A man in making a standing jump, or a dive, raises his heels and throws
his weight on his toes _as he crouches_ for the spring, _i.e._ _before_
he begins the upward movement of the spring itself. In this way his
centre of gravity is brought exactly above the point from which he will
push off.
A ski-jumper as he crouches for the spring keeps his foot flat on the
ski and his centre of gravity over the middle of his foot, instead
of over the toes. If, then, from this position he suddenly springs
directly upwards, the final pressure of the toes, which are farther
forward than his centre of gravity, will tend to tilt him backwards.
To avoid this tendency, try, in the crouching position, to keep your
weight as far forward as possible (not, however, raising the heels,
which would make you too unsteady) and make your spring slightly
forwards as well as upwards. When practising, without skis, either
method of making the "Sats," always start the movement from the
crouching position of Plate LII., and be sure that it is correct in
every detail before you make the spring.
Remember that it is impossible to increase the length of a jump on
skis by springing forward as you would for a standing long jump, for
you can, of course, get no purchase for the backward push. Even in
the first method of making the "Sats," although the body should shoot
forwards, the push of the feet is almost entirely downwards. The
"Sats," in fact, when it is a jump at all, is a high jump only. Any
pronounced attempt to make it a long jump will result in a fall.
_Position in the Air_ (Plate L., &c.).--Having completed the movement
of the "Sats," do not alter the position of your body and legs, but
hold yourself perfectly erect during your flight through the air,
your feet and skis being perfectly level (_i.e._ neither ahead of the
other), close together, and exactly parallel. The skis must as soon
as possible be brought parallel to the slope below you, and therefore
your feet must be pointed downwards, if they are not so already, and
the toes must be pressed down to prevent the heels of the skis from
dropping, as they are very apt to do.
A jumper when in the air generally swings his arms round and round.
Now the dog cannot wag its tail much without the tail wagging its
dog a little, and as the jumper is moving freely through space
his shoulder-muscles cannot swing his arms round in one direction
without at the same time swinging him--_i.e._ his body and legs as a
whole--round in the other, though the movement of his body and legs
will be much slower, as their mass is much greater, than that of the
arms.
If, then, he is not tilted far enough forward, the jumper can, by
swinging his arms in a forward-upward-backward-downward direction, make
the rest of himself revolve slowly in the opposite direction on the
axis of his shoulder-joints, and so tilt himself gradually forward;
or, if his forward tilt is too great--which is not very likely--he can
reduce it by swinging his arms round the other way.
_Landing._--You should land in the above position, with the feet level,
close together, and pointed well down, so that the skis strike the
ground with their whole surface simultaneously, not with their heels
first. Although the legs should be kept straight during most of the
flight through the air, they should be bent slightly just _before_ you
touch the snow.
In bending them _be sure to press the knees together_, for to do so
will ensure that, on landing, the skis are level, close together, and
parallel; and also, which is equally important, that they strike the
snow flat, and not edged slightly outwards, as they are apt to do if
the feet only are held together.
This bringing together of the knees is therefore the greatest help to
landing steadily, and if you remember to do it you need not think about
bending the legs, for when his knees are touching and his feet parallel
it is impossible for a man of normal build to keep his legs straight.
I strongly advise you to include this movement in your practice of the
"Sats" (2nd method) without skis.
As you feel the ground, _but not before_, drop smartly into Telemark
position, with the weight well forward. This helps to diminish the
shock, and also, of course, the chance of a fall backwards or forwards.
It is such a help to the balance that when you have got into the habit
of it, you will be inclined to begin the forward stride in the air. Be
careful to avoid doing so, for, if you do, you may strike the snow with
one ski sooner than with the other, which will very likely upset you.
There is the same danger if you land with your skis apart instead of
close together.
As the skis strike the snow, they bend in the middle and each makes a
depression in the snow. From the deepest part of the hindmost of these
depressions to the edge of the platform is the measure of the jump. The
record stands at present at 47 metres (154 feet); you will do well if
you jump a tenth of this distance without falling by the end of your
first day's practice.
As you drop into the Telemark position, keep the ankles and knees well
inwards and let the pressure be rather on the inside of the foot, or
your skis may run apart and upset you.
Only run in Telemark position until you are certain that you have your
balance. You should, if possible, make a merely momentary dip and then
straighten up smartly and finish your run in the normal position,
stopping yourself on the level by a swing or a jump round as soon as
you can.