# Landing Jumps



## Joe Coffee (Dec 12, 2012)

Hey guys 

Just having a bit trouble consistenly landing jumps. I go off and land sometime but other times I kinda swerve to the left or right and land on a edge and either fall or just barely make it. Tips for being more stable in the air?


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## seant46 (Dec 8, 2009)

For being more stable in the air, try adding a grab your comfortable with if you aren't already. As for the landings, I find it easiest to land flat based or very mildy on the toe edge. Also some squats exercises im sure would help to keep you up by strengthening your legs/core. Not sure if I helped but hopefully


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Joe Coffee said:


> Hey guys
> 
> Just having a bit trouble consistenly landing jumps. I go off and land sometime but other times I kinda swerve to the left or right and land on a edge and either fall or just barely make it. Tips for being more stable in the air?


Reach with your back hand down between your feet to try to touch your board. Don't worry about grabbing and holding at this time, just the motion will help you stay calm while landing. If you jump and stay straight legged you're going to end up landing off balance. By reaching for your board you compress in the air, and then your legs will head back down to prepare for landing...

Also I find I'm more comfortable when I pre-load instead of just riding off a jump. Pre-loading means you squat down before the lip, then as you're ready to leave the earth, you spring up. You're in control of the jump this way instead of the jump controlling you.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

poutanen said:


> Also I find I'm more comfortable when I pre-load instead of just riding off a jump. Pre-loading means you squat down before the lip, then as you're ready to leave the earth, you spring up. You're in control of the jump this way instead of the jump controlling you.


Also (and I'm just learning this myself) you can control the amount of loft you get off the jump if your approach speed isn't right. If you find you're coming in too slow you can pop at the lip to get extra distance and (hopefully) avoid the knuckle. If you're coming in too fast you can suck up the board as you go over and reduce the amount of loft. Of course you still have to have enough experience to know what to do when. :dizzy:


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## TorpedoVegas (Dec 25, 2011)

Imagine yourself naked, riding a mighty unicorn while the song "Super Trooper" by ABBA plays in the background...works every time! 


Seriously..just go for a grab, but never tindy


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## Joe Coffee (Dec 12, 2012)

Thanks guys these tips help alot.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Snowolf said:


> Everything you advised was spot on so I am not disagreeing with you. Just pointing out that using standard terminology helps us as coaches avoid cases where our client becomes confused about what we are trying to get them to do....


^^^ What he said! 

The main thing is when you watch somebody jump who isn't "pumping the tranny" it's very obvious. To the OP, watch some of the fancy snowboard porn videos out there, and watch that on 99.9% of the jumps they are compressing, bringing their legs up while in the air.

Would you jump off a table straight legged? Only once! Then you'd realize that jumping off and pulling your feet up to your body makes the whole motion more smooth.

BAH just go back and read what Wolfie said, he's got a much better way with words than I do! lol


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

piggybacking this thread if anyone can help or has ideas:

I have a hard time reaching for grabs, I feel like as I reach it throws me off balance. I'm plenty flexible...maybe not sucking up my knees enough? I feel like I do do this, but...any other suggestions?


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## seant46 (Dec 8, 2009)

snowklinger said:


> piggybacking this thread if anyone can help or has ideas:
> 
> I have a hard time reaching for grabs, I feel like as I reach it throws me off balance. I'm plenty flexible...maybe not sucking up my knees enough? I feel like I do do this, but...any other suggestions?


Hmm. It could not sucking up the knees enough, but it also may be your just not comfortable with that certain grab yet? If you are already sucking up your knees it may just take a little time then eventually you wont have to think about it.

Do you have really stiff boots/bindings? Thats one thing that can make in harder. I have come to like the combo of stiff boots for charging it with soft bindings so you can still tweak er out!


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

snowklinger said:


> piggybacking this thread if anyone can help or has ideas:
> 
> I have a hard time reaching for grabs, I feel like as I reach it throws me off balance. I'm plenty flexible...maybe not sucking up my knees enough? I feel like I do do this, but...any other suggestions?


