# Gonna try my 1st 360, tips....



## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Personally I'd do a BS 360 first. More time to visualize the landing. More time to estimate the size of the crater you're about to create :laugh:


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

True but I've been practicing FS 3's all summer in the basement and I've really worked on spotting the landing blind. I have even practiced this at work on my lunch hours so I'm much more comfortable with the FS 3 at this point even though I haven't thrown one.

Donutz did you see SA released a flip video....so not there but was cool to watch same great video teaching technique


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## gprider_capita (Feb 17, 2011)

While attempting a FS 360 regular footed, start by riding on the left side of the jump then turn on your toe edge towards the middle of the jump while loading legs and winding your arms, then as you get to the lip of the jump go to your heel edge, pop off the lip, and unwind your head and look behind you to your left side. After you spin past 180 then bend your knees and try to spot your landing.


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## Cr0_Reps_Smit (Jun 27, 2009)

do whatever spin you are gonna feel more comfortable with, every one is different. i personally learned frontside first cause thats just what came naturally to me but i know many people who are the opposite.

one of the most important things in spinning is the set up turns and your timing with those turns. im going to assume you are regular to explain this but if you are goofy just flip them. 

when you are dropping in you are gonna wanna start on the left hand side of the jump, slowly edge towards the right hand side of the jump on your toes then once you get towards the base of the jump you get back on your heel edge and make a nice mellow arc going back towards the left. though when doing this you dont want to hook to much back, you want to come off the jump so your trajectory is sending you straight over the jump and not too much to the sides. that is where the timing comes into play because if you start edging to early youll hook back and drift to the left. heres a little picture i drew to help give you a better idea of what im saying.










the 2nd most important thing is to be patient with the lip and not try to pop to early causing you to "pre spin" or start spinning while you are still on the lip. when ever im coaching people to spin i try and tell them to wait till your front foot is JUST about to leave the lip before you pop, then once you pop you "put your chin to the shoulder" as i like to say and just make sure you are looking over your shoulder.

for the landing a lot of people tend to over rotate a bit because they wait till the can actually SEE the landing before the open up for it, but by that time you are already pretty much are the 3, so i always say to spot it the same way you would a back 1(hopefully youve done those a bit already) and spot your landing by looking up hill at the 270, this will slow you done enough and its better to come out a teeny bit short as long as you land on your toes.

thats pretty much all there is to it and if theres anything you didnt get just let me know.


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## jyuen (Dec 16, 2007)

it also helps to learn the 3's going sideways on the mountain and jumping over the small bumps/moguls... that way you learn to stay on your toe's for back 3's and on your heels for front 3's.

if your park has a half pipe, you can take this principle to the next level by dropping in at the very bottom of the halfpip where its just a tiny little jump.. again going side to side and practice your front/back 3's there...

from there.. progress to dinky park jumps...

not sure when you move from dinky park jumps to larger jumps...i haven't quite made that transition yet


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

Follow what the SA video teaches about learning on side hits. I found that short poppy side hits to be best for learning a 360. Something that pops you up instead of throwing you out. That way you have less forward speed to bone you when you come up short on the spin.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Thanks everyone, I am a goofy rider and was able to put all the tips into goofy form for me to understand and use.

My home hill is very small and side hits to practice this on are very hard to come by. Most ramps are set ups for features and if it went bad there is a chance you would smash into the feature or other riders, kinda tight area.
I have done some BS 1's and I have practiced popping 3 across the fall line so I hope that this will help. 

I will re-scope the base of some of the jumps to see if I can use them as side hits but that will also depend on if it is crowded as that could be dangerous.
Again this may be reconsidered, I will feel out the night and hopefully have something good to reply back with, maybe a pic or two to add to my park adventure thread.

Again thanks for the tips !!!!!


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

Cr0_Reps_Smit said:


> the 2nd most important thing is to be patient with the lip and not try to pop to early causing you to "pre spin" or start spinning while you are still on the lip.


This is probably the hardest part for me when I learned front and back threes and when I relearned front 3 off the heels (instead of toes), I had to relearn it all over again. If you can do that and the set-up turn, you can front three. Then it's just a matter of doing it so the blind landing is easy. That part feels awesome, blind landings are sick once you start stomping them.

Good luck and have fun.


