Category Archives: Snowboarding Tips

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All Mountain/Freeride Snowboards And Asymmetrical Snowboards

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboard Gear Reviews, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over Freeride Snowboards. There are different technologies in a Freeride Snowboard that make this ride the whole mountain more efficiently. The three main types of snowboards are Alpine, Freestyle and Freeride. Freestyle Boards are shorter and softer in flex to get spins around faster and to absorb with forgiveness while Alpine Boards are longer for more response, not as wide for quick edge change and stiffer to hold an edge in harder snow conditions. Freestyle Snowboard stances usually are wider with a ‘duck stance’ or your feet angles are pointing towards nose and tail like 12º, -12 so they can use a full range of motion to absorb landings and jump of kickers. Alpine Snowboard stances are sharp towards the nose like 70º, 67º to be able to carve and switch edges quickly. Freeride Snowboard stances are a combo of these two styles picking out the best attributes. A lot of snowboarders like freeriding because you can ride the whole mountain hitting trees, moguls, cliffs, park, pipe, off piste, groomers, etc., Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride go over equipment technologies to teach you how to get the best gear. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard weather and equipment to bring on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; What To Wear Snowboarding, Demo Boards, Snowboard Camber, Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Freestyle Boards, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, & How To Size Your Snowboard. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Our Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and Learn To Snowboard Right!

Asymmetrical Snowboards can be wider with softer flex in the front or nose and then more narrow with stiffer flexin the tail. It’s shaped like an ‘A’ and it tapers down being wider at the beginning and narrow at the end. This will help you plow through the crud conditions and in powder to ride up on top and float to make it easier to ride. These boards are directional and meant to go one way more efficiently. You can ride them switch or fakie but they won’t perform the same way. You can have an asymmetrical sidecut, your heelside edge has a deeper sidecut to lock you into your carves better by giving you more leverage or similar to your toeside carves. On my toeside I eliminate one more angle by extending my hips instead of flexing like on my heelside thus creating more leverage on my toeside edge. These type of snowboards are ‘A Sym Twins’ or twin tip in every way except you have a designated heelside edge weather you’re riding goofy or regular. This snowboard is great for freestyle but I want to include it with freeride boards too. You don’t need to have an asymmetrical snowboard for it to be a freeride snowboard and the Asymmetrical Twin Tip is great for freestyle. I do like to ride twin tip snowboards but when I’m out riding the whole mountain or freeriding I set my bindings back a bit so that I have a longer nose and shorter tail. When you set your bindings back or the holes are already set back then it’s a directional twin. I’ll talk about sidecuts in a second. This let’s me ride powder and crud a bit better by staying on top of the snow and not sinking in.

Freeride Snowboards or All Mountain Snowboards usually ride better through bumps, trees, off piste conditions and at high speeds because they’re longer and stiffer flex. The sidecut is usually set back a bit, off-centered or it doesn’t start arching back out in the center of the snowboard. A few centimeters back from the center is when the sidecut starts heading back out. This gives you a better solid ride when you’re riding the board directionally with your bindings set back along on your snowboard and that’s why you sidecut is set back, off-centered. You lose that when riding switch because now you have a short nose and long tail. The technologies of an All Mountain let you ride the whole mountain efficiently in one direction and you’re still able to ride backwards or fackie fairly well also.

Freestyle Snowboards that are shorter for quicker rotation and softer flex to absorb landings and tricks. They are True Twin Tips with same flex patterns at the nose and tail. The sidecut is not set back it arch back out right in the center of the snowboard and the binding holes are also centered. This makes the snowboard ride and perform exactly the same no matter if you’re going goofy or regular.

All Mountain Snowboards are going to have regular camber or hybrid camber in them. If you’re on a reverse cambered board you won’t hold an edge as well and you butter very easily. Banana boards are reversed cambered great for freestyle, tricks, butters and less likely to catch an edge which is a huge plus to beginners. I have to really lift my edge higher on my back leg to hold a carve, my movement patterns differ on reverse camber boards. I like to ride regular camber boards for the edge control, flex patterns, speed and pop from edge to edge. Hybrid camber gives a combo of both and helps you float more in powder conditions. There are different technologies in different types of snowboards. Know what type of camber your board has, how big is the sidecut and if it’s off-centered or directional, the shape and flex patterns are all technologies that can make your riding look better. You can practice efficiently and get Hooked On Snowboarding with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about other snowboard types and gear. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Snowboarding & Weather Patterns

Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over Snowboard Weather Patterns. Snowboarding is a sport that relies heavily on Mother Nature. Without snow we don’t have snowboarding. Resorts have opening dates and will blow snow or make ‘man made snow’ when there isn’t enough snow. Man made snow uses the cold temperatures outside to freeze high pressured water. You can think of the snow guns as huge spray bottles spraying a ton of water out and it freezes making ‘man made snow’ which isn’t the same as natural snow. Snow from Mother Nature can be light and fluffy. Man made snow is more dense and turns to ice quickier. With less snow at the beginning of our seasons and warm temperatures it’s making it hard to open on schedule or to have enough snow in early season. Winter Tourism Will Take A Hit If Winter Months Continue To Lose There Chill. I watch the weather and will chase the good snow especially during early and late season when snowboard coaching is slower. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride go over weather tips and to teach you how to be prepared. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard weather and equipment to bring on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Advance Snowboard Lesson: Dropping Cliffs, Snowboarding Off Piste, Snowboarding Chutes, Snowboard Lesson Navigating Trees & Obstacles, Active Passive Absorption, Upper/Lower Body Separation, Basic Carving: Circle Drills, Basics For Freestyle Features, Advance Snowboard Carving: Surfer Turns & Grab Carves, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles, Snowboard Jibbing, Snowboarding Moguls.Snowboarding Moguls, Slope Faces, 5 Red Flags of Avalanches, Learning Snowboard Avalanche Conditions, & Heli Boarding. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Our Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and Learn To Snowboard Right!

When I know I’m going to be traveling to an area during the snowboard season I stay aware of the conditions in that area. I look to see how much snow they’re getting and what the temperatures are. They are many times that a mountain gets a ton of snow but then gets a lot of warm temperatures. There was a lot of snow but it melts making conditions sketchy. During bad winters I may just look to go where the temperatures are the coldest and they have the best snowmaking. I watch weather patterns to know where the snow is piling up or staying fresh. I know the wind patterns around my area but they may differ greatly at another mountain. It is rare but some places actually get too much snow making it very difficult to travel there and no lodging. The big thing is when you have some time warning that you’ll be traveling to a different mountain look at their forecasts and pay attention to there weather so you know what types of snow layers are underneath your board and how to prepare for those conditions.

It’s important to watch the weather when I surf, water ski, wakeboard, snowboard, paddle board, fish, kayak etc,. When I surf I want to know when the waves are going to be bigger. There are tides, winds, currants and temps to consider. If you get into to surfing or you already do, then you know that weather patterns play a big role into when the surf is best. You may chase storms for the best waves. I watch the weather and look to see where the winter storms are building up and will travel to the powder! The best water to ride on is glass when surfing, wakeboarding or water skiing. It’s usually going to be good water early  in the morning or later in the evening. The wind usually picks up in the afternoon. Just having some basic knowledge on weather can help you schedule activities in the future. I know that when I go snowboarding it’s probably going to be cold but temperatures can vary. When you snowboard in a blizzard you’ll want to wear different clothes and goggles than on a clear sunny day after a storm. You might be going somewhere that is very windy or somewhere that is very high up with a very different climate that you’re not use to. I’ve been in Colorado when the snow has been so cold making the the snow crystals very sharp that no matter what wax you put on your board you still went slow. In cold conditions I wear more layers to keep me warmer or I break out my puffy jacket made with down feathers keeping me super warm. I look at the weather forecast to help decide on google lens to wear depending on how much light we’ll get. Weather is a huge factor when you’re going out snowboarding.

When I start to go out of bounds and into the backcountry there are weather resources that I rely on like Utah Avalanche Center UAC, Forest Service/National Avalanche Center or NOAA to get reliable reports and forecasts. Look for these types of resources in your area. I want to know if it’s going to be worth heading out of bounds or if conditions are going to be similar by staying inbounds. If we’ve had a recent snowstorm the snow might be fresh and untracked inbounds but it will get chewed up and that’s when I like to start going into the backcountry. I recommend you take some basic backcountry training like Classes Through UAC and FFR has several Backcountry, Avalanche Awareness & Avalanche Safety Snowboard Tutorials that will get you some skills to survey the terrain and teach you about snow layers. Faceted snow is snow that has melted or doesn’t compact together it doesn’t bond to other crystals that causes a weak layer of snow and higher risk for avalanches. I like to tell people that it’s the snow that doesn’t make snowballs. Faceted snow doesn’t bond or make snowballs and that layer is the one that’s weak causing slides. The National Forest Avalanche Center gives this definition: “Snow metamorphism determines if individual snow crystals are rounding (becoming stronger) or faceting (becoming weaker). The relationship between snow crystals ultimately dictates what kind of layer, strong or weak, is formed. The interaction between individual layers determines snowpack stability.” This is why I say to watch the weather. If you know that there has been some melting and variation in temperatures then there could be a higher avalanche danger.

