# how do I stop catching edges?



## alecdude88

mostly this is an experience thing. the longer you board the less it'll happen just be confident with your movements is the only true advice I can give you.


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## LSchaeffer

alecdude88 said:


> mostly this is an experience thing. the longer you board the less it'll happen just be confident with your movements is the only true advice I can give you.


It seems like it happens most often when I'm turning toeside or heelside and my back foot goes out too far backward/forward and then I can't get out of it, so I just put my board flat. I guess I shouldn't do that. How do you get out of that situation?


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## Milo303

Pay attention and make a more conscious effort of staying up on edges and keep the downhill facing edge up... If it's up, you can't catch it.


And you just need practice to stop doing things to far


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## baldylox

Agree with the others. It's just experience. You haven't developed the awareness of when your board is tracking with the edge or side-slipping a small amount. When you've been doing it for a few years you could literally ride with your eyes closed (provided there aren't any trees).

I'd suggest working with an instructor and have them do some drills with you to teach you to carve. Also practice flat spins for edge control.


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## LSchaeffer

cifex said:


> Agree with the others. It's just experience. You haven't developed the awareness of when your board is tracking with the edge or side-slipping a small amount. When you've been doing it for a few years you could literally ride with your eyes closed (provided there aren't any trees).
> 
> I'd suggest working with an instructor and have them do some drills with you to teach you to carve. Also practice flat spins for edge control.


Are flat spins when you just turn 180 on the ground quickly?


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## wrathfuldeity

answer is in here

http://www.snowboardingforum.com/tips-tricks-instructors/33463-noobie-question-straight-glides.html


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## baldylox

LSchaeffer said:


> Are flat spins when you just turn 180 on the ground quickly?


Basically, yes except you keep doing it round and round spinning. When you get good at it in one direction, learn the other way.


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## HoboMaster

Yup, more then anything it's experience, the more time you rack up you will find your body automatically making constant micro-adjustments to keep the board from catching. Try and keep on your edges, because when you do go flat after coming out of a turn and don't have control and experience, that's when your most likely to get dumped. The board is gonna try and rock back and forth between edges until it finds a groove to go into, subsequently forcing you in a direction your not turning into.


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## earl_je

Make sure you keep your shoulders and hips perpendicular to the slope. Since you dont have a lot of experience riding fast yet, your body would instinctively lean back uphill for several different reasons (mainly fear, vestibular righting sense, guarding reaction). Imagine putting most of your weight on the rear foot (you may not realize this is what you're doing) then trying to turn, almost a guarantee your edge will catch. The faster you go, the more you should 'attack' the slope.

Same reason why learning on a rocker board is so much easier, because the rear edge will still have enough clearance from the ground to not catch.


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## razzle

If your back foot is sliding out then you have too much weight on it. Keep your weight evenly distributed and move from one turn to the next so that you are not flat on the snow any more than necessary. 

You need to concentrate on two things, staying in the centre of the board number one, and think ahead so that you have your next couple of turns worked out well in advance. That will help to deal with the leaning uphill thing that earl je was talking about.


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## rasmasyean

Try to keep most of your weight on the lead foot. This will make the rear sort of "loose" like the fin end of a dart...and it will help it remain straight even when flat basing straight downhill. Of course this means that you would have to have good balance on the lead foot. This will also help prevent your rear from swinging too far forward when you are skidding...if I'm understanding your problem correctly.


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## Enigmatic

in addition to everything else everyone has said..

maybe your board is too stiff?

when I first started I had a ridiculously stiff board with what seemed like no torsional flex, I was constantly catching edges and I couldn't even get close to linking turns. Plus I had step in bindings. My dad got me that board from the salvation army (yeah, it was a real bad set up)

but anyway, that might be something to look at...try riding some friends boards and see if that helps at all


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## Deviant

All good replies, one thing I think is missing is the panic factor. Our brains tend to race in panic situations, and the results aren't always good, wrist injuries are a perfect example of this. As Snowolf said, a board is more sensitive at higher speeds. With the board getting twitchy, your fast movements to try to get out of the situation (the tail coming out) can cause an edge catch as well. Don't even try going fast at this point, get the basic turning movements down first and get comfortable with the correct edge to edge work. Ride a mellow slope, stay out of really bumpy-choppy snow for now and just work on the basics.


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## Lab

Practice!!


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## SAddiction

The falling leaf is also another good edge awareness drill


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