Basic Grabs On A Snowboard
Grabbing your board comes from skateboarding, as they had to grab their board to keep it attached to their feet whenever they got air. While us snowboarders do have those handy binding things to keep the board attached to our feet, we continue this tradition because grabs add control in the air and a tonne of style to your jumping. They also make advanced spins and flips easier to execute.
In this tutorial, we're going to take a look at the four basic grabs and show you how to lock them in! For even more great snowboard tutorials like this one, check out the Snowboard Tutorial Membership as we've added 5 more tutorials there this month.
(Narrating/Riding: Nev Lapwood. Riding: Duncan Mainland, Chase Baines & Tyler Nicholson. Film/Edit: Vince Emond. Filmed At: Whistler Blackcomb & Whistler Bounce)
Trampoline
A great place to learn your first grabs is on a trampoline. Here you get endless attempts in a short amount of time, so you can perfect them before hitting the snow.
Tweak out a Melon and you won't have a grey day.
Tweak out a Melon and you won't have a grey day.Grabbing your snowboard uses a lot of muscle memory, the more times you do them the easier they’ll become. Use these tips when training on the trampoline:
- While bouncing, look in the direction as if you’re snowboarding.
- Remember that you need to be very compact in the air. Flex at your hips and knees to bring your board up close to your body.
- It’s a combination of bringing your board up and reaching down for the grab, but focus more on getting your knees up as high as possible.
- If you just bend down, it throws all the weight in your head and shoulders forward, putting you off balance.
Getting Ready
Get comfortable doing straight airs with strong pop, bending your knees and sucking your board up as much as you can while in the air. When you are confidently bringing you legs up to at least 90º, you’re ready bust a move.
Indy Grab
Let your back arm fall between your knees to grasp the approaching board. This is an Indy.
Your first few attempts may just be a brief tickle or touch of the board but after some practice you should be able to get a solid hold.
Your first few attempts may just be a brief tickle or touch of the board but after some practice you should be able to get a solid hold.Mute Grab
Try grabbing the toe edge between your feet with your front hand. This is a Mute grab.
A Frontside Hip is a great feature to throw a Mute, you'll be able to really tweak it out.
A Frontside Hip is a great feature to throw a Mute, you'll be able to really tweak it out.Melon Grab
Front hand on your heel edge between your bindings is a Melon.
Is it Cantaloupe or Rock Melon?
Is it Cantaloupe or Rock Melon? Stalefish
Back hand on your heel edge between your feet is a Stalefish.
"Or is it a Stagnant Sturgeon"? - Snowboard Dad
"Or is it a Stagnant Sturgeon"? - Snowboard DadA (Very) Common Problem
A common problem is to rush the grab, doing it too early off the jump. This takes away from your pop. Focus on getting good height first and grabbing second.
You've just learnt the four most basic grabs on a snowboard! It’s important to learn all four of these. Don’t just get stuck with your favourite because different grabs work better for different spin tricks. If you looking for even more snowboard grab tutorials, check out our range of tutorials here:
Alex McCann
Snowboard Addiction
Our Goal Is To Improve Your Riding