# Progression from straight jumps



## deltout (Jan 10, 2014)

can you ride switch ? about 75% as good as regular footed.


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

75% is kinda pushing it overall. On beginner slopes yes, on intermediate slopes it is more like 50% and I haven't tried on advanced slopes. It is something I practice regularly (1-2 hours every time I go out), though admittedly I have never tried a straight jump while riding switch. That said, the places I practice jumps (beginner parks) do not have steep landing so if I do land on my feet, I can ride away switch.


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

Some of the 360 tutorial videos i have watched say that you should be comfortable with all 4 variations of 180s before you do a 360: FS, BS, Switch FS and Switch BS. Not sure how true that is, but its something to keep in mind. 

As for other tricks (shifties/grabs), its all still the basic stuff so i dont think there is any fixed order that you progress through them - just do what feels comfortable. This year i have stopped aiming to go consistently bigger on the jumps (the one i broke myself on last year was a 15m kicker apparently?), and concentrate on the smallest jumps (2-3m), but making sure i do them completely smooth. Now that i am not just window winding my way through jumps i find that all the other stuff just comes naturally - when i am completely balanced in the air its no problem to bring my legs up for a (quick) grab or do a nice shifty.


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

Oh and i saw some kid do a 720 on the 2m kicker i was practicing on yesterday, so there is no need to go big to start practicing the 360s.

Granted he was a slopestyle contestant at the comp they had going there but still was cool to watch.
Edit: Looked like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTGUwXBHJQc#t=87


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## jj998 (Apr 11, 2013)

I've been trying to master spins for a few season so here are my observations. Straight airs are underrated, clear head and the awareness to take on any grab takes time and practice (this on any type of kicker curved or straight). Practicing spins on kickers is unnecessary it's perfectly enough to master flat spins fs/bs switch/regular 180/360. There is some real progression right there, no need for air. A good 180 from a kicker is way underrated, something to master before 360. What i'm getting at is that you should focus on basics, switch skills help a lot, general riding skills are vital. You should be able to blast through most terrain. You already got injured so my tip would be to focus on straight airs and flat spins, general riding kill it in the trees. You can get some intensive runs with flat spins and a few jumps. Grind them spins before jumps and hit your straight air and mix up the grabs. In the end you just need days on the board and not to get(too) fucked up in the process. Don't get too hung up on the perceived skill level of a trick, when you are a beginner there is A LOT to master in simple tricks and mastering them will keep you out of the hospital and in the slopes.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

TooNice, I"m in a similar position. 
I set some goals that I truly want but now realize I may not be at that point. 

This said I am working on side hits and flat area 180's. For me, me only, flat spins on a green run seem way harder since you dont have very much time in the air. Yes I know some of you younger crowd can ollie to the moon and throw a 5, that isn't everyone.

Now that I'm also better from a crash and my race is over I"m really concentrating on making a 3. "I" found a nice 10 footer with a flatter trajectory seems to be in my best interest. Not as high off the ground, your momentum is more forward and ground still comes up fast but not like a kicker that really throws you up. 
*NOTE* that is my goal and the park jump I will do my final attempt on. 

Now I have 2 perfect jumps eyed up, a tabletop that will kick me up about 2 feet'ish with a mellow landing should I only go 270. 
I also have some very nice side hits that do pop me up and will give me the time to spin. These are my starting point. I've dialed in my 180 on them next progression is 3 on them. 
So like much advice you've gotten/read start small and work up. If the small stuff comes fast push yourself. 

My issue is in my head!!!! It can be a big obstacle. Keep us posted I can't wait to follow your progress. Take it slow no need getting hurt again this close to the end of the season.


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## jj998 (Apr 11, 2013)

Imo a really goal oriented "drive" is detrimental to overall progress and fun. I took it pretty hard core at first like let's really learn this shit but yeah it can work for some. Better to relax and let the vibe carry where ever it does if it's a 5hour grind of butters or that straight air or whatever, not some imaginary progress bar that needs to be completed. Figured I wanted to do a 720 before I die hehe but nah I'll be happy just to get out there!


