Ski-jumping to the ordinarily constituted person who tries it for
the first time is extremely alarming. Although when the whole of the
hillside is of the same steepness he may from the starting-point see
something of the lower part of the slope, the exact spot on which he
will land is nearly always hidden from the jumper until just before he
reaches the edge of the platform, and even from that point it is still
invisible if the platform is built back from the edge of a steep slope.
When the lower part of the jumping-hill is steeper than the upper,
as it nearly always is, the platform, seen from above, appears to be
projecting over the edge of a cliff.
This at first gives all but exceptionally bold spirits an irresistible
desire to shrink back on approaching it, and it usually takes one
some time to overcome this desire, even after realising that there is
practically no danger at all. Even when the jumper feels no fear his
natural disinclination to make his spring until he can see where he
is going to land will for some time tend to make him defer the "Sats"
until too late.
The instinct to shrink back is, at any rate at first, the principal
difficulty in ski-jumping, and I think you will find that the best
way to overcome it is, in a sense, to give way to it--that is, to
start under conditions which are as little alarming as possible and to
increase the difficulty by very slow degrees.
Begin by making very short jumps on a quite moderate slope, no steeper
below than above the platform, which must be quite low and long.
The fact of the slope being a gentle one does actually add to the
difficulty of standing, but only to a very slight extent if the
platform is quite low; and this form of hill is so much the least
alarming, that I advise you to choose it for your first attempts.
Then make the same kind of jump on a fairly steep slope.
Then build your platform, still quite low, rather back from the edge of
as steep a slope as you can find, the slope above it being a moderate
one. Begin here with quite small jumps, and gradually start farther and
farther back until you can make, with fair certainty of standing, as
long a jump as the form of the hill and platform will permit; taking
care, of course, that the lower slope is of ample length, _and that
there is no sudden change of angle where it joins the level_, for this
causes really bad falls.
After this you can make things more difficult for yourself in various
ways, such as increasing the height of the platform, or building it
at the very edge of a steep slope instead of rather back from it, or
making it point upwards so as to form a "squirt jump."
"A squirt jump" on a moderate slope is excellent practice. The
considerable difference in angle between the platform and the
alighting ground makes it necessary for the learner to throw himself
well forward in making the "Sats," and the fact that he drops from a
good height on to comparatively flat ground makes the shock sufficient
to compel him to bend his knees and take the Telemark position on
landing. Only jumps of a few yards should be made in this way, however.
The shock is too great for safety if the drop is a really long one.
On no account allow yourself to forsake easy hills for more difficult
ones until on the former you can make your jumps _in perfect style,
correct to the smallest detail_.
It is only by acquiring an absolutely perfect style that you can make
anything but the smallest and easiest jumps with any certainty of
standing, and for this reason the only way to gain confidence is to
improve your style.
It may be a fine moral discipline to force yourself over jumps of an
alarming size from the very first, but it will not make you a better
jumper; for if you are very nervous you will be able to think of
nothing until the jump is finished, and so will learn nothing and have
no better prospect of standing at the twentieth jump than at the first.
After a course of this it is not unlikely that the last state of your
nerve will be worse than the first.
It is a good thing to jump occasionally on big hills almost from the
first if you can do so without feeling very nervous, but do not give up
small jumps until your style is perfect, otherwise it never will be.
In Norway the style of the jump is considered as important as, if
not more so than, its length. At a competition a jumper receives
marks according to the manner in which he performs each stage of
the jump--the approach, the "Sats," the flight through the air, the
landing, the rest of the run, and the swing at the finish. Under
certain circumstances even a fall is not considered greatly to a
jumper's discredit. If, for instance, a man makes a jump in good style
and is evidently steady on landing, but, after running a few yards,
loses his balance on a bad bit of ground, he may score higher than a
man who jumps rather farther and finishes without falling, but does
so in very bad style. I do not mean to say that merely dribbling over
the edge in a graceful attitude is encouraged, for to jump as hard as
possible is part of good style, and to receive any consideration a
jump must, as to length, be within reasonable distance of the maximum
allowed by the form of the hill and platform.
Those who jump farthest, however, almost invariably jump in the best
style, and a very long standing jump in really bad style is sure to be
a fluke; so that in rewarding the most accurate jumpers the Norwegians
probably reward those who in the aggregate have jumped the greatest
distances, whatever their performance on any single occasion may be.
