Alpine Skiing: Steps to Success (Steps to Success Activity Series)

You have taken your first step to success in learning to ski with the purchase of this book. Alpine Skiing: Steps to Success combines the knowledge and experience of master teacher John Yacenda with the latest developments in learning how to become a safe and proficient Alpine skier.

Alpine Skiing: Steps to Success is a unique guide designed to minimize the time it takes you to learn to ski. It is a breakthrough in sport skill instruction through its development of complete learning progressions--the steps to success. You will climb 12 steps on your way to skiing success. Each step (chapter)

* explains why the concept or skill is important,

* identifies the keys to correct technique,

* helps you correct common errors,

* explains how to practice each skill in realistic ways,

* lists specific performance goals for each drill,

* gives you a summary checklist for evaluating proper technique, and

* lets you proceed at your own pace.

Each of the steps you will take is an easy transition from the one before. Your first few steps provide a solid foundation of basic skills and concepts. As you progress you will learn how to position yourself more effectively on skis to control their movement--whether gliding, stopping, turning, or traversing. As you approach the top of your climb to success, you will gain the skills to confidently ski in the fall line of your chosen terrain and experience the satisfaction of becoming an accomplished alpine skier.

John Yacenda is an accomplished skier and educator. He has coached and taught many sports since 1975, including football, soccer, baseball, track and field, skiing, snowboarding, and athletic training. He is the Alpine and Technical Director for Alpine Sports in Reno, Nevada, and he teaches skiing and snowboarding to both individuals and groups. His method of alpine skiing has been taught to skiers as young as 3 and to adults over 70.

Dr. Yacenda is the author of High Performance Skiing, published by Leisure Press. He is also a contributing editor for Fitness Management and Let's Live magazines and writes a Ski Tips column for North Tahoe Week. In 1975, he earned his doctorate in health education and psychology from Union Graduate School in Cincinnati. From 1971 to 1986, he taught health sciences at several California colleges and universities. Now he devotes more time to snowboarding, skiing, and writing about skiing and athletic training.

When not on the slopes, Dr. Yacenda enjoys other sports, including tennis, cycling, and water sports. He cross-trains throughout the year, and in the summer he competes with the Masters Swim Club, the Reno Family YMCA Prairie Otters, and in United States Masters Swimming sanctioned open-water competitions. Since 1985, Dr. Yacenda has conducted a ski conditioning program with 65 adult skiers at the Reno Family YMCA. The YMCA and the Sports West Athletic Club in Reno are his two homes away from home.