Don't know how much it'll help, but when I started doing grabs in tramp training it was pretty comical the first couple of tries. Came damned close to landing on my head. Maybe 5 minutes of trying to grab the soles of my feet and it started to come together. If you can get onto a trampoline for a couple of minutes it might be enough to figure out the balance.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Donutz said:


> Don't know how much it'll help, but when I started doing grabs in tramp training it was pretty comical the first couple of tries. Came damned close to landing on my head. Maybe 5 minutes of trying to grab the soles of my feet and it started to come together. If you can get onto a trampoline for a couple of minutes it might be enough to figure out the balance.


Not crazy at all, that's what the freestyle skiers use to train. Aren't there jump schools out there that let you strap a board on your feet and use the trampoline in a harness?!?


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Snowolf said:


> The best method for approaching a jump on the takeoff ramp is to flex (squat) before starting up the ramp then slowly extend as you ride up the ramp. Just before the front foot hits the lip, finish this extension with the pop.
> 
> This slow extension going up the ramp actually increases forward speed slightly and helps the rider maintain their forward momentum. This means a more stable takeoff and a bit more air. This technique is also used in the half pipe and is often referred to as " pumping the tranny".


I was hitting the smaller jump in Young Guns on Seymour all day today. Was having trouble clearing the knuckle. I finally remembered this advice and decided to try it. Amazing difference! It was like someone had put a trampoline under me. I immediately started clearing the knuckle and then some. And it was almost without effort.


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## gmore10 (Dec 23, 2011)

wave your arms as fast as you can and make chicken noises.k:


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

Thanks for all the awesome replies, I have a nasty suspicion that my love of beer and rapidly closing on 40 is not helping. I got no problem with some good airtime, can shifty the 30 footers, its just that last couple inches reaching for the deck in midair that is so sketchy.

I used to be good at it on a skateboard..wtf fat old man...

doesn't help Loveland has not yet built a jump this year...kinda hard to practice.....


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## Casual (Feb 9, 2011)

Somehting I haven't seen here yet is to keep your knees up/bent, don't extend your legs out reaching for the ground, relax and let it come to you and have a nice soft knees bent touch down.

For grabs, get your knees up to your chest, try looking down at your board so you can spot your grab off maller jumps until to get used to this. It's a lot easier to grab when you can see it, but first you need to get your knees up. Try hitting a few jumps and practice just pulling it into your chest and get that feeling down, then add the grabs and the board should just be there.


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## BoardWalk (Mar 22, 2011)

poutanen said:


> "pumping the tranny"


You and your dirty talk...


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## Soggysnow (Sep 11, 2012)

I seem to have a lot of issue with pop. NO idea why and its driving me nuts. I dont know if I am trying to just ollie (I can ollie fine) off or and just starting too early. I dont get any pop but I do feel like a dead weight.
Same issue off rollers. I am getting really mad at myself here.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Soggysnow said:


> I seem to have a lot of issue with pop. NO idea why and its driving me nuts. I dont know if I am trying to just ollie (I can ollie fine) off or and just starting too early. I dont get any pop but I do feel like a dead weight.
> Same issue off rollers. I am getting really mad at myself here.


Tough to know without a video, but you could very well be trying to pop too early. Off rollers are you getting air already just riding over? If so, next time over it just jump right as you're leaving the ground... It should feel natural, if not something's wrong.


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## Casual (Feb 9, 2011)

Soggysnow said:


> I seem to have a lot of issue with pop. NO idea why and its driving me nuts. I dont know if I am trying to just ollie (I can ollie fine) off or and just starting too early. I dont get any pop but I do feel like a dead weight.
> Same issue off rollers. I am getting really mad at myself here.


Sounds like a timing issue. You need to pop as your coming off the lip at the last second, like when the lip is between your bindings you should be extended almost completely. Do it too early and your going to go dead in the air for sure. You need to ollie off rollers though but again wait til the last second, popping early is how you get over things with no air and gain speed like in boardercross.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Soggysnow said:


> I seem to have a lot of issue with pop. NO idea why and its driving me nuts. I dont know if I am trying to just ollie (I can ollie fine) off or and just starting too early. I dont get any pop but I do feel like a dead weight.
> Same issue off rollers. I am getting really mad at myself here.


Try this (I tried it last weekend, worked great):

As you hit the transition, crouch. As you come up the ramp on the jump, gradually straighten up, timed so that as you hit the lip you'll be extended as much as you want to be (not necessarily standing straight). You don't even have to put a lot of effort into it. It just seems to send you into a higher orbit.


