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ABERDEEN SNOWSPORTS CENTRE

INTRODUCTION TO SNOWSPORTS

INSTRUCTION COURSE

SNOWBOARD

Course Notes

Autumn 2013

Snowboard Notes

Spring 2014

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About the course and manual

Welcome to the Introduction to Instructing course at Aberdeen Snowsports Centre.

This course manual and the workbook have been produced with reference to a number of sources

including the BASI manual which is freely available in the centre library alongside other manuals where a

wealth of information is available on subjects such as teaching children, psychology and drills for higher

level instructing. With further training through Nationally recognized associations such as BASI and

Snowsports Scotland you can build on your knowledge to enable you to gain qualifications to allow you to

instruct at home and abroad.

The course is a full programme made up of personal performance, classroom lectures and discussions.

The course will also include shadowing of lessons to watch teaching and learning in action and a certain

amount of study time. This can be demanding mentally and physically so it is important that you prepare

for the work involved.

The manual is designed to follow alongside the course syllabus, lectures and workbook, We will reference

some of the manual during discussions, at other times you will be expected to read and study in your own

time. Make sure you have the manual with you at all training sessions for reference. This will be a

valuable resource for you during the course training, your early stages of instructing and for when you go

on to do further training.

Assessment on the course will be on-going and over the final day during which each participant will plan

and deliver a short 30 minute lesson to other group members. Your trainer will monitor your participation

and performance and give continual feedback. The manual contains important information to enhance

your learning as a trainee with information further to that covered in the course lectures.

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The Central Theme

The central theme is an evolving series of maneuvers that is designed to help people learn to snowboard

in a natural, progressive and simple way. It is not a complete lesson-plan, but rather a simple technical

model for students around which lessons can be designed.

The Central Theme is only one of many possible routes from first steps up to solid linked turns. Its whole

purpose is to give less experienced teachers a clear and effective framework from which to work. As

teachers gain knowledge and experience, they can move outside the boundaries of the Central Theme to

cope with a wider variety of client needs and teaching environments.

Ultimately, every route that is taken from straight running to linked standard turns should give riders a

sound and enjoyable foundation to their snowboarding. It should provide them with a full repertoire of

movements along with the awareness and understanding to apply them skillfully.

The purpose of the Central Theme is:

To help teach clients, from their first time on a board to solid linked turns

To develop the fundamental elements of snowboarding in a versatile way

To progressively build skills, where each new movement builds on those previously learned

To prepare the client to “ r ide the whole mountain ”

Initially, the Central Theme is presented simply as an outline framework for taking learners up to standard

turns. It does not describe the exercises and activities that might be used en route, nor does it deal with

the ways in which the framework might be changed to accommodate specific available conditions or

terrain.

In what follows, the descriptions of the maneuvers can be thought of as a series of ‘ snap shots ’ of

points throughout the snowboarder ’ s development. The learning process itself has a much more gradual,

evolving character. Rather than the crude set of steps described below, the learning process is best

thought of as a continuum; the Central Theme Progression simply selects some of the major stages along

that continuum, and identifies the key technical points that are involved at these stages.

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The Central Theme Progression

The overall route mapped out by the central theme is as follows:

Introductory Activities

To become familiar with the equipment and develop

co-ordinated movements on a snowboard

Straight running

To become familiar with the sensation of sliding and de-

velop good posture and balance

Side slipping

To control the speed of descent and introduce braking

Diagonal side slip

To control speed and direction by steering the board

Falling leaf

To control speed and line by steering the board

(active pedalling- torsional flex)

Basic turns

To link all the exercises learned previously with an edge

change at the fall line.

Standard Turns

To link turns with an edge change while travelling across

the fall line.

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Introductory Activities

Here, the objective is for learners to become familiar with the equipment and to develop coordinated

movements on their board They learn activities such as getting the board on and off, scooting and turning

on the flat, and climbing on gentle gradients.

