[Peaceryder]

Now, maybe this was a coincidence, but one of the ways I learned how to ride switch on a directional 162 Rozzy with super aggressive stance was to go into a bit of a butter. When I first began learning how to turn/carve, I sometimes would overcarve and this would lead to a sensation similar to buttering it up. When this happens you can choose to stop your butter at 180 and do a couple simple carves and repeat the process of buttering it up in order to do the 180 so you're going with the good foot again. Maybe this is just one of those 'me' type of riding experiences, but if you're fearful of speed or simply don't trust the board or yourself not running into people with that speed, simply try to learn the butter method and you'll find yourself slowly progressing to riding more and more switch and you'll be comfortable doing it. I found myself visualizing how to ride switch, memorizing how the back leg and balance must be coordinated in order to stay in control, but then I arrived at the hill and would essentially start doing these carve/butters and that's how I learned how to ride switch (somewhat). Lol, my stance on my pow board is setup +25/+15 so other than coming out of a butter, I never really did switch carving. Just wanted to illustrate that this would be an easier way to learn how to switch ride and progressively increase your speed. Man, I can't wait to get my 2011 Machete out there and start ripping down the mountain switch. Gonna be a breeze with a twin, haha.

Oh-yeah and as if this needs to be mentioned.... Confidence is +1 when calculating the chances of success. Some things you have a 'mental block' about and others you don't. If you believe you can ride switch before you even try, you're likely going to be super successful as I was. If you think that going off a 20ft rock drop is going to end your life (exaggeration) then you might not wanna try it or if you do, you may biff it hardcore. Your thoughts breathe life into your riding, careful what you tell yourself.

Or find yourself a way of disguising what you're about to do as a rider. For example, though it was unplanned, me turning my mini-butters into short carving lesson riding switch made it feel really natural because it was never my intention. If you're into jumping, try landing fakie or bs and do a carve or two before straightening yourself out. Haha, maybe I should go smoke a bowl and stop thinking so darn much!

Seeing truly is believing. And anyone who is against that might learn how to do some tricks naturally and/or spend a lot of time on their ass learning. I'd rather just be a success first time trying something new, wouldn't you? Would you go into a final exam at university without studying? Study your riding man!

Out

 

[t21]

my son and i went up today in our resort,and he wanted to learn to snowboard.though i'm on my second season and i can call myself an intermediatei though him the basics and have him practice it all day while i tried to learn to ride switch.i can say that he was getting down his toe turns as i was getting my turns as well. it was like learning to ride again:laugh: i say practice more and we'll get it down...someday

 

[Peaceryder]

my son and i went up today in our resort,and he wanted to learn to snowboard.though i'm on my second season and i can call myself an intermediatei though him the basics and have him practice it all day while i tried to learn to ride switch.i can say that he was getting down his toe turns as i was getting my turns as well. it was like learning to ride again:laugh: i say practice more and we'll get it down...someday

That's handy eh! I need to borrow a kid from someone so I can practice my skills and use the kid to dial in on some ladies Lol

 

[FL_Boarder]

I actually started snowboarding regular and thought hmm why does this feel different. Then I did a 180 and laughed because I realized I'm goofy for everything else and completely forgot. I learned the feel from longboarding really long distances. 1 leg would get tired of constant pushing for miles so I would ride switch to push with the other leg until that got tired and then switch back. Don't approach it like a challenge, just let it come naturally and flow. BTW on a snowboard it is much easier to ride switch with angles similar in a duck stance. Like 15, -15 since it would be the same both ways. I ride 18, -6 since it feels more comfortable for me. My body is like permanently or naturally duck stanced. When I walk or just stand my right foot is actually angled out and my left foot is almost straight forward but with the slightest angle out, hence the goofy. I find it pretty funny.

 

[Peaceryder]

I actually started snowboarding regular and thought hmm why does this feel different. Then I did a 180 and laughed because I realized I'm goofy for everything else and completely forgot. I learned the feel from longboarding really long distances. 1 leg would get tired of constant pushing for miles so I would ride switch to push with the other leg until that got tired and then switch back. Don't approach it like a challenge, just let it come naturally and flow. BTW on a snowboard it is much easier to ride switch with angles similar in a duck stance. Like 15, -15 since it would be the same both ways. I ride 18, -6 since it feels more comfortable for me. My body is like permanently or naturally duck stanced. When I walk or just stand my right foot is actually angled out and my left foot is almost straight forward but with the slightest angle out, hence the goofy. I find it pretty funny.

I Ride Machete +15/-12 after yesterday and have to say it feels great. Going to take my riding to a whole new progression using this stance. I'll vogue for it too! After only two days messing around dry land training for rails I find myself becoming lost using my left as my lead foot and then I think to myself, dude you're right footed!!!! That's just the comfort level from a playful twin and the above stance. Try new things with your stance if you get a chance.

