Skating 1:1 in cross-country skiing: one double-pole push with every leg push. How to couple poles and legs, when V2 is faster and when to switch.
Skating 1:1 – internationally V2 or “gear 3” – means: with every leg push you plant both poles at the same time [2][3]. It is the most-used skating technique and also the one most often studied scientifically [3]. The honest answer to “Which skating technique is the standard on the flat?”: this one.
The German Ski Instructors Association places 1:1 in Learning Level Red of its Nordic curriculum, one level after 1:2 [1][6]. A hint from the review on sprint skiers: G3 (V2) is mainly skied on flat to moderate climbs, G2 (V1) on moderate to steep ones [2]. On a 60-metre uphill at 7–10° – roughly 12–18 % gradient – V1 and the double-push were faster than V2 in six elite skiers [4]. So V2 is your tool for flats and gentle climbs, not for steep hills.
How hard is it? V2 requires leg push and double-pole plant to match in time, and equally on both sides. How many hours you need, no study tells.
Practise without poles first: push off, glide on one ski, switch sides. Milestone: you glide calmly on both sides, for equal lengths. This is practice, not a study value.
One drill for this: glide for five pushes without poles and count aloud. Then the same stretch with poles in your hands but without planting. Only after that does the double-pole come in. This way you separate leg work and arm work cleanly (practice).
V2 means a synchronised pole plant with every push: both poles at once, symmetrically [3]. Practise the pair of arms standing, then in slow gliding.
Link the double-pole plant with the leg push: one push, one double-pole – again and again. The exact timing within the leg step is hard to convey in text; a course or a video comparison helps. Milestone: 200 metres of flat with an even rhythm. This value is experience.
Let the hips work: they rotate and shift sideways, especially on snow [3]. How much is shown in the pro tip – as an example, not a target.
Ski V2 on gentle climbs. When it gets steeper, switch back to 1:2 – V1 and the double-push were faster uphill [4]. The art lies in the switch: in the sprint literature the faster skiers changed technique less often [2]. Milestone: you recognise the point where V2 gets sticky and switch cleanly.
Roller skis are not snow. In a study of nine well-trained men at 8° incline, the authors compared V2 on roller skis and on snow: on snow hip rotation was larger (22.2 ± 7.7° instead of 14.1 ± 4.7°), lateral hip displacement was larger (44.1 instead of 37.2 cm) and pole push time was longer (422 instead of 386 ms – just under four tenths of a second) [3]. For you this means: if you train on roller skis in summer, re-check your hip work on snow in winter.
A second trick (practice): film yourself from behind for 100 metres. Do both poles really land at the same time? Do the ski tips point outward evenly, left and right? Two answers are often enough to plan your next session.
One double-pole plant with every leg push, symmetrically. Internationally the technique is called V2 or “gear 3”; it is also called “one-beat”. V2 is the most-used skating technique and mainly runs on flat to moderate climbs; on steep terrain you switch to 1:2 [2][3].
On flat to moderate climbs you ski 1:1, on moderately steep to steep climbs 1:2. Over 60 metres at 7–10° incline, V1 and the double-push were even faster than V2 in elite skiers. Remember: V2 is your tool for the flat, not for the steep hill [2][4].
The DSLV lists 1:1 in Learning Level Red, after the simpler 1:2 technique. The coordination is demanding because leg push and double-pole plant must match in time, on both sides. How long it takes has not been studied – plan patience and one or two video analyses [1][6].
In long races, skiers used the often faster G3 technique less and the slower G2 more as fatigue grew. The authors recommend deliberately practising V2 on flat to slightly rising terrain early in the session before you are tired – then the technique stays stable longer [5].
Largely yes, but not completely: on snow, hip rotation, lateral hip displacement and pole push time were larger than on roller skis. If you train on roller skis in summer, re-check your hip work on snow in winter so that the familiar movement matches snow reality [3].
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