# Slipping/washing out on round Bars and pipes



## MVC (Nov 5, 2015)

I have a little issue, I can do boxes and rails even with a small kink if the rails have a flat top. But every time i try a rail (50/50 and fS BS) that is round i either slip off or wash-out (mostly banging my hip on the rail and bending like a pretzel over the rail.
:frown:

I just can't seem to figure out what it is that i'm screwing up.
I jump on at a slight angle, i try not to have a heavy impact when landing on top.


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## dfitz364 (Jan 10, 2014)

Sounds like you are landing with your weight too far back on your heels for the fs BS and just not committing to the 50/50. 

The key to any board slide is to make sure your board is flat to the rail. This is going to seem counter-intuitive to what you normally do, which is make certain your downhill facing edge is off the snow. Really focus on having a flat base on the bar/box and commit!!

The biggest mistake you can make on a rail or box or anything in the park really is a lack of true commitment. You gotta ride within your skill level, but you also have to fully commit to what you are doing. Only jumping half way on a rail (and taco'ing on said rail) or having half the speed necessary to make the landing on a jump is the #1 way of getting hurt! Commit, commit, commit!


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## MVC (Nov 5, 2015)

dfitz364 said:


> Sounds like you are landing with your weight too far back on your heels for the fs BS and just not committing to the 50/50.
> 
> The key to any board slide is to make sure your board is flat to the rail. This is going to seem counter-intuitive to what you normally do, which is make certain your downhill facing edge is off the snow. Really focus on having a flat base on the bar/box and commit!!
> 
> The biggest mistake you can make on a rail or box or anything in the park really is a lack of true commitment. You gotta ride within your skill level, but you also have to fully commit to what you are doing. Only jumping half way on a rail (and taco'ing on said rail) or having half the speed necessary to make the landing on a jump is the #1 way of getting hurt! Commit, commit, commit!


The point for me is, why do I fail mostly when it are rounded objects, pipes,rounded rails,...
But do I land the most of the thing i try on boxes and flat rails (not wide rails, the same thickness as a rounded rails)? Is it more easy to balance, probably because of the shape?
Or is it just that I don't commit evenly (not that I'm aware off but maybe subconsciously) on rounded objects ? Mental block ?


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## stillz (Jan 5, 2010)

I don't ride much park, so take this with as much salt as you need.

Practice, practice, practice! Then practice more. With flat rails (of any width), there's some tactile feedback from the feature telling you when your board is level (2 dimensional contact zone). You won't feel that on a round rail (1 dimensional contact zone), so you just have to sense whether you're level or not.

Really aim at the end of the feature carefully. Your center of mass should be directly over the feature for the duration of the slide. This may mean shifting toward one foot or the other as you slide.

Never fight to stay on the feature. If your aim was off, just dismount early...unless you like folding yourself over the rail.

Try going a bit faster. Less time on feature = less time to lose your balance and fall off.

Also, frontside boardslide has you facing up the hill. Is that what you're doing? Most people find backside easier.


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## dfitz364 (Jan 10, 2014)

What Stillz said is all most definitely true, but it really just sounds to me like a lack of commitment to the rail. It is easier to stay on a flat bar because with a half-assed commitment, you will still land on something flat which you can stay on with little to no effort. For rounded features, it takes really getting yourself enough confidence to get high enough, and far enough onto the rail to make sure it is directly in the center of your board. 

As for boardslides, like I said, it is going to feel counter-intuitive to everything you have ever done on a snowboard because if you tried to stop on the hill like you boardslide, you will slam.. hard. And I am assuming you meant BS Boardslide btw (facing downhill) also because I don't know anyone who started on a fs.

Really just boils down to what Stillz said, "PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!" No one steps on a snowboard and conquers the park in a day. Also no pro has gotten to where they are without a few nasty falls. The bigger the mistake, the bigger the lesson!!

:snowboard2:


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## MVC (Nov 5, 2015)

dfitz364 said:


> What Stillz said is all most definitely true, but it really just sounds to me like a lack of commitment to the rail. It is easier to stay on a flat bar because with a half-assed commitment, you will still land on something flat which you can stay on with little to no effort. For rounded features, it takes really getting yourself enough confidence to get high enough, and far enough onto the rail to make sure it is directly in the center of your board.
> 
> As for boardslides, like I said, it is going to feel counter-intuitive to everything you have ever done on a snowboard because if you tried to stop on the hill like you boardslide, you will slam.. hard. And I am assuming you meant BS Boardslide btw (facing downhill) also because I don't know anyone who started on a fs.
> 
> ...


I think i have a good commitment and i know i have to practice practice practice ( i had to do that also to become good/great at snowboarding on the slopes and for flatlandtricks). And if i look down at my banged-up body it show dedication all over 
( in Europe we you blue,red and black for indicating the difficulty of the slopes, well let me say that my body has all the colorcodes for the moment).
And idd i meant BS boardslide, on the little features i am practising the FS boardslide also, feels a bit weird and my style looks like Bambi on ice for the moment :snowboard4:


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## dfitz364 (Jan 10, 2014)

Right on man, and I am by now means an expert. Just a poor sap from Ohio trying to satisfy my urge to board while it is currently 10-15 C here :dry:

So take the advice with a grain of salt and just do you. Best quote I ever read about snowboarding was:

(Paraphrased, I am sure!) "..That's why I love snowboarding. There is no right or wrong way to do it. As long as you are having fun, you are doing it right!"

So do you, and hope those bruises heal :grin::thumbsup:


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## stillz (Jan 5, 2010)

It's hard to say anything beyond generic advice without actually seeing some of these attempts. At my level of park riding, it doesn't bother me to slip off a round feature early. With that outcome, at least I'm left undamaged to try to get a bit farther next time, until I can slide the whole thing.

I just had an idea. What if you intentionally exit the feature early? You could gradually develop control over where and how/which side you come off and progress that way. Can you exit on the same side you entered from at will? Maybe you can try teeter-tottering a number of times before coming off the way you want to. Early 270 off? Be creative, maybe you'll have a better idea. Free your style. It's kind of a roundabout way to get there, but it breaks down the win/fail dichotomy into something where your progress is visible to you. I know for me, as long as I see some kind of improvement without hurting myself, I don't get too frustrated.


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