Course Annotation

Professional guarantee: PaedDr. Jan Ondráček, Ph.D.

Winter training courses are traditionally part of primary and secondary schools curriculums. A tradition of skiing in the Czech Republic is therefore reflected in pedagogues’ ski education. Contrary of other European countries, in the Czech Republic a graduate of pedagogue orientation with PE field of knowledge is entitled to organize a winter training course and acts as a skiing instructor according to the law. Nevertheless this procedure has its difficulties, so that pedagogues should be further educated in a way as is usual for another fields of knowledge. This is usually not happing because of lack of knowledge about the issue or lack of finances.

Downhill skiing went through so called Carving Revolution in 1996 – 2000. Pedagogues (graduates of mentioned universities) that graduated after the year 2000 have been educated according to methodics corresponding with an actual level of knowledge. Today’s situation in the carving skiing is different from many point of view from the time of old constructions and this brings lots of new elements into this issue.

Skis of today’s construction have completely different qualities apart from those that were constructed 10 years ago.
Former skis typology was essentially spread based on pupils’ possibilities and preferences.

Radical changes in skis’ construction are also reflected into a skiing technique. Today’s technique is based on the carving character of a curve flowing from skis’ attributes.

A modern methodics in relation with carving skis leads towards a faster advance in motor learning with usage of adopted skills and reflexes (bicycling, in-line skating).

With regard to demand for well-maintained ski slopes (where might be the carving technique applied) already majority of skiing resorts are daily do the maintaining. A necessary part of maintain the ski slopes became as well the artificial snowing that brings good snow conditions for skiers. On the other hand it brings an unusual terrain that is different from a natural snow.

Studies comparing injuries from an onset of the carving and from the former times show lots of differences. However they correspond in four items.

• The well-maintained ski slopes enable higher speed even for skiers with basic technique.
• There are different mechanisms of injuries than before (hands injuries and injuries of upper part of body in comparison with legs injuries).
• Thanks to the completely different character of the carving skiing there are often collisions with tragical consequences.
• Thanks to the more significant overload in curves there is earlier onset of fatigue. This leads towards more faults and more injuries. Therefore the injuries happen in different time than before.

The skills and knowledge of PE pedagogues should correspond with this state. Postgraduate courses for these pedagogues are often ignored by headmasters, eventually rejected based on insufficient finance situation. Pedagogues’ reputation and respect might be therefore weakened in cases when the pupils are more educated in skiing then theirs pedagogues.

The aim of the seminar is to acquire competences in modern and safety education for winter training courses. The course content is practical (tanning in the snow, racecarving, funcarving, elements of modern skiing in the school skiing) consisting basics of the modern winter tourism conception (snowshoes, orientation in winter terrain, psychomotor on snow) as well as innovative elements of cross country skiing.

The course content is in a compliance with the RVP (Frame Educational Program) curriculum.