Do I have "spaz arms?"

[shawndoggy]

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[carvedog]

NO.

If you really want a critique: I don't think you have spaz arms. You seem to have them pretty wide which can help with balance. You ride a bit more open to the nose than what I like to see in my own riding. Just seeing that lead arm going early and wide, especially on heelside.

In mixed terrain or bumps that could cause a little challenge.

You do the same thing I do on toeside which is just barely dragging my inside hand. I try to go with outside hand to the snow on both turns but don't always get it done.

But you sure do have some nice turns in there. Love that camera angle too. Just awesome.

tpalka has some vids on youtube (snowytom) that I thought showed his "warmups", and he had some "no arm' or arms behind back turns or something like that. Might be good to look at.

[shawndoggy]

In mixed terrain or bumps that could cause a little challenge.

You do the same thing I do on toeside which is just barely dragging my inside hand. I try to go with outside hand to the snow on both turns but don't always get it done.

CD, thanks... I definitely am looking for a critique. Could you elaborate on the mixed terrain comment? My bump riding is definitely of the novice variety. When I was riding softies I loved the bumps, but I still don't feel competent there on the hardboots. Partly I think that has to do with board length (my AM is a 176), but no doubt a lot of my discomfort is technique based.

[D.T.]

your loose arms show that your upper body is relaxed. that is a good thing

[djlepper]

Great video. Love the POV.
I'm just curious which exactly model of GoPro Hero did you get and how is it mounted?

[shawndoggy]

Great video. Love the POV.
I'm just curious which exactly model of GoPro Hero did you get and how is it mounted?

See the "Critique my camera work (http://www.bomberonline.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=25317)" thread in the videos section... all is revealed.

[Dave ESPI]

Your heelside is stronger than your toeside. :1luvu:

Im jealous.

Good vid..... but one question..... where are all the other people and how did you pay them all to stay off you and out of the way ? Nice to rip in fresh cord... I assume this must be early in the morning ?

[shawndoggy]

Your heelside is stronger than your toeside. :1luvu:

Im jealous.

Good vid..... but one question..... where are all the other people and how did you pay them all to stay off you and out of the way ? Nice to rip in fresh cord... I assume this must be early in the morning ?

Yes, you've got me there (heelside vs. toeside). Gotta do the pencil pinching drill some more.

LOL, this was filmed yesterday at about 10:30 a.m. 60mph winds have a way of running people off the mountain. It was blowing downhill and the snow was pretty firm, but I was still surprised at the video to see how low I was getting on what are really pretty tame runs. Don't discount the value of a tailwind in making a flat run steep!

[Dave ESPI]

Many people seem to love the steeps, but I ride better and get lower on the more moderate and flat pitch hills and make better turns at slower speed and my form is much better. My friends called me a deck buzzard the other day.... "Cruizing speed at low altitude" lol.
I think the flatter areas are more fun but are definately "leg burners" for sure.

[Gecko]

Mittens make people look kinda dorky I've noticed the same thing with my own mittens :eplus2: As to your style it reminded me a lot of the Professional Downhill Skateboarder Andrew Mercado lose and relaxed. Mercado is one of the guys whose style I try try to emulate

[shawndoggy]

Mittens make people look kinda dorky I've noticed the same thing with my own mittens :eplus2: As to your style it reminded me a lot of the Professional Downhill Skateboarder Andrew Mercado lose and relaxed. Mercado is one of the guys whose style I try try to emulate

LOL, so Gecko you are saying I don't actually look like a dork, I just dress like one? Thanks, I think.:lol:

My hands are warm tho!

[Gecko]

LOL, so Gecko you are saying I don't actually look like a dork, I just dress like one? Thanks, I think.:lol:

My hands are warm tho!

I just meant your hands look funny like all people who wear mittens but hey even I chose warmth over style (unlike xxguitarist who's hands were frozen)....your arms however do not look like a spaz,

another guy to look at for arm and hand style do a video search for Louis Pilloni

[James Ong]

LOL, so Gecko you are saying I don't actually look like a dork, I just dress like one? Thanks, I think.:lol:

My hands are warm tho!

You should get white mitts, Mickey Mouse rides alpine !!.:lol:

[shawndoggy]

You should get white mitts, Mickey Mouse rides alpine !!.:lol:

Yeah well maybe on you, James. On me it'd just look like Mickey's doing the happy dance the whole way down the hill!

[Bobby Buggs]

The pants hide it but to me it looks like you get No forward flex out of that front boot.Keep in mind I am the president of the Head boot haters club:angryfire. Only thing I say is to put your Outside hand down not necessarily out to the side. Like on YOUR toe side goofy, your right hand could go by your knee or the top of your boot boot. Doing that kinda locks your shoulders into position and can help you to keep from dipping the inside shoulder. Now this is just my personal Ice coast Angulation style and not to be interpreted as law.
http://www.fotopete.com/share/evilsports/image/090201_051.jpg

[shawndoggy]

The pants hide it but to me it looks like you get No forward flex out of that front boot.Keep in mind I am the president of the Head boot haters club:angryfire. Only thing I say is to put your Outside hand down not necessarily out to the side. Like on YOUR toe side goofy, your right hand could go by your knee or the top of your boot boot. Doing that kinda locks your shoulders into position and can help you to keep from dipping the inside shoulder. Now this is just my personal Ice coast Angulation style and not to be interpreted as law.

