# yet another critique my riding thread



## bronzzhorse (Feb 15, 2012)

64 views and no replies..... I'm either doing just fine, or I SUCK..... I'm not sure which it is though..


----------



## lonerider (Apr 10, 2009)

bronzzhorse said:


> 64 views and no replies..... I'm either doing just fine, or I SUCK..... I'm not sure which it is though..


Or people don't want to waste there time giving every single attention-starved person tips in the middle of a work day.

1. You are really hunched over in your shoulders (you head is leaning forward at least 1.5 feet), try to keep you head/chest more upright
2. You need more work your on toe flexion/extension movements to help you the board edge to edge as you shift your weight from toe to heel.
3. Stop swinging that back arm to initiate your turns, that is a bad habit... try practicing riding with your hands grabbing the sides of your pants, then later when you get used to that, holding your hands together behind your back. Every time you have to let go and swing out your arms means you weren't doing #2 correctly... or your were off-balance
4. Because of #2 and #3, you aren't very smooth in linking your turns (you noticeably take a while to transition out of the end of one turn and into the next). This will improve as you fix the other issues (basically at the point in your development, you should never need to use your upper body to turn... keep it upright and quiet with no disco arm swinging).
5. Stand in front of the mirror every morning and say "Every day, and in every way, I am becoming better and better." to your reflection ten times to help with your insecurity issues.

Hard to say more than that due to the less than ideal POV in the video.


----------



## bronzzhorse (Feb 15, 2012)

A: Thanks for the feedback.... aside from the sarcasm, that was exactly what I was looking for.....
B:


> Or people don't want to waste there time giving every single attention-starved person tips in the middle of a work day.





> 5. Stand in front of the mirror every morning and say "Every day, and in every way, I am becoming better and better." to your reflection ten times to help with your insecurity issues.


Really? Is all that necessary? I don't have "insecurity issues", and I am FAR from "attention starved". I just noticed that there were quite a few views, and honestly, I figured I was so bad that SOMEONE out of 64 riders would have ripped my riding apart by now.....Its not "insecurity", its called "a desire to improve"..... I didnt say "Awwww. please give me attention and tell me how wonderful I am".. I made a statement, containing a FACT...There _were_ 64 views, and _nobody_ *had *replied... Furthermore, if everyone was SOOOOOOOOO busy, and SOOOOOOOOOO uninterested, then why were 64 people busy _reading my thread_, instead of working, in the _"middle of a work day_"? (this is the internet isn't it? worldwide? multiple time zones? could be midnight where some people are? just sayin')


----------



## lonerider (Apr 10, 2009)

bronzzhorse said:


> A: Thanks for the feedback.... aside from the sarcasm, that was exactly what I was looking for.....
> B:
> Really? Is all that necessary? I don't have "insecurity issues", and I am FAR from "attention starved". I just noticed that there were quite a few views, and honestly, I figured I was so bad that SOMEONE out of 64 riders would have ripped my riding apart by now.....Its not "insecurity", its called "a desire to improve"..... I didnt say "Awwww. please give me attention and tell me how wonderful I am".. I made a statement, containing a FACT...There _were_ 64 views, and _nobody_ *had *replied... Furthermore, if everyone was SOOOOOOOOO busy, and SOOOOOOOOOO uninterested, then why were 64 people busy _reading my thread_, instead of working, in the _"middle of a work day_"? (this is the internet isn't it? worldwide? multiple time zones? could be midnight where some people are? just sayin')


Lol... I apologize if my hazing of you as a new person to the forum rubbed you the wrong way.

Either way good luck and keep that back arm under control.


----------



## bronzzhorse (Feb 15, 2012)

No harm, no foul!!... I have thick enough skin, but I am also a very "literal" personality... That seems to get me in to trouble on a forum setting...sorry if I came across as an overly sensitive bitch...lol but thanks for the feedback, and Ill work on all those points (if i can get another trip in this year, which at this point isn't looking too likely :-( )


----------



## bronzzhorse (Feb 15, 2012)

Snowolf, Thanks so much for the feedback!!... Ill work on all those issues next time out!!!
I found a more recent vid,  Here, in which i had much more riding under me, and its a better view (again, I'm in the orange pants).... this might help? Check it out if ya want, and again, any help and feedback MUCH appreciated!!


