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Styleslalom: Theory and examples-applications
INTRODUCTION
In 1995, when I started practicing Slalom, very few steps had been created, about 10. Styleslalom consisted in repeating these steps on after the other one fro the first to the last cone.
The most spectacular steps were Ala step and its generalization I called Mabrouk.
Nobody knows the origin of the the Ala and Mabrouk steps.
Somebody told me that they were seen performed for the first time without the cones in Switzerland, in a VHS coming from US, in the '80ies and '90ies. This tape inspired the swiss freestylers who then tried these tricks between the cones. In America the Mabrouk step is called "grapevine" and the ala step was then called "crazy" step by the french skaters.
I saw the Mabrouk for the first time in Zurigo in 1995, performed by the winner of the competition who took place in that city. I gave it this name in memory of Hedi Mabrouk, a great skater from Lausanne, dead a few months before.
In 1996 I introduced a theory that gave the key to build many new steps from the basic steps that were known in those years.
The technical dictionary which gives the meaning of the technical words used in slalom can be seen at this link: a scientific approach to styleslalom. This dictionary was the base of the rules for freestyle slalom I wrote for FIHP many years ago, when FIHP was interested in having the Style slalom as an official discipline.
I created the first compositions with Crazy and Mabrouk steps and I called them Ala flowers and Mabrouk flowers. They became well known in the 90ies and I will show them later in this document as examples.
Let's try now to resume the theory with very few rules that allow a freestyler to create new compositions starting from steps he already knows.
RULE 1
Choose a not symmetric step and try alternating it with its opposite, that is performing it on
one
side and on the other, using another basic step to change from one to the other one.
This rule allows you to build a symmetric step starting from a step that is not symmetric adding its opposite
Example 1: The 2 crazy flowers forward
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Component Steps: double crazy, ala step performed from both sides
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Sequence: double crazy + ala step + double crazy + ala step from the other side (switchstance)
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The switch between one step and the next must be performed on every cup
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Properties: symmetric and periodic step, with period T=5
Example VIDEO1
Example2: The 2 Back crazy flowers
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Component steps: back double crazy, crazy step from both sides
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Sequence: back double crazy + crazy step from one side + back double crazy + crazy step from the other side
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Elementary steps must be changed at every cup
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Properties: symmetric and periodic step, with period T=5
NOTE 1:
I like to call these compositions "flowers" because if you practice them with wet wheels, they leave impressions of flower petals on the floor.
Example: VIDEO2
Example 3: Forward Mabrouk flowers
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Component Steps: double crazy, Mabrouk step from both sides
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Sequence: double crazy+Mabrouk step from one side+double crazy+ Mabrouk step from the other side (switchstance)
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The switch between one step and the next must be performed on every cup.
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Properties: symmetric and periodic step, with period T=10.
Example VIDEO3
Example 4: Back Mabrouk flowers
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" Component steps : back double crazy, Mabrouk step from both sides
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Sequence: back double crazy+ Mabrouk step from one side + back double crazy+ Mabrouk step from the other side
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Elementary steps must be changed at every cup
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Properties: symmetric and periodic step, with period T=10
NOTE 2:
I like to call these compositions "flowers of Mabrouk forwards and backwards" even if they have nothing to do with flowers.
Example VIDEO4
Example 5:
The sideways walk and its opposite changing every two cones using the forward eagle walk.
VIDEO5
Example 6:
The sideways walk and its opposite changing every cone using 180 turns.
VIDEO6
Example 7:
Forward eagle walk
VIDEO7
Example 8:
Backward eagle walk
VIDEO8
Example 9:
The 2 crazy flowers alternated by the crossed eagle
VIDEO9
Example 10:
The 2 crazy flowers alternated using the forward eagle walk
VIDEO10
Example 11:
The 2 crazy flowers alternated using the backward eagle walk
VIDEO11
Example 12:
Backward eagle walk alternated by tip-tap on one leg
VIDEO12
Example 13:
Forward half compasses
VIDEO13
Example 14:
Backward half compasses
VIDEO14
Example 15:
Forward volte alternated by the double crazy
VIDEO15
Example 16:
Compass and its opposite
VIDEO16
RULE 2:
Chose two steps, A and B, with one the inverse of the other, (supposing that A isn't antymetric, that is A different by B). Try to alternate them every one, or two cups, always using, like switch step, one among the steps you know.
This rule allows you creating an antimetric step starting from a more simple step that is not antimetric
Example 17:
The double crazy and the backward one are one the inverse of the other one and can be alternated using as a switch trick the eagle or the antieagle.
VIDEO17
Example 18:
The forward eagle walk and the backward eagle walk, are one the inverse of the other one and can be alternated by a simple eagle. You can see this in the next video.
VIDEO18
Example 19:
Switches of half compasses forward and backward
VIDEO19
Example 20: The 4 crazy flowers
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Component steps: double crazy, back double crazy, crazy step from both sides
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Sequence: double crazy + crazy step + double crazy + crazy step from the other side + back double crazy + crazy step + back double crazy + crazy step from the other side: the forward crazy flowers + the back crazy flowers.
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" Elementary steps must be changed at every cup
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Properties: symmetric, antymetric and periodic step, with period T=10
Example of the 4 crazy flowers performance VIDEO20
NOTE 3: It's possible to apply RULE1 only to steps that aren't symmetric
and
RULE2 only to steps that aren't antymetric. In fact, if it wasn't like
that,
the opposite and inverse steps would be equal to the original step an
so you
won't have two different steps to alternate.
NOTE 4: Resuming, a step that, in origin, is neither symmetric nor
antymetric, may be completed adding, by a switch, first, its opposite.
So
you obtain a symmetric compounded step to which it's possible then to
add
the inverse step by another switch. The final result is a symmetric and
antymetric step, called " the extension " of the original step, and
represents the best composition that you can create beginning from the
original step.
For example the extension of the Ala crossed step gives the 4 Ala
flowers.
To switch from one step to its opposite or inverse one you can use another step, the one you prefer, for example compasses, walks (double crazy) , and so on.
Exercise: I want to propose you to create a trick using these rules. So, watch the following movies and you will see a step called " anti-eagle back cross”
VIDEO21
You must first understand and perform the inverse step, then to alternate them using, like switch step, or to let your imagination run away with you!
Hint: you can see the inverse step performance if you play the film pushing the bottom backward!
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