Last Updated7 June 2022

Exploring Intermediate Turns looks at different activities and progressions that will help to guide a student’s understanding and skills while exploring a more active stance and blending of their movements, early edging and increased performance and the benefits of switch riding. We will also look at where and when to use these skills on the different terrain that students will encounter as they progress.

This begins with learning how a more active position on the board will allow greater movement options to develop as a rider. Students will start to explore more challenging groomed terrain, develop earlier edging skills and the confidence to ride with more performance. In addition to this, introducing switch riding will help the student to become more versatile, enabling more options as they begin to explore freestyle and freeride skills. As students progress it is important to analyse and adapt the content and pathways to best suit their development and outcomes.

Switch Riding

What, Why, How

Learning to ride switch with a flat land 360 progression.

Switch riding is essential for a lot of freestyle tricks. Switch can also help in becoming more versatile when freeriding.

Review medium closed forwards turns on green terrain.

On flat terrain while stationary, explore the switch basic stance and how to move throughout the turn. This is identical to forwards, but focused on the other side of the body.

Now try a series of toe and heel switch traverses, focusing on the new switch stance, it may help to open the lead knee, hip, shoulder and head a touch more on the heel side.

Next try a series of back-up or W-turns in each direction. Start by traversing across the hill switch then guide the board uphill by gently turning the leading hip, knee and shoulder until the board begins to slow down and is flat on the snow. Then turn the head and look towards the other end of the board. Gently move the hips over the new edge, turning the new lead knee and hip to steer the board across and back up the hill.

Repeat a series of these across the hill in both directions creating W-shaped arcs in the snow. To turn them into slow flatland 360 spins, start the next back-up turn earlier each time, so you are continually spinning. Use small movements with the ankles and knees to gently flatten the board and guide around the spin. Try them in both directions, clockwise and counterclockwise.

VIDEO: Flatland 360s with Dave Pearse

Now try linking switch skidded turns. Movements are the same as riding forwards, gently rising, moving the hip over the board to allow it to move downhill. Then begin to flex and turn the lead knee, hip and shoulder gently to guide the board across the hill.

Finish each switch turn with a traverse to begin with to balance and recentre before starting the next turn. Looking continually in the new direction of travel is crucial.

An alternative approach is to work through the Learn to Turn progression, starting with a switch traverse, switch steered traverses, switch C-turns and linking switch turns.

Example

A useful analogy here is: “Learning to ride switch is like learning to write with your other hand, it may feel very unnatural and awkward at first. It will often be harder to make the fine movements with your finger and thumb when writing and the small movements with the ankles and knees when riding switch. With practice it will become easier and more familiar.”

Movements & Board Performance

Lateral with Edging

This movement is minimal, but enough is needed to change edge and balance over the uphill edge. The student must focus their attention on the timing of the edge change first and foremost. Twist is used for effective initiation.

Vertical & Longitudinal with Pressuring

Vertical movement consists of an extension to help move the hips across the board and flexion through the control and completion phases to aid balance and manage the minimal pressure that is created. More importantly, encourage vertical movement to help blend the other movements. Longitudinal movement can consist of a slight pressure fore to aid turn initiation; however, maintaining a longitudinally aligned position is ideal.

Rotational with Steering

Rotational movement should be focused in the lower body, the same as linking beginner turns in the forward direction, to help with smooth steering. The upper body and head may rotate slightly ahead of the lower body to help alignment and encourage looking continually through the turn.

Terrain & Group Management

Similar tactics to steered traverses and linking turns should be applied; however, you may choose to use a flatter area on a green run that is away from a beginner area. Students’ coordination when riding switch is likely to be less developed, so mileage with simple tasks may be needed. In addition to this, greater consideration to blind spots should be discussed as students may not rotate their head as far to the heelside as they do when riding forward. Setting appropriate focal points will help. Dizziness may also be a factor if students perform multiple flat land 360s in a row. Appropriate green terrain and snow conditions are essential to learning switch, as comfort and confidence are needed for success.

Hot Tip

A little more rotation of the lead shoulder and head on the heel side may help students that tend to be blocked or closed to that direction. Have the student stand in a neutral position and slowly turn their head around to where it would be when they ride forward. Get them to note the amount of tension in the neck. Now have them slowly turn their head to their switch direction until they feel the same tension. Often it will be turned less. Have them turn their head further to the desired position (with more tension) then allow them to turn or open the shoulders so the tension is eased. This will give them a more desirable (slightly open) position on their heel side.

Corrective Teaching

Switch riding will have similar issues to steered traverses and C-turns. The majority of inefficiencies will result from an inefficient stance, not looking in the direction of travel and changing edges too fast or too early. Traverses are a great way to find a balanced stance so the rider has the correct starting and finishing position.

Self Reflection

“Did learning switch increase the amount of falls my student had?”

“Are they feeling a sense of achievement through learning to ride switch?”

“Should I have encouraged a little more upper body rotation to help the rider align with and look in the new direction of travel?”

Tags: