Snowboarding Lessons - Mental preparation

OK, now take that sceptical look off your face and hear me out on this - I know you're asking what positive thinking and other sorts of mumbo jumbo have to do with helping with your snowboarding lessons. I laughed at the idea too but I'm not laughing now, and let me tell you why.

What we're talking about here is mental simulation. The idea that just by thinking about something makes you better at doing it sounds too good to be true, but the fact is we can't imagine something without engaging the parts of the brain that are engaged when doing the actual physical activity.

You probably already do it without realising - by thinking about a trip to the shops you'll picture where you're going, which may remind you of somewhere you need to stop off on the way. You may not lie in a darkened room and visualise your trip from start to finish, that's not necessary, but there is an element of rehearsal going on.

Mental rehearsing is formally used in many areas already. For example, an alcoholic trying to kick the booze may be asked to rehearse in his mind how he will respond in certain situations, like when he is offered a beer when at a barbecue with friends. It's works the same way for people trying to get over phobias - by imagining the things around constituent parts of a phobia and controlling their reaction to it they can manage they can build up to tackling the phobia itself.

So what's this go to do with improving your snowboarding then?

Well, mental simulation can build skills too. A study from 2005 showed that mental simulation of a task significantly improved actual performance of that task. The tasks in the study varied greatly so they saw that it applied as much to people doing mechanical tasks as it did to musicians and - here's why you've been reading - sportspeople.

Overall in the study, mental practice accounted for 2/3 of the benefit of actual physical practice! Now surely that's worth paying attention to. What the study says is that mental practice isn't as good as actual practice, but if you're somewhere with no access to a mountain or even dry slopes/artificial snow then you can still improve.

Still sceptical? Type name of your favourite professional sport into google along with 'mental preparation'. I pretty much guarante that the stars of every professional sport are using mental simulation - it's not even used to get ahead of the competition these days, everyone uses it just so they don't fall behind.

So what do you need to do to take advantage? Well, here's the fun part. It can be as simple as watching a snowboarding DVD and putting yourself in the boots of the rider, picturing yourself making those turns. It can be even simpler than that - just lying down or sitting around daydreaming about weaving down a mountain, hitting a jump and nailing the landing. There's really nothing to lose and everything to gain from this one, so have some fun thinking about snowboarding, safe in the knowledge that what you're doing is getting some free practice in!

As an aside, I've used some of the techniques from Snowboard Academy, which I've recommended before. They call it visualisation and have this picture on their page of a Las Vegas hypnotist which nearly put me off the whole thing! Get past that though and there's some valuable stuff to take away which will give your snowboarding lessons a real boost.

Snowboarding lessons - balance

As you work your way through your snowboarding lessons, rather than finding that it's very technical and requires a lot of thought, actually it's all about getting a feel for what you're doing. Balance is everything and this is what you'll be getting a feel for. In fact this never stops, your balance on the board will constantly be perfected the more time you spend riding.

Do you think you've got good balance? Try this simple test. Stand on one foot and close your eyes. Time yourself. Stop the clock when you open your eyes or your other foot touches the ground.

It's harder than it sounds, isn't it? 30 seconds is reasonable up to the age of 30 but average times drop off quite a bit from there.

Improving balance is often overlooked and, to be honest, some of the exercises to improve it sound a bit goofy but it's a valuable thing to spend some time on. I've listed a few simple exercises below:

NB: Do these next to a support.

1. Slowly raise up on to tip-toes and back down. Repeat 10 times.
2. Stand on one leg and hold the other leg out in front of you, bending and straightening the knee 10 times.
3. Stand on one leg and raise the other out to the side 10 times.
4. Stand on one foot and lean forward to touch the ground with your hand. Don't let your other foot touch the ground.

For advanced versions of these exercises, do them with your eyes closed.

There are also a bunch of 'balance boards' out there, the main one being the Indo Board. Check this video to see a kid showing how it's done:



Now those things are pretty expensive but you can make your own easily enough. Use a skateboard deck (without the wheels) or any similar sized piece of wood. Make sure you use something that's got some grip to it though. Place it on top of an empty 2 litre bottle that you've reinforced with some tape and away you go!

It's pretty fun to do and will pay off in your snowboarding lessons big time, so give it a shot - just don't do it near anything valuable!

Snowboarding Lessons - exercises

It's common knowledge that the only way you'll get the most out of your snowboarding lessons is if you hire a personal trainer and dedicate your life to working out. Right?

