January 2009
Arms, Notice how you ride
Welcome
back! Last time we talked about riding in your
athletic stance: knees bent, body centered over
the board, arms house, weight on your front
foot, and always looking forward. We also talked
about making some “Roundatious” turns. This time
you’re going to notice how your making those
“Roundatious” turns.
Next time
you ride down the slope try to notice some
things about your riding. Notice things such as
what your body does when riding straight, on
your heel edge, on your toe edge, before you
enter a turn, and as you exit your turn. Are
your arms flailing around or are they slightly
moving? Notice other things as well such as how
you’re making your turn. Is your turn very loud,
somewhere in between, or very quiet? Think about
each turn as you come down the slope then when
you get to the bottom think about what you did
well and what you could improve on.
For many
intermediate riders you may have the habit of
keeping the arm facing the bottom of the
mountain (or front arm) still but that arm
facing up to the top of the mountain (or back
arm) flailing around or even slightly moving. It
is important to keep your arms and shoulders
still while riding. A good trick to help do this
is to grab hold of your pants or jacket with
your back arm and point where you want to go
with your front arm. Take a couple runs starting
out on an easy run and working your way up
trying this. Notice the difference in how you’re
riding and thinking while you ride. Many times
the first time you do this it feels very awkward
or sketchy but what it does is it makes you
think more about how you’re moving your legs.
You want to keep most of your body movement in
the waist down.
Types of Turns:
There are
three different main types of turning in
snowboarding. You have a skidded turn, a skarved
turn, and a carved turn. A skidded turn is where
you begin your turn and push your back foot,
either forward or backward out depending on
which edge you’re turning on (heel or toe). A
skarved turn is where you’re almost carving but
your back foot is still slightly being kicked
forward or backward out. A carved turn is where
your front and back feet are both mimicking each
other edge and edge.
Go down a
run and notice which kind of turn you are
performing. Think about how you did well or
where you could improve. If you want to make a
better carved turn when you begin down the
mountain stand straight up and as you enter your
turn bend your knees and stand on an edge with
both feet. As perform your carved turn you
should feel evenly balanced over both your front
and back edge and should generally hear a quiet
noise. Coming into your next turn you should
stand back up straight as you bring your board
back flat and begin the next turn on the
opposite edge the same way you performed your
last turn. Doing this right should feel very
natural. You will be able to tell the difference
between a skidded, skarved, and carved turn.
So take a
few runs and try to notice how you are riding.
Remember your trick to keeping your upper body
and arms under control by hanging onto your
pants or jacket with that back hand. Try to
notice the way you’re riding and what type of
turn you are performing. Always try to think
about your riding before you ride, as you are
riding, and after you have ridden. Think of
things you did well and ways you could improve.
December 2008
Balance Drills and Tips, " Roundatious
Turns "
Here's a couple little tricks that help you even
out your stance and get back on your board. One
good practice is one that everyone does when
getting on and off the lift but it can actually
help your stance as well. Riders sometimes have
a hard time finding their balance on the board.
Something you always want to keep in your mind
is to make sure your always standing in balanced
position. Strap in and without moving stand
straight up. Keep your back straight but act
like your sitting down on a chair. Square your
shoulders up with the board and keep your hands
out at your sides. You should be standing on
your board, back straight, knees bend but your
body is not leaning forward or backwards over
one side, and your hands at out at your side.
This stance is called an athletic stance. Your
ready to ride but before you do find another
nice flat spot.
Strap
in and ride in a straight line down a few feet
and stop when you reach the bottom but while
your riding slowly bounce up and down. You do
this by standing straight up then slowly bending
your knees and coming back into your athletic
stance then back to straight up again. Do this a
few times till your riding in your board
completely balanced. It should feel natural if
it doesn't try doing the same routine till your
evenly balanced over your board, shoulders
square, weight on your front foot but not
leaning over the nose of your board, and hands
out by your sides.
A
good way to do this is to find a nice flat spot
and ride with the back foot out. Try balancing
on your front foot but not so much that your
entire body is leaning over the nose of your
board. (Keep in your balanced stance but put
your weight on your front foot.) Try to go down
the hill for a few feet and stop heel side then
walk back up a couple feet and try to stop again
toe side. After you've done this walk back up
and try a couple nice round turns with your foot
still out of the back binding. Doing this forces
riders to ride on their front foot without
getting out of your balanced stance.
After
you've done this routine try making some nice
slow round turns. Try to keep them nice and
round without taking up the entire slope. Here
in Alaska we call these "Roundatious Turns". A "Roundatious
Turn" is whatever you see as round. This can be
anything as long as their nice and round. When
your riding you want to stand straight up but
when you want to complete your turn from start
to finish bent down in your athletic stance.
Try finding that nice flat spot again and go
down to the bottom making some nice "Roundatious
Turns" but remember before your turn you want to
be standing straight up then you enter and
complete your turn in the athletic stance and
after your turn is finished you should be
standing straight back up.
Another good tip is to always look where
you want to go. You don't want to look at your
feet or the tip of your board always keep your
head up and looking where you want to go. After
your done that your ready to ride.
There's a few other exercises you can do that
help keep your body balanced and your mind
focused on the way your riding. Throughout the
season I'll be letting you know what's the best
way you can improve your riding and get rid of
some of those sloppy habits. Remember while
riding keep balanced, make nice "Roundatious
Turns", look where you want to go, and always
follow the rules of the resort.
NOVEMBER 2008
Pre
Season Info, Equipment
Equipment -
1- write down your stance and binding placement
then take the bindings
off and keep your board off flat areas because
you'll end up losing
the bend in the board.
2-keep your boots tied over the off season
otherwise they'll lose
their shape as well.
3-Now is the time to get them waxed and edges
tuned.
call email me and we can arrange a free tuning
class.
Your Body -
A month before the season starts my friends and
I usually try
different stretches every other day on our lower
body but it's also
important (especially for newer boarders) to
keep your arms loose.
It's very easy to dislocate a shoulder during
the season but it also
helps newer boarders keep their balance.