# Some training without the snow and the mountains



## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

As an owner of Snowboard Addiction equipment (Switch Boards is the same concept) I have some doubts if this significantly helps you with your regular riding. Balance when riding is created in conjunction with the edge control and that's what you cannot train on this equipment. They are great for training freestyle body positions, balance on boxes and rails, air awareness in jumps, and general conditioning. But I don't think it's worth buying it just to train regular riding technique. If you do, you should also try to do that "complex stuff" because it eventually makes you a better snowboarder.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Thanks for your answer, @lbs123. I suspected that as well.
However, I have nothing to buy for this setup to be ready. This is why it seems appealing to me.


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

Well, not saying you shouldn't buy it, but if you do, don't limit yourself to just balancing on those disks. For example flatground 180s with rotation and counter rotation can be useful for better understanding the concept of rotation and counter rotation which is used in regular riding too (often wrongly, though). Of course, you can practice those without a training board, but it definitely gives you more realistic feel.

Other option you might consider is skateboarding, although it can be a bit intimidating (falling on concrete is not fun). Then there are also those balance boards for a general balance training, that could be a cheaper option too.


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## Myoko (Dec 11, 2018)

lbs123 said:


> As an owner of Snowboard Addiction equipment (Switch Boards is the same concept) I have some doubts if this significantly helps you with your regular riding. Balance when riding is created in conjunction with the edge control and that's what you cannot train on this equipment. They are great for training freestyle body positions, balance on boxes and rails, air awareness in jumps, and general conditioning. But I don't think it's worth buying it just to train regular riding technique. If you do, you should also try to do that "complex stuff" because it eventually makes you a better snowboarder.


There is a man who genuinely should know his shit! It's important to have people on here with a wide variety of skills I think. Must admit I just get on a vibrating platform to try and get my legs strong before heading overseas on a trip. No idea what a 'core' is either but balance is fine, I think anyway.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Thanks @lbs123, let me search about flatground 180. I watched tons of beginner videos, 'link turns' level and also about carving (even if I am definitely not yet there), but I am a little lost about other fun stuff.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Ok, I officially have an addiction problem now: I saw videos of snowboard addiction jib training. I _must do_ those exercises 
They're totally unrelated to my current snowboard skills, but who cares: it's pandemic time!

I wonder what I can actually learn...


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

I totally understand you - it's intriguing to see all those various tricks and a be able to train them in the safe environment with minimal setup. Another advantage is that you can easily record yourself at home and check your posture, movements, etc. Even if you are not going to ride real boxes or rails on the snow anytime soon, learning how to execute those tricks properly (even the simple ones) will definitely translate to your overall riding competence and confidence.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Ok I tried jumping up with both feet strapped in my snowboard. I also tried to Jump forward and backward, to jump and rotate and to jump over a wood stick. 
Unfortunately I jump very low, jumping high has never been my best skill even when I played volleyball. Also, landing is hard on my knees, even if I try to land soft.
Anyway, so far so good for first try


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## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

Look into learning how to ollie. You use the board as a spring to catapult you into a jump. You can jump way higher with less effort this way. It teaches you how to load pressure into your tips as well.


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Maya said:


> Ok I tried jumping up with both feet strapped in my snowboard. I also tried to Jump forward and backward, to jump and rotate and to jump over a wood stick.
> Unfortunately I jump very low, jumping high has never been my best skill even when I played volleyball. Also, landing is hard on my knees, even if I try to land soft.
> Anyway, so far so good for first try


Make sure you dont press too much on flatground with a real snowboard, its not good for your hips, the side thats not pressing.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

WigMar said:


> Look into learning how to ollie. You use the board as a spring to catapult you into a jump. You can jump way higher with less effort this way. It teaches you how to load pressure into your tips as well.


I tried also nose and tail presses. In the video the guy says to shift the weight on the nose/tail. I tried, but I think I am doing it wrong. Tail/nose does not lift up, unless I actively raise it with my feet. I'll look again into videos on the topic as I think I am missing something.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Rip154 said:


> Make sure you dont press too much on flatground with a real snowboard, its not good for your hips, the side thats not pressing.


I don't understand what do you mean with "don't press too much". Like in nose/tail press? Thanks.

Also, I will ask to my hubbie to make some videos to me tonight to see how stupid I look!


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Got a thick old wool rug (or matt), folded in half in the basement. First practice some of the movements without the board on your feet. For example, practice spinning 180...just hop up, rotate and land 180. Then try it without winding up by leading the rotation with your hips. Do it both in the toeside and heelside directions. Focus on how you move with different body parts, like your shoulders, hips, hands while thinking about how you are stacking, aligning and where that weight is on your feet. After you get comfortable, then strap on your board and do it. Ime, by breaking it down and getting some of the prep movements nailed helps to progress faster than going for the end game from the beginning.


