Jussi Piirainen had observed the skiing of foreigners and Finns at the World Cup level and noticed that the Finns’ rhythm had more long gliding. 

“I started to wonder whether we could have a different approach. I started to research whether this observation of mine was correct and what the right approach would be. Is it to focus on long glide as the Finns think, or is there another way to approach ski training? Studying this started from a coaching point of view,” says Piirainen to Maastohiihto.com.

Piirainen was asked to become a researcher by fellow coach Olli Ohtonen. First, Piirainen looked at whether the frequency had changed over the years and how it had changed. The next step was to determine the frequency of today’s skiing, what aspects affect it, and whether training can modify it.

“It has changed over the years. I have not studied this between different athletes or different types of athletes, but rather in the big picture, I have looked at the change in general. I have some findings from the research so far.”

Piirainen’s research focuses on classic technique. He is at a stage in his study where he has looked at how the frequency has changed over time. The data and results are there. There is research data from the Olympic Games in Lake Placid from classic individual start to the Beijing Olympics. In addition, there is data from Ruka World Cup sprints from 2006 to 2021. From there, he studied the evolution of striding and double poling over time.

“There is a clear trend in double poling, that it is constantly getting faster. In striding, it is more difficult to study because of the steepness of the track at the intermediate points. The steepness of the ski track has a lot to do with the pace at which you come to the point. There has not been much change in distance racing. It is more that skiers do not use striding in the more gentle terrain anymore; they double pole. In sprint skiing, both double poling and striding have become faster. Not only with the arrival and example of Klæbo but there has been progress even before that.”

The men have been slightly ahead of the game, but there has also been progress in women’s skiing.

“There have also been measurements of the frequency in today’s races. The results still need to be analyzed. There are also more detailed measurements of race-specific situations. Mainly the effects of power output times on frequency or vice versa.”

In sprints, the change in frequency is more evident, especially in the transition from a long glide to a running style. Also, in double poling, the final sprints are skied at a faster frequency than before.

“We Finns are not the most brilliant at it. You can find skiers with even faster frequency in other nations.” 

Piirainen does not think that one should switch to only training fast frequency during the training season, as being able to glide on the ski is just as important. 

“Fast power output in skiing is something to focus on. That is how you develop your frequency in a controlled way. The ability to change the rhythm has to be a focus if you want to compete with others.”

What should juniors and junior coaches know about skiing frequency?

“There should be as much variety in skiing with different rhythms as possible to create capacity. Different rhythm patterns: being able to ski with a longer glide and ski with a higher frequency. Skiing requires different ‘gears’ for all techniques. Not just switching from one technique to another, but also different gears within a technique.”

“It is also worth practicing at ‘overspeed.’ That is how one can build up reserves. You may not need it in a race situation, but at least the capacity is there.”

Piirainen points out that it has yet to be studied whether you can increase your speed or keep it up longer if you start skiing at a higher frequency. 

“There have been studies on cycling that show that a slightly slower frequency is more economical but that the best cyclists tend to pedal at a slightly faster tempo all the time. That gives you an idea.”

Are you interested in training for long-distance and traditional cross-country skiing? Read more here.