# How to build confidence on riding with speed and board flat



## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

Hello everyone,

At the end of my first snowboard season, I finally nailed some black trails today. Besides being stoked with the progress, I still feel a few things I really need to work on. Any word of wisdom from your experienced riders will help rookie like me A LOT.

There are three problems(mistakes) I found myself constantly making which results in unstable and less control of my riding:
1. Not fully understand how to ride with board flat. 
I found myself tend to press on edge to lose some speed or feel more stable on flat terrains when I really want is to accelerate with my board flat. Sometimes I focus on keep my front foot not pressing on edge but forget about the rear foot, which results in rear foot catching edge and shaking from, then I got thrown off.

2. Not confident with speed.
This is somehow connected with the previous one. When the slope is steep, my body tends to lean back when I know it's better to keep weight centered. This happened a lot when I first time got on black trails today. I was intimidated by the angulation and the acceleration of the slope and leaned backwards, completely losing control for couple of times because my front foot cannot make turns efficiently.

3. Uniform flexion on ankle joints
I was told the smooth/precise control of turns has a lot to do with the uniform flexion. I found myself not smooth in transition from edge to flat to edge because sometimes my rear foot reacts slower than my front which gives the board a torsional twist. I am not sure if that's because I lean backward or because I use rear foot to spray snow for too long. This happens the most when I try to switch from toe side edge to heel side edge.

I would appreciate any advice to improve. Hope everyone enjoy the end of the season and safely shred.


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## snowklinger (Aug 30, 2011)

without getting into all of it, never ride flat.

even when riding "flat" always me mindful to pressure one edge or the other. u can ride 99% flat this way and gain 100% confidence. riding flat releases control of your edges, allowing snow variables to make the decisions for you, which is what is making you feel sketchy. its a very easy way to catch an edge and go down hard.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

snowklinger said:


> without getting into all of it, never ride flat.
> 
> even when riding "flat" always me mindful to pressure one edge or the other. u can ride 99% flat this way and gain 100% confidence. riding flat releases control of your edges, allowing snow variables to make the decisions for you, which is what is making you feel sketchy. its a very easy way to catch an edge and go down hard.


^agreed...but when "riding flat releases control of your edges, allowing snow variables to make the decisions for you, which is what is making you feel sketchy"... So you got to figure out how do you ride without edges and what is the reason for feeling sketchy"? when you figure out the answer, you will have the concept of the solution and then must become the solution :wink::wink: .


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## Extazy (Feb 27, 2014)

Like it wasnt mentioned dont ride flats "flat". I tend to press with balls of my feet just slightly.

It's seems you kinda focus too much on one leg and forget about other, I guess this will come from experience.

Steep runs will stop scaring you over time once you master them. Try to ride them for now by doing deep carves, you can have a bit more weight to the front, just do a full C turn and get to complete - almost complete stop, then switch edge, drive the turn with your front foot (thus applying more pressure, thus leaning more forward.) It will be tiring overtime so once you get more confident and familiar with terrain you dont have to do full C, and try to be more dynamic.


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## elstinky (Jan 24, 2010)

Extazy said:


> Try to ride them for now by doing deep carves


Since the OP mentions not being confident at speed, maybe rather skidded turns to shave of some speed; doing actual carves on steep terrain is hard enough by itself and doesn't exactly make you go slow, so by the end of your carved C you won't be even close to coming to a stop.


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

snowklinger said:


> without getting into all of it, never ride flat.
> 
> even when riding "flat" always me mindful to pressure one edge or the other. u can ride 99% flat this way and gain 100% confidence. riding flat releases control of your edges, allowing snow variables to make the decisions for you, which is what is making you feel sketchy. its a very easy way to catch an edge and go down hard.


I did try to press on on edge which feels much stabler, but it ended in a long turn when I just wanted to ride straight. Is it because I pressed my edge too hard? Shall I just use my front foot to press or both foot equally?


