Position and balance

Question 0

Flat land manoeuvres/ butters

Answer 0

On flat groomed terrain

Balance over nose or tail of the snowboard.

Add rotation or edging to challenge.

Question 1

Butter yoga

Answer 1

On flat groomed terrain have students experiment with their limits to balance over the nose and tail.
To challenge add rotation or edging

Question 2

Hopping between turns

Answer 2

While completing linked turns, lightly hop on two feet during the traverse.

Should take off and land on both feet.

Question 3

Riding fore, aft and centred

Answer 3

Have riders shift the centre of mass (Com) over the front, back or equally over both feet while linking turns.

This allows riders to feel the difference in fore and aft balance and a suitable position for comfort and stability.

Question 4

Side slipping 180 jumps

Answer 4

Sideslip on moderate terrain on the heel edge. With weight over both feet flex lower joints and extend to hop.during hop body should rotate as one, turning the board 180 degrees. Students should land on toe edge facing up hill with their weight evenly over both feet.
Repeat to return to heel edge.

Riders should feel the importance of alignment and balanced body position.

Question 5

Sliding 360’s on snow

Answer 5

On mellow terrain, centred body position. By turning head shoulders and hips have them begin to turn.

Continue past 180 degrees, keep balanced body position and look through the rotation with their eyes.

Can be performed in both directions.

Question 6

Static jump / “T” stance

Answer 6

On flat terrain and without moving, both feet strapped in develop balanced body position on the board. Flex lower body and extend rapidly, jumping lightly to leave the ground. Resume balanced body position on landing and both feet contact snow at same time.

While moving try same movements focusing on maintaining same position - up side down T.

Question 7

Switch riding

Answer 7

On terrain suitable to ability have students link turns in opposite direction to their natural stance.

Question 8

Toe to toe/ heel to heel

Answer 8

To enhance balance have students ride and complete only toe side turns.

Begin with regular toe side turn, in natural direction. In the traverse, before edge change, have students complete a sliding frontside 180 ( rotating nose of board downhill) then complete a switch traverse on toe followed by a frontside 180.

For heel side, heel side traverse followed by a backside 180.

To extend exercise use hop or Ollie 180 instead of sliding 180.

Question 9

X turns

Answer 9

On flat terrain with both feet attached have students perform as all hop with a slight rotation of the body towards the toe or heel edge. Once completed a few times should make an X shape.

To progress have students just use upper body and then incorporate lower body. This allows students to feel the effects of a centre poi to point in short radius turns as well as the use of rotation with lower body steering.

Ensure alignment is maintained throughout.

Question 10

Drinks on shoulders

Answer 10

As a means of creating angulation, have students ride, as if they have drinks on each shoulder. Their goal is to avoid spilling it as they increase edge angle by increasing amount of angulation used.

Question 11

Hop carved turns

Answer 11

Have students complete a series of side cut turns. During the edge change phase of the turn have them hop slightly off of both feet at the end of the turn and end on new edge.

The edge change takes place in the air and students must find pencil line carve immediately on landing.

Question 12

Inverse traverse

Answer 12

To encourage a commitment to an early edge on set. At the exit of a turn, extend the traverse phase across the hill and attempt to set a down hill edge and maintain travel across the hill.

Question 13

Side cut turns

Answer 13

On mellow terrain, have student ride in a balance position. With slight inclination (lean) to the toe edge have them establish a carve turn and maintain position allowing the side cut of the turn to dictate the shape. Return to centre and then engage the other edge relying on the side cut to complete the turn.

Ensure terrain is flat enough to keep a safe speed.

Question 14

Static edging exercise

Answer 14

With front foot attached on area with a slight slope have the students practice edging the snowboard using the hips, knees and ankles.

On heel side focus on ‘siting’ toward the bindings as well as flexing the ankle to slightly moderate the edge.

On toe side maintain upright body position with hips under the shoulders and move the knees toward the snow to create edge angle.

Question 15

Cowboy knees

Answer 15

Focus on maintaining stance with knees apart as if riding a horse to help with even pressure on each foot across the entire length of he snow board. This also assists in absorption as the range of motion is increased when knees are free to flex and extend.

Question 16

Dolphin turns

Answer 16

To encourage board performance and independent pressuring of the front and back foot. Students perform shorter radius sliding turns, at the end of the turn prior to edge change pressure tail of the board, similar to an Ollie. Leave snow and towards new edge on front of board continuing with the following turn. Repeat sequence for each turn- finish on tail, change edges in the air, land and start the new turn on the nose of the board.

Question 17

Fall line stops

Answer 17

To increase knowledge of flex toon and extension.

Straight run on moderate terrain, initiate a 90 degree turn bringing the snowboard across the fall line and applying edge and pressure to stop.

Try this multiple times on both edges. Ask students to identify the movements involved to stop. Extend legs to apply pressure and flexing to control the pressures.

Question 18

Ollies / Nollies

Answer 18

Flat terrain practice stationary.

Shift weight to nose or tail of the board while flexing lower joints. In an explosive motion, extend off nose or tail into the air.

Retract both legs into the air and slightly extend to land, landing equally on both feet.

Question 19

Small straight airs

Answer 19

Ride over undulating terrain, and experiment with rapid extension at the top of bumps or rolls in terrain. The extension should be timed with the natural up weighting of riding over a bump to allow the snowboard to leave the snow.
Landing with soft legs, flexing the hips, knees and ankles to absorb the landing.

Question 20

Static down un weighting

Answer 20

Used to illustrate the concept of down un weighting. On flat terrain, with the front foot attached to the snowboard only, assume a flexed, low position with back foot on the board between the bindings. Extend and project the body slightly toward toe edge. Move back foot out to support start to move back towards the snowboard by flexing the legs and retracting the legs under the body. Foot back on snowboard and extend the other way, towards heel.

Feel the concept of unweighting by “pulling” the board off the snow in conjunction with the edge change. Feel the pressure between the snowboard base and the snow increase as they extend away from the board.