Table Of ContentTHE SCIENCE OF ALPINE SKI RACING
Alpine skiing or downhill skiing is defined by six disciplines: Downhill, Super G, Giant
Slalom, Slalom, Parallel, and Combined that test the athletes’ technical abilities and speed. It
has long been a popular sport with many national and international championships and is a
mainstay of the Winter Olympic Games.
The Science of Alpine Ski Racing is the first book to discuss the science, coaching, research,
and training of elite to recreational alpine ski racers for optimal performance. This book
brings together the complex physiological, biomechanical, and technical components of the
sport in a practical manner with which coaches and researchers alike can adopt to elicit better
performance outcomes for athletes. Literature of this kind has never been formally researched
and published specifically for the sport of alpine ski racing making it both unique and a cor-
nerstone to the discipline.
Backed by cutting-edge research, the book provides practical guidance on preparing ath-
letes for high performance and understanding the core tenets of sports science underpinning
it striking a balance between the complex theoretical and practical components coaches and
athletes must prepare for in alpine ski racing.
Accessibly written and featuring contributions from world-leading experts, The Science of
Alpine Ski Racing covers key topics of health, training, and high performance in the sport and
will be vital reading for youth coaches, professional ski instructors, strength and condition-
ing coaches, and sports science staff associated with winter sports programs as well as applied
researchers looking for a model to apply to other sports.
James (Jimmy) Pritchard is a human performance specialist/sports scientist who has trained
and consulted athletes at the Olympic, NHL, NFL, and Division I collegiate level. Specific to
alpine ski racing, he served as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Ski and Snow-
board Club Vail in Vail, Colorado where he helped prepare a long list of US Ski Team athletes
including Alice McKennis, Mikaela Shiffrin, and Tess Johnson. He is a certified strength and
conditioning specialist (CSCS) as well as registered strength and conditioning coach (RSCC)
through the NSCA working with athletes and human performance program managers on a
regular basis to find optimal human performance solutions.
James has presented at conferences around the United States discussing long term athlete
development, written over 150 articles for several media outlets, has been published in the
NSCA’s Strength and Conditioning Journal, and taught courses about strength and condi-
tioning at Colorado Mountain College. James holds a BSc in Exercise Science from Colorado
Mesa University and MSc degree in Exercise Science from Edith Cowan University. Connect
with him at [email protected].
Jim Taylor, PhD, Psychology, is an internationally recognized authority on the psychology
of sport and parenting. He has consulted with athletes, coaches, and parents in tennis,
skiing, cycling, triathlon, track and field, swimming, football, golf, baseball, fencing, and
many other sports for more than 30 years. Dr. Taylor is the author of 17 books and the
editor of 4 textbooks on sport psychology. He is also a former world-ranked alpine ski racer,
second-degree black belt in karate, marathon runner, and Ironman triathlete.
THE SCIENCE OF ALPINE
SKI RACING
Edited by James Pritchard and Jim Taylor
Designed cover image: technotr
First published 2023
by Routledge
605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158
and by Routledge
4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 selection and editorial matter, James Pritchard and Jim Taylor; individual
chapters, the contributors
The right of Jimmy Pritchard and Jim Taylor to be identified as the authors of the
editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted
in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter
invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to
infringe.
ISBN: 978-1-032-19350-2 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-19349-6 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-25877-3 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003258773
Typeset in Bembo Std
by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.
To my parents and my wife Rachel, who have always
supported me and believed in me. – James Pritchard
Taylor & Francis
Taylor & Francis Group
http://taylorandfrancis.com
CONTENTS
List of Figures ix
List of Tables xi
List of Boxes xiii
List of Contributors xiv
Foreword xvi
Preface xviii
1 Biomechanics 1
Matt R. Cross and Christian Raschner
2 Physiology 25
David W. Bacharach and Matt R. Cross
3 Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition 45
Stefan Lindinger, David W. Bacharach, and Jim Taylor
4 Strength and Power Training 59
James Pritchard and Matt R. Cross
5 Endurance Training 85
Carson Patterson
6 Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation 113
Matt Jordan, Jörg Spörri, and Jim Taylor
viii Contents
7 Nutrition 154
Makayla Meixner and David W. Bacharach
8 Mental Training 177
Jim Taylor and Karla Kubitz
9 Program Design 203
James Pritchard
Index 223
LIST OF FIGURES
1.1 External forces while skiing 7
1.2 Force output from each limb during two consecutive ski turns 9
1.3 Averaged total force output during ski turns over a course 10
2.1 Energy pathway related to intensity and time 30
2.2 Peripheral adaptations of endurance training 32
2.3 One SL training loop using a portable metabolic measurement system 33
2.4 Schematic of physiological factors that contribute to fatigue
and/or performance in alpine skiing recreated (Ferguson, 2010).
Dashed lines indicate inhibitory effects 35
3.1 Parts of the human brain and their function 46
4.1 A depiction of the force-velocity relationship of the lower limbs
during extension 61
4.2 Lower-limb force-velocity relationship of two athlete with matched
maximum power, but different underlying capacities 62
5.1 Blood lactate values in alpine ski racing 103
6.1 Factors influencing ACL re-injury 115
6.2 A model for the recursive nature of sport injury 115
6.3 Effects of training on reducing the risk of injury in alpine skiing
and developing a physically prepared skier (Windt & Gabbett, 2016) 117
6.4 Summary of etiology-derived approaches for preventing
ACL injuries in alpine ski racing 121
6.5 Time frame of ACL injury in alpine ski racing highlighting
the importance of explosive strength capacity 124
6.6 Factors involved in ACL injury prevention in alpine ski racing 125
6.7 Establishing a ski-specific envelope of function for alpine ski racing 129
6.8 The interdisciplinary performance team (IPT) 130
6.9 Milestone approach to managing the post ACL injury recovery period 130