----------



## t21 (Dec 29, 2010)

i think your buddy seems to ride a bit sketchy too i guess not much to add from snowolf's advice but i'm self taught myself and his(snowolf's vids and advice) helped me a ton.also having a snowboard instructor as my neighbor is not bad either. The CASI level 1 to 4 video,and Snowprofessor.com is good too:thumbsup:


----------



## SnowMotion (Oct 8, 2010)

I agree with SnoWolfs analysis. You need to get a little lower at the knees and get over your edge more as you turn. This will couse it to really dig in. A good drill to use to feel what we are talking about is called j-turn washouts. Start by going straight and picking up a little momentum then without using any body rotation lean over your edge until your board turns for you. Keep leaning slowly until you either head back up hill or you slip out and fall lightly uphill. You will instantly feel a difference in your old turning method and this (which is carving).


----------



## Giannis (Oct 20, 2011)

Snowolf said:


> Range of movement is huge as you begin to move toward more dynamic riding. Your first step to becoming a lot more dynamic is simply to be in constant motion up and down throughout your turns. Your default position should be about midpoint.
> 
> Standing fully erect with knees locked will be a 1 on your 1 through 10 scale for your range of movement. Now flex down as low as you can stand while still maintaining a somewhat erect upper body. This will be your number 10 in your range. Now, halfway between these points is your number 5. This is where you should be as your resting, default position.
> 
> ...


Sorry to interfere, but i have been following your posts with technique instructions and they seem very good , but there is something i havent been able to figure out. I am a bit confused about when exactly to bend down and rise again. During dynamic riding, where the board mostly does quick and small "S" , while the upper body mostly goes forward, i can understand your instruction about bending down to release the edge, so the board can travel under you to the other side while slowly rising and so on. However, i have seen a lot of videos like that CASI Level 2 Standards 2010 - YouTube , where it seems to me that the opposite happens. It looks like their knees are bent while they are on edge and they rise in order to change edge and then bend again to finish the turn and get on the new edge. Is something difference happening which i cant see or this is different type of riding which isnt dynamic? Thanks for your help.


----------



## Giannis (Oct 20, 2011)

Snowolf said:


> Yeah, I see that in the video as well. To me, it looks like they are in fact using an up unweight at edge change as well. CASI and AASI have some very different approaches and this may be one of them. Up unweighting is not "wrong". it is just another way to get the job done. AASI`s position is that on steeper terrain, an up unweight tends to pop you too hard off of the side of the slop in a fully extended position while a down unweight releases the edge but allows you to move closer to the surface while doing it.
> 
> A down unweight is just a brisk dropping of the upper body down toward the board. This is usually done from a mid flexed position not full flex so in reality, it is a subtle movement. The idea here is in a cross under turn, your legs reach maximum extension as the board travels through the apex of the turn and is at its farthest point from you. In order to maintain a quiet upper body, you have to retract the legs as the board now travels back toward you.
> 
> ...


It's a bit more clear now, thanks


----------



## Giannis (Oct 20, 2011)

Snowolf said:


> Don't worry this is a really confusing concept at first and it took me forever to get the timing down. A great drill to start really getting a feel for this is to do leapers only instead of popping up off of the snow, start from an extended position and just drop down low really really fast. You can start by just standing on a flat spot and from a tall position, just totally let your legs go noodle so that you feel like you are dropping straight down. When you do this fast enough, there is a brief second when the board lifts up off of the snow as you are dropping toward it. Once you do this a few times, do it while in motion, the add an edge change to it....:thumbsup:


I will try it for sure next time i go boarding. I just tried doing it without a board in my living room and if i drop fast enough my feet lift up off the ground for a brief second, i dont know if this is the feeling you are describing. Also, using a down or up unweight motion in order to change edge, is it a preference that you choose and stick with it or people do both? And a last question about finding your flexed and extended position using the 1-10 scale. When you flex down to find your 10, i guess you mean without raising the heels? And is your 1 with completely stretched knees? Thanks


----------



## bronzzhorse (Feb 15, 2012)

Thanks SOOOO much for all the feedback.. It looks like th weather is breaking, so we're planning a trip for tomorrow to Sugar Mt. Ill keep all this in mind, and work on it tomorrow!... if i get a chance, towards the end of the day, after I've had some time to work on these points, I'll try to catch a video and get it up and see if I have made any improvements....Check Ya'll then!! Thanks again guys!!


----------



## srdeo (Jan 29, 2012)

He does look little stiff and could use little more flex on his legs, but is it because he is riding on very flat run?
On the video it was hard to tell what kind of run it was. The terrain looks very flat and some part of it looks like transition run. I don't ride transitions runs with flex on my knees (some but barely any). Is this you pushing yourself or are you leisurely riding? You should post something where you are pushing yourself (your weakness would be more noticeable)


----------