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

jj998 said:


> Imo a really goal oriented "drive" is detrimental to overall progress and fun. I took it pretty hard core at first like let's really learn this shit but yeah it can work for some. Better to relax and let the vibe carry where ever it does if it's a 5hour grind of butters or that straight air or whatever, not some imaginary progress bar that needs to be completed. Figured I wanted to do a 720 before I die hehe but nah I'll be happy just to get out there!


Goals for me are always changing and evolving. With my crash this year much of want I wanted to do or try got shelved or moved into next season. Each year a hash tag marks another B-Day also changes how my body will let me do things so that changes the goals as well. My goals are very fluid but if I don't set them nothing gets worked on or tried. Sometimes just the trying for me is enough

I've had many a day where I went with where the feeling/vibe/mood took me. I was looking at this more like long term or season goals not really a day-day thing. 

So no matter what like JJ says, just be glad to be sliding down the snow more day.


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## stillz (Jan 5, 2010)

If you think about it, even very basic freestyle maneuvers require a bunch of different skills and ranges of motion that are blended to get a specific outcome. It's why I often end up teaching basic riding skills even in a freestyle specific lesson. If a student wants to spin 3's but doesn't have good edge control, it won't help much to try and blend that underdeveloped edge control with all the other skills needed to make that 3 happen. We would probably work on some carving first, because without good edge control, you'll probably never spin anything bigger than a 180 or a really sloppy, ugly 360.

Try this: Carve some large turns on easy terrain. Then start winding and unwinding your upper body back and forth, as far as it can go, without skidding out of your carve or changing your turn shape in any way. It's not as easy as it may sound. But if you can separate your upper and lower body movements enough to do it, you'll take more of your speed and spin momentum into the air and lose less of it by skidding on the takeoff ramp.


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

stillz said:


> Try this: Carve some large turns on easy terrain. Then start winding and unwinding your upper body back and forth, as far as it can go, without skidding out of your carve or changing your turn shape in any way. It's not as easy as it may sound. But if you can separate your upper and lower body movements enough to do it, you'll take more of your speed and spin momentum into the air and lose less of it by skidding on the takeoff ramp.


I have watched countless 360 videos, and even got to the point where i can land them (not clean as i'd like though). But that exercise there is the first totally new tip i have seen in a while, and it makes complete sense. Got me pumped to start practicing my 3s again!


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

Wow, thanks for all the replies. At the moment, I am really, really, enjoying practicing all those things I suck at, and while it *might* be detrimental to my progress (*shrug*), it is not affecting my personal fun. Though it does make me poor company for anyone who do not share similar interests. 

I finally found someone who can ride switch effortlessly, going at least as fast as I do regular. I am sure most people here are the same but seeing is inspiring.

Today I practiced a bunch of 180s on greens (all four types) and I must say that it takes a lot of effort. The amount of efforts it takes me to spin a 180 feels like something is seriously wrong with my technique. And I have two questions about this: 

1. Where does the spin from popping a smooth 180 comes from? As it is, my lower body (i.e. legs) is responsible for getting me in the air and I basically twists my upper body as hard as I can to generates spin. As I type this I am wondering if my legs can't somehow assist instead of only popping.

2. Right now I try to put a bit more weight forward when I ride. But if I don't shift my body after a 180 my body will automatically find itself leaning back. It doesn't take long to fix, but my question is, do I need to shift my stance in the air or is it fine to do after?

3. Whenever I pop a 180 I find myself losing speed. This becomes noticeable if I do a few consecutively. Is that normal?

About the carving exercise suggested by stillz, may I get a clarification of "back and forth"? Does that mean that I need to try and oscillate my body closer / further from the ground while keeping my carve in the same direction?


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

Yesterday, I went back to to practice some 180s. When doing it on green slopes popping off my feet, I land them pretty often. Trying on a small kicker, and I landed 6 out of 12 attempts. Here is one of the near miss:






I probably could have prevented the fall if I was more focussed (first time I ever asked anyone to film me), but it doesn't change the fact that there are tons of stuff I could do better. Flailing my arms, landed too far towards the tails, awkward body position on landing, not enough spin (it was more like 160) are some of the things I notice from this video. Though I have had better (and worse) attempts later that day, I would still welcome some feedback of this video.