Fundamentals - Movements, Balance

Straight Running

In this section the main objectives are the development of good posture and balance. The snowboarder

needs to be:

Balanced over the centre of both feet

Centre of mass inside base of support when straight running

Using all joints when moving in the vertical plane balancing over the feet

Relaxed stance with the arms just clearing the top of the thighs

Looking ahead with a horizontal eye line

NB It should be noted that at this time, control of speed comes from the instructor ’ s careful choice of

terrain

Adopt a ready, responsive position over the middle of the board.

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Side Slipping

After developing a good posture and balance, the next

challenge for the riders is to learn to control their speed

with a sideslip. This will enable them to control the speed

of descent, and learn the braking action on toe and heel

side.

NB: it should be noted that control of speed now comes

from a combination of careful choice of terrain and a

comfortable sideslip that promotes sound balance and

posture.

Diagonal Side Slipping

We can now introduce weight shift along the

length of the board ( fore or aft pressure ) .

From the existing side slip, weight is shifted

towards the nose of the board ( fore ) . This

movement is enough to cause the board to

drift in the weighted direction.

This exercise must be practiced in both

directions ( fore & aft ) , as well as on both

edges, heel/toe.

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Falling leaf

Continuing on from the diagonal side slip, using weight shift, feel that the grip under the weighted foot is

released, torsionally bending the board.

The board will begin to move fast and start to leave more of a curved track. From a side slip move to a

diagonal side slip, reduce the edge angle under the weighted foot and the board will steer slightly downhill

to get to the fall line. The back foot will copy the front after a small delay.

To turn back across the hill and stop you must increase the edge angle under the weighted foot followed

by the rear foot, returning back to home base / neutral stance

Garlands

These exercises are a directional variation of falling leaf. The purpose is to practise all the elements

learned so far, but to also focus on the pedalling. Garlands allow the pupil to get progressively closer to the

fall line which then leaves the door open for Basic turns

NB: Due to limitations of slope width here at the dryslope and slope steepness or lack thereof this

exercise is more often replaced by T-turns and J – Turns in real -time teaching ( explained on following

page ) .

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Additional steering exercises

T turns

The T turns are used to introduce steering into the fall line from a diagonal sideslip. Here the skills learnt

from the falling leaf ( releasing the edge grip ) are used to slowly steer the board around an arc into the

fall line. This replicates the first part of a basic turn.

J turns

The J turn is used to learn how to steer from the fall line to a controlled stop or side slip. Steering the

board around the bottom of the arc and increasing the edge grip. This replicates the end of a basic turn.

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Basic turns

Your pupil now has the basic skills necessary to attempt a full turn. Through use of garlands and falling

leaf / t-turns and J-turns they have experienced the feeling of initiating and completing turns. What they

need now is the missing component, - an edge change. They will finish their turn facing the opposite

direction to the one they started

As practised in garlands / turns allow the board to travel into the fall line. Once in the fall line slowly allow

the body to cross over the board to engage the new edge, to complete the turn flex back to a centred

stance to stay balanced over your board.

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Standard Turns

As in the previous exercise, basic turns, we ended up in a side slip to control our speed ( sideways

motion ) . Therefore because the board is slipping sideways it is not possible to change edge early. Now

the aim is to try and travel across the hill at the end of the turn with the board moving along its length.

( F orward motion ) enabling us to change edge safely and earlier in the turn.

Pupils will need plenty of width so that they can travel across the hill at the end of a turn. A consistent

slope will help and a little more speed will enable balancing.

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The Principles of snowsports teaching

On the surface, it seems fairly obvious that a teacher ’ s prime goal is to insure that their pupils learn to

improve. In a recreational snowsports environment however, two other factors have an even higher

priority: safety and enjoyment. The principle is summarized by the acronym SEL: Safety, Enjoyment, and

Learning.

In other words, even if it means reducing enjoyment or slowing down the learning process, the teacher ’ s

first priority must always be to ensure the safety of their pupils. Then, provided that everyone ’ s safety

has been assured, it is preferable that the class has lots of fun and learns a little, rather than that they

learn a lot and have a miserable time.

The key areas of knowledge, which underpin SEL, are:

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Introduction to teaching

In order to be a skilful instructor there are several key attributes that need to be in place. Teachers need

to understand their subject, they need to be in full command of safety considerations and they need to be

able to deliver what they understand in an effective way.