Wind lets you know where the snow will be piling up or if the storm will be a warm, wet, cold etc,. They actually know by wind speeds and directions how much snow to predict and that helps you as a snowboard to prepare. Snow weighs a lot and when there is 3 or 4 meters of snow out there a slide could be deadly. Depending on the snowpack and where you go there could over 10 meters or 30 feet of snow and an avalanche like that could easily bury anything in its path. Before you go out in the backcountry take some training or a class. You can practice efficiently and get Hooked On Snowboarding with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about weather and hitting the backcountry. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Snowboarding Steeps & Alignments

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over Closing Your Turns Body Alignments. In steep terrain every little movement can cause a huge reaction. When I’m taking students out on steeper terrain I take a few runs on intermediate slopes to see what type of movement patterns they have and if they’re even ready to be on steeper difficult runs. Most the time I need to work with my students a bit before I take them to steeper areas. They need to be able to make turns using lower body movements and keeping their upper body aligned with their lower. After they are making turns with better alignment I like to take them to a run that has some mellow slope then steep and back less slope. This way the student can practice their movements on the way to the steep difficult terrain, then actually ride the steep advance terrain and then back to intermediate terrain. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride go over movements to teach you how to ride steep terrain. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for Advance Snowboard Skills & Drills on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Advance Snowboard Lesson: Dropping Cliffs, Snowboarding Off Piste, Snowboarding Chutes, Snowboard Lesson Navigating Trees & Obstacles, Active Passive Absorption, Upper/Lower Body Separation, Basic Carving: Circle Drills, Basics For Freestyle Features, Advance Snowboard Carving: Surfer Turns & Grab Carves, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles, Snowboard Jibbing & Snowboarding Moguls. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Our Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and Learn To Snowboard Right!

Human nature is to lean backwards when we are going forwards fast. Think about that. When you are moving down the mountain you gain speed and instead of leaning backwards you need to fight that urge to lean forward putting weight on your front leg. Let’s review what are alignments are. We want to be perpendicular to the slope. Our board, knees, hips shoulders are parallel to the slope. When you start to lean back on steep terrain snowboarding is harder because you’re using movements that are out of alignment. An easy fix to leaning back is to reach down towards the nose of your snowboard and grab it. Start doing this in a flat area so that you’re stationary or static. Then start snowboarding and at the beginning of your turns each for the nose of your board and at the end of your turn release and stand taller in your stance. As you feel more comfortable doing this drill start going on steeper slopes doing these movements. You will gain more confidence in your riding doing this movement pattern.

Speed and going down the mountain is what snowboarding is. We want to be able to control our momentum and that’s what I’m teaching in this snowboard tutorial. I just went over being aligned when you’re going down the fall line or parallel to it, now let’s focus on going across the fall line being perpendicular to it. I want my turn shapes to be the same size on both toeside and heelside edges. It happens all the time where people don’t finish their turns in steeps and then they carry too much speed for their next turn and skid. The fix to this is to turn up the hill on your turns for a second or two longer than you normally do. It’s usually the toeside edge that people do a quick short turn because they keep their upper body facing down the mountain creating upper body separation. Their bodies are out of alignment on their toeside edge and aligned on their heelside edge. To balance this out I’d have them spend more time on their toeside edge and have them look uphill to actually see what is behind them. When you finish a turn on your toes and look uphill you’re aligned. It’s a good idea to look uphill once in awhile when you make toeside turns. Clean up your heelside edge too by looking uphill to finish your turns. Finishing you turns is at the end get your board perpendicular to the slope or even turn up the hill the slow down your turns. This will keep you a symmetrical and balanced snowboarder.

To make faster more efficient turns in steep terrain bend your front knee excessively so that you can reach down and grab your nose on your snowboard at the beginning of your turns. As you finish your turns stop grabbing your nose, stand taller in your stance and look uphill to bleed off extra speed you gain from being in steep difficult terrain. Learn how to Rip Steep Terrain by keeping your body alignments good and finish your turns to stay in rhythm. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about stance alignments. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Snowboard Beginner Lesson: Side Slipping