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## Joe_ (Jan 17, 2012)

*I know where you are coming from.*

Right now I'm in the same boat as you Slyder, trying to learn 3s. I just wanted to say the SnowboardAddiction.com has half of their advanced spinning video on youtube for free, and it has really helped me. As a fellow goofy rider, here is the link to the goofy version


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Well it didn't go so well. The jump I was going to try them on was re-worked and not spin friendly. We went to a much smaller jump and I my body would just stop at 90*. So frustrating !!!!! Not sure why I just know it wasn't happening. I was riding with a buddy and he was having issues to and he's same as me we both started 3's today. He did nail one of a bigger park jump and he said it was much easier but I'm not ready to throw on that.

My legs were getting very weak, 10hour work day then riding. I stopped as it just wasn't gonna happen, no point in getting hurt. I'll try again this weekend.


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## ShredLife (Feb 6, 2010)

i'd bet $100 you're either pre-winding (counter-rotating) too much, or trying to spin too early before enough of you is off the lip.

you'll get it tho


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Not sure but I do know my rotation totally stopped. I can do it on dry with no board no sweat, once snow was under my feet. Totally froze up....


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## digZ (Jan 23, 2012)

ShredLife said:


> i'd bet $100 you're either pre-winding (counter-rotating) too much, or trying to spin too early before enough of you is off the lip.
> 
> you'll get it tho


I agree. Watch that video on 360's, it really has pretty perfect technique for learning. If you learn the correct technique on small jumps(not hucking, and doing your setup carvings/turning correctly, leaving the lip of the jump correctly, etc), it will transfer over to larger jumps much better, even if you can already land 360's or 540's on small jumps. If you setup carve correctly as mentioned in that video and leave the jump by popping off of both feet on the proper edge(either toe side edge for BS spins, or heelside edge for FS spins), you should be able to spin without "hucking" or trying to use your upper body too much to force your lower body around.

As mentioned above if you straight line to the jump and simply try to "huck" the spin too much by pre-winding and using your upper body to spin, you'll not only be off balance going into the air, but chances are you won't complete the rotation, or will land off balance and fall even if you do. If you spin to early(you setup too early and get on your edge before the actual lip of the jump), you will lose a lot of speed, probably stop spinning as soon as you get into the air, and land on the knuckle as opposed to the landing. 

Either way hopefully you can get it figured out and land your first 360. I got over the 360 hump fairly quickly, but landing 540's consistently, especially BS 540's, was difficult for me. Best of luck!


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

I'd bet a little money that you were not leading with your head. For a FS 360 by the time your board leaves the snow your head should be almost facing completely to you heel side. It should stay pinned to your shoulder until you can spot the landing. This is very spooky since it means leaving the lib blind.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Digz I live, breath and watch the SA video's to put me to sleep. I see the technique, I visualize me doing it, I can do it on dry land without a 2nd thought. Put snow under my feet, no go



john doe said:


> I'd bet a little money that you were not leading with your head. For a FS 360 by the time your board leaves the snow your head should be almost facing completely to you heel side. It should stay pinned to your shoulder until you can spot the landing. This is very spooky since it means leaving the lib blind.


I'm sure your right John, I did rotate my head but as soon as I leave the lip I think I stop rotating or start to look forward again, or something is going on there. 

How important is the jump type/condition to spin 3's....I think I'm using this as an *excuse *but maybe the jump I'm working at is making it harder
I"m hoping to get some video this weekend so you/I can analyze what I'm doing right/wrong


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## bassholic (Dec 22, 2009)

what about the idea of not leaning backwards while you are popping


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## Qball (Jun 22, 2010)

slyder said:


> Well it didn't go so well. The jump I was going to try them on was re-worked and not spin friendly. We went to a much smaller jump and I my body would just stop at 90*. So frustrating !!!!! Not sure why I just know it wasn't happening. I was riding with a buddy and he was having issues to and he's same as me we both started 3's today. He did nail one of a bigger park jump and he said it was much easier but I'm not ready to throw on that.
> 
> My legs were getting very weak, 10hour work day then riding. I stopped as it just wasn't gonna happen, no point in getting hurt. I'll try again this weekend.


To me it just sound like you're not getting your head turned. Keep your head turning until you see the jump behind you and lock it there until you have landed. To get a feel for the landing try some switch BS 180s.


