Landing Jumps
 

Hey guys

Just having a bit trouble consistenly landing jumps. I go off and land sometime but other times I kinda swerve to the left or right and land on a edge and either fall or just barely make it. Tips for being more stable in the air?

For being more stable in the air, try adding a grab your comfortable with if you aren't already. As for the landings, I find it easiest to land flat based or very mildy on the toe edge. Also some squats exercises im sure would help to keep you up by strengthening your legs/core. Not sure if I helped but hopefully

Reach with your back hand down between your feet to try to touch your board. Don't worry about grabbing and holding at this time, just the motion will help you stay calm while landing. If you jump and stay straight legged you're going to end up landing off balance. By reaching for your board you compress in the air, and then your legs will head back down to prepare for landing...

Also I find I'm more comfortable when I pre-load instead of just riding off a jump. Pre-loading means you squat down before the lip, then as you're ready to leave the earth, you spring up. You're in control of the jump this way instead of the jump controlling you.

Also (and I'm just learning this myself) you can control the amount of loft you get off the jump if your approach speed isn't right. If you find you're coming in too slow you can pop at the lip to get extra distance and (hopefully) avoid the knuckle. If you're coming in too fast you can suck up the board as you go over and reduce the amount of loft. Of course you still have to have enough experience to know what to do when. :dizzy:

Imagine yourself naked, riding a mighty unicorn while the song "Super Trooper" by ABBA plays in the background...works every time!


Seriously..just go for a grab, but never tindy

Thanks guys these tips help alot.

^^^ What he said! :D

The main thing is when you watch somebody jump who isn't "pumping the tranny" it's very obvious. To the OP, watch some of the fancy snowboard porn videos out there, and watch that on 99.9% of the jumps they are compressing, bringing their legs up while in the air.

Would you jump off a table straight legged? Only once! Then you'd realize that jumping off and pulling your feet up to your body makes the whole motion more smooth.

BAH just go back and read what Wolfie said, he's got a much better way with words than I do! lol

piggybacking this thread if anyone can help or has ideas:

I have a hard time reaching for grabs, I feel like as I reach it throws me off balance. I'm plenty flexible...maybe not sucking up my knees enough? I feel like I do do this, but...any other suggestions?

Hmm. It could not sucking up the knees enough, but it also may be your just not comfortable with that certain grab yet? If you are already sucking up your knees it may just take a little time then eventually you wont have to think about it.

Do you have really stiff boots/bindings? Thats one thing that can make in harder. I have come to like the combo of stiff boots for charging it with soft bindings so you can still tweak er out!

Don't know how much it'll help, but when I started doing grabs in tramp training it was pretty comical the first couple of tries. Came damned close to landing on my head. Maybe 5 minutes of trying to grab the soles of my feet and it started to come together. If you can get onto a trampoline for a couple of minutes it might be enough to figure out the balance.