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

TooNice said:


> Yesterday, I went back to to practice some 180s.
> 
> ...I probably could have prevented the fall if I was more focussed (first time I ever asked anyone to film me),
> 
> *…..I would still welcome some feedback of this video.*


I can't comment on the jumps or 180's as I am still pussified when it comes to jumping! :laugh:  However,.. next time you ask a friend to do some filming for you? Have them watch *this* instructional video first,..




:rofl3: 

It will be much easier to evaluate your performance!


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## snoopy7548 (Jan 30, 2014)

TooNice said:


> Yesterday, I went back to to practice some 180s. When doing it on green slopes popping off my feet, I land them pretty often. Trying on a small kicker, and I landed 6 out of 12 attempts. Here is one of the near miss:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've just started getting into tricks and I'm probably where you are right now, being able to land 180s about half the time off small kickers or rollers. So take my advice with a grain of salt.

To me, it looks like you're using counter rotation. It's not bad if you're only doing 180s, but try regular rotation (wind up your upper body in the opposite direction, then rotate your entire body as one when you jump). It seems like only your lower body is rotating, and that could be your issue.

Keep at it man! The more you fall, the more you learn. Just don't fall too hard.:jumping1:


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## Extazy (Feb 27, 2014)

Some people want to rush a lot. But there is so much more to snowboarding. Can you easily do 180s on flat ground? Can you easily pop olies and presses? Can you do back 180 of the flat? And as it was mentioned can you ride switch?

Just doing this flat tricks improve your edge control,balance and experience by a lot. It can be exhausting to do but seems like you really want to get better.

Chloe Kim's instructors made her ride switch only for a month so when she is doing spins in half pipe she feels comfortable landing any side on any speed. 

I am not saying dont do kickers, but in my opinion you can gain much more from practicing this.

I always try to ride switch at least half a day or one full day if I go more than once a week. In each run I do both nose press and tail press. At least 4 ollies and 1 or 2 nollies. And 1 or 2 180s. I always try to hit park features in my run and do some grabs, 180s and 50/50 on boxes, but recently I started trying moguls just to improve my riding and those guys sucking up your stamina so fast that I just do straight jumps now.


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## stillz (Jan 5, 2010)

For the drill I suggested, when I say back and forth, I mean to twist your upper body through its rotational range of motion. So I'm in some big carve and I twist my upper body to face toward the direction of travel (maybe farther if possible), then twist back to face backward. It's the same motion you'd use to wind up a 360 standing on flat ground without your board on. You have to do it really smoothly to not have it mess up your carve. This drill is good for training bigger spins. You won't need to pre-wind at all for a 180.

For the 180 video, it looks to me like you're taking off with your upper body still aligned with the board. This means you're taking off with no rotational momentum established. You want to start leading the rotation with the upper body while you're still on the ground. That way, you'll have some rotation established as you leave the ground and the board will come around much easier while airborne.


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

@Chomps: Haha, I can't view the video now (ran out of data to stream on my phone), but I can already guess that it is about taking videos in portrait mode. I usually tell people when they do that but this time I wasn't sure if I needed to.

@snoopy: Thanks, I will keep the regular rotation in mind next time. As it is, I feel that I have barely enough rotation to complete a 180 so without changing my method, 360 will be impossible.

@Extazy: On complete flats, I can pop 180 okay. I can do nose and tail presses when not moving and tail presses when moving but I can't for the life of me do a nose press while moving (and it frustrates me to no end - but I am trying and I will get it). I am utterly horrid at ollie and never tried a nollie. I feel like I am not doing it right. As for switch I admit that recently I have slacked off the last few days spending only 30min or so per day (I used to allocate an hour or more). But I think that the next time I go out I will try a switch day. I am a bit weary of working on too many things at a time though which is why lately I have focussed mainly on straight jumps, spins and presses.

You are right, I am trying to rush a bit, because I am not sure if I can get as many days on the slopes from next year onward. I have no aspiration of grandeur, but I want to build a decent foundation and a small sets of simple tricks I can have fun with in years to come. I really really wish that I tried snowboarding two decades ago (I was a 90-100 days skier for a few years as a kid).