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## shredsomegnar (Jan 4, 2011)

i just got my 3s down this week.
you need to make sure you have front and backside 1's on lock. i found that to be crucial because as soon as i got my front 1, i felt more comfortable with my spins and boosting off side hits.
other than that i found it best to practice 3's off side hits and then move on to jumps
make sure you keep you head turned which ever way your spinning. as soon as you stop turning your head you will open up stop your rotation and proceed to eat shit.


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

A good place to practice 3's is off the knuckle of larger jumps, just make sure you aren't snaking anything and are off the side.

It's all mental in terms of getting that set up turn right and timing. You really barely need any rotation to get a 3 if you lock your hips, shoulders together. Most people try to snap too much when learning and then they're out of sync which causes them to stall out and not rotate. Watch the pro's do even 10's and 12's. They really don't wind that much, it's all about releasing the wind right as you're coming off the lips. Except Shaun White and that double mc, he winds the living fuck out of that thing.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

So I've been stewing on this since Wednesday. 
For all of you that said I'm not rotating my head your *correct*. Mo pics just going off memory.
I ride Goofy doing FS 360 off heel edge. So I am winding up,I turn my head to face my left shoulder and then pop and then rotate off the lip of the jump.

Here is the issue (I think) once the jump comes into view I stop looking. Which turns out to be 180* of my head and only 90* of my board, hence not getting ANY rotation and landing toe side up the hill perpendicular to the jump and hill.

Without pics and all my explanations here and before does this sound right??


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

Some things aren't adding up. For the record I'm a goofy rider as well. You said your head is facing your LEFT shoulder when you wind up. This means your head is looking up hill and away from the jump's lip? That would mean you are having to guess on when to pop. You also said you are landing perpendicular to the jump with your toeside up hill. If you were doing a FS spin that would be at least a 270. Not just 90 like you said. 

When riding goofy (right foot forward) and doing a frontside spin (clockwise when viewed from above)you want to wind your torso and arms to the left but keep you head forward. Just have it more pinned to your right shoulder. As you rise up to pop you unwind. As you unwind you should keep you head in the same position relative to your right shoulder. By the time your board leaves the snow you should be looking almost completely toward your heel edge. Hold that position and keep you arms tucked in until you can spot your landing.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

You are correct on the 270 my bad there. I am turning my head while I prewind, guess I shouldn't be then. Makes sense the way you stated it
So really I'm not that far off. I will definately work on my form and try to lock that in.


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

Go to 6:55 and you can watch his head for a FS spin.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

I see that and in all my other SA video's. Really, no reason why I was rotating my head back other than natural body mechanics in trying to over wind and beginner mistake....
The not seeing the lip of the jump was a huge point. 

Also by me looking back I lost all that wound up energy in my body not allowing me to rotate around.
I'm gonna try to get out tomorrow for a few hours and really work this to see if I can't correct that issue. Funny thing is, when I do it on dry land I was not looking back. I guess nerves and high expectations got the best of me on the hill. 
Just shows how new I am to park and still lots to learn. 

This is why I'm glad members of our forum are so helpful. I never would have picked that up in just me writing it in a thread.


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## ClevelandSB (Dec 4, 2010)

This thread is straight up ridiculous. Listen OP... you're not going to be able to think your way through the 360 by analyzing every single movement you may or may not have made. All you have to do is spend hours and hours out there on the hill trying to chuck 3s off every single thing you find. You're going to eat shit over and over and over and over but eventually you'll get the hang of it. Snowboarding isn't something you can learn by talking about it or by watching videos all day. Nothing is more valuable in the process than spending all the time you possibly can out on the hill


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## CheeseForSteeze (May 11, 2011)

ClevelandSB said:


> This thread is straight up ridiculous. Listen OP... you're not going to be able to think your way through the 360 by analyzing every single movement you may or may not have made. All you have to do is spend hours and hours out there on the hill trying to chuck 3s off every single thing you find. You're going to eat shit over and over and over and over but eventually you'll get the hang of it. Snowboarding isn't something you can learn by talking about it or by watching videos all day. Nothing is more valuable in the process than spending all the time you possibly can out on the hill


True and at the same time, not true. Over the internet, it's hard to correct specific things without video, so what you say is true. And at the same time, putting all that stuff together is mostly forcing your muscles to learn the timing, space and motions.

