BurtonAvenger

Two pieces of advice that I think work.

1. Always scare yourself snowboarding at least once a day it's how you progress as a rider.

2. People that are afraid they're going to get hurt, tend to be the ones that get hurt because they're afraid they're going to get hurt/can't do this so they bail.

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Angry Snowboarder Because someone has to call it how they see it!

conspiracy

yea, it seems that i ride much better and do new things when im being filmed.(i can do some sick stuff on the box and spinning out but my spinning on suck). i feel fear when i ride being filmed but i also have pressure to look good. i think im going to tell my friends to pressure me more into doing things that arnt crazy but good progression.

tlake2568

If I am not mistaken, Travis Pastrana came up with a formula for risk vs. Reward

It is based on 100 points. The Equation is the following:


fun +/- money, + reward, - risk.


Lets break that down


The move you want to do... How fun is it? Is it lame or is it pretty steezy? come up with a number.

Now

Are you being paid for it? no? Continue onto equation

Wahts the reward? Ego Boost? Bragging rights? + points based upon the reward of successful completion.

Now subtract the risk. How badly can you get fucked up by doing this trick? Are you going to scorpion with your face planting into the rail 20 feet in the air?



Once you have this number, its up to you decide, but this is what i think

if its above 80... no questions, do it.

If its above 60, think about it.

if its above 40... The risk is high, but still can be pulled off for self pride.

Below 15... The Risk doesnt meet the reward.

jeephreak

Not sure if you have the means, but the sport has progressed so much with training tools. If you can, hit woodward. Foam pits, training tools, trampoline with spotting belts etc. Give you air awareness and the ability to feel the trick out while greatly minimizing the potential for a hospital visit. For rails, build a box out of wood and carpet top and get used to spinning onto and locking on to the 'rail.' Of course doing it down a 15 step is going to be different but knowing the movements and balance points will make it easier.

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Rome Postermaina 156, Drake Reloads

Potent

This^^^ you wouldn't practice your first backflip on concrete would you?

Go find a foam pit or an air bag to spin/flip into. You could progress your skill as a rider more in one session on an air bag jump than riding a whole season eating shit off jumps in the park. You need to train muscle memory correctly, you need to train in a safe environment thus eliminating fear.

Don't have access to an air bag, you may just have to accept the fact that you will need to progress by starting small and working your way up.

wrathfuldeity

there are drugs...benzo, alcohol, beta blockers....not recommended though

hypnosis, imagery

a cute nakid gal standing at the end of the rail...screaming "Dooo it"....highly recommended

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conspiracy

hahaha nicee. and also in a few weeks, my hill is getting an airbag for a few days!!! they better throw it on like a 60 foot kicker tho or it will be kinda lame!

tlake2568

a 60 ft kicker?

Highly unlikely.

david_z

So you bail often but how often of those times do you *really* eat shit? How many of those bails (that you're so afraid of) have sidelined you for a day or a week, a month, a season?

I'll guess a few, two, one, zero, respectively.

So you know you're going to bail. You know that 99% of the time you're not going to get broke off, and it's barely even going to stop you from lining up a second attempt. Hell, 95% of the time when you bail it probably doesn't even hurt, or at least it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as you imagined that it might.

See where I'm going with this? You gotta square your fear with what you know from experience. Odds are exceedingly in your favor that you're not going to get wrecked, and that it's barely going to slow you down.

I still get those butterflies but they almost always go away as soon as I land even one moderately difficult trick, so I always try to take a lap in the park early in the day, just to get it out of the way. It's like getting the first "hit" out of the way when I used to play rugby, you get that out of the way and adrenaline takes over a bit, you get pumped because you just landed it even if it's something you've landed a dozen times before, and you also remember "Hey, this shit is not as hard or anywhere near as scary as I'm setting myself up for."

Also here's another progression tip: if you're going for a bigger/gnarlier trick, downsize the feature to something you're 100% comfortable on, if you're going for a bigger/gnarlier feature, downsize the trick to something you can stomp 100% of the time.

If it's your first time trying to get that 270 don't do it on the double-kink. Do it on the flat box. When you're stomping that on the regs, take it to a bigger feature. If it's your first time on the double-kink, do a 50/50, etc.

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tlake2568

^^^ QFT

Progress you're way up, not eat shit and take the ski patrol sled down.