3 Tips For Your First Jump
Jumping is one of the greatest things in snowboarding. Being able to leave the ground and perform a wicked spin, grab or just keep it stylish in the air then touchdown is a highlight for many snowboarders. Plus, being able to do jumps in the park, backcountry, on side hits, in pow or off cliffs make it one of the funnest things to do, no matter where you're riding.
All that being said, it can be hard to figure out. There is a tonne of co-ordination and technique required so you don't brake yourself off. In this list, we're giving out our top 3 tips to jumping on a snowboard. If you're looking for even more great tips, check out these tutorial series:
Tip 1) Approach
Our top tip to dialling in your first jumps is all about the approach. You need to drop in from a spot you feel comfortable straight lining from. There’s no point in dropping in way up high and doing a bunch of turns on the way in. Pick a spot where you can commit to going straight from so you can get moving and just focus on the jump. It’ll get you committing to your jump and give you plenty of time to think about the take off.
This tip comes from our Your First Jump tutorial. Check out the full write up clicking the link or watch it below.
Tip 2) Take Off & Suck Your Knees
Another great tip for not just beginners, but also experienced jumpers is to suck your knees up to your chest as you take off the lip. Doing this will make it much easier to get grabs but will also help pinpoint your landing. If you’re going too big you can then extend your legs early to try and catch some tranny. If you’re going too small you can keep your legs sucked up and hopefully sneak past the knuckle.
This killer piece of advice comes from our How To Pop Off Jumps tutorial.
Tip 3) Alignment Through The Air
The third and final tip to dial in your snowboard jumping skills is to focus on your alignment. While the big focus here is your alignment through the air, it's also important to have good alignment as you take off and land.
It is very common to see many snowboarders slightly rotating in the air meaning they land with their board at 90 degrees to the landing, rather than straight. Instead, take off with an aligned stable body position which you will maintain through the air. Keep your shoulders perpendicular to the take off and fight off the urge to rotate them in either direction. Once you've landed, maintain that straight alignment and ride away straight for few meters before controlling your speed. This will ensure all your balance is together and you're jump looks clean.
All these nuggets of informational gold come from our How To Hit A Jump tutorial, give it a view right here,
Boom! Those are our top 3 tips to start stomping your first jumps on a snowboard. Remember, approach confidently with no last minute speed checks. As you take off give it a bit of pop and suck your knees up to your chest. This will not only look way better, but will prepare you for grabbing and touching down on landing. Finally, keep yourself aligned and do not land with your board 90 degrees to the landing. Focus on these 3 main things and you'll be breaching like a Great White in no time!
Alex McCann
Snowboard Addiction
Our Goal Is To Improve Your Riding!