Freestyle Tricks and Tips

[dean_spirito]

That third one. I've worked on them so much and never done one to snow. A few 12s but no 10s. The 10 has always seemed harder and scared me a lot more for some reason.

I hear ya on the challenges of getting your tricks back after injuries, especially tech rail tricks. Wish I was still out in Summit County so we could shred!

Do you have any vids of your dub 10/12s, either on tramp or on snow? I spent a lot of time with one of my students last season bringing his dub 10s to snow. I've only ever done dub 10s on tramp, but it is something I have come to understand inside and out because it has become such a popular trick among up and coming park riders. Every kid I bump into is trying to figure out how to turn their cork 7 into a dub 10.

 

[JsNeagle]

Do you have any vids of your dub 10/12s, either on tramp or on snow?

https://www.instagram.com/p/8Woy3TN0sP/?taken-by=jsneagle&hl=en

That was about a year ago. I'm pretty bad at jumping on trampolines. I'm not sure if I have any shot of 12s to snow, but I'll look.

 

[JsNeagle]

I'm not sure if I have any shot of 12s to snow, but I'll look.

They look way different, though. I just do a cork 7 and don't let go of my grab when I do 12s.

 

[Philpug]

So what are everyone's goals for the season? 360s? .

I am happy just to do another Helicopter (NOT a 360, damn kids with their new fangled nicknames) this season, I want to keep my string going, I think this will be year 40. Maybe I will do two...not together.

 

[crgildart]

I am happy just to do another Helicopter (NOT a 360, damn kids with their new fangled nicknames) this season, I want to keep my string going, I think this will be year 40. Maybe I will do two...not together.

I do several "360s" each season.,.. sometimes 720s or even 1080s... but only exclusively with my skis on the snow as of late. Been 10 years since I "threw a heli"..

 

[Don in Morrison]

I do several "360s" each season.,.. sometimes 720s or even 1080s... but only exclusively with my skis on the snow as of late. Been 10 years since I "threw a heli"..

Ha! The old-timers are taking over!

I'm 50% heavier than I was the last time I threw a helicopter, and with the extra weight, I don't trust my poles to support a tip roll either, but I get in a lot of tip drag spins, javelin spins, etc. each day. Gonna keep it up as long as I can walk.

 

[dean_spirito]

https://www.instagram.com/p/8Woy3TN0sP/?taken-by=jsneagle&hl=en

That was about a year ago. I'm pretty bad at jumping on trampolines. I'm not sure if I have any shot of 12s to snow, but I'll look.

This video is super helpful. The first thing I notice right away is that you are very early in your takeoff and arm set; probably the single most common thing I see with any trick and most likely the reason why you spin to 12, rather than 10. The slow motion really helps to identify this. Notice how your arms and upper body begin to spin before your feet even leave the trampoline. The arm set and shoulder drop should be happening closer to the apex of your jump.

A few things to keep in mind....

When we are doing bigger tricks like dubs, our brain tells us that we need to jump higher, throw harder, and spin faster. While there is some truth to this, it isn't the whole story. What you are doing when you set early is inadvertently compromising your amplitude. Remember, every trick starts with a jump. You need to jump first and spin second. In this video, I see that you are trying to spin before you have even left the ground. I'd really like to see a video of a cork 7, as well as a flat 3, being that these are the building blocks for a dub 10.

Your trick usually ends the way it started. What I mean by this is that, if you "sling" yourself into a trick, you most likely will not have the control to stop the trick as you prepare to land. Think of people over-rotating backflips; if they are in the backseat as they sling themselves at takeoff, they most likely will land in the backseat because they lack the control to stop the flip. Remember, jump first, flip second. This is what allows us to spot our landing, slow our rotation, and stomp. If you are early when you set your dub 10, you will most likely lack the control to stop the spin at 10 and will continue spinning to 12 accidentally.

Hope that helps a bit. Please let me know your thoughts.

 

[JsNeagle]

Hope that helps a bit. Please let me know your thoughts.

I agree with basically everything you're saying. I get really nervous on trampolines and tend to rush my tricks a lot. I'm a little more patient on snow, but it is something I try to think about a lot. The best dub 10s I have done on the trampoline are much more relaxed and spun a lot slower.

So, one thing that I struggle with when thinking about dub 10s is whether to consider it a cork 7 to flat 3 or a cork 5 to switch cork (or sw rodeo) 5. (i.e. Wallisch's dub 10 vs Jossi Wells dub 10). I never really could wrap my mind around the cork 7 to flat 3 thing, as when I do a dub 12 I think cork 7 to cork 5. Honestly, now, when I think about doing a dub 10 I try to imagine a cork 630 to switch rodeo 450 (like if it were out of a rail), which is what I was working on in that video.

My 7s change a lot depending on the grab...
https://www.instagram.com/p/BB5NDAkN0op/?taken-by=jsneagle&hl=en

I didn't do many last season that didn't include a trailing tail grab. As I get older (over 30 park skier club woohoo!) I tend to just do the tricks that feel good over and over again. That's one of my favorites for sure. Not super corked on that example, but if I grab, say, mute, safety, nose, etc they look a lot different. I try to do my dub 10s with right hand safety or mute.

 

[JsNeagle]

(i.e. Wallisch's dub 10 vs Jossi Wells dub 10)

Now that I think about it Wallisch isn't the best example. His dub 10s look more like cork 7 to cork 3 or lincoln loop to me. It's really more about the first flip. Do I do a 5, 7, or somewhere in between? That's what's always been hard for me in a dub 10.

 

[dean_spirito]

@JsNeagle

Sick cork 7. That video actually helps a lot. I sometimes forget that not everyone thinks of a dub 10 as a cork 7 followed by a flat 3. Some guys like Wallisch do more of a cork 7 to cork 3 or loop. I've also seen guys do a cork 3 to cork 7, which is just nuts.