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Maya said:


> I don't understand what do you mean with "don't press too much". Like in nose/tail press? Thanks.
> 
> Also, I will ask to my hubbie to make some videos to me tonight to see how stupid I look!


Yes nose/tail press. I just dont think its healthy doing that too much when standing still.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Thanks @Rip154, I get it now.
Yesterday I tried again simple jumps on same spot and jumps back and forth, always landing on both feet. Basically I am doing quads exercises. I plan to go on with more of these.
I also tried nose/tail presses (no jumping here) and I think I understood how it should be done. If I push my hips on top of the nose of the board, I am still balanced becasue other foot lifts from the floor and balances me back. Not sure if this is understandable, nor if it is correct.



wrathfuldeity said:


> Got a thick old wool rug (or matt), folded in half in the basement. First practice some of the movements without the board on your feet. For example, practice spinning 180...just hop up, rotate and land 180. Then try it without winding up by leading the rotation with your hips. Do it both in the toeside and heelside directions. Focus on how you move with different body parts, like your shoulders, hips, hands while thinking about how you are stacking, aligning and where that weight is on your feet. After you get comfortable, then strap on your board and do it. Ime, by breaking it down and getting some of the prep movements nailed helps to progress faster than going for the end game from the beginning.


I have the exact rug setup you are mentioning, @wrathfuldeity. I tried 180 spinning without the board and I feel it easy. I do it with hands on shoulder always in same position wrt to rest of the body, so I guess I am starting rotation with my hips. No issues in that, but I always jump very low. 
When I tried with board on, another story. I do the same movements, but my 180° becomes roughly a 100/120°. Feet are waaaay heavier...


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

@lbs123, can you please tell me how wide is Snowboard Addiction balance bar at its top (without the white part)? On the website they say it is 20cm wide, but I guess this is the bottom part and it gets thinner at the top. 
Looking into the web, I bet it could be 12 to 15cm. Am I right?


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Tonight my hubbie has made a couple of videos of me jumping around in snowboard & boots. I am so happy as I jump higher than I expected 
I am doing very basic repetitions, ones proposed into 'getting comfortable' videos on jibbing series of snowboard addiction. I am trying to jump over a cardboard stick on the floor and I am no longer afraid of that.
I also tried full nose tail presses (not only shifting my weight buy actually jumping). Those are still awful, I hope I can do better after more attempts.

Ah yes, I forgot to mention that I have to fix what we can call 'volleyball arms': I use also my arms to give me momentum to jump, like it has to be done in volleyball...


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## NT.Thunder (Jan 4, 2020)

I'd be surprised if most of that gear isn't more of a placebo in regards to off snow training, in fact I'm curious whether it might even introduce bad habits.

I've got a OneWheel I've been using a bit this off-season and I'm interested to see if it has any affect on my riding improving, I'm not sure. I've been in the gym 3 or 4 times a week mainly cardio, upper body and core and I reckon if my riding improves significantly it'll be more to do with this.


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

Maya said:


> @lbs123, can you please tell me how wide is Snowboard Addiction balance bar at its top (without the white part)? On the website they say it is 20cm wide, but I guess this is the bottom part and it gets thinner at the top.
> Looking into the web, I bet it could be 12 to 15cm. Am I right?


Yes, the bottom part is 20 cm, but the top part is more like 9-10cm wide (it's rounded a bit).


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

NT.Thunder said:


> I'd be surprised if most of that gear isn't more of a placebo in regards to off snow training, in fact I'm curious whether it might even introduce bad habits.


It definitely isn't, but you need to have the right expectations. It creates muscle memory for a part of the tricks, doesn't teach whole tricks. For example, the last summer I trained in trampoline once a week with the SA tramp board, and my ability to grab improved significantly this winter. I can see that I have a muscle memory created for various tweaked grab positions, so once I get to the air, I can arrange myself to the right position very quickly (something I wasn't able to do before). On the other hand, I've had some strong bad habits when it comes to approaching the jumps and take-off and trampoline training didn't help me with those at all.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

NT.Thunder said:


> I'd be surprised if most of that gear isn't more of a placebo in regards to off snow training, in fact I'm curious whether it might even introduce bad habits.


I don't know and I don't care. This year I can't go snowboarding due to covid rules, so this is my only option. It is someway fun, so why not. 
Given my current level of snowboarding (very low), I honestly doubt I will ever be able to do on the snow anything related to what I am trying to learn at home.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Those nose & tail press are winning over me. Board does not lift, not even 10cm as they say in video of snowboard addiction, even when I try only to shift my weight.
I suppose I could take some pictures or videos to get some comments over here...