@stillz: Ahh I think that I get the drill now.

Thanks. As I lead the rotation off the ground, will it affect the direction I go? When I first tried a 180, I would largely go up the kicker straight. Lately I read that I really want to carve into the jump to get more spin. Not used to it, but working on it. On top of that, I want to create rotation before take off. Just wondering if it won't veer me quite far off to the direction I spin..


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

TooNice said:


> @Chomps: Haha, I can't view the video now (ran out of data to stream on my phone), but I can already guess that it is about taking videos in portrait mode. I usually tell people when they do that but this time I wasn't sure if I needed to…..


Well when you get to a computer, it's a pretty funny vid. Worth a watch. It's a spoof on just how annoying it is to watch vids shot in the vertical like that! I got a good laugh out of it anyway! 

(…I've got a couple of clips from my first season that were shot in portrait too! Like you, when I handed them the phone, I didn't think I needed to state what I thought was obvious!) lol


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## Jed (May 11, 2011)

TooNice said:


> As I lead the rotation off the ground, will it affect the direction I go? When I first tried a 180, I would largely go up the kicker straight. Lately I read that I really want to carve into the jump to get more spin. Not used to it, but working on it. On top of that, I want to create rotation before take off. Just wondering if it won't veer me quite far off to the direction I spin..


It will - this is why when you carve up a jump ramp you want to approach at an angle to compensate.

Eg - If I'm spinning towards my right, I'll be coming in at an angle riding towards the left side of the jump. This way when you carve it cancels out the angle and you end up spinning while going off the jump straight.

This is why you'll see the typical 'hourglass' lines on most jumps as a side effect of people carving in at an angle.


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

I have also been practicing my 1s and 3s lately, and over the weekend i realised how little momentum is actually required for each of them. For the 180 i just made sure i was on the heel edge at takeoff (no carve), but with the shoulders already opening up to start the rotation. As soon as i was in the air the board just floated around. Previously i had been trying too hard to get it around - hucking it and it caused all sorts of messiness. I was surprised at how smoothly it all came around when i started trusting the edge/shoulder rotations.

Then when i was practicing my threes, i decided to apply that same thought process - less concentrating on making a big carving motion, less hucking, and more concentrating on my shoulders + a little bit of a carve. Still not perfect but i was happy to see that it all comes around when the rest is in place.


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

Thanks for all the feedback.

Before yesterday, I practice 180s again, and this time I think that I was up to over 80% success rate for regular front side. There was one attempt where it was almost effortless, and felt that the board just spun by itself and I landed cleanly. Sadly I didn't manage to replicate it, but it is improving.

But I did cross another milestone yesterday. Not for 180s, but for jumps in general. Up until before yesterday, my brain seems to shut down whenever I am higher than a few cm off the ground. It is as if my brain couldn't process the information that my eyes were recording (e.g. board not straightened up, need to adjust my legs etc.). At most my brain is merely shouting "You screwed up! Too late! Brace! Brace! Brace!". Yesterday, I could clearly see what was going on, had reasonable control over my body, and while there were screw there will always be, it was far more controlled. So I finally told myself "Let's try a grab". And managed it. It was only the simplest of grab (merely a touch on very first attempt), and likely lacking any style. But I did it! :jumping1: When I made this thread, I had doubt I could keep my balance for even a basic grab and expected to crash a lot practising grabs.


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

:jumping1:

Today is a landmark for me. First I landed my first 360! This will need *a lot* more work, right now the success rate is like 10%, not unlike the first few 180s. Interestingly, my 360 was completed on a tiny kicker (smaller than every beginner kicker I have seen and smaller than what used to land my first 180). And my successful 360 did not take nearly as much strength as I thought it would.

Also, I cleanly landed my biggest jump yet. It is what I consider a medium intermediate kicker. I have seen much bigger kickers classed as intermediate but also smaller ones. At any rate, I had no intention of touching it at the start of the day but after the 360 and I just went for broke and did it 

There is still so much more I need to improve to be even a quarter decent but I have come a long way compared to the start of the season and having a blast in the process.

