[WigMar]

Bending over at the waist is the worst, and makes you look like a total noob. You're gonna fall so much more than you need to until you learn how to stack your weight over the edges properly. Once you've got that stacked stance, you're not a noob anymore.

Check out this stance video. Creepy Basement Video

 

[LALUNE]

My boots are 32 Focus Boa, brand new so not broken in at all. And yes, push down witk the knees and the shin does all the work.

Not all the work, just certain type of the work.
Pushing down knee and shin with ankle fixed will put one on toe edge, that's correct.
Pushing down knee and shin with ankle relaxed or even tilted a bit will allow one to ride much lower with straight back without having to be on toe edge, benefits being better bump absorption, more room to pop/ollie, better posture for landing a jump and etc. This is why it's easier to land slightly on toe edge than on heel edge.

 

[muzzyahoy]

A good trick I was taught years ago when you feel like you are bending at the waist too much is to ride holding your belt buckle, or what would be your belt buckle, with both hands. This is near-on impossible to do if you are bending at the waist, and as you build up more speed or feel like you are losing control, forces you to bend your knees and lower your center of gravity to maintain edge control and in turn your balance and speed. I normally will do this drill for at least half of my first warm up run of the day to refocus where I want my riding stance to be for the rest of my day

 

[Rip154]

A good trick I was taught years ago when you feel like you are bending at the waist too much is to ride holding your belt buckle, or what would be your belt buckle, with both hands. This is near-on impossible to do if you are bending at the waist, and as you build up more speed or feel like you are losing control, forces you to bend your knees and lower your center of gravity to maintain edge control and in turn your balance and speed. I normally will do this drill for at least half of my first warm up run of the day to refocus where I want my riding stance to be for the rest of my day

Now I'm just picturing herds with giant belt buckles, Stetson and chaps in full falling leaf style.

 

[jrec87]

saw a kid with ripped skinny jeans over thermals on the hill last week. he was so edgy, made me regret my choice to wear my bib.

 

[MCrides]

Bending over at the waist is the worst, and makes you look like a total noob. You're gonna fall so much more than you need to until you learn how to stack your weight over the edges properly. Once you've got that stacked stance, you're not a noob anymore.

I agree with you wholeheartedly if we're talking about toeside carves--the more forward your hips are, the more weight you have directly over the edge. If we're talking heelside carves, I think bending forward has its place. It's not a substitute for bending at the knees, but if you're squatting low and bending forward at the waist, you're going to have more weight stacked vertically over your heel edge.

 

[WigMar]

Squatting your butt to the highbacks is where the power is, not with that butt in the air and your head down by your toes.

 

[MCrides]

Squatting your butt to the highbacks is where the power is, not with that butt in the air and your head down by your toes.

I don’t disagree. I’m saying that after your butt is down by your high backs, you can stack more weight vertically by bending forward at the hips. You don’t have to stick your butt up to do that.

 

[Kevington]

A good trick I was taught years ago when you feel like you are bending at the waist too much is to ride holding your belt buckle, or what would be your belt buckle, with both hands. This is near-on impossible to do if you are bending at the waist, and as you build up more speed or feel like you are losing control, forces you to bend your knees and lower your center of gravity to maintain edge control and in turn your balance and speed. I normally will do this drill for at least half of my first warm up run of the day to refocus where I want my riding stance to be for the rest of my day

I have a buddy who was very very good (sponsored by Rome) and is still very good just less reckless and he often cruises or sideslips waiting to drop with with his hands clasped in front of him. Now I know why! Always though he looked like a disapproving school teacher or somebody at church. Needless to say, his posture and form are really good.

 

[poser]

I don’t disagree. I’m saying that after your butt is down by your high backs, you can stack more weight vertically by bending forward at the hips. You don’t have to stick your butt up to do that.

