# How to stop heel turns using back leg!?



## Captain Caveman (Mar 10, 2020)

Hi guys,

Am a noob on here, so pls be gentle 

I've been boarding for a few years (about 60 days total), and thought I was a pretty decent boarder; I can get down pretty much any run with neat linked turns and have full control of the board at all times. Recently though, I'm realising that my technique is pretty poor, and despite being a fit cyclist and power lifter, I can't get down a full run without frequent rests, as my lower thigh and knee on my back leg just burns like hell. 

After a lot of YouTube vids and lots of self critique, I've realised that I'm not carving, and instead am doing rubbishy skidded turns. Even worse, although I can execute a better turn on my toe edge, my heel side turn sucks, and I and twisting my back leg and pushing the board around to turn, which is why my back leg gets tired so quickly. I also have quite an stiff board which means I'm fighting the board even more to turn in this way.

Try as a might, I simply can't teach myself to unlearn using my back leg to turn, as I've done it that way for so long, I do it without even thinking. I've watched all the videos, and read all the forum posts on the subject that I can find, and totally understand the theory of how to do proper carved turns, as on paper its pretty easy, but in practice I get nowhere. I spent the last 2 days on the slopes and got so frustrated with myself I nearly went home early, but I'm determined to conquer this! I so want to be able to carve effortlessly down the mountain all day long without having to stop like a pussy every 5 minutes.

Anyone have any tips, or managed to conquer poor technique?

Cheers,

Mart.


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## vodkaboarder (Feb 9, 2013)

Try to keep your shoulders perfectly aligned with your snowboard. You can hold your front hand over the front of the board and rear hand over the tail of the board or hold onto the sides of your pants where the pockets are. This should keep your body from counter rotating which is what your doing to kick your back leg around like that. 

You probably should also check how you're standing on the board. Snowboard addiction has a pretty good youtube video on proper posture.


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## Captain Caveman (Mar 10, 2020)

Thanks for the reply. 

My body position is always neutral and in-line with the board, and stays put when I turn. I don't actually kick the board round as you see so many noobs do, rather I tend to press and twist my back foot/leg round rather than simply tilting onto the heel edge. To watch me you wouldn't know I was doing anything wrong, however the clue is when I get off a lift and then struggle to turn without my back foot strapped in. From what I've read, I should be pivoting the board, leading with the front foot and the follow by pivoting the rear. Simple on paper, but I can't seem to do it in practice?? I have a -15 +15 stance and have the boots nicely centred over the board.


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Try a softer board, rent if you have to, push the bindings a little back and with 24-0 angles. Don't know how wide your stance is, but try 21'' if it's alot wider. You don't have to convert, but I think it's just easier to get the movement in like that. Then just turn all day by twisting the board and using the edges. Bend your knees more than you have at the start of turns at least. When you get back on your board, you will know how it should feel.


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Maybe try riding with your back foot loose in the binding. This will force you to get your weight forward and use your front foot to steer if you want any control.


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

WigMar said:


> Maybe try riding with your back foot loose in the binding. This will force you to get your weight forward and use your front foot to steer if you want any control.


Funny thing is that recently I've come across this pretty good YT channel where he demonstrates the opposite technique to "unlock the potential of your back leg" -






OP, maybe try to open shoulders a bit, most carving I see (Knapton, Toy Films) is with open shoulders rather than in neutral position.


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## MrDavey2Shoes (Mar 5, 2018)

Ok, here’s what you’re gonna do. Next time you go riding lean most of your weight on your front foot. To turn LEAN toe side and LEAN heelside. Don’t move that back leg at all! That will teach you how to initiate your edges.
Edit: by most of your weight I mean like 70%. Enough to feel the front of the board engaging.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

MrDavey2Shoes said:


> Ok, here’s what you’re gonna do. Next time you go riding lean most of your weight on your front foot. To turn LEAN toe side and LEAN heelside. Don’t move that back leg at all! That will teach you how to initiate your edges.
> Edit: by most of your weight I mean like 70%. Enough to feel the front of the board engaging.


And grab you hands togather like you are holding on to your belt buckle...and leave you hands there...the whole way down...while focusing on leading with you front knee/foot and just let the rear leg/foot follow along. To do this you will feel like you are in more of an attack/aggressive dynamic mode.


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## Paxford (Jan 7, 2019)

Softer board should help


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## Luxxer (Nov 14, 2019)

I did the same on steep runs because I felt like the board needed to turn around RIGHT NOW, and it was wearing me out big time. I learned to relax into the turn and look across the hill, and realising the board will turn 5 milliseconds later than you want which makes it odd at first but super relaxed after 2 runs. It also makes for a much more flowing line, i think.


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## Captain Caveman (Mar 10, 2020)

Thanks for everyone's input - really great advice, thanks!

I think my main problem is that Ive been turning this way for so long, I don't even do it consciously or think about what I'm doing, it's just instinctive, which makes it even harder to unlearn the bad habits. I'm not even sure if I put more weight on the front or the back leg in a turn tbh. I did consciously try and lean onto my front leg when turning and it didn't seem to make any difference. I'm going back next week so will try the keeping my hands together in front and see if that helps.

So to turn on my heel, is it right to say that I should be shifting my knees towards the front of the board, whilst pulling them back over the heel edge to turn? I do make a habit of really bending my legs over the back of the board on my heel turns to get the weight over the heel edge, but that doesn't seem to help, apart from meaning that my thighs tire quicker?? 

When I watch the carving tutorials on YouTube, they always seem to be able to do quite deep carves, with only a slight bend in the knee - certainly not bending the knees as much as I do. I think I'm scared to tilt the board much, and lean my body back over the heel edge of the board in case I fall over, whereas it seems easier to tilt the board over on the toe edge. Dunno why?

Aaaaarrghhhh!


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

If turning to one side feels alot easier than the other, your bindings/feet/whatever may not be centered on the board, and this can usually be adjusted. Leaning back when initiating a heel turn isn't what you would normally do, sometimes it's right, but depends on snow and terrain.


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## Jimi7 (Jan 14, 2020)

Just trust that the edge will turn you. Strap on your board on some carpet and rock the board beneth you from heel to toe, heel to toe....


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## Paxford (Jan 7, 2019)

lbs123 said:


> Funny thing is that recently I've come across this pretty good YT channel where he demonstrates the opposite technique to "unlock the potential of your back leg" -
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Great content in general from this guy, thanks for sharing.


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## bazman (Jan 15, 2017)

You can simplify by practicing a single carve at a time. Eg start from stationary and go straight down the fall line until you get a bit of speed then try to carve in one direction and keep going until you have carved back uphill again. Repeat on the other side.

You want good snow conditions to learn this. Freshly groomed is ideal but not too firm or icy


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Board control is all about right amount of force at the right time. It's not about who is the strongest or fastest. Try slow down your edge switches to feel what the board is doing. Also bend your knees. As far as smooth edge switches, it needs to initiate from the front leg instead of the rear.


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