Nordic skiing and Points to remember about Half Skate, and Diagonal Skate

Some common correction areas that occur, while practicing the Half skate and the Diagonal skate

Do not keep the legs constantly bent.When you do this, the legs will fatigue quickly. In the glide phase use a natural bone supported position, not muscle dependent position, which is one of two positions to flush out the lactic acid. At the end of your push be sure to have the leg straighten, so that lactic acid also has a chance to be flushed out.
Whenever you weight your ski, be sure to land on a flat ski and do not go to an edged ski till the last possible moment. Mantra: flat ski, flat ski, flex, edge, pushover.
Lead with your belly button
Recover your foot at least under your hips, if not under your belly button
Remember to have a heel toe foot recovery
Plant your poles shoulder width apart, which will be hard to do if you do not have a good foot recovery
When poling, reach forward with bent elbows, like answering your telephone. Do not think of reaching forward with the hands.
The elbows drive forward and then the elbows drive down and back, and the hands just happen to be in the front of the elbows.
In the diagonal skate, wimp skate, coaches skate all names for the same movement, the elbow/hand reaches towards the opposite ski and there is a 2 point touch of one ski and one pole. (i.e.Left hand, right ski and then right hand, left ski) Keep your hands low in the movement, and your feet should be like a metronome, tick tock, tick tock, leading with the belly button. Once the elbows have pushed back to the trunk, the final phase of the push begins in the new direction to assist the leg push. Its like a J stroke in canoeing. This movement is normally for very steep hills or slow snow. Use the diagonal skate, rather then the half skate, if you are able to go at around the same speed. Heart rate will be lower and muscle fatigue less.
In the half skate or marathon skate which are the 2 most common names for the same thing, there is a 3 point touch, of 2 poles and a ski, just like the offset skate, except one ski is kept in the track. The half skate comes in handy when there are slower skiers in front of you, who are using the skate lane and you wish to pass. The half skate can be used to climb a bit as well, and will give you a bit of relief for your legs. Sometimes it is better to half skate, when the skate lane is perhaps icy or dirty. Where there is a slope, you would normally have the ski that is out of the track, push down the slope.

As mentioned in the past, the slower the snow conditions the more you will be pushing the poles, in direction of ski travel. The faster the snow conditions, the more your pole push will be down the direction of travel. The faster you ski, the narrower the V will be with your skis.