Understanding Performance

Performance Analysis is one of the most important skills we can have as an instructor. It is the essential

link between our understanding of all aspects of performance and the content delivered in our teaching

sessions. If we are not able to analyse performance accurately then our knowledge is useless and our

delivery misses the chance to improve performance. Performance analysis is not just about finding out

what is wrong with a performance, but also finding an effective way to improve it.

This section sets out a model for performance analysis which gives instructors a framework to operate.

The goal is to have a system which makes our teaching as effective as it can be. The model shown here

is a simple format for less experienced instructors who need to get the basics in place. A more expanded

version is explained in the BASI manual if you wish further reading.

A simple model for performance analysis - TIED

Task - Setting and Performing the task

Information - Gathering Information

Evaluate - Evaluate Performance

Develop - Making Decisions and interventions to allow the performer to develop

Task - The task must be clear to the performer as it is to the instructor. The task may be part of a larger

goal but the only thing the instructor should be focussing on is the current task in the current context.

Information - As long as the task is clear then the instructor and/or learner can gather information on the

performance. This part of the learning process the emphasis is on noticing things and becoming aware of

what is happening; not about making judgements on quality or effectiveness.

Evaluation - We compare the performance to a template of how we would like the performance to be and

thus establish if there is anything missing or if there is anything wrong with the performance compared to

the expected or desired performance.

We can ask ourselves; What would I change in the performance if I could? And Why is the performance

not as we would like it?

Develop - The develop stage is where the instructor and learner agree on how they are going to achieve

the desired performance of the same task or if it is necessary to try a different task.

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TIED model and learning

Several learning activities are vital to enable effective learning. The performance analysis model

( T IED ) used in the Teaching section highlights four sets of activities necessary to develop

performance:

A task is set and attempted

The instructor and perhaps also the learner collect information about the performance.

This information is then evaluated and analysed.

From this, further developmental steps are decided, and the next task may be suggested.

This same concept can be applied to the learning process itself. For example:

Imagine having a go at a skiing task

Whilst skiing you collect information about your performance.

At some point you reflect on this information and evaluate what happened.

To develop further, you decide to do a few runs on easier terrain so you can really focus.

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Learning

It is important to establish a basic understanding that learners `learn` in different ways. Substantial

research over the past fifty years has led to some very complex categorization of learners. The philosophy

and background to these can be very interesting if you are so inclined.

Life would be simple if everyone learned the same way. However the differences in learning styles make

instructing very interesting. Learners tend to fall into 6 categories, those who learn best as;

Watchers who work best with demonstrations, pictures and visual imagery

Thinkers those who need technical explanation and descriptions

Feelers who work best with information on what it should feel like

Listeners who use sound and rhythm to aid learning

Doers who just want to get on with it

Martians the `space cadet` who appears not to fit any of the above but is clearly learning

Joking aside, the task we have as instructors is to present our lessons in such a way that there is something

for everyone. On top of this, it is accepted that, on average, the maximum serious attention span for any

particular approach to teaching is about 20 minutes. Are you ready to become a `more effective` instructor?

To be a `more effective` instructor all you have to do is accept the two facts outline above and be prepared

to do something about it.

By varying our approach to instructing we are likely to accommodate the majority of learner types and keep

the learners attention. Thinking this way, we can start to view our lesson as a series of `episodes` within one

lesson. Each episode might have a particular approach or style of presentation.

Like many things in many sports `teaching styles` are as complex as we make them.

This course is also about simplifying complex `teaching styles`

Research has shown that people learn…………………………

5% From a Lecture

10% From Reading

20% From Visual Aids

30% From Demonstration

50% By Discussion

75% By Experience

90% By teaching

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Delivery

To deliver sound teaching sessions that are enjoyable and where progress is made quickly and safely, ski

teachers require a blend of knowledge and understanding, as well as the practical skills of planning and

delivering. At the same time attention must also be given to all the other factors that affect the potential

for learning. Delivery is about what happens during our teaching sessions.