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## Soggysnow (Sep 11, 2012)

Donutz said:


> Try this (I tried it last weekend, worked great):
> 
> As you hit the transition, crouch. As you come up the ramp on the jump, gradually straighten up, timed so that as you hit the lip you'll be extended as much as you want to be (not necessarily standing straight). You don't even have to put a lot of effort into it. It just seems to send you into a higher orbit.





Casual said:


> Sounds like a timing issue. You need to pop as your coming off the lip at the last second, like when the lip is between your bindings you should be extended almost completely. Do it too early and your going to go dead in the air for sure. You need to ollie off rollers though but again wait til the last second, popping early is how you get over things with no air and gain speed like in boardercross.





> Tough to know without a video, but you could very well be trying to pop too early. Off rollers are you getting air already just riding over? If so, next time over it just jump right as you're leaving the ground... It should feel natural, if not something's wrong.



Donutz,-yeh i read that too and have been trying it with no luck. This is why I think Im trying to pop too early? or Simply ollie-ing off so I am not going off two feel evenly. I know I am trying to bring my legs up, but not having much luck with that either, seem to be bending at the waist (I think)

Casual & Poutanen- If I had someone to film or even to ride park with, I could probably fix this problem myself based on what I was seeing, not having that person to help is doing me no favours. My friends are more fond of riding warp speed laps (which I am also not very good at)
You could pop rather than ollie off some rollers, or do you need to use ollie-ing only for rollers?
No not getting air off the rollers just riding, they are fairly small on Whistler and on Blackcomb even riding fairly fast in the terrain garden I still don't get air naturally.

I am kicking myself that I find other things fairly easy but the simple stuff like straight jumps... I don't see anyone else struggling with it and that makes me even more angry haha!

Thank you all for your replies too


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## m0rph3us (Jan 26, 2012)

Snowolf said:


> We don't really have enough specifics to diagnose the issue properly, but on the surface it sounds like an alignment issue. You seem to be getting unwanted rotation while in the air. A very common problem for early park riders or anyone just starting jumping while free riding is landing on the heel edge with the board at least pertly across the hill. In almost every case, the rider opens up and faces forward once in the air. Any, even slight, twist of the upper body in the air, will rotate the board. So you have to be totally, aligned with your board; hips and shoulders.
> 
> Now, if you are not rotating in the air and landing straight, but on edge, this is caused by lean while in the air. If you hunch over even slightly in the air, you will land on the toe edge of the board. Any slight lean back will cause you to land on the heel edge. Its all about eliminating all rotation and staying stacked vertically over your board.
> 
> ...


As someone who has just been starting to jump, this is awesome advice - some of which I'd been taught and some of which I hadn't. Thanks man.


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## Soggysnow (Sep 11, 2012)

So, today I had a freak out over boxes. Just could not make myself hot any even though I've done them quite a number of times before. Maybe just because last time I tried on my new snowboard I gave myself whiplash. Not quite as forgiving as my other hybrid.

Si just focused on jumps. Def going backwards with my progression, worried about Roxy camp and not performing well.
I cut my speed too much and still find it impossibly to pop from two feet. I find myself launching with the front of my board higher than back, but then landing evenly.
I don't get why this is such an issue. Managed to convince someone to come with me but I'm worried I'll lose my temper!! Haha.


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

Soggysnow said:


> So, today I had a freak out over boxes. Just could not make myself hot any even though I've done them quite a number of times before. Maybe just because last time I tried on my new snowboard I gave myself whiplash. Not quite as forgiving as my other hybrid.
> 
> Si just focused on jumps. Def going backwards with my progression, worried about Roxy camp and not performing well.
> I cut my speed too much and still find it impossibly to pop from two feet. I find myself launching with the front of my board higher than back, but then landing evenly.
> I don't get why this is such an issue. Managed to convince someone to come with me but I'm worried I'll lose my temper!! Haha.


best story ever:thumbsup:


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## Soggysnow (Sep 11, 2012)

snowklinger said:


> best story ever:thumbsup:


Sorry I'm just angry. Half rant half information. Guess I'm pushing off my back foot? But not sure why.


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