Diamond Talk

Our mission in one sentence.

2007-12-30T05:39:00.000-07:00

The purpose of education is to teach one how to think, not what to think.
— Manly P. Hall

Welcome!

2007-12-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

For the background on what this is all about scroll to the last two posts:
Welcome to Diamond Talk
and
The Sports Diamond™: What it is. How it works.

Have fun with this. Please click the word "comments" below each entry if you have something to add. Discussion is welcome.

Also, check out www.epicski.com for more great ski stuff.

Weems

Doin' that crazy hand jive.

2007-12-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

And speakin' of hand jive!!!

2007-12-16T17:20:00.000-07:00

Does this fit the diamond. Well yes. But who cares?!!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe5w0_ray-charles-jerry-lee-lewis

The Will to Move Forward

2007-12-16T17:02:00.001-07:00

Why Charlie skis.

2007-12-15T17:19:00.000-07:00

A unique take on skiing.

Edge Change (dot com)

2007-12-13T05:22:00.001-07:00

What is it about the edge change?

Tiger Woods

2007-12-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

You have to LIVE your sport! This is the essence of the Sports Diamond™

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/tiger_woods_putts_baby_into_diaper

Motorcycle Diamond

2007-11-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

Speaking of the diamond, I had an interesting day/night today where, once more, the diamond kept me alive on my motorscoot. Please forgive if I "overshare" it. I just landed, and my adrenalin is only now starting to recede.

I rode from Aspen to Snowbird (400 miles)--leaving in snow flurries and arriving sometime after dark. The temperature never got above 40 degrees, and the wind chill was just breathtaking. (I stayed okay, because I've got some electric heating devices as well as the reasonably warm crash clothes I wear).

Above all, I drew deeply from my Will/Courage resources--even to get on the bike and go. I was scared--knowing the conditions were marginal, knowing that soon the discomfort would set in, but also knowing that I could do this. The Purpose was about joy, discovery, fascination, and staying on the rubber part of the bike. The technical issues (Power) were there on each turn, each passing of another vehicle, each patch of slick road--and the thinking and judgement being constantly challenged by the cold. And my favorite world: Touch--maintaining my sensitivity to the sound, the feel, the suspension in the corners, and the completely light touch on the grips. (Today I learned FINALLY to hold the grips from behind them, pushing forward rather than hanging on them pulling back, so I could really feel all the nuances of the highway.) Moving my mind/awareness from place to place like this....the time went by in an instant, the cold didn't matter, and the feeling of being PRESENT for seven hours was just incredible. It's amazing for me to go more than two minutes without daydreaming. On the dragon, I can do it for hours.

It's an interesting game around the idea of meditation. If meditation calms the mind, letting go of the chattering of my random thoughts, the motorcyling at speed does the same with the added value of threat: if you lose focus, their is no forgiveness, and the crash is very hard.

The biggest and greatest technical moment: I had been riding on dry road for about an hour, and then came around a long sweeper next to the Colorado River, with the sun in my eyes, and knowing that I was going into the shade, I looked up to the outside of the corner and realized that the sun had never hit this section of road today, so I chopped the throttle, grabbed a handful of the front brake, and while lightly rolling back on the throttle, I entered the turn with virtually no lean, and just danced through the corner on the ice. I smiled deeply, aware that the focus had been just exquisite and that this is what I had come for.

Now I happen to know that I'm a pretty intermediate rider, but I'm going to be good--because I really practice and I really focus and I really use all that I've got.

And can you tell that I'm really wired from the ride?

Now look below for the surfing version!

Laird Hamilton gets it!

2007-11-27T15:03:00.000-07:00

It's ready! Brilliant!

2007-11-19T17:58:00.000-07:00

The new DVD, "Brilliant Skiing, Every Day" is now ready for you to give to all your relatives and friends for Christmas. They have already written me and informed me that this is all they want! Below, I've posted a couple of pages to explain what the DVD is about, how to use it, and how to get the coaching you need. Hope you have some fun with it! It's about both the characters and the competencies of a bunch of my favorite ski pros!

Click on the documents and then magnify if you need to!

Sports Diamond™ Clip

2007-11-11T22:46:00.000-07:00

Here is a clip from our new DVD. Hope you enjoy it!

Also, check out the clips below to see some illustrations of the diamond in some arenas that we don't see often!

Touch

2007-11-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

This is what I mean by Touch in the diamond!

Will

2007-11-10T11:14:00.000-07:00

It comes in many forms!

More on Will

2007-11-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

Will plus Touch can equal unimaginable!

Golf Diamonds

2007-10-26T21:00:00.000-06:00

Ski/Golf Pro, John Wiltgen offers this golf lesson by J.C. Anderson. Study it carefully! It's the truth!

Juggling Diamonds

2007-10-26T20:23:00.001-06:00

A new post of an old but stunning video by Chris Bliss. This is what it is all about! Chris Bliss

Welcome to Diamond Talk

2006-11-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Sports Diamond™ is an organic model and strategy for creating a brilliant day--every day--in sports. It is designed to imitate both life and sports--providing structure around the chaotic turmoil of action, and infinite flexibility within the clarity of structure.

This, in itself, is fertile ground for discussion. Diamond Talk intends to be that discussion.

Diamond Talk will not be a general skiing forum. I refer you to www.epicski.com for the best of that. Nor will it replace ski lessons. I refer you to the Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen/Snowmass (www.aspensnowmass.com) (or other PSIA ski schools [website] for the best of that.

Diamond Talk is about real life use of the Sports Diamond™--especially in skiing but, through metaphor and experience, in other sports as well. It will also range to discussions of sports in general--what they do, what they are, and what they mean to us.

In it we'll explore the Sports Diamond™ and our own magic in sports through stories, questions, answers, examples, photos, cartoons, arguments, and jokes.

We’ll let you know as new stuff of interest makes its way into the Diamond Talk pages. I hope it’s a place you’ll visit often for refreshment, inspiration, and ideas.

Happy skiing,

Weems

The Sports Diamond™: What it is. How it works.

2006-11-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

I use the Sports Diamond™ as much more than a model. It can be a checklist, a filing system, a road map, a platform, or a set of lenses.

The point of it is simply that there are many elements of skiing, and this is a good way of organizing them so that we can access and address them as they are needed.

The other point is that many athletes fail because they get stuck on one track and don’t know how to get off. They don’t know how to get off because they don’t see another track. The Sports Diamond™ is a menu of other tracks to move to.

The way it works is that you switch tracks—with frequency and agility. If something is working, keep working with it. But don’t work with it to long—at the expense of other elements—or the one you’re working on will surely fail.

Examples:

1. If I have anxiety, and I’m learning to deal with it this is a good thing. But if I don’t then move on to other elements, the anxiety becomes amplified and it overwhelms all the other stuff. It’s okay to stay in the Will corner if it’s a good place for you, but it won’t be a good place unless you let it be informed and supported by the other resources.
2. If I’m learning all the cool moves, this is good. It changes everything an helps me ski better. But if I just keep working on the technique, it becomes boring, confusing, and it’s application becomes narrow (say, I only ski groomed slopes or only one kind of turn, and don’t challenge myself anyfurther.) Technique needs Purpose, feel (Touch), and Commitment (Will) to be effective and efficient.