Last Updated1 June 2022

First-Time Snowboarders introduces an example progression for teaching first-timers. All first-time lessons should begin on flat terrain, with as much space as possible and minimal traffic. The general goals for any first-timer lesson should include staying safe whilst becoming familiar with the snowboard, learning how to move around on flat ground with one foot strapped in, as well as learning how to stop and change direction on both the heel and toe edge.

The order of the following exercises or activities may change relative to the available terrain and snow conditions, and your students’ physical ability, age and fitness. All of these activities may not be needed in every lesson so make sensible decisions to maximise the student’s learning time.

Two-Footed Orientation

What, Why, How

Strapping both feet into the bindings, standing up, getting into the basic stance and exploring different ways to move.

To feel balanced and comfortable with movement on the snowboard with both feet strapped in and to be able to get up independently.

Strap both feet into the bindings. Get up from a seated position on the heel edge by grabbing the toe edge with one hand and pushing up with the other. If this is too tiring, lie down with one leg bent and one stretched out and roll onto the stomach. It may help to grab behind the knee of the bent leg and roll it over the straight leg. It should be easy to push up onto the feet when on the knees like this. Once standing try to find a balanced position by gently flexing the ankles, knees and hips.

Shuffle the board from nose to tail underneath the body to know what it feels like to stand in the middle and move along the length of it.

Move up and down over the board and if comfortable make a small hop.

If comfortable, turn the body and try hopping around in a circle.

Gently move the hips (from edge to edge) to feel the weight shift from flat feet to the balls of the feet, back over to the heels and back to flat feet.

Finally, move the left hip, knee and ankle over from a flat left foot to the ball of the foot and to the heel. Repeat with the right hip, knee and ankle. Notice how the board twists. This will be very useful when turning the board.

If you feel like you might fall when riding, lightly close your hands into fists, get as low to the ground as you can and stay as relaxed as possible.

Example

A great activity in this step is to use your snowboard like a palette knife, giving details for how the knife will react when you move: “You can create sharper lines when moving laterally to cut the snow. You can use a palette knife for vertical and longitudinal movements to bend the knife and lift it off the snow. You can rotate your palette knife to spread the snow with rotational movements. You can also twist the palette knife as it’s thin and can bend.”

Movements & Board Performance

Vertical

When exploring vertical movements start by keeping the snowboard on the ground and focus on even flexion of the ankles, knees and hips. When encouraging students to hop for the first time, have them focus on keeping their hips level when moving up and down to create the hop. It’s very easy for students to use an inefficient blend of extension from their joints and create a lateral by-product when they hop upwards causing a loss of balance.

Longitudinal

Create opportunities to explore the moving of the COM from nose to tail and also moving their snowboard underneath them in a shuffling motion. This will develop slower and more powerful movements along with faster, weaker movements when they are finding the longitudinal centre of their snowboard.

Rotational

Rotational movements at this stage can be fully explored to understand personal limits of flexibility and range. Encourage exploration of upper body rotation and highlight the benefits of rotational alignment when appropriate. With more athletic students, pair rotational movement with vertical to challenge aerial rotations of 90 and 180 degrees.

Lateral

Introduce use of the lower body to edge the board slightly, focusing on the ankles and knees so that the upper body can remain as stable as possible. You can then develop this by introducing independent lateral movements to create twist efficiently. Once again, this can be focused on with the ankles, knees and hips.

Terrain & Group Management

Ensure that you select the flattest terrain available so your students do not slide away. If you have enough space, have your group circle around you so everyone can see what you are doing and how you are moving. Be prepared to unstrap and move around your group to help people stand up when needed. If the ideal terrain is not available due to slope conditions or traffic, then get creative. Feel free to use a quieter but sloped area and partner your students up to provide hands-on assistance to each other. This way your students can explore vertical, rotational and longitudinal over both edges. This will have a beneficial focus on developing their lateral balance too.

Example

After standing up, have your students look around at their environment for markers and obstacles to aim for. Play a simple game of Simon Says to get students to move specific body parts or parts of the board towards different markers. For example; “Point the nose of your board at the person opposite you.”

Corrective Teaching

Student struggles to get up on the heelside:

Show students how to get up on the toeside so they have options to use for the rest of their time on snow.

Student loses balance easily when moving laterally on flat ground:

Ensure that care is taken with instructions to create gentle movements with appropriate range of movement.

Encourage light flexion in the ankles, knees and hips to lower the COM for increased stability.

Focus on movements in the ankles to roll from edge to edge, to avoid big movements of the upper body.

Self Reflection

“Was my terrain selection the best option available to me?”

“Did I make the movements suitable for the athletic abilities of the group?”

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