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Learn To Snowboard & Get In Your Flow Zone Like Basketball & Baseball

This snowboard video will help you get More Dynamic in Your Snowboarding. What that means is I want to move a little bit more the whole time I’m riding. I have some drills where I talk about rhythm. Adding to dynamic riding by turning with rhythm. I want to build on that. The whole time I’m riding I’ll have a bit of a beat. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride go over proper ½ pipe, jumps, freestyle and riding the park 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 snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Building RhythmAdvanced Snowboarding Getting AirSuperman Eruo Carves, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Advance Snowboard Lesson: Dropping Cliffs, Snowboarding Off Piste, Snowboarding Chutes, Snowboard Lesson Navigating Trees & Obstacles, Active Passive AbsorptionEruo Surfer Carves, Basics For Freestyle Features, Advance Snowboard Carving: Surfer Turns & Grab Carves, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles & Snowboarding Moguls.

Moving a bit having my knees, hips and ankles soft. That way when I’m out on the snow I can absorb any little variable that comes at you. Sometimes when you’re in a powder field there is a ice chunk or a rock or something else. Something that throws you off balance. If you’re able to absorb that you won’t crash. If you can bounce and be nice and soft in your body you’re able to absorb. We’re going to go out and just move. A good thing to do is to get some type of musicI really love riding to music I love doing a lot of things to music. It helps you just flow. That’s what Flowing Freeride is about, is rhythm and being in that state of flow. I know a lot of people talk about this in psychology. Time slows down, where athletes talk about being in the zone. That guy’s on fire! Basketball for example. These basketball players when they’re in the zone it’s like Stef Curry he shoots a 3 from almost half court because he’s on fire it just goes in. Swish nothing but net. That’s what I’m talking about.

When we’re out here snowboarding I want you to feel that flow and feel that rhythm. I want you brain to almost turn off. You’ve done it so much that you’re in that zone in that state of flow. We’re going out and bouncing to a rhythm. We’re going to get our either speaker or ear buds and listen to music. We’re going to put that into our ear, not both or a speaker. Some people don’t like doing that. I prefer ear buds. Riding to the beat the whole time that’s the drill. Ride to that rhythm and try to get into that state of flow. It’s just reaction. You can do anything. You’re really in rhythmIf you’re practicing at that state you get to be where a lot of these professional athletes are. Doing things so many times they’re in the zone. Baseball athletes are getting a baseball thrown to them at 100 mph and they’re able to hit that. It’s amazing! I’m talking about time kind of slowing down because they’re in that state of flow. This drill we’re going out listening to music as we’re riding bouncing to that beat and rhythm. So we’re in flow. Look at other videos on rhythm by clicking in the right corner. When you’re out riding with music make you sure you have one ear available. Take out one of your ear buds so you don’t have both in and can hear what’s going on around you. You don’t want to be deaf to the environment around here.

There are going to be people that come up on you, 2 inches away from you. I don’t know why they do it but you want to be aware of that. When you are out riding with music take one out to hear with one ear what’s going on around you. See you out on the slopes! You will gain these snowboard talents by training with Flowing Freeride. You can learn more about Getting More Dynamic With Better Rhythm and get Hooked On Snowboarding with Snowboardclass/Flowing Freeride’s techniques so go back to other snowboard videos that teach you about hiking 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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How To Snowboard: Funnel Turns

 

You’ve got off the easy trails (easy is marked by Green in America and Blue in Europe) and are exploring the mountain as a L2 Rider. You’ll be riding more of the mountain getting into intermediate terrain (Blue trails in America and Red trails in Europe). Riding steeper terrain can be super stoke especially when you’re using efficient movements and alignments. This online snowboard lesson will go over Funnel Turns Drill. 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 ‘Snowboarding Backcountry’ on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching and mastering these L1 RAW snowboard videos before riding Steeper Terrain; Beginner Snowboard Lesson on SteeringToeside Heelside StanceHow to Snowboard: Balance Twist & Beginner Snowboard Stance.  Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.comTake Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and learn to snowboard right!

Think of the shape of a funnel making large turns, then medium and last small/fast turns. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for steeper terrain on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching and mastering these L1 RAW snowboard videos before riding Steeper Terrain; Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, How to Snowboard: Balance Twist & Beginner Snowboard Stance . Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at Our Blog for more free content and learn to snowboard right.

The focus on this drill is to be able to turn and different speeds and multiple size radius of our turns. Let’s face it snowboarding is about turning. I love to just point it and not turn when conditions and safety allow. Before we get into pure speed and adrenaline we need to be able to turn as quickly as possible. There are dangers and obstacles all over the mountain. Once we get off the easy trails the slopes become more steep and narrow. For your safety and those on the mountain you’ll want to practice changing the size of your turns. The Funnel Drill is perfect to help you practice the size of your turns. It will help you develop ‘Rhythm & Flow’ key to everything we do.