Yeah, right.

Riding can be hard work on your body when you're starting out or pushing yourself to get that bit better. Originally I had the attitude most have - sure, anything you do will minimise the aches and pains but it's not like you're training for a marathon. Again I have to thank Matt & Nev cos it was their guide that kicked me in the right direction as far as this is concerned. Some structured training can pay off big-time.

There are 4 areas to look at:

1. Cardio

Walk, run or cycle - you can use gym equipment or even enter the real world. The key is to do 20 minutes, 3 times a week. Vary the activities up to keep yourself interested but also to vary the way you're working your muscles. Rowing and swimming are fine but not quite as effective for what we're trying to achieve because you won't be supporting your own bodyweight as you will be when you're on your board.

2. Strength

The cardio work will build stamina in your leg muscles, but even a little strength training pays off in helping you to push through hard turns and pop off jumps. Here's a few basic exercises and you don't even need gym equipment for them:

Lunges - stand straight. Take a large step forwards and lower your back knee down until both knees are at 90 degree angles. Keep your back straight and don't let your rear knee touch the floor. Push up and step forwards to complete.

Wall squat - 'sit' against a wall as if sitting against a chair, knees at a 90 degree angle. Build up to holding the position for 1 minute.

Calf raises - stand on the edge of a step with your heels over the edge. Raise yourself up onto tip toes slowly and then lower yourself back down.

3. Core strength

I'm a complete convert to pilates - after hearing it recommended by people who did all sorts of other sports it became hard to ignore. The idea is to train the 'core muscles' around the centre of your body, giving more stability and control to your whole body. There are many exercises you could do but a good basic one to add to workout is 'the plank'.

The plank - lie on your front and raise your body up so that you're supported on your forearms (elbows directly underneath shoulders) and toes. Keep your body completely horizontal and remember to breathe. Build up to holding this position for 1 minute.

4. Flexibility

To be honest this is the one I've always been guilty of neglecting and I always regret it. Not this year though, eh? Actually the pilates will help with that. More generally though, concentrate on the legs - the achilles (back of the ankle), hamstring (back of the knee) and quads (front of the thigh) in particular.


There shouldn't be any need to radically alter your lifestyle to accommodate a few extra exercises. I've found it easy enough to do a couple of sets of each throughout the day, or at the beginning or end of any sport I happened to already have planned. The point is too many people will skip the preparation and find their snowboarding lessons harder than they need to be - with a little preparation you can give yourself an advantage.

Snowboarding Lessons - How to learn

There's more than one way to skin a cat and more than one way to get your snowboarding lessons. You can learn in several ways and the good news is that you don't have to stick to one method, you can mix and match to get the most out of them all. I'll tell a bit more about that after going through the main methods.

1. One-on-one tuition

Are you made of money? Maybe you are, or maybe you just know where your priorities lie. If you want to learn quickest then this is the way to do it. You'll be getting tailored tuition and 100% attention so any adjustments to your style that need to be made can be picked up. A word of warning - this is pretty intense. If you don't find an instructor you get on well with then you might not enjoy it too much. Plus it can also be a little lonely with just the two of you and it's nice to be with other people on the same learning curve, so...

2. Group lessons

These are most common. You can go with a pack of your buddies or you can be with a bunch of strangers and make some new friends. There's more scope for goofing around which you can either see as good or bad. Still, you'll be getting the professional advice and attention you need, although obviously if there's 10 of you the monitoring won't be as tight as one-to-one tuition. It's cheaper of course, because there's a few of you to spread the cost. Words of warning here though - it's no fun struggling in a group if everyone's better than you and you're having trouble keeping up, let alone getting your turns down right. Same applies if you're doing well and want to progress quicker. You're paying so don't be afraid to ask to move to a group you'd be more suited to.

3. The patient friend

If you've got a riend who doesn't mind spending his holiday digging you out of snowdrifts then you could be on to a winner. You'll get to hang out with someone who can give you some free pointers and have some fun together. Just remember to pay them back by buying them a few drinks and letting them laugh as you plough headfirst into those snowdrifts. More words of warning? Yeah, there's a few things to look out for - don't be surprised if you're friend gets bored and needs to let off a little steam by speeding off a little once in a while. It's just a case of give and take. Also, they might be able to do it themselves but teaching someone else how to ride is a different matter.