Really wish spring would hibernate a bit longer but it is definitely here already.

Edit: Just noticed it is also my 100th post haha.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

Important things first. 
:eusa_clap: on the 360 
next way to go doing a grab
finally great to hear about the progress on 180's 

All steps to becoming better. I can so get your feelings the up/downs the pure excitement of landing the trick for the 1st time, super clean or not. That in itself is an adrenaline rush 

Small victories make it so much easier to build upon. For me after doing the trick and before is very mental. I'm also trying 3's at the very very end of the season, what actually turned out to be my 2nd to last day of riding. Wish I had more time. My body also told me at the last minute I'm going to die and scrub off. So again Congrats and I can relate. 

Now that you did it, your body felt it, the mental block has collapsed. I hope it comes quickly for you and I. Keep at it as my season is over will need to wait till next year. Hoping you can dial it in this season yet. 

Keep at it and keep us posted !!


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## tokyo_dom (Jan 7, 2013)

Congrats on both the big kicker, and 360 landing!

Just a word of caution - "going for broke" can actually lead to breaking shit. I know, i did! Maybe I am a bit too cautious now, but instead of going for bigger and bigger straight jumps where i barely had control, i am aiming for more and more control on smaller jumps... Straight airs with arms completely quiet, shifties both directions, all sorts of grabs etc. I figure once i get all of that sorted, moving up in jump sizes will just come naturally.

Mind you it isnt half as much of an adrenalin rush as flying 8-10m thinking "oh shit thats a long way down oh shit oh shit!" and then somehow pulling it off, but at least this way i have less chance of an early season ender.

Oh and from Tokyo, Gala in Niigata stays open until at least golden week (May 6th), Kagura is open until the end of May (depending on snow), Ryuoo in Nagano is until end of April (bit so-so to be honest), plus Gassan in Yamagata *opens* on April 11 (no joke, it only starts mid april and goes until August).

Also there is Snova in Shin-Yokohama (indoor slope) for year-round access. I'm planning on getting my rail game on lock this season, and if i cant get it before the mountains close, i will get it there...


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## ollie (Mar 30, 2008)

Sounds good, fair play!

I have taken a set away from spinning lately and all the Spin to Win mantra that has become massive in snowboarding - well, competitive snowboarding anyways. 

For the last few weeks I have been spending all of my time working on an aspect of my game that I now realise was severely underdeveloped - stylish grabs, pokes & shifties.

I hadn't noticed how I always went for the same old grabs, never really paying much attention to how they looked and felt, I was just going through the motions.

This topic came up when talking about wakeboarding in a cable park and how some people just love to throw out a 900 on a slider (flat box - wakeboard terminology) but that isn't going to score well in comps and looks crap compared to some technical rail skill

I then started thinking about what snowboarding was all about before spinning like crazy took over and really stylish looking grabs that were tweaked and poked to extreme angles were king.

Anyways I started working on all of the strange and unusual grabs that I could think of and I have never been happier on my board - my go to has now become a Roastbeef, I think I can finally say that my Japans, Methods and Indy Tuck Knees are tweaked to a satisfactory level that makes me smile and all of the double hander grabs like a Stiffie, Cross Rocket, Holy Crail (and eventually a Bloody Dracula) are just sick imo. 

Still working on perfecting a good few of the grabs, like Taipans and am now implementing them back into my spins - once or twice I ate it when pulling a tweak out too far which stopped my rotation and had me rolling up the windows during wasp season

Oh, I had never tried it until last week but a back 3 Truck Driver is probably the most solid I have ever felt whilst spinning

Food for thought if anyone's interested


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

Thanks everyone! I still have a few more sessions left before life will need to take over again and I am hoping that I can get more 360 practice and maybe go for a grab on that bigger kicker. 

But I tend to practice according to the conditions. Eventually I want to be able to do everything in all conditions, but for the time being, I am erring on the side of caution. After a week of warm weather, it has started snowing again yesterday, which will be great as this continues (expected to carry on till tomorrow), but in the mean time meant that the wet snow has turned into icy patches. Not the best time for a bad fall. So instead of focussing on jumps, I spent the whole day ridding switch. It is challenging but useful, and really helps landing those 180s. I also tried tiny jumps while ridding switch and fell a lot (but at the low height and with protection I wasn't likely going to hurt myself too much). While it makes me feel really silly, it made me appreciate how much I have improved when jumping regular. Last year, I was falling doing similar jumps at similar height while riding regular.

