CHAPTER 4: SKILLS CONCEPT
In snowboarding, we are rarely totally stable or completely balanced. Therefore, the act of balancing requires constant movement, or adjustment, of our body position. By maintaining a dynamic state of constant movement (balancing), a rider is able to maintain the appropriate amount of stability, at any given moment, for controlled, efficient snowboarding.
Position & Balance and the Planes of Movement When improving the balance skills of our students, we can isolate them into following planes: 1. Fore & Aft Balance: Movement on the Frontal Plane, or “Nose-Tail Plane”. 2. Lateral Balance: Movement forward and backward on the Sagittal Plane, or “Toe- Heel Plane”. 3. Vertical Balance: Movement up and down along the Sagittal Plane. 4. Rotational Balance: Movement (or resistance to movement) on the Transverse Plane, or “Twisting Plane”. PLANES OF BALANCE Fore & Aft, Rotational and Vertical Planes of Balance
Components of Position & Balance:
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1. Stability The ability to resist external forces through a “strong” riding position. A good position makes the rider more stable.
2. Balance (or “balancing”) The ability to maintain stability or manage instability, through range of movement.
Key points: • The more stable the rider, the “stronger” they are; the harder it is for them to be knocked over or lose balance. • Body position impacts stability – riders who can maintain a position with the C.O.M. directly over the B.O.S. will be more stable. • Lowering the C.O.M. closer to the base of support can increase stability. • Stability is achieved when we can assume a position in which the forces acting upon us are equal. • A stable position also provides good range of movement, in all planes. It is a “neutral” position from which a ride can move, react and balance, in any direction.
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Key points: Balancing involves constant movement to help you: qq Maintain a stable or balanced position qq Recover from an unstable or unbalanced position qq Keep riding in an unstable or unbalanced position •
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The forces acting on a rider are constantly changing. Therefore in order to maintain stability a rider needs to constantly move, adapt and react. These movements can be small, large, fast or slow, and in any direction. The movements are called balance or “balancing”.