Start making 4-5 turns that are very large, then make 4-5 turns that are medium in radius shape. Make 4-5 turns that are small and quick and then see how quick and fast you can make your turns. You’ll want to be using a lot of lower body movements and really focus initiating your turns with your ankle. There you’ve done it Funnel Turns. Drills really help you explore you snowboarding body movement and develop muscle memory. Get out there and Ride Right!

You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, text books, 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.

 

 

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Beginners – Where To Ride

Here are some snowboard tips for a beginner snowboarder, the places to ride are on very wide trails with gradual slopes and you’ll want to stay away from double fall lines and the flats. This will really help you to learn to snowboard right. The slope needs to have enough angle to keep you moving. Practice slopes for snowboarders varies from skiers since they can go over flat areas by walking their skis and using their poles, whereas boarders get stuck then have to unstrap. When there are flat bits you have to maintain a lot of speed to get you through or get stuck, flats are also where you may catch an edge, ouch! With a mild slope you keep momentum and if you fall it’s not onto flat ground. In terms of safety, a gradual slope also allows you to spread a fall out over several feet or yards instead of a sudden “thud” flat stop. You will be safer and have more success when you ride a nice consistent grade slope.

To find the area that best meets your needs, research the resort you are headed to. There is usually the basic info about the trails online or call and ask (difficulty, length, vertical drop, grade, etc.). You’ll want to have the best time while snowboarding so do a little research and use a beginner snowboard.

Since I teach I see the difference in skill ability when the slope is consistent with no double fall lines and no flat sections. However, if you are literally just starting out there is a use for flats… Specifically, almost every resort has a flat area at the base of the lifts where beginners can try out basic movements such as skating. Then once you graduate to beginning drills there is the “Bunny Hill” trail that is longer with more of a slope. This may be serviced by a lift or a conveyor belt. These are the areas to practice if you are a first timer or low level rider. Ask around to see what area might have the best bunny hill for snowboarding. You can watch our snowboard videos and learn to snowboard online & it really helps beginner snowboarders. Sometimes you may need an in between run that is not as long as the bunny hill. I sometimes hike a hill that has a consistent slope before going on the bunny hill lift. It may take more energy to hike but think safety first.

You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, text books, 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.

 

 

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Snowboarding Is More Than Aerial Tricks

We had 2 AASI National Team Members Seth Johns and Eric Rolls run a training clinic recently. Seth led the clinic and 6 out of 8 riders were Level 3 Full Cert instructors in the clinic so we had a RIPPER snowboard crew. Riding with other RIPPERS really bumps up your riding level energy. What we focused on really brought back a lot of the excitement and passion I found when I first started snowboarding and that thrill is what got me hooked on snowboarding.

We met up and chatted about where snowboarding as a sport was heading. Big Air just became an Olympic sport and we talked about how snowboarding has become more like gymnastics on a board. The progression of spins and flips has become similar to Ski Aerials. Kids are chucking triple and quadruple flips and four to five rotations, yes 1800º! Most riders don’t ride this style at that level nor do they want to.  I watched an 8 year old progressing from one back flip to a double and a lot of his crashes looked brutal and I thought he broke his back a few times. If you’re not throwing huge spins/flips then your perceived as not a good rider to a lot of folks out there because that’s what they see on TV. Snowboarding is so versatile with so many unique styles. Seth took us out to explore these styles.


We started by being asked to carve aggressively on one run and he gave us a video to watch of people carving. Pro Riders are blending in old school tricks by grab carving and hand plants. It gave us some ideas of how to carve throwing it back to the old school style. Myself and other surfers grab their boards when dropping in and it’s great to blend the two sports together. We partnered up every run, switching partners almost every run and chatting about what we felt in our riding. We started carving keeping our boards on the snow doing these old school carve tricks.  By the bottom we were all sweating and breathing hard. Next run we did grabs while carving on our heelside and toeside. We felt grabbing while carving really locked our carve in solid just like grabbing while in the air gives you more stability. Then, the next run we carved and turned while grabbing the board so you had to grab the nose or the tail because you’d smash your fingers if you grab your heelsisde or toeside while turning. This really got us stretching and preparing for some freestyle tricks. We used the tripod position (putting both hands on the snow and buttering on your nose or tail) a lot as we rode. We then started letting our boards leave the snow and get some air using old school hand plants, tripods and hand touches while we grabbed our boards and threw in spins. We stayed out of the park the next two runs finding natural freestyle features to practice this throw back riding style. I heard some riders say that they had never done what we were doing and they were weathered snowboard veterans.

We then progressed into the park using hips and ¼ pipes making sure we didn’t disrupt others flow through the park because we weren’t using the kickers or booters to get huge air. We weren’t using the park in a conventional way. Since we were in the park we were able find tons of freestyle features and were able to go bigger than on natural features. After we finished the park we still kept this riding style going on natural features.

