By Angelo Ross, PSIA-AASI Education Development Manager
Conscientious snowsports educators are always on the lookout for ways to help students learn more effectively and enjoy their time on snow. We study to deepen our technical understanding, practice technique to deliver accurate demos, and set our egos aside to focus on our students’ goals. One often overlooked piece of the puzzle is how practice is structured within our lessons. Enter interleaving – a simple, research-backed strategy that can elevate both teaching and learning.
What Is Interleaving?
Interleaving is the practice of mixing different but related skills or tasks within a learning session, rather than focusing on one skill at a time. Contrast interleaving with blocking, during which a single task is repeated before moving to something else.
- Blocking: “During today’s session, we’re going to focus on pivot slips until everyone has them down pat.”
- Interleaving: “Today, we’ll alternate between pivot slips and short turns to see what we can learn from both.”
The idea behind blocking makes sense: Do it until you own it. Blocking practice feels natural – and it’s definitely the more common approach. But interleaving – while not as intuitive, and though it may seem to be less effective – produces stronger, more durable learning.
Why Interleaving Works
Real-world skiing and riding aren’t always neat and tidy. The mountain doesn’t usually hand us one problem at a time. Most often, there are variations in conditions, patches of shadow and light, areas of good and less-desirable snow, and other skiers and riders to work around. We need to be adaptable and equipped with myriad skills to safely and intentionally navigate the environment. Interleaving helps learners prepare for this reality.
Key Benefits
- Promotes discrimination – Learners can decide which skill or movement fits the moment.
- Strengthens retrieval pathways – Recalling and applying a skill under changing conditions builds neural connections.
- Improves long-term retention – Studies show interleaving leads to better performance on delayed tests and adaptability when the context changes.
[Read Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Brown, McDaniel, and Roediger for more insights.]
Interleaving feels harder – because it is. But the extra effort is a sign that the brain is working and learning is sticking. As we all know, nothing worthwhile is easy.
Skill Development in Snowsports
Blocking can create temporary gains that look like success (“Wow, they’ve got pivot slips dialed today!”). But these gains often vanish quickly, especially when not practiced. By contrast, interleaving can seem less effective at first, but it increases the likelihood of permanent learning of skills students can call on in real-world situations, in real time. Think of it as cross-training for the brain and body.
In the parlance of The Motor Skill Learning Process [Teaching Snowsports Manual, Chapter 2, page 65], skills that vanish are somewhere in the cognitive or associative Stage of skill development; permanent motor learning occurs when newly acquired behaviors are not easily disrupted by minor changes in personal or environmental characteristics – accessible in real situations, in real time.
Examples on Snow:
- Alternate skidded and carved turns on the same pitch.
- Mix groomers with bump runs while focusing on the same fundamental or skill.
- Switch between mellow terrain and steeper pitches while focusing on one skill.
Teaching and Learning Applications
Interleaving works not just for our students, but also in our personal and professional development. When working with students, it’s essential to explain the structure of the lesson (why we are alternating between two drills, grooming situations, or pitches) and the purpose of interleaving – see benefits above). When practicing ourselves, it’s wise to work with a trusted, qualified coach for accurate, objective performance feedback and other insights we may not have arrived at on our own.
With students:
- Set expectations – “Progress may seem slow, but practicing this way is shown to make learning more likely to be permanent.”
- Explain why you’re mixing drills – “Alternating between activities allows the brain and body to understand and integrate both.”
- Scaffold transitions between activities/terrain changes so students feel supported and not confused. Scaffolding includes previewing the plan, providing clear demonstrations, and debriefing after each activity to clarify the learning.
For professional development:
- Practice like a teacher. Reflect on how insights gained through interleaving will augment your understanding of the sport and, as a result, how you manage information for your students.
- Build variety into your own practice sessions. The structure of your practice sessions will likely influence how you structure lessons for your students.
- Be creative. The more ways you can connect sensations and concepts from your practice, the richer your understanding and performance will be.
Considerations
Blocking certainly has a place in teaching and learning. As an example, in the initial learning phase of a new skill, blocking can help with fluency before mixing in other skills. So, it’s wise to not abandon blocking practice, just be more discerning how and when you use it.
And interleaving has its challenges:
- Students may feel frustrated at first, since blocked practice often feels easier and is more familiar.
- Without clear instructions, interleaving can seem random or chaotic.
- As instructors, our own habits may lean toward blocking, especially if that’s how we were taught.
The fix? Communicate. Model the strategy, explain its benefits, and show students how it connects to real-world skiing and riding. With the right scaffolding, interleaving becomes a tool that builds both confidence and competence.
Closing Thoughts
Interleaving is like mixing up your trail choices on a powder day – sure, you could lap the same run all afternoon, making the same turn, at the same speed, following the same line. But exploring different options gives you a richer, more memorable experience. For our students, it means learning that lasts. For us, it means teaching that prepares them for the real mountain.
So next time you’re on snow, try mixing it up. Your students (and your own skiing or riding) will thank you.
Visit the PSIA-AASI E-Learning page to dive into more educational content.