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over Beginner Snowboard Class: Slide Slipping. This drill is to be used only in necessary situations. Slide slipping is when your board is across the fall line or perpendicular to the fall line and you ride that same edge so you’re skidding or slipping down the mountain. When you start having one foot going down the slope more than the other you will start steering in that direction. Most people like to sideslip on their heelside edge so that they can see what is in front of them. Heelside stance is a familiar athletic stance so most people feel much more comfortable in the position. Flatten on foot more than the other and the snowboard will go that way. Think of your feet working independently from one another. Use small movements and steer with your feet, then knees, hips and shoulders. I like to think of my feet pushing the gas pedal or brakes. I lift my edge up more to stop and push down on my edge to get the board flatter and increase speed. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride go over movements to teach you how to perform efficient movements. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for Beginner Snowboard Skills & Drills on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; ;Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, Learn How To Ride The Lifts Safely, How to Snowboard: Balance Twist, Beginner Snowboard Stance, Snowboard Pads, Snowboard Training Hill, What To Wear Snowboarding, & How To Size Your Snowboard. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Our Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and Learn To Snowboard Right!

Most people that have issues with slide slipping are pulling their edge in a jerky motion. The need to slowly move the edge up and down. As soon as you start moving gradually let the board move. Moving means that you’re getting speed and that’s scary to beginners. Find the angle where your snowboard just barely starts to move and then very slowly lower the edge angle and let the board get a little more speed. If you feel a bit out of control don’t slam on your brakes! Gradually lift the edge up to slow down smoothly. Stay loose in your body and don’t tense up. It is much harder to absorb and keep your balance when you’re super stiff. If you slam on your brakes you’ll lose your balance and probably fall. It’s like riding a bike with a little speed you keep your balance but with no speed you have to put your foot down to balance your bike. Same applies with snowboarding, a little more speed will help keep your balance.

Try to balance on your heelside edge using dorsiflexion pulling your toes up off the snow and then start to relax and to bring toes closer to snow. Try doing it on your toeside now using plantarflexion to start lifting your heels off the snow and then bring them back down. Plantarflexion and dorsiflexion are movements used a lot in snowboarding. Dorsi or dorsum means the top/upper of or back of like on your hand or foot. So dorsiflexion think of the movement going towards the top of your foot. Plantar is planting down like the movement when your push the gas pedal, stepping on a bug or to stand on your tiptoes. Heelside will feel more natural because on your toeside you’re facing up the mountain and you have to turn your neck and body around to see what’s in front of you.

I don’t slide slip much because it scrapes the good snow off the surface and makes it ice up faster. The worst is when someone slide slips your chute and brings up rocks. As a beginner you will probably slide slip but as you get better you’ll make S-turns and flow in rhythm without much side slipping. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about stance alignments. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Snowboarder Responsibility Code #4 Look Uphill

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over the Snowboarder Responsibility Code #4 Look Uphill. I had to teach other high level riders techniques to improve their snowboarding to pass my AASI Level 3 Certification. I took my test a few times. You have to be an athlete to pass your L3 and it’s difficult. There are three parts; Riding, Teaching & Movement Analysis. I passed my ride one year and failed my teach and then passed my teach and failed my ride. I always passed my MA but you have to pass everything in your L3 exam. When I passed my L3 the snowboarder I was assigned to improve their riding didn’t have any flaws but one, he never looked uphill.  His snowboard alignments and body movements were spot on and he Ripped! I could see the flaw and that’s movement analysis. Now I had to teach a progression or step by step instructions to fix this or improve his riding. We are snowboarders and have a blindside and looking uphill while you ride will make you a safer more efficient snowboarder. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride go over movements to teach you how to perform safe efficient movements. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for Intermediate Snowboard Skills & Drills on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; ; Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Active Passive Absorption, Terrain Park Features, Freestyle Snowboards, Upper/Lower Body Separation, Basic Carving: Circle Drills, Basics For Freestyle Features, Advance Snowboard Carving: Surfer Turns & Grab Carves, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles, Snowboard Jibbing & Snowboarding Moguls. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Our Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and Learn To Snowboard Right!

I taught my student a progression to look uphill by finishing his turns. I started the lesson by praising his riding and telling him all the pros to his riding and how hard it was to find something to improve. Then I just laid it down on the table that I never saw him look uphill. Both the examiners looked at each other and then me and smiled. I had nailed the MA now for my teach. I told him to start making turns by turning the snowboard up the mountain a bit more and to rotate his neck more and to start looking over his shoulder to start looking across the fall line and uphill more. After that he confirmed he could feel a little change in his riding. I then had him ride in front of me and on every toeside turn he’d look at me in the eyes and I was uphill. After that I had him look uphill at me on both heelside and toeside. I had him finish his turns and turn uphill more. That was something small that improved his riding by using #4 Responsibility Code Look Uphill.  I then had him blend that movement into his regular riding so that he’d be looking uphill once in a while. That was an easy progression to teach a high level rider but when we’re coaching other riders you fix one thing at a time. When you try to fix multiple things it gets confusing and students get lost. Perfect practice is working on one thing that you’re successful at most of the time but not perfect. When you go out and practice on your own, practice a skill that you can do sometimes but not %100 of the time.

When you stop and start you want to look uphill. When trails merge together look up the trail and yield to oncoming traffic or when merging. I shared that story because I wanted to stress the importance of safety and how safety can make you a better rider. Even high level riders have skills that they can work on to improve their riding. Know the code and remember to look uphill and yield. Watch the video to see the movements and techniques I’m talking about. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about stance alignments. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Advance Snowboard Lesson On Jumps, Freestyle and Pond Skimming

Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over Freestyle, Jumps, Air Tricks and Pond Skimming. Let’s start to focus on your freestyle. A great way to practice tricks while you’re in the air is to get on a trampoline. I’ve read that NASA would train their astronauts by having them jump on a trampoline after being in space or to prepare for space. These studies showed that jumping was %68 more efficient than running and less impact on your joints. I’ve done experiments on myself as well and I’ve seen the improvements when I jump on the trampoline over other exercise. It’s a natural movement and most people can get on a trampoline and start jumping without much coaching. Bend your legs more and more to get higher and higher. You will start to feel that unweighted feeling at your apex. Once you’ve started jumping and testing how high you can jump start to get into a rhythm of jumping the same height. Once you’ve got your balance and feeling comfortable you can start doing some tricks. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride go over movements to teach you how to perform spins and rotations that will improve your freestyle. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for Advance Snowboarding Getting Air on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; ; Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Active Passive Absorption, Upper/Lower Body Separation, Basic Carving: Circle Drills, Basics For Freestyle Features, Advance Snowboard Carving: Surfer Turns & Grab Carves, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles, Snowboard Jibbing & Snowboarding Moguls. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Our Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and Learn To Snowboard Right!

Once you’re comfortable in the air start to pull your legs up at the apex and extended them back down. Get that rhythm and start to reach down and grab your ankle or foot. Switch legs and arms so that you’re doing different grabs. In snowboarding depending on what arm you grab your snowboard with and the location on your board is called a different grab like a mute, indy, nose, tale. melon or stalefish. Here is a Snowboard Grab Chart that shows different grabs. Once you’ve got some grabs down step it up. Start to reach down and grab your foot with both hands. Start to pull your knees up to your chest and grab your knees to start to tuck. Once you’re doing this you’re ready to start spinning and flipping. Start to spin by creating power from your hips. Build your spins up by doing a 90º rotation. Start your rotation by winding your body up when you’re low and about to jump. Jump and spin at the same time so while you’re in the air you rotate. If you get that easily start to spin 180º and then 270º and then to a full circle or 360º. In snowboarding we refer to a ‘3’ as a 360º rotation, 540º rotation as a ‘5’, a ‘7’ is a 720º rotation, a ‘9’ as a 900º rotation and so on. The big thing to remember is build up to this level. Follow the progressions that I’ve taught in previous snowboard lessons. Some of your spinning can be created by scissor kicking you legs. I can counter rotate my upper body and shoulders and throw my arms around to create rotation. I can use my core and hips to create pivot movements. My hip is a ball socket joint that can truly pivot and creates a ton of power. I use a combination of these movements when spinning. Depending on the type of trick will depend on the type of movement I’ll use. If I’m doing a 50/50 on a box and want to do a quick board slide I’ll scissor kick but if I want spin while box sliding I’ll use upper body and core to come on to the box and spin on. If you have trouble spinning use your upper body and keep turning your head to look at your back but remember to have your core and legs follow you.

Flipping is the next step. Flipping is more dangerous since you can land upside down. If you’re able to pull your legs up and grab your knees you’re ready. Jump high and straight up. Some people jump forwards when doing front flips and backwards when doing backflips. A front flip is easier so once you get to your apex you want to be tuck and drive your head to your knee and flip around. The stronger your move the quicker you’ll flip. If you’re really scared about flipping on a trampoline go to pool that has a diving board. You can build up by starting to dive and back dive. That’s similar to a 180º because you spinning half way and diving is doing a half flip. Once you get diving down start to rotate more. This takes time and not everyone can do it but if you can if brings a huge adrenaline rush. After you feel comfortable jumping, spinning and flipping we’re ready to put our board on.

