A total of 12 how to articles on snowboard freestyle tricks are now in the Freestyle Tips and Tricks category, each with their own step by step instructions / pictures and videos.
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Hope all’s well, loving the blog! So have been boarding a few months now and have started to get the urge to try buttering/freestyle and all that kerfuffle (am booked on a Definition course next month) but am struggling a wee bit with the 180s. I’m not sure what it is i’m doing wrong exactly but i can’t seem to generate the spin needed to bring the board all the way round. Any help would be mucho appreciated buddy.
Hi Ian. Ok, it could be a few things going on but I will address your question re: ‘can’t seem to generate the spin needed’.
As we are now only talking about rotation (spin), go back to the basics and try the whole movement of the 180 across the slope (would suggest heel edge). Do it on the snow (sliding it). Taking away the other elements (popping, take off, landing etc) will make it easier to affirm the rotation and highlight what’s going wrong.
Ensure your upper body and shoulders, precede the board. Over exaggerate this movement and see if you can even get a delayed feeling going on. Shoulders move, hold it for a second, (hips and board still travelling straight) then let the board whip around under you. If you can’t feel this ‘tension’ / ‘release’ feeling you are most probably initiating the 180 with your hips (this makes the board slide and skid – then mid 180 it decides it wants to line back up with your shoulders which are now behind you legs – not good!). This is the type of thing you see a lot when people try to just use their lower body to get the board around – scissoring their legs. Yes it is possible for a 180 and is used for certain movements, rails etc but does not really create a smooth movement.
Another point of concern here is that you could be pivoting around your front or back foot (usually the front), check that the pivot point is between your feet. (you should not feel any more pressure on one foot than the other when doing the above exercise – even pressure pivoting around the centre of your board).
A big thing that throws people out is trying to go for the trick straight off (remember when you were learning, you went through the basics first right? side slip then turning – same with any trick you learn from now on) Get the basics dialled, then build it up.
Once you can get the above exercise going on and it feels good add in some up and down movements. Do the exact same exercise (feeling the separation) just start low and as the upper body and shoulders precedes you will want to be high NB: you are still sliding this across the snow.
Don’t stand too tall too early, get the timing spot on, feeling the separation, pivoting around the centre, small on the run in, tall as you spin.
When this feels good, add in a small pop off both feet. Resist the temptation to ruin all your hard practice and go for the entire 180 first time off. Let you muscles remember good movements, start small and build up. This is the benefit of doing the 180 across the slope as opposed to straight down the hill. You’re less likley to catch and edge and therefore more inclined to build up slowly.
Hope this helps.
Bloomin hell wasn’t expecting such a thought out reply!! Awesome tips buddy, will give it a bash at the dome next week and let you know how i get on.