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Gotta remember that the snowboard addiction stuff is toys, and doing presses and stuff on a camber board needs some speed to be easy. Maybe you can make it easier by moving bindings towards the tips, or strapping pillows under the board or whatever.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Thanks @Rip154. Recently I moved bindings towards the tips, as I think they were too narrow for me. I still want to increase binding angles to a more ducked position, because I feel my feet pressing in that direction. I think I will move from a +12/-12 to a +15/-15.
Anyway, I got your point. I will try to do correct movements, without considering how much I am lifting the board from the floor.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Buttering... seems interesting!


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

Maya said:


> Those nose & tail press are winning over me. Board does not lift, not even 10cm as they say in video of snowboard addiction, even when I try only to shift my weight.
> I suppose I could take some pictures or videos to get some comments over here...


You could record a video and see if you cannot spot any issues yourself by comparing to the SA videos. It's good to train your eyes this way. Of course, if you cannot spot what the problem could be, feel free to post it here.

Regarding the presses itself, I've noticed that besides following the basic instructions like shifting your weight/hips over the nose or tail, it helps to straighten your other leg. For example, in the nose press, the front leg is bent and the rear leg is straightened and the knee is locked. Without locking your knee, the knee joint can still move and it's harder to control tension needed to lift the board.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Ok, yestarday I increased the angle of my duck stance even more than what I expected and it worked a little better. I compared my picture to a frame of snowoard addiction video and I was able to fix my position. Mainly the upper body was not so well positioned.
Now it is time to level up: do it while jumping!

@lbs123, not sure I got what you mean by "knee is locked up".


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

@Maya I meant this What exactly does it mean to lock the knees? - Quora, so when you fully extend your leg the knee gets "locked".


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Ah thanks, I was blaming my English skills for not understading, instead it was due to missing knowledge in anatomy of movement


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

TBH, I wasn't aware of that particular mechanism which they describe at Quora either, only had a vague idea that knee somehow locks


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Tonight I will try to do nose/tail press while jumping. 
Btw this is the best I can do  








Forgive my untied boot, usually I tie both of them.


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

That's a nice looking nosepress, I don't think you would have to lift the tail any further. On the snow or a box and while moving this would look really cool.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

@lbs123, I hope you are not just being nice in your comment!
Last evening I tried nose tail press, penguin walks and 50-50 on my home made cardboard rail. Well, now it is more a box than a rail, but it will grow taller and narrower as soon as I do more trianing.


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## Matías (Sep 27, 2015)

Go skateboard and wakeboard. All those exercises are great for strength but nothing gets the right muscles going like similar sports. And you’ll develop style witch is something most people don’t have. Trampolines are insane for strengthening too.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

I wish I could, @Matías. I don't really think I can get space for another sport in my life now.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Today I raised my fake balance bar to 10 height, while narrowing it to 17 cm width. Definitely more challenging: I tried jumping 50-50 on it and nose tail press on top of it. I need more training as I am scared when jumping, but I see progression 
Every video I watch in snowboard addiction I think that I will not be able to do anything like that. Then I try and it seems that I slowly succeed.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Ok, same setup, same exercises of 2 days ago are still difficult. I need more training.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Yesterday I had a good result: I was able to jump backwards and stay balanced on my rail many times in a row. I was almost going to give up, so it happened exactly at the right time.
Stay tuned for new updates


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

I still don't understand why in Backside boardslide (video 7) he says to do counter rotation. Why is it needed? Does it hange the weight on the board? Is it useful to stop rotating?

I believe that it is useful, I am just curious to know why.

Ah I found the answer, here in rotation and counter rotation video.


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

Yes, the counter rotation is used to stop the rotation, otherwise you'd continue rotating. Basically, there's no other way how you could get from going straight to going sideways on the feature than using counter rotation.


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

I am still following video of the jib series. Wow, I lasted 20 days. Not a bad result till now.
I am proceeding very slow, I need to try many times each exercise that I try. Also I use a home-made balance bar that is much easier than the real one.
But anyway.
Yesterday I was able to jump to rotate 90° my board on this training bar and back. I was convinced I would never learn to do that and I did 

It took me some time to convince me that my board would not break when put transversal to the balance bar. I had to say to myself that boards are actually made for that...


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

Ok I fell for the first time in these sort-of training. Two days ago and I don't even know how It happened. I did not hurt myself, all was really controlled. But tonight I was really afraid in every jump. Will this stop me from jeep going? Follow for next episodes!


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