When jumping on a trampoline we want to get a foam board for safety. Your snowboard is hard with metal edges. Your board can damage the trampoline and yourself so get a padded board is recommended but I’ve jumped on trampolines with my snowboard on and was fine. Start looking over your front shoulder because when snowboarding we’re sideways. Practice like you’re snowboarding to build your muscle memory. Try spinning the same ways I just talked about but now with your snowboard on. Try to land with both feet at once or your back first to develop good technique for landing jumps. If you’re able to spin 180º start to reach down and get a grab that we talked about. If you’re good with that start doing 360’s and more. If you still feel a bit unsafe check out a trampoline park with foam pits. These have sprung up all over the world over the last few decades and there should be one in your area. The foam pits have trampolines next to them and you can flip into them. This will help to to perform difficult tricks that eliminate hard falls. Getting out of the foam pit can be difficult but it’s worth it. After getting your tricks down on the trampoline you’re ready to blend those movements into your snowboard style.

I love powder and snowboarding in it. Powder can act as a foam pad also and that’s why real good snow is called ‘Hero Snow’, you do almost anything without consequences and you feel like a superhero. Know your snow conditions and your abilities. Don’t try to do a flip or chuck a 3 off a jump if you’ve never attempted one before. Build up to it by trying a 180 first or something easy and when the snow is soft your falls don’t hurt as much. When the snow starts to melt puddles start to form. If you carry enough speed you can glide or skim across it. Some places have ponds or lakes that thaw and you can pond skim across them. Some tips for that are to keep your speed, if you jump land with your board flat and nose up, lean back slightly, keep your core over your snowboard, keep the nose up and keep a solid stance. It’s a lot like surfing when you pond skim. When you build a jump by the pond you can get away with chucking almost any trick. I like finding awesome powder fields but when it’s late season it’s wet sloppy snow anyway so jumping into water and pond skimming are advanced fun ways to snowboard.

Learn how to snowboard better by pushing yourself to higher levels of efficient movements. Trampolines provide great core strength, improves jumping muscle memory, gives you snowboard practice off snow and is a more efficient exercise. You’ll start flowing into some good freestyle with some off season/off snow practice on your trampoline. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about kids and beginner movements. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Snowboarding Pads Flex/Extension Pros & Cons

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboard Gear Reviews, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over Snowboard Padding Flex & Extend. If you’re going out to snowboard for your first time get some padding. There are some places that have awesome soft fluffy powder snow conditions that are perfect for learning to snowboard. You can find these conditions in Western States like Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, California and more consistently. The Rockies are bigger mountains and in some areas like Utah you get Champagne Powder because of how dry and light the snow is. The Sierras and other mountain ranges near the Ocean get lots of snow but it’s heavier wet snow. When you fall in powder the impact is softer and you may not need pads. The snow isn’t always going to be ‘perfect’ when you fall. Impact shorts, knee/elbow/back pads are worn under you snowboard pants and they can prevent injuries when you fall. Wrist guards are worn under your gloves to give you more protection. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride go over safety, equipment and techniques. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for Advance Carving on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, Learn How To Ride The Lifts Safely, How to Snowboard: Balance Twist, Beginner Snowboard Stance, Snowboard Training Hill, What To Wear Snowboarding, How To Size Your Snowboard, Snowboard Freestyle Boards, What To Wear Snowboarding, Demo Boards, Snowboard Camber, Freeride Boards, Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, & Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Our Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and Learn To Snowboard Right!

Now when I go out and try new tricks I want to have the Safety Gear to help prevent injury if I do crash. There’s a downfall to having this safety equipment and padding it’s your flexion extension that is lacking. It limits my range of movement. If I were to be wearing a knee pad or an elbow elbow pad or impact shorts it limits my flexion extension. Flex and extension is key in any sport. When I’m extended out I’m using my skeleton and bones to support myself. When I’m flexed I’m using my muscles and pads prevent a little bit of range of movement. That can make it harder to reach down and grab your snowboard or do other dynamic movements. That extra movement can help you jump a little further or higher and let you stomp you trick so weigh the pros and cons of pads. If I were to be wearing something that limits my flex and extension it can change the style of my riding and the way it looks. I always recommend a helmet for protection but I don’t always recommend you wear pads. If you’re a first timer I do recommend you wear pads but it’s not required. The big key is to steer the board with your feet and to limit hard falls with proper technique. Our snowboard tutorials go over movement patterns that teach you how to operate and manipulate your snowboard. Look at these three Snowboard Video Tips; Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, & How to Snowboard: Balance Twist. You can practice these movements off snow so that you can be training to snowboard even when you’re not on the mountain.