I agree, however, with Mr. Richardson in thinking that this system is
likely to lead to too much stress being laid on the purely ornamental
side of style, and that on the whole it would be much better to
consider only the length of the jump and whether the jumper stands or
falls on landing. Always bearing in mind, then, that it is only a means
to the end of jumping as far and of landing as steadily as possible,
do your utmost to improve your style, watch for faults, and get other
people to criticise you as well. Check at the outset any tendency to
acquire any of the following bad habits:--
In the crouching position before the "Sats":
Separating your feet or knees; only bending slightly, instead of
crouching quite low.
In the "Sats":
Making a feeble, timid effort, and not straightening out completely,
instead of springing smartly and vigorously to an erect position, with
body and legs in a perfectly straight line.
In the air:
Bending at the hips or knees; separating the skis, not keeping them
parallel and in the same plane; letting their heels drop; not keeping
the feet level; not bringing the knees together before landing.
Landing:
Landing with the skis apart, or edged outwards, or not parallel, or
with one more ahead than the other; letting their heels touch the snow
first; landing with straight legs (or very bent ones); not dropping
into Telemark position.
There is a method of jumping known in Norway as the "traekke op," in
which, during the flight through the air, the feet are drawn up as
close as possible to the body, which is bent forward. This diminishes
the resistance of the air and perhaps slightly increases the length of
the jump, but is considerably more difficult than the upright method,
because it has a greater tendency to make the jumper land leaning
backwards, or with the knees and feet separated so that the skis are
pointed apart, or with the legs so much bent that they are liable to
collapse from the shock.
In Norway this method is generally considered less good style than the
other.
If you wish to try it you had better make the "Sats" in the ordinary
way, straightening out completely before you begin to draw up the legs,
and almost completely again before landing. Be sure also, in lifting
the feet, to raise the toes well in order to avoid any risk of plunging
the points of your skis into the snow on landing.
It is very good practice for the balance to make jumps in this way
when you cross small undulations in the course of a run, or even when
the ground is quite smooth. You will then, of course, have to draw up
your feet the moment you leave the ground. Be careful, by holding your
_knees_ together, to keep your skis from pointing outwards as you land.
An expert when running fast can in this way jump a low fence or, to be
precise, an obstacle 2 feet or so high.
In spite of all that I have said about the necessity for taking it
gradually, and keeping off big hills at first, you need not be afraid
of hurting yourself much, no matter how far you may jump, provided the
hill and platform be properly arranged, for in that case an accident
is almost impossible. You are far more likely to meet with one when
running at a comparatively low speed on tour, if the snow is soft and
deep.
To be able to jump even moderately well will enormously improve your
running generally, and will give you a confidence and dash that can
hardly be acquired in any other way.
It is an excellent plan for the beginner to practise all the motions
of jumping while running down a slope, without any platform, and at
first without even a change of gradient. Make a mark on the ground;
run towards it, crouching; make the "Sats" as you reach it, springing
into the air if possible; drop into Telemark position, and straighten
up again. Practise this until on a slope where there is a slight change
of gradient you can make a jump of 3 or 4 yards steadily, and you will
find things come much easier when you try from a platform.
Finally, let me remind you of the childish plan that I have already
advocated, of pretending that you want to go faster than you are
actually moving. You can now pretend that you want to stay in the air
as long as possible--unless you really want to, which is unlikely at
first.
The man who wants to make a long jump is much more likely to stand than
the one who merely wants not to fall.
_Short Directions for the Jump._--Run in normal position until within
about 15 yards of the platform's edge (not so close if running very
fast), then bring your feet level and, _keeping your knees pressed
together_ and well forwards, crouch down as low as possible. When the
hands can touch the ankles draw them right back.
Just before reaching the edge of the platform make the "Sats" by either
of the following methods:--
1. Without raising the heels or moving the feet or legs below the
knees, swing your arms forward and upward and straighten yourself
smartly until your body and thighs are in a line with the lower part
of the legs. You will then, if you have moved from the knees only, be
leaning well forward.
2. Swinging the arms as before, spring vigorously almost straight
upwards from the platform, giving the body a slight forward tilting
motion as you do so, and straightening out completely from head to
foot, but this time raising the heels and finishing the spring from the
toes.
On completing the "Sats," hold the erect position during the flight
through the air, keeping the feet level and close together and the skis
parallel to each other and to the slope below.
Just before landing press the knees together, and, as you feel your
skis touch the snow, but not until then, drop into Telemark position.
The moment you feel steady straighten up again, finish your run in the
normal position, and swing or jump round.