When all is said and done, even putting natural ability to one side, you and your attitude are going to determine how you progress at snowboarding. There’s no doubt that riders like Shaun White having amazing talent – but they also work really hard at snowboarding too.

Stay focused with a trick-list

A trick list is simply a list of tricks that you’re currently working on. You might say: “I don’t need a list for a small number of tricks”. That’s fair enough. But there are times where you’re snowboarding: jibbing around the piste or taking laps in the park, and you don’t seem to be getting anywhere.

A trick-list is a good way to keep you focused on the tricks you want to work on. It’s useful communicating what you’re working on to your friends, and it’s fun crossing them off when you can do them. Being focussed helps progression, which is what you need to improve your freestyle snowboarding.

If you’re interested, here’s an example trick-list.

Ride in a positive environment

And friends help too. They motivate you to try harder, for example, when they’re landing new tricks and you’re not. They help to encourage you when you take those hard falls. Most of all, it’s fun snowboarding with your mates, and when you’re all learning new tricks, it doesn’t get much better – especially if you finish the day with a beer at the pub.

Here’s an example of when shredding with your friends can make a difference.

Filming is also a good way to help motivate yourself and to improve your technique. You can’t really film yourself and snowboard at the same time, so it’s something you’re going to need to do in a group.

Simply by trying to land a trick on film, it keeps you focused on getting that trick right. What’s more you can watch back both your fails and your makes, which can help you identify the things that you’re doing right and the things that you’re doing wrong…

Practice off the hill – a Balance Rail

A balance rail is something you can use to improve your balance and technique for riding rails and boxes – not to mention giving yourself a good workout. The great thing about a balance rail is that you can use it to practice when you’re not on the hill – the ideal place is your own garden.

Most snowboarders who try one are in agreement that they help. They’re cheap and easy to build, so why not check out the short guide on How to Make a Balance Rail, and then the article showing How to Use a Balance Rail…

Practice off the hill – a Trampoline

Repetition is critical when it comes to learning new techniques and skills – and that’s not just for snowboarding, it’s for just about everything. If you could snowboard every day, ride the park every day, you’d be getting plenty of repetition, no doubt.

And some riders get to do that – maybe they’re living in the mountains, doing a season? But perhaps you don’t. And that’s why something like a trampoline, or the balance rail above, can be really helpful.

Jumping up and down on a trampoline for 30 minutes gives you a lot of practice for things like grabs. Maybe you’re struggling with something like a stalefish, or tweaking a grab out, maybe even a shifty. There are many limitations when it comes to improving your riding on a trampoline, but it does have some definite benefits. Take a look at the video below and/or read the article that goes with it, explaining the setup behind the video.

Mental Training?

Not everyone sees the same value in “using your mind” to improve your performance, but it definitely works for some. If you’re interested in one approach to mental training for snowboarders, check out the Snowboard Jedi Program.

Snowboard Tricks Guide

This article is part of the afterbang Guide to Snowboard Tricks.