Good stuff Bobby, thanks. Those are the sorts of tips that I like to be able to think about -- very simple ("hand to knee") but with more complex biomechanical consequences (squaring shoulders too).

Boots are flexy for HSPs (BTS, some plastic removed) but not fully modded. James says they look to be about as flexy as his deeluxe boots. I think some of it is the fisheye angle distorting things too.

[Gecko]

http://www.fotopete.com/share/evilsports/image/090201_051.jpg

Interesting the photo you post shares a lot of style and technique cues with this one of mercado
http://www.concretedisciples.com/skate_news/images/000001/mercado_run.jpg

[Fastskiguy]

That is a totally freaky camera angle!

[jpenn]

Hey Shawndoggy: Love the video - wild camera angle. Speaking of spazzin arms (which I don't think yours are), there are lots of jibbers at our local hill who ride around with bunny arms - their arms are bent up and then their wrists bend down. I'm not sure what to make of it. Does anyone else see this? Hope y'all are enjoyin the spring riding. The bumps at Sundown are incredible!!!

[Phil]

Speaking of spazzin arms (which I don't think yours are), there are lots of jibbers at our local hill who ride around with bunny arms - their arms are bent up and then their wrists bend down. I'm not sure what to make of it. Does anyone else see this?

...supposed to be steezy - hands in the crotch, too. :rolleyes:

[Rob Stevens]

Make one move to the fall line, not two.

[shawndoggy]

Make one move to the fall line, not two.

Rob, I'm a newb to the terminology.

Fall line = "If I stand right here and let go of a basketball, the fall line is the direction the ball would travel down the hill after I let go of it," correct?

What is a "move to" the fall line?

[Rob Stevens]

The move I'm talking about is rotational.
You are rotating your torso into the turn, then coming back, then rotating again.
You should really only do this once. If you do it more than once, you can create instability through all that mass getting tossed around.
Be deliberate. Come off your heels and project your torso to the apex of the new turn with one, stable move. Same with transitioning to the other turn.

[shawndoggy]

The move I'm talking about is rotational.
You are rotating your torso into the turn, then coming back, then rotating again.
You should really only do this once. If you do it more than once, you can create instability through all that mass getting tossed around.
Be deliberate. Come off your heels and project your torso to the apex of the new turn with one, stable move. Same with transitioning to the other turn.

OK, understood! Thanks for the feedback.

Do you see that in all of the turns or just a few? If it's just a few, I know exactly what you are talking about ... if it's all of them, I'm confused.

[Rob Stevens]

Only some of them. Not all, but most.

Typically, the questionable turns are the fast, high-pressure ones. You seem to be very passive in your legs and very active in your torso.

Isolate the steering /completion movements to your lower body, taking the emphasis off of a mass swing in the torso to switch edges.

Steer with the feet / knees and draw your legs up to your chest at the switch. Doing this will releive your arms / shoulders of this chore.

[Arc2Arc]

Props on the camera angle i want to see one looking down the hill too just for fun. i think we all would be able to give better feed back if you have someone film more conventionally. My guess is that you have some skidding at the middle, end of your turns??
I like the way you are leveling your sholders durring the turns. This puts you in a great body position for angulating creating strong edge angles to the snow. It seems like you are throwing your outside hand up and accross your body to start the next turn, rotating upper body hard adn then countering back durring the controll phase of the turn. Weight seems on the back foot. Front leg is very straight and dose not flex much in general most of your dynamics are above the waist.

Go to a moderate slope where you are very comfortable. First things I would work on is balance and getting more wt over that front leg, and in general keeping both legs bent more. Standing stationary on your board visualize some turns and make the movements like you are riding only keep your hands on your hips focus on the bottom of your front foot, then ankle, knee, femur. Then do some runs with a focus on just your front foot and trying get you to feel an entire run with just the bottom of your front foot. Then do it again but focus on just your front ankle, again on your knee, again on your femur/hip socket. Feel the ankle and knee open to the heel side and close to the toe. Keep your upper body very very still hands could even be on your hips. Keep your eyes on a fixed point a long way off down the hill or on the horizion.
Do some drills keeping your hands more still or at least keep your right on the right and left on your left.
Think about dropping your hands to your boots or to the edges of the board right to the right side, left to the left side. Rather than accross your body. (EC is different adn your upper body rotation would be more appropriate but still need some adjustments.)
Then do some runs on more fun terrain where you just focus on leveling your sholders and hips like you already do like a hero but keep your hands where they belong and maintain a little focus on that front leg.
Too many words. FYI i typically take one element of my own riding that I feel like i am trying to improve upon each season and focus on just that one element for most of the season. I do get off one some of the tech talk so sorry if I got too long winded. Just remember that what ever your style it has to be fun for you.

[Bobby Buggs]

Steer with the feet / knees and draw your legs up to your chest at the switch. Doing this will releive your arms / shoulders of this chore.

uhhh..... cross under:1luvu: