According to the Functional Asymmetry Principle, motor behavior tends to go through asymmetric development periods, thus, everyone may have the propensity to frequently use one corporeal side more than the other.
In skiing, both sides are used but there is a preference for one since we feel more confident while turning, and especially stopping, using our dominant side. Although skiing is a symmetrical activity executed in the same way to both sides and movements follow a cyclic functioning, we may be aware of our dominant side.
Motor dominance could be genetically determined but it may also be acquired. We are not born left or right-handed but we acquire such condition by genetic trend or by the environment in which we grow. This dominance also influences the way in which we challenge new learning situations since for picking up new information, we have better access through our dominant senses and also, we best show what we have learned with the dominant hand or foot.
In addition, not only we favor limbs of one side but also an eye and an ear. For instance, it is designated as the dominant eye the one that has supremacy on the other. In relation to the head, our dominant eye tends to tilt it to the opposite side. Gaze orientation through head rotation (Tonic Neck Reflex) towards one side increases our muscle tone of that side creating laterality.
While skiing, certain faults come from motor dominance. Our weaker side is stressed and our skilled side dominates movements and posture. To compensate for this situation, simple exercises may be applied as stopping repeatedly on the weaker side or paying attention to what and how it is done with the skilled side, reproducing it with our non-dominant side.
The Function of Brain Hemispheres in Body Asymmetry
Human body structure tends to be asymmetrical and the differences between both brain hemispheres influence this condition. Both hemispheres are used but one is preferred, especially in stressful situations in which both cease to communicate among themselves as they normally do; one takes control favoring one side of our body and this predisposes greater motor differences than non-stressful situations.
Lateral Dominance According to Skier’s Technical Level
Many skiers use preferably the dominant side which could be normal up to a certain level. In beginner levels, it is observed how this dominance noticeably appears when practicing an activity requiring some strength or ability, and normally they tend to exert one-half of the body rather than the other. In more advanced levels, it might be assumed that the dominance level has been balanced.
Corporal Laterality
We perceive our corporal laterality taking our body longitudinal axis as a reference and, being aware of both sides, we must relate them to the adopting posture in our trajectory direction.
In foot and leg laterality, it is emphasized that the Dynamic leg is the one used, for example, for kicking a ball; and the Standing leg is the opposite. The Dominant foot is the one used for kicking and normally we have a dynamic leg and a dominant foot on the same body side.
Crossed laterality is when, having defined laterality as right or left-handed/footed, there is a preference for the opposite hand or foot, e.g., writing with the right hand and kicking with the left foot. This could affect posture acquisition or increase reaction time during particular situations because we may doubt in using one or the other side.
Regarding laterality in direction changes, in addition to the dominant foot and leg, we must take into account shoulder and hip since the predominance of one of these joints could imply also the preference of posture on the turning side.
The lateral dominance of the lower limbs influences skiing. According to a study by Vaverka & Vodickova, left turns of skiers with the right dominance have longer steering phases and are used to regulate speed.
Mirror System Motor Functioning
To perform a movement, motor neurons allow executing actions and mirror neurons are activated when we observe other skier’s actions, providing brain information with the same intensity we ourselves would be performing those actions. This particular functioning system influences our skiing motor learning. Our movements’ planning is activated thanks to these neurons, with single skiing mental simulation (internal imitation), or while observing photos or videos of people skiing. These neurons induce simulating or imitating other skiers’ intentions helping to understand their actions and having the impression of being mentally skiing.
Kinesthetic Empathy
For the common eye, watching a skier could be just a superfluous visual image but for the trained observer, looking someone skiing can get to be a significant sensory experience. This is called Kinesthetic Empathy, i.e., the ability to perceive muscle and joint sensations connected to movements as if they were our own by merely observing another skier. In this case, watching skiing in real time or in video includes not just our gaze but our entire body since it accompanies the observed skier’s movements.
Kinesthetic empathy is the embodied simulation by which the observed skier is understood by looking at his movements. It is the observer’s intent to experience actions through internal movements activating the same brain areas of the viewed skier.