For this season, I do not plan on jumping higher/further than what I am now capable of. Once I get more comfortable with that jump, I might try and add a simple grab, not more for this season. The injury I sustained earlier this season taught me an important lesson on not rushing progress. I will also continue to practice 360s to hopefully not have no re-learn from scratch next season.. And when next season come, I am not going to rush to do more spins. Aside from making the 180s and 360s smooth, I'd love to be able to combine it with grabs. Speaking of grabs, I still haven't tried anything but the simplest of grab. And I have never tried any shifties. Before thinking about more spins, I want to get all those things down.

There is so much more about snowboarding I want to learn! I was very jump centric this season because that was the goal I set for myself at the start of the season. But on the freestyle side of things, I am still frustrated that I still can't manage a nose press while in motion (which means no butters) and box wise, I have never managed to do more than just riding on top of it and I was kinda happy riding over a rainbow shaped box before.

And then there is powder riding (will need a much bigger board), tree riding that needs a lot more practice (I actually managed to snowboard right into a tree once :facepalm1. One step at a time


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## chomps1211 (Mar 30, 2011)

TooNice said:


> ….And then there is powder riding (will need a much bigger board), tree riding that needs a lot more practice *(I actually managed to snowboard right into a tree once* :facepalm1. One step at a time


:blink: Only _once,..????_ Ppfffffftttt!!! Rookie! :lol:  :laugh:

Seriously? Congrat's on the progress you've made! :jumping1:


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

It felt like one time too many! :laugh: I've never seen anyone ride into a tree so it felt kinda embarrassing (event though I don't think there was anyone saw me).

Two days ago I spent most of the day getting comfortable with the intermediate kicker I was so excited when I first cleared it. It seems like I completely underestimated the length of the jump: I thought it must have been 2-3 meters length wise, but when I saw someone kneeing on the side to take a video for her friend, I realised that you could line 4-5 boards on the knuckle. So I must have jumped 5-7m :eyetwitch2: I am positive that that the start of the season, I had never jumped even 1m, I found it quite unbelievable. I was successful about 9/10 two days ago.

Today is my last day this season. I was planning to ride until week-end but forecasts of rain over the coming week is putting me off. The snow is slushy enough as it is. To make the day memorable, I set myself an unplanned challenge. A kicker that is rated as "Advanced". It is the next one in size amongst the kickers I had access to. But it is quite a lot bigger. Over 2m in height, and unlike the intermediate kicker which had a knuckle which went upward (reduces the height of the drop if you fail to make it over), this one is completely flat until you cross over. So messing it up would mean a drop of 3-4m depending on how high you fly. 

Now I didn't just do it and "hope for the best". I warmed up on some intermediate kickers to make sure I could land stable and clean even taken with speed (one of the biggest issue I had today was the really sticky snow that felt like glue). I rode a past the kicker a couple of time to get a feel of the distance and landing (pretty steep and icy). And I watched a lot of people go first. To be honest, it wasn't that complicated. Due to the snow condition, everyone had to just go straight, forgoing any speed check because you could not possible go fast enough to overshoot. 

Then I went for it. I followed someone's track (which is pretty straight), focussed on staying stable going up the kicker, popped, tried to spot the landing, and... realised to my horror that I was not going to make it. What happened next I wasn't too sure. I am pretty sure I fell but I am not too sure how. The helmet flew off my head when I crash landed (guess I need a better fitting one) and started bouncing towards me (I got back on my feet pretty quickly, though I am not sure how), and for a second I remember thinking "Phew, that is not my head rolling".