The Learning Environment

Many factors affect the learning environment. Some of them we can influence and shape on purpose

such as the activities and the terrain we choose. Others are outside our control such as the weather or

the make-up of the characters within a group, although we may be able to limit negative factors to some

extent.

Here are some, try to think of more and which our within our control.

The weather conditions

Learners familiarity with the dryslope environment

The group dynamics

Level of challenge in the sessions

How engaged and cared for the clients feel

Our communication skills

How we deliver feedback

Our choice of teaching styles and delivery

How able we are to read our clients

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Preview sheet: conducting a teaching session

Getting the learners ready

Welcome and introductions

Have a friendly and cheerful disposition

Learn names and help learners to feel comfortable

Check clothing and equipment

Highlight safety points

Prepare physically and mentally

Clarify the needs of the learners

Clarify aims and outcomes of the session

Refer to FIS Code of Conduct

Bringing the session to a close

Round off the activity at an appropriate point

Provide a summary of what was done and achieved

Give learners the chance to provide you with feedback on what they achieved

Enquire into the learners’ future needs

Advise learners of preparation required before their next session

Supervise learners ’ departure from the learning environment

Clear up and put away any equipment and clothing

Leave the environment as found

Refer to FIS Code of Conduct

Improving performance

Give clear and accurate directions, explanations and demonstrations

Ensure maximum useful learner activity

Provide opportunities for learners to ask questions

Maintain a safe and enjoyable learning environment

Check the learners understanding

Observe and analyse the learners ’ performance

Identify strengths and areas for change

Provide useful and accurate feedback

Refer to FIS Code of Conduct

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Performance Indicators for the Central Theme

In order to Evaluate the Task, Key elements for Posture, balance and Pressure Control are shown below.

Central theme Some Key Elements

Straight Running

Posture;

-Rounded back

-Even flex at joints

Balance;

-Horizontal eye-line

-Hand and arm carriage

Support through the

whole foot.

Side Slipping

Flexion and extension of

legs to allow board tilt.

Active balancing /

stacked over edge

Flexed stance to aid

recovery.

Diagonal Side Slip

Weight shift Active balancing /

stacked over edge

Weight supported

through heels/toes

Falling Leaf Independent use of feet

Leg rotation

Torsional flex of the

board

Stretch and settle

( r ecover )

Garlands

Active stretching and

bending with

independent foot

movements

Active stretch to

introduce early turning

pressure, active bend to

gain grip.

Control of pressure

build up

J - Turns

Rotation – rotate front

foot in desired direction

of travel

Maintain posture and

awareness of line of

travel

Gain awareness of

pressure and grip

C -Turns Shifting centre of mass

from one edge to the

other.

Maintain posture and

awareness of line of

travel

Bending and stretching

movements with

independent foot

movements

Basic Turns

Active stretch at start of

the turn to provide early

support and balance

Maintain posture and

awareness of line of

travel

Awareness of mass

crossover

Standard Turns

Active stretching and

bending with

independent foot

movements

Earlier movement of

mass ( before the fall-

line )

Allow body to cross

over to match the

speed of descent

And Beyond……..

Variations in line of travel Adaptive dynamic

movements

Rhythm and

co-ordination

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Horizontal eye line

Head level. Boarder can read terrain more accurately.

The Balance Organs of the inner ear can also function

more effectively when the head is kept stable.

Many snowboarders tilt their head from side to side as

they turn; this disrupts balance especially in poor

visibility, and makes accurate judgement of speed, line

and slope angle more difficult.

Flexed joints

By having the ankles, knees and hips partially flexed

(bent) and the spine gently rounded, the snowboarder

is ready both to push against the snow and to absorb

bumps and pressure build up.

Many snowboarders stand with their legs to straight or

with an upright back. This disrupts balance, and makes it

harder to absorb bumps and respond to variations in the

snow and terrain.

Balanced over centre of both feet

In the basic stance (on flat or straight running) the

weight should be centred between both feet. When

edging, braking and turning, the weight is supported by

the toes or heels depending on which edge is uphill or

inside of the turn.

Body should be ‘stacked.’