I think for your dub 10, you may need to think about opening up your left shoulder a little sooner in the rotation. Your cork 7 and 9 in the video are sick and have a really cool axis, but your feet never pass over your head. Your dub will be a lot easier to control if you start with just a bit more flip in your first rotation. Do you have any vids of you doing a cork 7 or 9 safety?

 

[Alexzn]

Dean- How about telling us, the meaker folk, a few points on how to spot, take, and land straight airs (no spins, no upside down). Everyone can use a few pointers of how to air things, you never know when that comes handy (when in doubt, air it out sounds awesome in theory, but its a lot less convincing when you are staring at that air). Thanks in advance, and I am all ears.

 

[JsNeagle]

There's a couple in this from ~3 years ago:

http://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/692719/Jeff-Neagle---Rocky-Mountain-Underground

:30 in is about as flippy as I get with cork 7s, and the end shot was stupid and too flippy IMO for a niner, which is why I slammed my hand into the ground haha.

 

[JeffreySiegel]

There's a couple in this from ~3 years ago:

http://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/692719/Jeff-Neagle---Rocky-Mountain-Underground

:30 in is about as flippy as I get with cork 7s, and the end shot was stupid and too flippy IMO for a niner, which is why I slammed my hand into the ground haha.

I can't believe you're a pro! I'm so much better than you!!!

 

[crgildart]

I can't believe you're a pro! I'm so much better than you!!!

Nice first post.

 

[dean_spirito]

Dean- How about telling us, the meaker folk, a few points on how to spot, take, and land straight airs (no spins, no upside down). Everyone can use a few pointers of how to air things, you never know when that comes handy (when in doubt, air it out sounds awesome in theory, but its a lot less convincing when you are staring at that air). Thanks in advance, and I am all ears.

A straight air is when your skis leave the snow, without you attempting to perform some sort of a trick. The fundamentals of just about any aerial maneuver can be traced back to the straight air.

Approach the feature that you intend to air with a shoulder-width stance and your weight slightly over your toes. Your knees should be bent, full of potential energy. As you ski into the feature, keep your eyes on the lip (i.e. the end of the jump). As your toes approach the lip, prepare to "pop". P.O.P. is an acronym that stands for Projection Of Primary; a pretentious ski instructor way of saying, extend your legs and project your center of mass into the air. As you leave the feature and launch into the air, your head should be up and your eyes should be looking out towards your landing. You should NOT be looking down at the ground below you. Your hands should be out in front of you, much in the way they are positioned when simply skiing on snow. Your hands should NOT drop behind you, below your waist, or go up over your head.

Tree Gap

• dean_spirito
• Sep 1, 2016

Keep your knees bent in the air. As you leave the jump, you extend your legs in order to push off the ground. As you rise into the air, think about engaging your core and retracting your knees back into your chest.

Mineral Basin Cliff

• dean_spirito
• Sep 1, 2016

Making yourself compact like this helps to keep you tight and in control. It engages your core and creates a stronger connection between your upper and lower halves. It also puts your body into a better position to negotiate landings. It allows you to extend your legs back out as you touch down, creating a smooth, low-impact, landing.

Copper Bowl Cliffs

• dean_spirito
• Sep 1, 2016

Be sure to land with a slight bend in your knees. Keep your head up and your eyes looking out in front of you. Engage your core and stay nice and tight. Don't allow the impact of landing to throw you into the backseat.

Hope that helps.

 

[dean_spirito]

Tomorrow is my 30th birthday!! Come celebrate in style with a classic Beach Party at the Basin!!!

A Bay Early Park 1

• dean_spirito
• Nov 5, 2016

 

[Alexzn]

Dean- thank you, this is really great! Can you talk a bit more about landings? Probably most important things for a jump happen at takeoff, but still , I've seen enough botched landings to think that the technique for the finish part matters too. Do you know any exercises to help with landings?

 

[Tricia]

Dean- thank you, this is really great! Can you talk a bit more about landings? Probably most important things for a jump happen at takeoff, but still , I've seen enough botched landings to think that the technique for the finish part matters too. Do you know any exercises to help with landings?

This is an excellent question. I'll be waiting for the answer as well.

 

[dean_spirito]

Dean- thank you, this is really great! Can you talk a bit more about landings? Probably most important things for a jump happen at takeoff, but still , I've seen enough botched landings to think that the technique for the finish part matters too. Do you know any exercises to help with landings?

Sorry for the late response. I just saw this post now.

As you mentioned, good landings are usually the result of good takeoffs. But just because the jump wasn't necessarily perfect from start to finish, doesn't mean that you can't negotiate a solid landing. A lot of recovery happens when we land, particularly in big mountain when we are dealing with variability.

First and foremost, try to land on as much of your ski as possible (i.e. land directly on your feet, not on your tips or tails). Try to land with a shoulder width stance and have a slight bend in your knees. Depending upon how much force you land with, you may need to really bend your knees to absorb impact and diminish the transfer of energy to your upper half. The flatter the landing surface, generally the more force you land with. Try to avoid high impact landings! Seek out jumps with a slope to land on! I've been hitting 60 and 70 foot jumps all weekend and my knees feel fine. Even when you travel 70' through the air, a nice steep landing makes it feels as though you never left the ground.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions!

 

[crgildart]

Flatter the landing, the faster you need to be traveling to reduce shock and impact. But, not off a big steep kicker.. You can hit a small lip, fly pretty far, and land on a fairly flat area softly if you are traveling fast. If the landing zone has some decent pitch, you don't need as much speed to fly far and land softly. In fact, you want to be sure you don't outjump the landing.