General Tips For Getting The Most Out Of The Series

FOLLOW THE DRILLS IN ORDER
The drills in the Building Blocks DVD's have been arranged in an order meant to provide a gradual and systematic development of skills. Each new skill builds on the last, and prepares you for the next. Work on the drills in the order presented. It will make the learning process easiest and most complete.
BEGIN NEW DRILLS ON EASY TERRAIN
If you have the terrain available, always begin learning new skills on flatter slopes that have good snow, and are well groomed. The initial challenge should be confined to learning the skill, not dealing with ice, rough snow, or steep slopes.
EXAGGERATE THE TASK
When attempting a new drill, exaggerate the drills task. If you're being asked to move your weight forward, move it WAY forward. Your want to feel a strong contrast between your normal way of skiing, and the way the drill asks you to ski. An important part of the Building Blocks program is gaining a keen awareness of exactly how you are skiing, and developing the ability to modify it at will. Exaggerating the task is a key to doing that.
DO DIFFICULT DRILLS IN A TRAVERSE FIRST
The drills in the Building Blocks program are usually introduced in a half turn version first, or sometimes in a full single turn version. You may find that sometimes even these versions are hard to do. In those cases, try doing the new drill in a traverse first. Start facing across the slope, and turn uphill to a stop, while doing the task the drill asks. Progress by steepening your traverse, working up to a half turn, then a full turn, then proceed with the lesson plan.
PRACTICE UNTIL YOU GET IT RIGHT
It's very important to NOT rush through the drills. It takes time for new skills and movement patterns to embed themselves in your body's muscle memory. Practice each new skill until you can do it reasonably well, and you start to feel somewhat comfortable with it. Perfection is not the initial goal, just a basic level of competence. Perfection will come later, with continued practice and refinement.
ALWAYS PRACTICE BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT TURNS
In the interest of time, I don't demo both left and right single turns for each drill. But in your training you should practice both, one at a time, before attempting to link turns.
MOVE TO STEEPER TERRAIN TO REFINE SKILL
Once you get comfortable and confident doing a drill on gentle terrain, refine your skill at it by moving to steeper terrain. Advance in small steps. Go from beginner slopes, to intermediate slopes. Not straight from beginner to expert slopes. Re-establish comfort and confidence on the new terrain, then refine further by stepping up in steepness again. Later, refine you skills even further by choosing more difficult snow and grooming. Think moguls, ice, powder, and crud snow.
REVIEW
As you work your way through the drills, frequently step back to review and practice the skills you've previously learned. Each review will further embed your new skills into your muscle memory, and make you more proficient at them. This will solidify your skill base, and allow easier adoption of each new skill. It's a learning process that feeds upon itself. That's why I call the program Building Blocks; you're building a rock solid house of skills, one block at a time. It's a house that will introduce you to a world of ski ability few ever come to know.
DON'T EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN OVERNIGHT
One final word of advice; that word is PATIENCE! The process works, but it takes time, and it takes persistence. Do the drills, keep practicing, keep following the program. There are no shortcuts to expert skiing. If there were, there'd be many more experts around.
Make the learning process fun.
It needn't be like taking ill tasting medicine. Make the training part of your free-skiing. Each new skill you learn will provide and incremental reward you'll come to relish and want to repeat. You'll feel the difference in your skiing with each new skill you learn. It's a process you just may find addicting.