APPENDIX 8: TACTICS GLOSSARY
Switch Riding Alternate skill focus: Pivot/Steering, Edging, Pressure, Timing & Coordination On terrain suitable for their ability level, have students link turns in the direction opposite to their natural stance.
Toe to Toe / Heel to Heel Alternate skill focus: Pivot/Steering, Edging, Pressure, Timing & Coordination To enhance balance skills, have students try to ride and complete only toeside turns. Begin with a regular toeside turn, in their natural direction. In the traverse phase, before the edge change, have students complete a sliding frontside 180 (rotating the nose of the snowboard downhill), and then complete a switch, or fakie, toeside turn. Again, in the traverse phase at the end of this turn, complete a sliding 180 (nose of the board rotating downhill), and repeat the sequence. To complete all heelside turns, have riders begin with a heelside turn, and instead of frontside rotations between turns, have them complete backside rotations. For advanced riders, have them attempt the same exercise using hop or ollie 180’s, instead of sliding 180’s.
PIVOT / STEERING Garland / “Chicken-Out” Turns / Fall-Line Pivot Exercise Alternate skill focus: Edging, Timing & Coordination Have students begin in a sideslip (on either edge), and then shift pressure slightly over the lead foot to establish a slight direction change. To initiate a pivot, have students turn the head, shoulders and hips down the hill, allowing the snowboard to move toward the fall line. Allow the snowboard to flatten, and approach a flat base. As the snowboard approaches the fall line, have students rotate in the opposite direction, away from the fall line, and back to the starting position. Ensure that students are not changing edges in the fall line. Practice multiple times on the toe or heel edge, and then switch to the opposite side. This exercise allows students to feel the effects of rotation on the initiation and completion of the turn.
Fish Turns / Roller Coaster Turns Alternate skill focus: Timing & Coordination As an analogy to encourage steering at a higher level, have students picture a fish, where the tail always follows the head as the fish swims. Alternatively, they can envision a roller coaster car, where the last car must follow the path of the first car. Have students attempt to recreate this feeling in their snowboarding, by steering progressively with the front foot, followed by the back foot, in a variety of turns.
Headlights on Knees An analogy to promote the use of the knees in intermediate riders, have them imagine they are riding in the dark, and with spotlights attached to each knee. As they ride, they have to “shine” the light in the direction of travel, helping them to begin to steer the snowboard with the lower body.
Motor Boat Have students imagine they have an outboard motor on the tail of their snowboard. They must hold onto the throttle of the motor, ensuring that they maintain alignment. To turn the “boat” to the heelside, the throttle needs to be pushed toward the toe edge (thus rotating the shoulders and hips to the heelside direction). To turn to the toe edge, the throttle must be pulled toward the heelside, rotating the shoulders and hips toward the toeside. Complete a series of linked turns using this analogy ensuring that alignment and rotation are maintained throughout. Sound effects optional.
Rail to Rail (Carving) Alternate skill focus: Timing & Coordination, Edging On mellow terrain, have students begin in a straight run. Have them roll onto the toe edge, establishing a carved turn (pencil line track in the snow), and then roll to the heel edge, carving again. Terrain should be flat enough that speed control isn’t difficult, as students aren’t completing full turns, but are simply “rolling” or steering onto edge for a brief period, before switching to the opposite
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