)

-ski a small loop with the running motion

-herringbone,

-rising on a slope 

-free glide.

*No poles

-Practice herringbone on flat terrain

On a gentle slope demonstrate herringbone

-maintain a “V” with skis

-skis edged, knees bent.

Rising on a slope

-skis parallel, under the body and perpendicular to fall line

-skier moves onto hands and knees

-skier edges skis to stand up

Demonstrate free glide

-hands forward, skis parallel

-hands on knees

-skiers descend the slope standing tall, squatting down.

Pick up

-place small objects to the side of the ski slope

-skiers attempt to bend and pick them up as they slide down

Ski Destination

leader takes group on a ski pointing out 

  -trees, snow types, wild life, wild life signs (tracks)

alter the terrain by:

-taking group off trail, 

-skiing around a tree etc., 

interesting objects can be placed around trail to keep skiers interested in what they will see next

-gliding down and through the hoop

-leader can tow skiers up the hill with a rope

Penguins-herringbone up a slope walking like a penguin slide down on belly or bum!

– coach is it when tagged the skier has to fall over

-falling and rising, 

-star turn, 

-side stepping, 

-ready position, 

-movement on skis (running step) 

-ski on rolling terrain using appropriate techniques for certain areas

-coach signals skiers (whistle) skiers stop and do a skill (falling and rising, star turn, side stepping, ready position, running step.)

Tunnels– skiers follow leader on a ski in tracks and out through a series of tunnels (some natural, some made by placing ski poles etc).

10 min.

-herringbone, 

-free glide.

With poles

Herringbone

-maintain a “V” with skis

-skis edged 

-knees bent

-poles behind skis.

Free glide

-hands forward, skis parallel

-pole handles down and in front of body, pole tips behind

-snowplow braking

Snowplow braking (demonstrate)

-form wedge with ski tips together and tails apart

-control speed by braking (make bigger wedge and edge skis) 

-skiers ski down the slope free gliding between poles and braking in the spaces between pole pairs

-skier takes 4 or 5 strides and freezes on one leg and glides to a stop

Freeze tag

-skiers stand on one leg if they are tagged

-frozen skiers can be tagged to be unfrozen

-If coach says “Simon says jump” skiers jump

-if coach says “jump” skiers do not jump

-snowplow braking

-skiers stand with skis parallel in ready position

-skiers use varying degree of edge to make nibbles (small amount) and bites (more edge)

-edge left, right and both inner edges

Ridges and valleys 

-skiers now push ski to the side(tails apart) and make a ridge

-skiers switch when coach says “change”

Stomp Fest

-skiers push snow vigorously to the side one ski at a time

-goal is to create a large snow pile

Snowplow braking * on gentle slope

-form wedge with ski tips together and tails apart

-control speed by braking (make bigger wedge and edge skis)

Gates

-practice alternately braking and free gliding 

Blob tag– same idea but once the chain has 4 skiers the group splits into two and continues chasing

 falling and rising, star turn, side stepping, ready position, movement on skis (running step), herringbone, free glide

-tell a story as you ski to your destination stopping to bring group together to tell the next part of the story (adaptation of Hansel and Gretel, Snow Gnomes hiding in the forest etc.) 

-use more than one ball and no goalies (to keep everyone moving)

-part way through have the skiers take one ski off and switch after 5 min.

One ski tag –skiers take off one ski to play tag

-skiers run in place on their skis starting slow and gradually getting faster

Sizzling snow

-skiers stay in one place and quickly step from ski to ski trying to have only one ski on the “burning” snow at one time

-skiers “hiss” when their ski is on the snow

-double poling *supplementary technique

-both arms reaching forward

-poles planting at the same time

-legs relatively straight throughout the poling action

One legged Ski

-skiers imagine that their legs are tied together move from one side of the play area to the other using poles only to move them forward

-movement on skis, 

-herringbone, 

-free glide, 

-snowplow braking.

-play on the hills going up and down

-run on the spot to keep faster skiers busy while gathering the group together

-encourage the running step

Stop to do balance activities along the route:

Pendulum swings 

-stand on one leg while swinging the other leg back and forth

Combo swing 

-when the skier stands on their left leg, the left arm swings in the same direction as the right leg and the right arm swings in the opposite direction (like walking) 

-skiers ski around until leader calls “statue”

-skiers stop and hold whatever position they are in last person to move becomes the caller

Evaluate

-ready position 

-falling and rising

-star turn

-side stepping

Ready position

• arms and hands forward, 
• knees and ankles slightly bent, 
• relaxed upper body

Falling and Rising on a gentle slope

• fall to side and back
• fall in a sitting motion

• bring skis together side by side under body
• get skis flat on snow by moving onto hands and knees
• crawl forward 
• slide one ski forward so ski is flat on snow

Star Turn

• Arms & hands forward and out to the side
• Form a slight wedge (tips apart and tails together)
• Weight is transferred to one ski, skier takes a step
• Weight on second ski and skis are brought parallel
• Repeat until skier comes full circle

Side stepping (both directions)

• Body in ready position
• Balance on one ski, step sideways with the other leg
• Balance on second leg
• Bring skis parallel
• arms out for balance

5 min.

-movement on skis

-tracking

• bent knees and ankles, balanced stance, skis parallel
• running motion in tracks

Tracking

• skier side steps into tracks
• while moving forward skier side steps out of tracks
• skier steps in and out to the left and right

-skiers free glide through the “gate” and snowplow brake between gates

Mark an area with cones where the skiers herringbone up the slope

Herringbone 

-discuss when you would want to use this  technique (when you are on a slight downhill or on the flats and want to go faster)