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Table of Contents
Advanced Freestyle takes a wider look at freestyle both in and out of the park, with a view to develop versatility and creative riding. This chapter shows a selection of tricks that are commonly performed at an advanced level and can be categorised into all-mountain, jumps, boxes/rails and halfpipe riding.
Park Jumps: 360s
What, Why, How
Spinning frontside and backside 360s on a park jump.
A natural progression from spinning 180s and an essential trick for advanced park riding.
VIDEO: 360s in the Park with Guy McCully
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Outside the park, ride frontside or backside 360s based on preference and desire to take to a park jump. Develop this on features with a flatter takeoff, such as hits down the fall line or off cat tracks.
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Hopped 270-slide-arounds or full 360s can be practised in the fall line from an edged takeoff, if confidence and athleticism allows. Remind students that the upper body will lead the first 270 of the spin and the lower body will complete the spin.
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Refresh the concept of a safety edge in the event of under-rotation.
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Inside the park, ensure that appropriate speed is taken to make the sweet spot in the landing. Warm up with 180s if necessary to help dial the speed in and gain consistency with the set-up turn. Use the same or a similar set-up turn to the 180 and add more rotational power when releasing the trick to perform the 360.
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Explain what to expect for the first attempt of the trick, including where to look and commit.
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Add versatility and develop by doing 360s in the four different directions (forwards frontside, forwards backside, switch frontside and switch backside) or by adding grabs to 360 spins that are already comfortable.
Hot Tip
Spending time with the board off is extremely useful when learning 360s off park jumps. Have students visualise riding through transition between the approach and takeoff, rolling onto their edge and timing the pop and pre-wind release to suit. Use markers to identify where their upper body rotation should stop at 270 and the lower body should continue for the last 90 degrees.
Movements & Board Performance
Vertical & Rotational with Pressuring & Steering (Pop & Spin)
Similarly to a 180 on a park jump, timing of vertical extension and rotational release relative to the lip of the jump is key. Pre-wind can be similar in range of movement to a 180 (slightly more if needed) but will be released with more power. When releasing the pre-wind (the legs should be smoothly extending as the upper body is rotating into the spin), the board will ideally leave the lip of the jump as the upper body passes into a rotationally aligned position with the board. The upper body and head will lead rotationally into the spin for the first 270 and the lower body will then continue to spin to complete the trick.
Lateral with Edging
Focus on smooth movements in the ankles and knees for a backside 360 and knees and hips for a frontside 360 to replicate a similar edge angle to that of an edged takeoff and backside/frontside 180. Ensure that the upper body is kept stacked over the hips and over the board to minimise excessive directional drift off the lip of the jump.
Longitudinal
A longitudinally centred position is key to promote stability at takeoff and into the trick zone.
Terrain & Group Management
For tasks outside the park, use mellow terrain that is consistent and preferably with low traffic. Inside the park, begin on a similar feature in size and shape to that used for 180s. Hiking the feature will allow more opportunities to practise the spin; however, it can tire students out more quickly. Continue to build on how to be Park Smart. Take opportunities to place ownership on students with their choices, intervene when necessary and provide feedback on those choices when possible.
Corrective Teaching
Student’s snowboard turns early/too much on the lip of the jump (common in frontside 360s):
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Focus on the timing of the rotation in the trick to make sure that rotation is not used too early.
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Ensure the setup turn is a mellow, edged/carved, open turn to make sure that more pivot is not used in a deeper, skidded, more closed turn.
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Practise frontside 180s to develop a cleaner edge at takeoff.
Student lacks rotation when spinning:
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Ensure the rotation is released as your student leaves the lip and not before. A skidded takeoff creates friction, reducing the rider’s travelling speed and the power of their initial rotation.
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Focus on tightening the core muscles to aid the spin.
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Hold the knees retracted for longer when in the air.
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In backside 360s, focus on looking for the landing right from takeoff.
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In frontside 360s, focus on a clean edge takeoff (i.e. not skidding) so they have a stable platform from which to release the rotation.
Student over-rotates on landing:
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Reinforce using a slight amount of edge to aid a stable landing.
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In backside 360s, have your students begin to open up as soon as they can see the landing. They can do this by gently extending their legs and spreading out their arms to slow down the rotation of their upper body. This will allow more time to rotate the lower body and complete the spin.
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In frontside 360s, after leaving the lip and viewing the landing, encourage your student to turn their head and look back towards the takeoff. As they see the landing beneath them, have them open up by gently extending their legs and spreading out their arms to slow down the rotation. This will provide more time to rotate the lower body and complete the spin.
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When your student develops more air and edge awareness, encourage them to land on a slight edge, to help stop their rotation.
Self Reflection
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“Can my student perform a relatively level/flat spin on cut-outs and natural hits before heading to a park jump?”
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“Can my student keep a mellow, edged/carved, open setup turn to leave the lip straight at takeoff for a 360?”