Framework Matrix of Motor Control in Skiing
| Functional Asymmetry & Laterality Concept | Neurological Control & Hemispheric Function | Bio-mechanical Leg Role & Skeletal Alignment | Tactical Turn Geometry & Speed Regulation | Cognitive Load, Sensory Processing & Mirror Systems | Learning Progression Stage & Diagnostics |
| Functional Asymmetry Principle | Shifting between periods of asymmetric development where one corporeal side is systematically preferred over the other. | Processing high-stress environmental inputs by allowing one preferred brain hemisphere to seize absolute motor control. | Relying heavily on the dominant side to execute high-pressure emergency stopping maneuvers. | Experiencing predictable performance drops and directional structural instability when turning toward the non-dominant side. | Overcoming the instinctive urge to favor the dominant side during highly stressful or high-velocity descents. |
| Tonic Neck Reflex Laterality | Rotating the head and neck structure toward one side to induce an involuntary local muscle tone spike. | Tilting the skull structure toward the opposite side of the dominant eye due to ocular supremacy. | Forcing asymmetrical muscle tension across the upper torso via unmanaged gaze orientation. | Unintentionally altering the slope trajectory line due to head rotation induced body twisting. | Activating the Tonic Neck Reflex to map out lateral boundaries via structured gaze orientation. |
| Crossed Laterality Dilemma | Preferring opposite sides of the body for different motor tasks (e.g., right-handed writing but left-footed kicking). | Increasing total cognitive processing and motor reaction time during split-second decision windows. | Struggling to achieve immediate, symmetrical posture acquisition when crossing the fall line. | Experiencing tactical hesitation or doubt when choosing which foot to load at the turn initiation. | Suffering high internal cognitive load due to conflicting structural lateral dominance signals. |
| Dynamic vs. Standing Leg Role | Isolating the dynamic leg used for active projection from the standing leg used for weight bearing. | Distributing specific asymmetric neurological commands to the lower limbs based on function. | Loading the standing leg to absorb heavy G-forces while using the dynamic leg to slice the arc. | Choosing wider, more cautious path corridors on the side governed by the weaker standing leg. | Tracking the longitudinal body axis to perceive spatial laterality relative to the path. |
| Joint-Driven Posture Preference | Establishing a strong preference for a specific posture side based on shoulder or hip joint dominance. | Transmitting asymmetric rotational torque from the pelvic and pectoral girdles down to the skis. | Locking the dominant hip or shoulder joint, which forces an unintended lean or skid profile. | Altering the entry speed of the turn based on which joint complex dominates the posture. | Recognizing that joint dominance alters the subconscious mental map of the entire body. |
| Vaverka & Vodickova Speed Model | Utilizing the dominant right foot to lengthen the steering phase during left-hand turns. | Structuring specific neurological braking cycles over the non-dominant turn trajectory. | Relying on the dominant lower limb to execute fine-motor speed regulation and edge tracking. | Executing longer, highly controlled dominant turn arcs to one side to manage velocity down steep pitches. | Reducing speed-induced anxiety by expanding the duration of the dominant-leg steering phase. |
| Asymmetric Fault Compensation | Over-stressing the weaker side of the body while the skilled side completely dominates posture. | Reproducing highly precise motor commands from the skilled side directly into the non-dominant side. | Executing repeated, high-volume stopping maneuvers exclusively on the weaker body side. | Paying deliberate, hyper-focused attention to the micro-movements of the skilled leg during turns. | Shifting cognitive focus from the final descent result to the non-dominant replication process. |
| Mirror System Activation | Firing localized motor neurons at identical intensities by merely observing another skier’s actions. | Triggering complex internal movement planning via pure visual observation of photos or videos. | Simulating specific joint angles and muscle firing patterns through internal imitation. | Enhancing mental visualization of high-velocity lines before executing the actual descent. | Achieving an identical neural footprint to physical skiing via deep mental simulation. |
| Kinesthetic Empathy Simulation | Perceiving intense muscle and joint sensations connected to movements by watching another skier. | Activating identical brain regions as the viewed athlete via embodied neural simulation. | Experiencing vicarious muscular tension and skeletal angulation shifts throughout the body. | Internalizing advanced, fluid line strategies through real-time observation of expert skiers. | Transforming a superficial visual image into a highly visceral, deep physical sensation. |
