This post is for those interested in learning (or perfecting) the tail press.

This is a good intro and/or build up to sound posture and technique for the How to Ollie on a snowboard.

If you’ve come across this by random or just starting out, read the ‘Snowboard trick how to: Intro’ for a solid stance and progression to all other tricks.

How to tail press on a snowboard (regular)
How to do a tail press on a snowboard (goofy)

Stages

  1. Setup: Ride in flat base, centred over your board with good body alignment. Start in a low stance, flexing your ankles, knees, hips and spine. – Frame 1. –
  2. Take off: Progressively start to push/slide the board out from under you, driving out (extending) your front leg. Raise the lead shoulder slightly, shifting pressure to the tail and sinking onto your back foot. – Frames 2. and 3. –
  3. Trick: Sink down over the back foot and hold this for a long as you desire – shifting back slowly will help you hold this position. Now you should be thinking of using the front foot and shoulder. – Frames 4. and 5. –
  4. Landing: Allow your shoulder to drop back down, returning slowly to a flat base with body weight centred over both feet. – Frames 6. and onwards-

DO NOT try to physically lift or raise the nose to early – make sure you shift back over the tail of the board first. Let the nose raise off the snow naturally via the above actions, only then should you increase the pressure in the tail by lifting up the front leg and lead shoulder.

Tips:

  • A common mistake is to let the rear knee fold in or collapse, this causes a break at the waist and reduces the press on the tail. Keep the knee out over your toes to create a solid tail press
  • Be sure not to try and lift the front leg to early – another common mistake. Wait till you have shifted back, then lift the leg.
  • The stronger you ‘drive’ the front leg out, the more pressure will build up in the tail. In turn the board will bend more. Combine this with good timing and shoulder lilt and the board will raise off the snow even more.
  • Keep your eyes slightly forward and pick a spot in the snow to press over.
  • Once you can hold the press, experiment popping back to a flat centred stance using the pressure in the tail.
  • Try combining this trick with a centred pop off a flat base into the press position then pop out to flat base again.

Struggling? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to help you out

Where to go from here

If you like this post, be sure to check out more like this in the Freestyle Tips & Tips category. Or, if more technical riding articles are you thing, then check out the Techincal Riding category.

If you would like to know where and what courses I will be coaching within the UK and Europe this year, please refer to my Calander.

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