While agree that bending at the waist excessively as a short cut for getting low is bad form, I do think that sitting back in the hips before breaking at the knees is better form since you are loading the hips, Glutes and hamstrings vs just the quads. When you break at the knees and maintain a vertical or nearly vertical back, you are relying predominately on the quads. Since the glutes are the largest muscles group in the body and since “hanging your weight” on the hamstrings reduces the toil on the quads, this makes the most sense to me, but it doesn’t quite look like the “cereal box”, vertical method that is often described as perfect snowboarding form.

 

[MCrides]

Yeah, I think a lot of the "cereal box" advice is for new snowboarders. It's really good advice but there are a million exceptions as you get more advanced. Like, you might spend a lot of time teaching a beginner to stop counter rotating, but there are reasons they'd go back to doing it intentionally later on.

 

[wrathfuldeity]

A good trick I was taught years ago when you feel like you are bending at the waist too much is to ride holding your belt buckle, or what would be your belt buckle, with both hands. This is near-on impossible to do if you are bending at the waist, and as you build up more speed or feel like you are losing control, forces you to bend your knees and lower your center of gravity to maintain edge control and in turn your balance and speed. I normally will do this drill for at least half of my first warm up run of the day to refocus where I want my riding stance to be for the rest of my day

Really great tip! Super efficient, stable and great form in the cereal box. Made it super simple to rail the board up on its edges No flying appendages while mach'n around. This past Saturday was doing it while bombing 50+mph, cruising, moguls and chop...it was actually kind of relaxing. It was probably the best form I evar had. Thanks!!!

 

[Bob F]

Same issue over here. When people say, 'get low' i end up looking like a closing suit case rather than bending at the knees. When i try to bend at the knees more i'm way off balance. Have you discovered any specific stretches that helped? thanks to this thread I'll be adding Good mornings and squats.

Crank the back of your bindings to lean your boots toward toeside so your knees are vertically aligned with your board edge. Then, "getting low" really works, and it makes it way easier to set the heelside edge well withour sticking your butt way out to heelside..

 

[Bob F]

Is ankle flex important? My boots are far too stiff to allow my ankles to flex more than a tiny amount.

Just adjust the backs of the bindings to push your boot tops forward.

 

[MCrides]

Same issue over here. When people say, 'get low' i end up looking like a closing suit case rather than bending at the knees. When i try to bend at the knees more i'm way off balance. Have you discovered any specific stretches that helped? thanks to this thread I'll be adding Good mornings and squats.

You might also try widening your stance.

 

[poser]

Just adjust the backs of the bindings to push your boot tops forward.

IMO, this is bad advice as it is a technique short cut. Take the time to learn proper technique mechanics.

 

[Bob F]

IMO, this is bad advice as it is a technique short cut. Take the time to learn proper technique mechanics.

It sure makes riding in a proper athletic stance a lot more natural and increases range of motion a lot, especially for heelside turns. Maybe not so useful in the park, but sure helps in tight trees.

What is Forward Lean on Snowboard Bindings? - The-House

The mystery of "Forward Lean" explained and how to experiment and adjust to see what amount of forward lean is right for you.

www.the-house.com

How Much Forward Lean Should You Set On Your Snowboard Bindings

Let's look at how much forward lean you need to set on your snowboard bindings.

snomie.com

 

[WigMar]

I used to rock forward lean, and I feel it taught me some good things. It shows you the proper attack stance, and it provides extra response and power when you aren't used to stacking your weight over the edge properly. I've come to see forward lean as a learning tool and a matter of personal choice. Personally, I match it to the lean of my boots and leave it at that.

I really don't like forward lean in trees. Highbacks can get in my way. I've gone to the surfy side these days. Freedom of movement is king. I've gone so far as to use highbacks that are so soft I can fold them back with one hand.

Shred your own shred. If you've never looked into forward lean, check it out and you may like it.

 

[MCrides]

IMO, this is bad advice as it is a technique short cut. Take the time to learn proper technique mechanics.

What proper technique are you shortcutting with forward lean?

 

[poser]

What proper technique are you shortcutting with forward lean?

Properly leveraging heelside turns. Forward lean in the bindings should be used as more of an adjustment for an advanced rider looking for an exact performance outcome not as a learning crutch.