When you snowboard you might not fall if you’re good. I like to push myself to new skills, tricks and movements. If you’re building up new snowboard skills and you’re riding kickers, rails or other park features you may crash and pads soften falls. When I do a new trick I may do it hundreds of times until it’s perfect with flowy style. Build up to that skill by perfect practice. Do the same trick over and over again until you’ve got muscle memory and as you’re flowing down the mountain you can bust that trick out anytime no problem. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about kids and beginner movements. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Snowboarding Euro Surfer Carves

Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over Snowboarding Euro Surfer Carves. Welcome to the 2018 AASI Rider Rally. We ripped at A-Basin, CO for a week. The snow was great considering in was May. There was a huge turn out with certified riders from all over the world! I was one of the many L3 Full Certified Riders including the AASI Team Riders. The Team Riders gave a good show sharing knowledge that we’ll bring back to our divisions and local resorts. If you’re an AASI certified snowboard instructor you should attend training events like this that combines all the divisions together in one event. Being a L3 Cert I train in events like DCL/Beyond L3 pushing our snowboarding to higher levels and I’ve been a snowboard trainer at resorts helping instructors pass their exams and certifications. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride go over carving tips and techniques. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for Advance Carving on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Advance Snowboard Lesson: Dropping Cliffs, Snowboarding Off Piste, Snowboarding Chutes, Snowboard Lesson Navigating Trees & Obstacles, Active Passive Absorption, Upper/Lower Body Separation, Basic Carving: Circle Drills, Basics For Freestyle Features, Advance Snowboard Carving: Surfer Turns & Grab Carves, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles, Snowboard Jibbing & Snowboarding Moguls Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Our Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and Learn To Snowboard Right!

Snowboarding has many styles and you can adapt to the snow conditions. Our rhythm started flowing towards Surfer Turns and Euro Carves. Here we we’re doing some Euro Carves laying our bodies in the snow and getting our back arm to drag. We really talked a lot about practicing and focusing on one thing that you’re about 75% efficient on that movement, trick or skill. For this style of carving you want to get low at the very beginning of your turn and start dragging your back arm in the snow. Get your board to change edges across the fall line. Refer back to my Dynamic Flex & Extension Video to get you flowing in rhythm. Put a lot of your weight on your back leg, then extend through your turn and lay your body in the snow. Put pressure towards the nose of your snowboard to pop you back up. If you put a grab in you’re making Surfer Turns.

Carving is riding and balancing on the snowboard edge and sidecut. Your back foot follows your front foots direct path and you’re not skidding. Keep your core over the width of your snowboard and pressure down on the edge. If you’ve done snowboard training you can see there are many different styles, alignments and movements in these carves. Some carving styles here were to separate your upper body from your lower locking you into your carves but it causes alignment issues and can tweak muscles or joints. Carving like this is for higher level riders so build up to carving by trying Circle Turns. I’ve seen the sport of snowboarding go back to carving because it when you’re carving you’re flowing and using the snowboard the way it’s meant to be used. You use the side cut and move fore and aft of your board also using the camber to create pop. That pop can be used to start jumping and spinning. Carving can set you up for good flow in your freestyle. Putting your hand in the snow and grabbing your snowboard while ripping boosts your style and efficiency. If you’re training for your snowboard exams and certifications manipulating your snowboard to perform efficiently is what will get you to pass your L3, Freestyle Cert or High Level Exams. You need to have a good understanding of the biomechanics of the human body. It will help you to perform better in other sports also.

Snowboarding is a very active sport. Stay fit to be able to bend, absorb, flex and extend with little effort. When riding with a huge group of high level snowboarders you see cool style and tricks that you might want to be able to do. Build up to that skill by perfect practice. Do the same trick over and over again until you’ve got muscle memory and as you’re flowing down the mountain you can bust that trick out anytime no problem. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about kids and beginner movements. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

 

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Snowboarding Two Feet In

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over Snowboarding With Two Feet In. This is the next step for beginner snowboarders that have been skating around and steering with one foot in. People tend to drag their back foot in the snow acting like an anchor to brake for them. At this level you need to be able to pressure the edge to turn the snowboard and not force the board around with hip rotation movements. Use more of your lower body like your ankles to flex the board and to steer. We also have some free snowboard videos for beginners to prepare you for a great day snowboarding on our YouTube Page. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, Learn How To Ride The Lifts Safely, How to Snowboard: Balance Twist, Beginner Snowboard Stance, Snowboard Pads, Snowboard Training Hill, What To Wear Snowboarding, & How To Size Your Snowboard Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and learn to snowboard right!