P.s. A few days ago I was on a 168 rozzy directional with a stance of +25/+15, lol.

 

[skycdo]

I've focused on riding switch the past two weekends. I wish I started to learn earlier because now I have a tendency to switch back to normal when I do heel carves. One thing that felt different for me is I wasn't afraid of doing toe carves switch as I was when I initially learned how to ride. I think part of it is, in switch, you can't see where you are going in a heel carve and that is a weird feeling. As mentioned, learning on a freshly groomed advanced green is the easiest. Riding on flat areas is one of the harder things to figure out while learning to snowboard. Not to mention having to skate because you caught your edge in the cat track. I didn't think too much about the center of gravity and that will be my new focus next time I go. But basically if you force yourself to riding switch you will learn it quickly. Much easier than learning to ride in the very beginning.

 

[slyder]

When I'm rusty like now at the begining of the season or if I get myself into trouble.
I always seem to need to focus on keeping my weight on my downhill foot. I sometimes get ass heavy and need to re-focus. Not the best switch rider but very confident, but I still get a bit sketchy from time to time. It will all get easier as we/I keep practicing switch riding.

 

[Toecutter]

this video helped me alot: Snowboard Basics: Switch Riding - YouTube

Yo, thanks for posting the above link. After many years of trying, this morning something finally clicked and I was able to link turns for several runs riding switch. HALLELUJAH!

That video gave a few pointers that I think made it all come together for me:

• turn the back knee outward so I don't tuck it in
• rotate the shoulders and head slightly as I initiate a turn
• think of it as going forward in a new direction rather than going backwards

Doing a little happy dance over here!

 

[Tarzanman]

I am not very good at it, but I ride switch on 'throw-away' days when I am not trying anything crazy. I once did an entire day at Keystone riding switch.

My body was so not used to it that my front foot (which is usually my rear foot) cramped up... BAD on my last run from all of the new-found attention it was getting :laugh:. I had to sit down at the edge of a catwalk for like 7 minutes before it stopped hurting bad enough for me to ride the rest of the way down.

One thing I figured out is that years of non-trick skateboarding had given my body flexibility and muscles in one direction that I did not have in the other direction.

So, skills aside, is it physically harder for me to ride switch than normal.. I tire faster and its more effort do to the same maneuvers.

 

[Peaceryder]

I am not very good at it, but I ride switch on 'throw-away' days when I am not trying anything crazy. I once did an entire day at Keystone riding switch.

My body was so not used to it that my front foot (which is usually my rear foot) cramped up... BAD on my last run from all of the new-found attention it was getting :laugh:. I had to sit down at the edge of a catwalk for like 7 minutes before it stopped hurting bad enough for me to ride the rest of the way down.

One thing I figured out is that years of non-trick skateboarding had given my body flexibility and muscles in one direction that I did not have in the other direction.

So, skills aside, is it physically harder for me to ride switch than normal.. I tire faster and its more effort do to the same maneuvers.

Your strength issue could come simply from the fact that your weaker leg/arm is 'always' weaker. No matter how many reps I do with dumbells with my left arm, it never has the same size/strength, even though technically my weaker arm is lifting a heavier weight than the right based on it being weaker to begin with.
My technique for progressing in learning to ride switch is going to be practicing butters and constantly switching which foot I lead down the mountain with.

Amusing how one poster mentioned that they used to think about riding switch as going backwards instead of just going forwards with a different foot leading. How easy this concept becomes reality has a bit to do with your stance and whether your board is directional or twin. My old board was directional and I had a very aggressive forward stance, so in reality with this setup, I was riding backwards down the mountain and not switch like I will be doing on my Machete with a more ducky like stance. Now when my left foot is pointed down the hill, my binding setup is positioned in such a way that lets you just simply think you're going forwards instead of backwards.

---My point is that stance has a great affect on your ability to ride switch. I haven't tried it yet on the mtn, but I can already see how much more confidence and ability I'm going to have by switching from an aggressive to a neutral stance. Even though I was able to ride 'backwards' - riding 'switch' on the twin with the new stance (+15/-12) is going to make a huge difference.

Being comfortable and confident will help you do anything, let alone riding switch. It's like faking you've got game until you get it. - Haha, I'm thinking of dating here lads.

 

[oneshot]

start doing radical jumps to fakie and ride it out. after about 300 of these you should have it down.

 

[Peaceryder]

I am not very good at it, but I ride switch on 'throw-away' days when I am not trying anything crazy. I once did an entire day at Keystone riding switch.