Many snowboarders stand with more weight on one foot

than an other, most commonly with more weight

towards their back foot, this causes difficulty initiating

turns, as there needs to be a weight shift towards the

front foot and will often lead to novice riders losing

control early in the turn.

Centre of Mass inside base of support when straight

running (or standing stationary)

The centre of mass stays directly over the riders base

of support (which is the snowboard) when turning the

centre of mass moves inside the path of the board.

Many snowboarders ride with their body to straight and

lean excessively through turns. This causes the centre of

mass too be to far away from the feet and can result in

loss of balance.

Arms away from the body

Balancing is aided by having arms relaxed and just

clearing the top of the thighs. When off balance arms

can be used to regain balance.

Many snowboarders hold their arms in an unnatural or

uncomfortable position, this can lead to muscles in the

upper body being tense and to the upper body being out

of line with the legs and board.

Lower back rounded

By gently pulling in with the stomach muscles, the

lower back becomes rounded, allowing the spine as

well as the legs to absorb bumps and undulations.

This is also sometimes described as ‘pelvic tilt’- lifting

the pelvis up at the front . With the pelvis in this

orientation, the leg muscles can also work more

effectively.

Many snowboarders stand with a stiff or hollow lower

back. This disrupts balance, and inhibits the action of the

large muscle groups that connect the legs to the pelvis.

In addition, a hollow lower back restricts the body’s

ability to absorb variations in pressure against the

snowboard, and can ultimately cause wear and tear to

the spine.

Torso- neutral between both feet

A point midway between the front foot angle and the

back foot angle.

By keeping the upper body in this position the whole

body can keep in good anatomical alignment that

allows natural flexing through all joints.

Many snowboarders twist their upper body, which can

cause uneven weight distribution along the board and

inefficient control of rotation. Twisting can also cause

damage to the spine and joints in the leg.

Performance Indicators explained and common faults

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Performance Rating Scales/Learning Phases descriptors

BASI ’ s Rating Scales and Learning Phases descriptions of performance and learning

relate directly to the Fitts and Posner model of skill acquisition

RATING SCALES

LEARNING PHASE

0

I Don ’ t know

Early awareness

You need to become more aware of

this element.

1

I think I understand but….

Late awareness

This element is beginning to appear in

your performance but still requires

some awareness development

2

AHA! I get it….

Early Practice/Development

Are beginning t use this element but

the movements are not properly organ-

ised and require more practice

3

I can ’ t feel it, is this Ok?

Late Practice Development

The element is used in your perform-

ance but not with consistency and ver-

satility, you are still in the practice

4

It works OK as long as I think about it

Early Acquired

The element is used in your perform-

ance with consistency and versatility

5

I don ’ t have to think about it

Late Acquired

The element is autonomous and used

with creativity

6

I can trust it even when the going gets tough

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The FIS Code of Conduct for Skiers and Snowboarders

1. Respect for Others

A snowsports users must behave in such a way that he does not endanger or prejudice others.

2. Control of Speed and direction

A snowboarder must ride in control. He must adapt his speed and manner of riding to his personal ability

and to the prevailing conditions of terrain, snow and weather, as well as to the density of traffic.

3. Choice of Route

A snowboarder coming from behind must choose his route in such a way that he does not endanger those

ahead.

4. Overtaking

A snowboarder may overtake another snowboarder above or below and to the right or to the left provided

that he leaves enough space for the overtaken person to make any voluntary or involuntary movement.

5. Entering and Starting

A snowboarder entering a marked run or starting again after stopping must look up and down the run to

make sure that he can do so without endangering himself or others.

6. Stopping on the Piste

Unless absolutely necessary, a snowboarder must avoid stopping on the piste in narrow places or where

visibility is restricted. After a fall in such a place, a snowboarder must move clear of the piste as soon as

possible.

7. Climbing and descending on foot

Both a snowboarder climbing or descending on foot must keep to the side of the piste.

8. Respects for Signs and Markings

A snowboarder must respect all signs and markings.

9. Assistance

At accidents, every skier is duty-bound to assist.

10. Identification

Every skier/snowboarder and witness, whether a responsible ( guilty ) party or not, must exchange names

and addresses following an accident.