Skating also called one-footed riding by snowboarders is a vital technique that helps one to become a well-rounded snowboarder. Instructors often teach one-footed riding as one of the first lessons. This is because one-footed skating skill is required to try to navigate a flat terrain or to ride a lift.
No one would love to cause damage to their legs when they try to jump over flat ground with their both feet strapped in. This article provides information on how to ride skating (or one-footed) to avoid scootch leg.
Scootch leg is a medical diagnosis associated with snowboarders where one leg outgrows the other significantly. It often occurs when snowboarders scootch with their two feet strapped in the board on flat ground.
Find out more as you read along!
Riding One Footed
Below are the steps to follow when riding
- Take your back foot out from your binding, then stand with your back leg.
- You can then lift your board to know what it feels like.
- Place back our board on the ground. Then, you can leap with the front foot (which is strapped in) and slide it forward at a comfortable distance.
- Place your weight on the foot that is strapped into your board while you lift the unstrapped foot (the back foot), and put it behind the strapped foot.
Ensure that you strike a balance with your front foot before you lift the back leg. You are not ready to slide out.
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- Repeat steps 4 and 3 over again so that you can know where you want to set off to. Step, slide, step.
- Once you get comfortable with the above-mentioned steps such that they seem easy, decide if you can pick up a drive. Step, slide and then place back your foot on the board when you have enough speed.
- When you get accustomed to standing on the board with your back foot unstrapped and your front foot strapped in your board (otherwise called gliding), you can then proceed to learn how to use your weight on different ends.
How to Turn When Riding One Footed
To master turning while skating, you must bend your knee a little and put weight on the edge of your toe for a to-side turn. Also, for a heel-side turn, apply weight to the edge of your heel.
It is important to improve and master how to turn one foot. This is because you may have to turn once you glide off the lift after getting off a chair.
How to Break When Riding One Footed
There are times when you must slow down or break when riding. one technique you can employ is to place your back foot off the board a little so that you can place your heel deep into the snow to enable y0u halt when you want to.
Extra Tips
Tip 1 – use a stomp pad. Using a stomp pad will enable you to put your back foot on the snowboard and provide grip to the unstrapped foot. Stomp pad might be little but it is an excellent addition that helps snowboarders to ride one foot easily.
Tip 2 – If you cannot get a stomp pad, simply place your back foot onto the binding to give you more control and hold you in place.
Tip 3 – never skate with your unstrapped foot before the board even if you see some people doing it. This is because it is a bad habit and is usually awkward even though it sometimes works.
You will get better results when you learn the right way and twist your leg with your foot at the back of the board.
Tip 4 – many riders who are learning the right one-footed technique for the first time do it with open shoulders. Ensure that you align your shoulders along with your snowboard.
This allows you to move smoother, go faster with your ride and move in a straight line.
Fun Exercises You Can Do to Improve One Footed Riding
- Challenge 1: try to lift your board off the ground and jump back onto the board when it is still in the air. Plod your landing to make you aware of where you should put your back foot. Also, it will allow you to know the board’s weight with the strapped-in foot. Lastly, it can make you learn one-footed ride tricks in park jumps.
- Challenge 2: try to see if you can jump while moving with one foot.
- Challenge 3: try to skate in reverse.
Challenge 4: when you skate in reverse, 180, stomp, backward push. Lastly, just enjoy your one-foot riding. Goof around and get experimental.