We wrapped up by taking some fun group pictures and I edited what footage I could get on the GoPro.  We all had a blast and it brought a different style to our riding. It was great to get a crew of RIPPERS together which, amps up your riding energy level to expand and improve your riding!

You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, text books, 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.

 

Our Top 5 Pro Tips Featured By The Chicago Tribune!

Z’up Riders! Hope you’ve been slaying the slopes safely this season! Sadly, unless you chase the winter and head to the southern hemi our time is limited so get out there! Anywhoo… we recently put together a list of our Top 5 Tips Every Rider Must Master Regardless Of Level. It was featured by the Chicago Tribune under their snowboarding tag! Here’s a little summary of the piece but there is a LOT of content so be sure to check out the full article. (Thank you to the Chicago Tribune for featuring the piece! We’ve had a lot of love since our launch in December 2015…)

The Top 5 Pro Snowboarding Tips Every Rider Must Master

More snowboarders are turning to online resources to find lessons that help that help them go extreme. And, yes-it’s true, you can learn to snowboard online with proper technique. The tricky part is having the discipline to find and master professional lessons to build skill on your level- instead of hucking tricks you’re not prepared to do! Master these 5 snowboard tips from AASI Snowboard Pro Blake Clark-head developer of Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School-and you’re guaranteed to rip up the slopes with serious style and fewer injuries.

PRO SNOWBOARDING TIP #5: Fight Your Instincts and Charge The Mountain
PRO SNOWBOARDING TIP #4: Be Safe & Know The Code!
PRO SNOWBOARDING TIP #3: Balance Your Stance!
PRO SNOWBOARDING TIP #2: Align Yourself With Reference Alignments!
PRO SNOWBOARDING TIP #1: Know & Choose The Right Gear!

You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, text books, 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.

 

 

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Learn The Features Of A Freestyle Board

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Many new riders don't know snowboards have different flex patterns, camber shapes, sidecut patterns and lengths & lengths of boards. Decided you want a freestyle board? This lesson from our L3 Ripper course should help you with your choice. Continue reading Learn The Features Of A Freestyle Board

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Snowboard Lesson: Get Air But Don’t Break Bones!

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Once you're confident in your core snowboard progressions you may start burnin' to get some serious air. Don't break bones! Learn to Ride Right™ with our online pro snowboard courses led by an AASI Level 3 Certified and Freestyle Accredited instructor. Continue reading Snowboard Lesson: Get Air But Don’t Break Bones!

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Preseason Tip: Now Is A Good Time To Save On Last Seasons Snowboard Gear

If you’re like me you’re probably thinking A LOT about the upcoming snowboard season. If you need some gear and don’t want to rent or borrow—you’re probably looking to buy. Don’t wait. Resorts are open by mid-October into November,  which means the newest snowboard technology for the upcoming season will be stocked soon.  Retail stores know that by the first frost (around October) skiers and snowboarders are typically getting amp’d-up to buy. This means they’ll be pushing last season’s gear out the door in prep for the upcoming year. So, good news for those of us looking to pick up new gear items and save some cash. Typically, I’ve found you can reliably find good deals up to 40% off. Some retailers say they discount higher but I’ve found instances where their mark-up on the original price was sketchy.

For those of you new to riding, look for snowboard shows or events. They have a lot equipment for sale. Last year while living in London, UK I was just walking in Battersea Park and saw signs to the Snowboard & Ski Show. This show cost 15 pound to get in but I got a bunch of free swag like stickers, shirts, sunglasses, etc., and got a new snowboard for 49 pounds. They also had live freestyle snowboard competitions with snow they shipped in or made. I got to network with other snowboarders and found where some good places were to ride in Europe. I also found where I could snowboard in London on a conveyor belt Chel-Ski. It’s worth checking out a snowboard show since they advertise steep discounts, you’ll get some great info and you’ll meet cool snowboarders. Personally, I always recommend that you hit up your local “mom-n-pops” snowboard shops. Here is Utah there are a ton, but I like to checkout Milo’s.  They’ve been a reliable spot for years, exclusively selling gear for snowboarders (they don’t stock skis), and their reps are real riders that know their stuff on snowboard technology. I interview a rider at Milo in some of  the gear lessons in our Pro Snowboard Training Courses.

So, if you’re looking for a good deal, don’t wait! Shop now before everything is all picked over. But if you miss out, you can always look out for demo days to test new gear at a fraction of the cost, and then wait for the end of the season deals. By March and April you can once again pick up steep discounts, sometimes even better than preseason deals. This is a snowboard tutorial on How to Size Your Snowboard. Get your gear now so you’re ready for the snow!

Okay guys this was just a quick preseason tip. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right. Our blog is up and going so check back again for more tips.