The changes of seasons challenge the recreational snowboarder. Unless you can afford a search for endless winter by visiting the Southern Hemisphere during the North American summer, you have a limited time period for learning and enhancing your skills. A preseason snowboard-specific exercise program may help you retain some of your skills, and prevent injuries when winter finally arrives.
Snowboarding Fitness Requirements
Skilled snowboarding requires balance, coordination, agility, proprioception and aerobic and muscular endurance, as well as strength and power. The first four aspects of fitness are of primary importance to the snowboarder. Without them, all of the other fitness categories do little to improve your riding skills. Anyone that has experienced a face-plant knows that riding is primarily a balance sport. Since nobody moves through life with both feet attached to a board, coordination also plays an important role. Proprioception informs you of your body's position in space. Snow conditions change throughout the course of a day, and your safety depends on your your ability to sense these changes and make the proper adjustments. Agility pertains to your ability to respond and react to outside stimuli, such as other riders, children, trees and lift poles.
Dynamic Balance
Snowboarding requires dynamic balance or balance in motion. The skilled snowboarder is concerned with transitional balance, which involves staying on the board through all segments of the turn. The balance board provides an optimal training device for transitional balance. Stand at the center of the board with your knees slightly flexed. Assume your typical snowboard stance. A regular stance places your left foot slightly in front of your right, and a "goofy" stance places your right foot in front of your left. rocking forward and back and side to side, without letting the board "bottom out" or touch the floor. Engaging your core by contracting your abdominal muscles helps you maintain balance.
Proprioception and Aerobic Workouts
Closing your eyes during the balance board rocking exercise improves your proprioception. If you have enough equipment, setting up a balance training course is another option. Arrange a series of balance training equipment, such balance boards, balance disks and bosu or half balls. Step from equipment to equipment, adjusting your alignment accordingly. Minor adjustments to your regular aerobic workouts also enhance proprioception. Instead of running on a treadmill, go outside and try cross-country running, which requires you to experience different terrain changes.
Strength, Power and Coordination
Combining snowboard-specific strength training with power and coordination is relatively easy. Begin with three sets of 12 repetitions of traditional squats, using either your own body weight, resistance bands, free weights or barbells. The strength training workout wakes up your leg muscles for plyometric or power training exercise. Plyometric squat jumps emphasize the landing phase of a jump. This is important for riders who enjoy performing tricks in the half-pipe or terrain park. Stand 2 feet away from a 12- to 30-inch box. Jump onto the box, landing with your knees bent. Perform eight repetitions. Add agility and coordination by having a friend toss you a medicine ball as you land on the box.
Member Comments