Putting your back foot in is awkward at first but gets easier. Snowboarding is similar to riding a bike because the faster you go the easier it is to balance and steer. When you’re going slow on a bike you have to turn the wheel a lot instead of leaning when you’re going faster. If you’re slow enough you lose your balance and put your foot down. Snowboarding you need a little more speed to keep better balance and it’s easier to turn. I know at first beginner snowboarders may not want get more speed but with it turning takes less muscle effort. Your front foot will start your turn and then your back foot will follow. Remember it’s not all at once. I’ve given you drills to practice if you’ve signed up for FFR Snowboard Course. You can start getting the snowboard down the fall line and then across to get some speed and then slow down making J shape turns. Try to steer the snowboard going right foot forward or Goofy stance and then left foot forward or Regular stance. It will probably be easier to do this on your heelside edge but try to do it on your toeside edge also.

You will usually be on a Snowboard Training Hill area that is flat with a surface lift like a conveyor belt. If you’re out hiking away from the resort you’ll be wanting to learning on similar terrain. You do a lot of work with just one foot in before strapping in the second foot. When you feel comfortable controlling your snowboard hike up something a little steeper. You might need to leave your beginner area and find something a little steeper. Skiers can practice on the flat stuff and be fine to go right to the lift. Snowboarders should hike up a little bit and practice two feet in before going all the way up the lift. The area you’re at might be a small short lift and you can get away with that. Going to the lift is usually steeper terrain than what you’ve been practicing on. My advice is to hike up a bit and then put in two feet and see if you can still stop and steer. If you’re not then go back to the flat area and practice more with one foot in. A big tip is to let the board get flat and make small movements to steer the snowboard. Keep your core over your snowboard by staying balanced and not flailing your body all over the place.

Once you’re at this level you’re actually starting to snowboard a develop some muscle memory. The first few days can be hard on your body. I do recommend impact shorts and pads incase you have a hard fall. There are some Pros & Cons To Padding that I go over in this video. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about kids and beginner movements. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Snowboard Responsibility Code #6 Obey All Signs

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over the Snowboarder Responsibility Code #6 Obey All Signs. I know that some of the rules of the mountain are pretty obvious but people do stupid stuff. If there are ropes and signs saying something is closed there’s a reason. Sometimes you dropping a rope puts others lives in danger causing an avalanche to trigger and come inbounds. In some resorts they won’t come rescue you if you go in out of bounds areas. That’s something to keep in mind if you decide not to follow the rules. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for Beginner Snowboard Skills & Drills on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos;  Snowboard Responsibility Code #1, Snowboard Responsibility Code #2, Snowboard Responsibility Code #3, Snowboard Responsibility Code #4, Snowboard Responsibility Code # 5, Snowboard Responsibility Code #7, Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, Learn How To Ride The Lifts Safely, How to Snowboard: Balance Twist & Beginner Snowboard Stance. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and learn to snowboard right!

I know it’s tempting to jump a rope when you see a perfect powder field on the other side. Those ropes are there to keep everyone safe. Use the gates to enter the backcountry or side country. Ski Patrol has gone through and made sure conditions are safe. It might look great on top but underneath there’s rock and other obstacles. There might be machines on the trail or wildlife. I like to hike and rip powder but I want to return home safe and able to snowboard another day. The big thing to signs is staying out of closed areas. You might duck a rope and land on another trail or end up at the bottom of a huge kicker in the park. It’s not smart and it’s not safe to jump over ropes or duck under them to go into closed areas.

The other signs out here on the mountain are for safety. Look up the trail when you see trail merging signs and really be careful in the slow areas. There’s a joke amongst us snowboarders that we say if snowboarding was invented first all the slow signs would say speed up. Slow signs are at the bottom or in flatter areas and ironically we need to keep our speed to get through the flats. I like to take trails that avoid these areas if possible or ones with the least amount of traffic. Let’s face it we need our speed. When we see these signs try to take paths that are safe and to stay in control at a safe speed. I always look at my terrain and pick a line where I’m higher up on the mountain. You need to have some basic skills on how to survey the terrain to pick the best line that avoids the flats.

If you’re a beginner try to avoid crowded slow areas and know bamboo rope fences are closed areas. Bouncing and jumping on the lift can damage it and endanger other passengers. Other signs exist and depending where you are in the world you’ll want to have some understanding of their language and what warning signs are. In Europe Blue trails are equivalent to Green trails or easy in America, Red equals Blue or Intermediate and Black Trails are still Difficult. There were other things that differed from the US but I researched and talked to locals about safety signs and topics to think safety first. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about kids and beginner movements. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark contact me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.