HOP.
CHOP!
SLIDE.
the ankle, knee, and hip fl exion/ extension that helps them stay in balance on the toeside edge. All this hopping can be tiring, so be sure to add some rest breaks.
THE HOP, CHOP, AND SLIDE IS A FUN APPROACH TO EARLY TOESIDE
PROGRESSIONS;
STEP 2: CHOP! Once they have hopping-in-place fi gured out, show students how to hop uphill – again pushing the hips out slightly to aid balance over the toeside edge. Have them give it a go, hopping uphill a few feet and leaving chop marks behind in the snow. To promote good posture, encourage students to look up the hill, rather than down at their feet. Looking down causes the rider to bend a little at the waist, which disrupts balance. Ask them to focus on how their ankle, knee, and hip joints fl ex and extend as they spring uphill. Next, challenge them to “stall” in place for fi ve seconds before hopping again. T is is a great way to work on balance.
JUST
BE SURE TO CHOOSE TERRAIN WISELY (NO ICE!) AND PACE YOUR LESSON TO YOUR STUDENTS’ ABILITY AND COMFORT LEVEL.
fall, encourage them to fall on their knees.) T e act of hopping will center the
rider’s stance and equalize the pressure along the edge. In addition, the board will start to tilt as the rider moves his or her weight to the balls of the feet just before the hop. T is tilt slows the board down and gives the student a solid edge to hop off of. Have students practice the slide (i.e., sideslip) until they can slow the board down and stall without hopping.
STEP 3: SLIDE Now that your students have chopped up the hill and grown more comfortable on their toeside, let them rest a bit and then have them smooth their marks out with a toe-edge sideslip. From a standing position, invite them to relax their ankles a bit until the board starts to slide. T ey should let it slide only a few feet, then hop back up the hill again to repeat the process. (Some students may need you to hold their hands to add stability during their fi rst sideslip, and if students do
104 | 32 DEGREES • FALL 2015
WHERE TO GO NEXT After your newbie riders have mastered the hop, chop, and slide, you can start to add direction to the sideslip. T is helps them discover how to use their feet independently to twist the board. When your students begin their slide,
have them fl ex their lead ankle to let the nose turn slightly downhill. T ey will start to move down and across the hill. To bring the nose back up the hill and slow down,
encourage them to incorporate a twisting move that uses the pad of the front foot as a fulcrum. Standing with equal weight on both feet, students should plant the pad of their lead foot and lift the heel off the snow, keeping the knee “soft.” T e ankle joint will open and the knee will fl ex, producing a twist maneuver. T is increases the edge angle on the front half of the board, guiding the nose up the hill on the toeside edge. Repeating this a few times
results in a toeside garland and gives riders a “safety valve” if they get nervous in the fall line. After putting in suffi cient practice and mileage, challenge your students to let the board slide fully into the fall line and down the hill before they bring it back across the hill to a stop. T e Hop, Chop, and Slide is a fun
approach to early toeside progressions; just be sure to choose terrain wisely (no ice!) and pace your lesson to your students’ ability and comfort level. Let them master one move before moving on to the next. Add this to your bag of tricks for teaching toeside and set your students up for success!
Greg Andrews is a snowboard instructor and staff trainer at Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Resort. He is also a member of the examiner training staff for PSIA-AASI’s Eastern Division and the AASI Eastern Team.
facebook.com/greg.andrews04
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