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

Extazy said:


> Like it wasnt mentioned dont ride flats "flat". I tend to press with balls of my feet just slightly.
> 
> It's seems you kinda focus too much on one leg and forget about other, I guess this will come from experience.
> 
> Steep runs will stop scaring you over time once you master them. Try to ride them for now by doing deep carves, you can have a bit more weight to the front, just do a full C turn and get to complete - almost complete stop, then switch edge, drive the turn with your front foot (thus applying more pressure, thus leaning more forward.) It will be tiring overtime so once you get more confident and familiar with terrain you dont have to do full C, and try to be more dynamic.


I will try it more next time. I did try to do some carve turns on blue and reached the shape of c, it helped me a lot to learn how to bend my knee and press the edge to keep balance and control. 

However, I felt sketchy when I tried to switch to heel edge facing uphill, not being able to see what's behind me scared me so I leaned backward. I definitely need to work harder on leaning more forward.


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

Riding flat won't give your the fastest speed. The fastest speed is when riding on the edges ie. carving.
Riding flat is all about being square with the board. Anytime you have an uneven weight distribution, the board will act on it.


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

LALUNE said:


> I did try to press on on edge which feels much stabler, but it ended in a long turn when I just wanted to ride straight. Is it because I pressed my edge too hard? Shall I just use my front foot to press or both foot equally?


You need to modulate your force as well as switch back and forth on the edges when you going in a straight.
Most noobs ride too stiff so they get locked in this turn not knowing what to do.
Having too much weight on the back foot will do the same thing. Ride with front foot not back.


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

speedjason said:


> You need to modulate your force as well as switch back and forth on the edges when you going in a straight.
> Most noobs ride too stiff so they get locked in this turn not knowing what to do.
> Having too much weight on the back foot will do the same thing. Ride with front foot not back.


I guess I am just one of those noobs you described. :grin:
Thanks for the advice, combining with other tips you've offered in other posts (weight on the nose and the board will go its direction), I will definitely try to make myself not weight on the backseat and be relaxed in better alignment.


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

LALUNE said:


> I guess I am just one of those noobs you described. :grin:
> Thanks for the advice, combining with other tips you've offered in other posts (weight on the nose and the board will go its direction), I will definitely try to make myself not weight on the backseat and be relaxed in better alignment.


It's alright, all of us were a noob at one point. Took me 2 seasons to fully get carving down.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

LALUNE said:


> Hello everyone,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Buy protection. Impact shorts, Protective gloves... less pain, pushing the limits becomes safer.


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

KIRKRIDER said:


> Buy protection. Impact shorts, Protective gloves... less pain, pushing the limits becomes safer.


I already have after one big fall on day 1, tailbone bruise tortured me for two weeks. Luckily it's not broken.


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## snowangel99 (Mar 11, 2016)

The best advice I got was on youtube someone said "ride flats like you have a beach ball between your legs" I tried it and it just clicked. It worked for my kids too. Before that flats were difficult for us.


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## KIRKRIDER (Mar 18, 2008)

LALUNE said:


> I already have after one big fall on day 1, tailbone bruise tortured me for two weeks. Luckily it's not broken.


Exactly what im talking about. Had the same pain, said never again. :grin:


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## LALUNE (Feb 23, 2017)

snowangel99 said:


> The best advice I got was on youtube someone said "ride flats like you have a beach ball between your legs" I tried it and it just clicked. It worked for my kids too. Before that flats were difficult for us.


It sounds abstract to me. Do you mean bending knee and squeezing the thighs?


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

LALUNE said:


> It sounds abstract to me. Do you mean bending knee and squeezing the thighs?


TaKe the abstract out of it and put the beach ball there, pretty simply solution. If you dont have that substitute anything soft and hold it between your knees.

Personally wjen I am flat basing I am loose in the knees/hips and using minor foot and ankle movements to keep the board stable.


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