By some miracle, I did not have a single scratch on me. It seems I get hurt a lot more when failing spins (nowadays it is 360s) on small kickers than attempting big(ger) kickers. I went back to the staff watching over that kicker to find out where I landed. It seems like I was 2-3 meters off. Then I asked about the distance to the clear zone. "13 meters" :eyetwitch2: Yeah I know, they gets much, much bigger.. Yet for me, it was pretty unthinkable!

tldr: Today I tried to set a personal best and failed. Though a little disappointed, I am glad that I am came out of it unscathed. It was also a useful lesson regarding my present limitation.


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

Exactly three years later...

I finally landed my first 5s (FS)! :cheer1: Well, as has been the case for my first 1s and first 3s, the landing on my first 5s all kinda suck even without falling over. But I finally got that rotation down.

It took a while and may sound like I only got an extra half a rotation over the course of three years, but it is a bit more than that (*). I found out the season after I made that post, that all my earlier 3s suffered from turning (far) too early. At first as much as 90 degrees as I leave the jump! Now that I think about it, it was really asking for an edge to be caught, and/or hit a knuckle because of the speed loss, not to mention that it destroys the kicker. I don't think that my take off nowadays is by any mean perfect, but it took a long time to get it to where it is at now (I'd like to think that to spin a 5 and not hit the knuckle, I got better at picking my lines and using my edges - not perfect, but better).

In terms of kickers size, I am most comfortable at 6-8m (20-25 feet) if I am going to do anything more than a straight air. I no longer have a massive urge of doing anything much bigger. Yes it would be nice if I could say that I finally conquered the 13+m kicker mentioned in the last post.. I probably could do it (though I am definitely intimidated by anything over 10m), but it is not something that I want to urgently re-attempt. 

Now I have a confession to make. While I am quite happy with the progress I've made, I am a bit embarrassed to admit that I -still- can't get that nose grab! I know what needs to be done, lift the front leg as much as possible while straightening the back leg as much as possible, but I feel that to do that, I really need to push against my bindings, and I struggle to do that. And what makes it stranger, is that tail grabs has become my "to go" grab (more than an indie outside a FS spin). I can tail grab nearly anywhere, but the nose grab really eludes me. 

(*) Obviously, I haven't just been working on jumps. My rail and box games has gone up quite significantly, as has my freeriding. Actually, at the time I made the thread, I had a lot of bad habits just riding, which didn't get fixed until the next season when I got proper coaching. Nowadays I mostly do ungroomed stuff or park (I probably should do more groomers to ensure that my carving doesn't get sloppy, but I've come to really enjoy powder tree runs.. though I've had to stop keeping count on the number of time I've hit a trees (much, much less than the amount of time I zip between them, but enough that my freeride board has some battle scars for show).

I'll finish off by saying that I truly love snowboarding :snowboard2:


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

TooNice said:


> Exactly three years later...
> 
> I finally landed my first 5s (FS)! :cheer1: Well, as has been the case for my first 1s and first 3s, the landing on my first 5s all kinda suck even without falling over. But I finally got that rotation down.
> 
> ...


I need to get my rail game up. I am terrified of rails. I am okay with spins, medium jumps, and grabs, but rails are still sketchy to me.
Good progression.


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## TooNice (Feb 7, 2014)

speedjason said:


> I need to get my rail game up. I am terrified of rails. I am okay with spins, medium jumps, and grabs, but rails are still sketchy to me.
> Good progression.


Thanks. To be honest, it's the boxes where I've progressed the most. On boxes which are straight (flat, or inclined, but no curve or kinks), I've done 1 in 1 out, 270 in 90 out (scarier but easier), 90 press in 270 out (less scary but I had to practice so much hard that it is actually one of my most satisfying thing to land) and a few other stuff. Like you, I was scared of rail and didn't even attempt it until the second part of last season. Now, I think that if it is a rail that I can pop on (not so high that I am scared that I won't make it), I can probably 50/50 it. I've done some 180 out (but not consistent yet), and I've tried slides a few times, but I must say that I am still quite scared of that. I am basically taking baby steps, but the nice thing is that now I don't have to skip (rail) features in the park (unless they are some really intimidating) as I can generally 50/50 them.


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## SlvrDragon50 (Mar 25, 2017)

Wow, I hope to be able to do 5s in 3 years time. I can hardly do straight airs after my first season :laugh2:


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