| What is PMTS |
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Read the Journal of Ski Area Management's review of a PMTS lesson:
What is The Primary Movements Teaching System (PMTS)? PMTS direct parallel® is the only complete ski instruction system offered as an alternative to traditional wedge/stem based teaching approaches. From day one, PMTS learners are taught the same movements that expert skiers use – and that they will need to become expert skiers themselves. Why wait until you are an intermediate to learn expert parallel skiing? Whatever your present ability, learn it right now!
PMTS is an emphasis on movements.
PMTS is a movement focused system for understanding and teaching skiing. It was originally developed by Harald Harb. The basic premise is that skiing is a physical activity comprised of a basic set of essential movements. Though skiing also involves important mental aspects such as intentions, strategic decisions, and fear control, etc., any motivation must eventually, be translated into a movement that has a causal effect on the skis. Therefore, focusing on improving one’s ability to perform the movements which are most effective for modern ski design is an essential learning task for those wishing to improve their skiing.
PMTS is an emphasis on essentials.
PMTS instruction focuses on teaching a skier to perform skiing’s essential movements and understand their causal effects and relationships. If skiers can perform those movements and understand their effect in one’s skiing, then they have a basic set of tools to make the skis fulfill their intentions, make appropriate strategic decisions, and address their apprehensions. If one does not addressing these essential movements learning becomes difficult and haphazard.
PMTS is an emphasis on the objective aspects of skiing.
In contrast to more common methods of instruction focused on skills, PMTS emphasizes movements because they are physically definable, and objective. They are clearly connected to basic concepts in anatomy and kinesiology and therefore, can be more easily identified, learned, and assessed by the skier.
Each movement has a defined set of causal effects. Probably the most identifiable movement in PMTS can be used as an easy example here. PMTS presents the movement of “inversion” of the free foot (i.e., tipping the inside foot or the foot in the direction of the turn) as one of the most essential movements in skiing. Ironically, it is also a movement very much missing in many people’s skiing. If you have never thought of it before, take heart. It is a big benefit just waiting to be discovered – and fairly easy to learn. Inversion is commonly referred to as tipping to the little toe edge (LTE). When done with emphasis, tipping to the LTE results in a set of clear external cues such as a clear “O frame” in the legs/knees. Easily identifiable cues such as the presence of an O-frame as opposed to the presence of an A-frame help make determining success and failure easier for the student. Once identified it can also be easier to identify and understand the causal effect in one’s skiing.
PMTS is concise and systematic.
An easy way to understand the two groups is to think of skiing as controlling how one tips the skis on/off edge while staying in balance. Primary movements are those that control edging and pressure. Secondary movements are those that help maintain balance while edging.
In its roughest outline, PMTS breaks skiing down into five sets of discreet movements arranged into two groups.
Primary movements:
1. Inversion/ Eversion
2. Dorsiflexion/ Plantarflexion
3. Flexion/ Extension
Secondary movements:
1. Counter balancing
2. Counter acting
PMTS is applicable to all aspects of high level skiing.
These movements in combination comprise the minimum set of movements that can be used to produce effective all-mountain skiing. There may be a myriad of other movements which are possible to do on skis, but other movements tend to have unwanted negative effects. They tend to or disrupt balance, detract from the skis’ effectiveness, and decreases efficiency. Therefore, PMTS confines itself to addressing those movements considered most essential to skiing in general. In PMTS, the movements that are learned by a beginner on a green level slope are the same as those used by a racer in a course, a bump skier on a double black diamond run, or a powder skier in the back country.
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