While numerous terms are unique to snowboarding, caballerial, colloquially known as cab, is a term borrowed from skateboarding. The term was coined in honor of pro skateboarder Steve Caballero. A caballerial is an aerial spin maneuver in both snowboarding and skateboarding. Despite the similarities between cabs in both sports, snowboarders spin in an opposite direction than skateboarders do when performing cabs.
Caballerial
In snowboarding, a caballerial refers to a midair, 360-degree spin performed while leading with your non-dominant foot, otherwise known as riding fakie. This front-side spin involves turning in the direction of the heel of your leading foot. If you perform this while riding straight forward, expose the front of your body to the direction in which you are riding through the first 180 degrees of the spin. As a caballerial in skateboarding involves turning in the opposite direction, a skateboarder's back faces forward through the first 180 degrees of the spin.
Half and Full
"Cab" typically refers only to two tricks: the half-cab and the regular cab. The only difference between these two maneuvers is that a full cab involves a 360-degree spin, as described above, while a half-cab involves only a 180-degree spin. In addition to using the term "cab" in these contexts, snowboarders also use it to refer to a variation on a spin. As such, any aerial snowboarding maneuver that involves a front-side spin while riding fakie uses the term "cab" in its name.
Examples
Experienced snowboarders generally reserve half-cabs and cabs for small. roller jumps and other small, aerial features. On larger jumps, cliffs and half-pipes, "cab" is used interchangeably with other spin names, namely front-side, backside and switch-backside. For example, a cab 720 becomes a switch-backside 720 if you spin in the opposite direction while riding fakie.
How to Do a Cab
Once you are comfortable riding fakie and can perform a half-cab, find a small jump and try popping, or getting as low as you can before springing up off of the jump. Bring your knees to your chest while slowly starting to spin. Use your back shoulder to start the spin, spinning in the direction of the heel of your leading foot. After spinning approximately 270 degrees, begin dropping your legs to slow the spin and prepare for landing. Watch your landing to make sure that your board lines up properly; try to land with your board level to the ground.
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