My body was so not used to it that my front foot (which is usually my rear foot) cramped up... BAD on my last run from all of the new-found attention it was getting :laugh:. I had to sit down at the edge of a catwalk for like 7 minutes before it stopped hurting bad enough for me to ride the rest of the way down.

One thing I figured out is that years of non-trick skateboarding had given my body flexibility and muscles in one direction that I did not have in the other direction.

So, skills aside, is it physically harder for me to ride switch than normal.. I tire faster and its more effort do to the same maneuvers.

Yeah, it's always more difficult to train your muscles to go against their trained instinct, especially after you learn how to use your muscles the most comfortable way first. I was out yesterday for the first day of the season and had a not so lovely time trying to do toe side switch carves. Heel side was quite easy by comparison. Think I was being too aggressive in leaning forward on my toe side because my nose was digging into the snow leading me to do an assisted rodeo, lol. Looks cool, but I wanna toe side carve darnit! ONE thing is certain, that which does not come easy is more appreciated. Maybe it will be the same as learning goofy for me. My toe side was my strength when I first learned to ride - but now my heel side does all the intricate carves. I think getting a buddy to videotape you doing things like this would be very beneficial. Instantly see how you can correct what are likely 'silly' mistakes.

 

[grafta]

So today was the perfect day to do some laps switch. Was by myself, sun was out and snow was soft. Holy crap, it is SO weird to re-learn to ride switch. I could link turns switch last season but was never comfortable. It'll happen, but its gonna take some practice. Until then, it's take a lesson in humility.

Thanks to all who have posted, some good tips here for real.

 

[herzogone]

I had a blast practicing switch yesterday! While I was at the point where I could fairly comfortably link turns switch all the way down greens and easier blues last season, I found it slow to come back at first this season. Yesterday I decided to really focus on it since conditions were fairly crappy and I'm still sore from my injury from a couple weeks ago. By the end of the night I was finding my rhythm and even starting to ride dynamically down blues at about 75% of my normal speed!

For me, it definitely worked to start on greens, though this may be because I am fairly analytical, as well as prone to "freezing-up", so I initially liked to focus on my technique as I had when first learning. I focused on keeping my shoulders appropriately aligned, enough weight on my front foot (I've always had that tendency to "back-seat", regardless of direction), and using torsional flex/gas-pedaling. I definitely second what Snowolf said about groomed terrain. I also did find it noticeably easier with a centered stance on a twin-tip board. Anyhow, lots of good advice in this thread. I intend to practice switch much more frequently with the intention of equaling my regular riding (though I may never achieve it).

 

[FL_Boarder]

I was messing around riding switch on a blue when it turned choppy, caught my edge, and landed tail bone first on ice. It was so bad I got up for a second, instantly felt sick and dizzy, I wobbled and went face first into the ice. Luckily I carry pain killer and water with me in my pack. I was almost sure I fractured my tailbone because it still hurt after 660mg of drugs when the dose is supposed to be 220mg i couldn't sit on the lift. Moral of the story is, home your skills on a green or powder day lol.

 

[grafta]

Moral of the story is, home your skills on a green or powder day lol.

Warm and slushy is also your friend :thumbsup:

 

[FL_Boarder]

It made me consider getting those impact shorts for riding. Tail bone injuries are brutal and from what I hear if you actually break it, that it takes more than a year to heal. Just that one hit was enough for me to realize such a stupid decision could have ended my season already. I'll stick to riding regular unless it's necessary lol.

 

[Toecutter]

When I went up the other day I had on impact shorts, knee guards, and elbow guards. I felt like I was getting ready to take the handoff and go for the first down! Being padded up did give me a sense of confidence though.

I worked on switch today while I was up riding with my kids. It came back smoothly. I'm looking forward to doing it in some fresh snow.

 

[Peaceryder]

When I went up the other day I had on impact shorts, knee guards, and elbow guards. I felt like I was getting ready to take the handoff and go for the first down! Being padded up did give me a sense of confidence though.

I worked on switch today while I was up riding with my kids. It came back smoothly. I'm looking forward to doing it in some fresh snow.

My snowboard pants have butt and knee padding embedded, so you might wanna look into that! Doesn't feel as 'bulky' as the imagery you gave us of a football player all suited up, lol. That's why I won't even wear a helmet most of the time - don't wanna wear a full suit of armor unless it's Mithril and is weightless

 

[Toecutter]

My snowboard pants have butt and knee padding embedded, so you might wanna look into that! Doesn't feel as 'bulky' as the imagery you gave us of a football player all suited up, lol. That's why I won't even wear a helmet most of the time - don't wanna wear a full suit of armor unless it's Mithril and is weightless

Cool, thanks. I'm done with the pads for now though. I think I got the hang of switch and now just need to fine tune it for a bit.