But, there are specific mechanics that are used to spin efficiently and stylishly and all freestylers use the same basic mechanics with small variations. So if you are able to correct specific details, it can oftentimes lead to drastic improvements and for the aforementioned reason.

OP, don't wind up with your head, just your shoulders and core. When you release your snap, you lock your hips, knees, core and shoulders all together and this happens the same time you pop off the lip and look over your lead shoulder, chin to your lead shoulder. I promise if you get the timing right and have a set up turn like Cr0 pointed a picture of, you will be able to spin. Don't think about all the stuff as you are coming into the lip, just do it. After you do it, then post critique to figure out which element you did well and didn't do well.

One way to cheat and get a headstart before you even get to the mountain is to jump a bunch of 3's with your board in your house. Just don't whack any walls/furniture, you can do some real damage. Put the SA video (or any other video where you can pretend to time with the riding coming off the lip) and practice that way. It does work, as stupid as it sounds.

Good luck.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

ClevelandSB said:


> This thread is straight up ridiculous. Listen OP... you're not going to be able to think your way through the 360 by analyzing every single movement you may or may not have made. All you have to do is spend hours and hours out there on the hill trying to chuck 3s off every single thing you find. You're going to eat shit over and over and over and over but eventually you'll get the hang of it. Snowboarding isn't something you can learn by talking about it or by watching videos all day. Nothing is more valuable in the process than spending all the time you possibly can out on the hill


to use your own words "*This *<thread> *is straight up ridiculous*" why would anyone just go chuck themselves and "eat shit over and over and over and over" when you can spend a little time learning proper technique from people who know what they are doing and can teach someone safely and wisely.

Also it's not a good idea to create all that BAD muscle memory of failed 360's by Chucking 3's unsuccessfully.

By analyzing what I did and sharing it with fellow members here it WAS pointed out that I had my head turned the wrong direction. I may have kept at that till I finally got a 3 and it would have been a long, slow, painful process and a very ugly 360. I would much rather not learn one than do it sloppy forever. I have been studying other riders at our hill and the few that do great 3's all have a great set-up turn, good solid rotation and landing. All of which I would never have known what to look for or watch to learn from

At this time in my life it would be unwise to risk my job, my families well being, and the memories I'm creating with my boys riding to be sidelined by an injury that could have possibly been prevented. 

The only smart thing that came from your helpful post was "Nothing is more valuable in the process than spending all the time you possibly can out on the hill"
I agree that sitting watching videos will not make me a snowboarder, it will help me to get closer to doing a 3 safely and if I never get one that is fine to.


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## lonerider (Apr 10, 2009)

ClevelandSB said:


> This thread is straight up ridiculous. Listen OP... you're not going to be able to think your way through the 360 by analyzing every single movement you may or may not have made. All you have to do is spend hours and hours out there on the hill trying to chuck 3s off every single thing you find. You're going to eat shit over and over and over and over but eventually you'll get the hang of it. Snowboarding isn't something you can learn by talking about it or by watching videos all day. Nothing is more valuable in the process than spending all the time you possibly can out on the hill


That is an interesting position considering you are the same person that started this thread - Why do I suck so much?

Different people learn differently. I agree that some people spend too much time on the forums overthinking things, but on the other end... just hucking yourself off jumps doesn't work for people who aren't natural athletes that pick things up intuitively.


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## PanHandler (Dec 23, 2010)

ClevelandSB said:


> Ok I thought it over and i'm going to reformat my question a bit.
> 
> *I want to progress quickly, but every time I push myself a bit outside my comfort zone, I come very close to seriously injuring myself. If I say, OK i'm going to try and throw a FS 360 off this small 10' kicker, I go ahead and try it but I'll either do a 270 and wash out or I'll catch an edge and really bite it hard.* Its like there's no inbetween. I'm either just riding the hill, doing the usual boring stuff, or i'm trying to progress and injuring myself. I don't see how its a confidence issue if i'm willing to sacrifice my body for progression
> 
> edit: on a more positive note here's some pics of me at vail yesterday


Maybe you should take some tips from this very thread, in stead of telling him to do exactly what *isnt *working for you :dunno:


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