4. DIY

I started out by trying to teach myself, just by getting a feel for it and watching others. The thing is it took me a while to get it right and left me with a whole load of bad habits that had to be unlearned. In my defence I was young, broke and stupid. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else - if you've got no other choice and need to save the money at least invest in something like the guide below.

5 .Read all about it

When I started out there wasn't much in the way of reading material out there. There were a couple of books but nothing very good. These days they've invented the internet and podcasts and everything's much easier. The beauty part is you can get learning and do some of the exercises before you get to the resort so you're more ready when you get there. There are a few free guides around but too many of them leave big gaps in the info or are by people who've probably never seen a real snowboard. They're not all bad though. Of the guides out there I found Matt and Nev from Snowboarding Academy's one the best. They've got a deal on at the moment so you can get it cheaper too, so it's worth checking that out.

So...

I get asked what I'd do if I had my time again. Well, I wouldn't try and teach myself without having a clue what I was doing. I reckon I'd order one of those guides and then in the resort I'd go for some morning-only group lessons. That way in the afternoon I could practice and hang out with my buddies to learn some extra tips. Everyone's got their own preference. I've laid out the different types of snowboarding lessons, you just have to choose what'd work for you.

Snowboarding Lessons - Falling

I hope this isn't going to come as a surpise - this isn't meant to be a newsflash. It's something that'll be a big part of your snowboarding lessons so I might as well tell you now.

You're going to fall over.

...and over

...and over.

In fact when you start snowboarding your going to feel like you're spending more time lying on your back/front/head than you are standing up gliding stylishly over banks of powdery snow.

You're going to finish the day wondering why your shoulders ache a little - that'll be from pushing yourself up time and again. That's fine and it's completely normal.

It doesn't help that standing still on a snowboard when you're on a slope is considered by some to be an advanced skill. If you've ever wondered why you see packs of riders sat down together at the side (hopefully) or in the middle (usually) of the slope then what you have to realise is the board is made to move, not sit still.

So what's the lesson here, what do you need to do?

Well, it's pointless fighting it so you might as well learn to enjoy it. Learning to snowboard isn't about looking good and taking yourself too seriously - that comes later. Think back to all those cartoons you've seen - hitting the deck time and again is funny. If your tumbling makes someone else laugh then you're bringing a little joy into the world and that's to be embraced, no?

Well, as long as you don't get hurt that is. The trick is to know how to fall properly and this is what you need to know:

Falling

1. Don't put your hands down. This is very important - broken, fractured and sprained wrists are a common injury and very painful. Break your fall with your forearms, not your hands - the impact will be spread out and you'll save your wrists.

2. If falling forwards, keep your arms bent, take the impact on your forearms and you should cushion the impact nicely. If you're going too fast for that then tuck your arms in and you'll roll/skid to a stop (if it doesn't sound very stylish that's because it's not!).

3. If you're falling backwards then tuck your head up to avoid bouncing it off the floor. Landing on your backside is best. If you know you're about to fall then try to bend your knees and get lower.

Protection

1. Wrist guards. Not falling on your hands is basic but everyone forgets sometimes. Wrist guards are a great insurance policy and won't restrict your movement - I swear by mine.

2. A helmet. I wouldn't be surprised if these are made compulsory on the slopes soon - get ahead of the curve. If you're planning to go riding often then don't hire one, take time to shop around and get one that fits you best.

3. I've had problems with my knees from other sports and am careful with them so I use knee pads if it's icy. I don't know anyone else who does for general riding but if you're expecting to fall a lot (and you are!) maybe think about it - not essential though.

4. Anything else. If you want to look like you're playing in the NFL then you can - there are pads and plates designed to pretty much cover your entire body. If you want to throw money about then there's plenty of people who'll take it off you.

Pre-trip preparation

I'm going to cover exercises later on. For now suffice to say that a healthy body is better than a flabby one. A snowboarding holiday consists of a week spent doing sport for several hours a day. A person in reasonable shape is going to have a better time than someone who counts McD's as their second home. As far as falling goes though, maybe think about doing a few push-ups a day - you'll be grateful you did.

One last thing...

You hear people saying that their snowboarding lessons are going well and they're getting better because they aren't falling so much. I don'tgo along with that so much. Sure, once you're up to a certain point you'll be able to spend a day on the slopes with out falling at all, but it's no measure of how you're progressing - the reason you were falling in the first place is because you were outside your comfort zone and trying new things. If you're sticking to what you know and staying on your feet then odds are you aren't improving. On my last trip I fell more than ever and I know for a fact I'm a better rider because of it.