Once strapped in with both feet, students can practice two-footed J-turns to gain a better understanding of how they can manipulate their board.
stops their momentum, so you don’t have to delve into managing the timing, intensity, or duration of this movement; yet you just taught your beginners how to turn! At this point, you can assess students’ balance and deliberate control of movement as they get more comfortable sliding on snow and experimenting with their equipment. Just like the straight glide, the desired outcome for one-footed J-turns is basic proficiency, not expertise.
STRAP IN BOTH FEET From here, you can continue to teach your progressions of a beginner lesson the way our snowboards are designed to be ridden: with both feet strapped in. Keeping students safe and having fun is still the priority, but they can graduate to longer, more sustained pitches and get a better sense of the board performances when they can manipulate their snowboards
with both the front and back foot. Our feet are also locked into a predetermined stance, which promotes optimal balance. Te instances when you have to ride one-footed – getting on and off the lift, negotiating flat terrain, when a friend challenges you to a one-footed throwdown in the beginner park – will become more comfortable through hours on the snow, practicing other facets of snowboarding. Remember that lessons should be student-centered,
and you can only
progress as fast as your slowest beginner. In my experience, moving on to two- footed progressions after beginners get the feeling of skating, straight glides, and one- footed J-turns is a great way to maintain a lesson’s momentum and reduce the frustration of students who struggle with one-footed drills. Traverses, garlands, and ultimately linking basic turns are usually
safer, more fun, and easier learned with both feet strapped in.
Jordan Lea is an AASI-certified Level III snowboard instructor at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont. Email:
amicolea@yahoo.com
NEW RESOURCE FOR SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTORS
The brand new Snowboard Teaching Handbook – available as a print and digital edition – is now available through the PSIA-AASI Accessories Catalog at
TheSnowPros.org. It’s a perfect complement to 2014’s Snowboard Technical Manual.
THESNOWPROS.ORG | 123
SHERRI HARKIN
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