Interski for Snowboard by British Association of Snowsport Instructors

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Interski For Snowboard 8SJUUFO CZ #FO ,JOOFBS !

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Contents ! !

USHUAIA!–!SEPTEMBER!2015!

INTERSKI!FROM!THE!SNOWBOARD!PERSPECTIVE!

WHAT!ACTUALLY!GOES!ON!AT!INTERSKI!FOR!SNOWBOARD?! SO!WHY!GO!–!HOW!IS!IT!RELEVANT!TO!BASI!SNOWBOARDING?!

4! 5!

WORKSHOP!OVERVIEWS!

6! 7! 8! 9! 11! 12! 13! 15! 17! 18!

USA! FINLAND! ITALY! CANADA! AUSTRIA! NEW!ZEALAND! ARGENTINA! SLOVENIA! SWITZERLAND!

IN!SUMMARY…!

19! 20!

CANADIAN!HAND!OUT!

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Ushuaia – September 2015!

Interski from the Snowboard perspective

Hola!!My!name!is!Ben!Kinnear,!a!Snowboard!Trainer,!and!I!had!the!great!privilege!of!being! asked!to!attend!Interski!2015!in!Ushuaia!representing!BASI!Snowboarding.!! ! Now!the!dust!has!settled!after!what!was,!for!Snowboard!attendees,!more!accurately! ‘Intersnowboard’!–!a!worldwide!forum!for!snowboard!instruction,!coaching!and!education!–! I’ve!collated!my!experiences!and!thoughts!from!the!week!below.!! ! This!information!stems!largely!from!clinics!delivered!both!on!and!off!snow!by!almost!45! snowboard!representatives!from!approximately!20!nations.!This!was!a!healthy!turn!out! indeed!and!allowed!the!discipline!of!Snowboard!to!essentially!deliver!its!own!timetable!and! schedule,!to!allow!everyone!time!on!the!snow!to!run!workshops.!! ! Whilst!the!workshops!were!a!great!insight!into!other!countries’!methodologies,!focuses!and! learning’s,!the!real!insight!tended!to!arise!from!discussion!on!and!off!the!mountain!and!from! riding!with!the!different!representatives!from!all!over!the!world.!!

First&night&in&Ushuaia&–&Snowboard&workshop&schedule&planning&

What actually goes on at Interski for snowboard? Whilst!there!is!no!denying!that!Interski!has!traditionally!been!based!heavily!on!the!Alpine! discipline,!this!conference!was!a!very!professional!and!effective!one!for!Snowboard.!! ! There!was!some!serious!discussion!between!some!Snowboard!nations!prior!to!this!event! about!trying!to!set!up!a!Snowboard!specific!event.!Whilst!this!still!may!come!about!in!the! future,!for!the!interim!there!was!widespread!agreement!that!the!benefits!of!remaining!part!of! the!main!event!were!many,!and!so!long!as!Snowboard!continued!to!develop!it’s!own!dedicated! programme!then!it!was!the!best!way!forward.!! ! The!various!Snowboard!teams!made!sure!of!this!on!the!very!first!evening!in!Ushuaia.!We!got! together!and!agreed!a!‘best!fit’!schedule!that!allowed!the!maximum!number!of!clinics!(on!and! off!snow)!to!be!attended!by!the!maximum!number!of!other!representatives.!Sounds!simple!–! but!there!was!enormous!benefit!from!this!exercise!and!the!momentum!has!now!built!up!to! continue!this!working!together!inRbetween!Conferences,!developing!more!communication,! more!frequently!between!the!different!nations.!! ! So!cue!6!full!days!of!early!starts,!onRsnow!workshops,!empanadas,!slashes,!universal!love!of! the!euroRcarve,!offRsnow!lectures!and!great!steak.!!

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So why go – how is it relevant to BASI Snowboarding? !

Legitimately!we!all!ask!what!the!actual!value!is!of!attending!this!event!for!the!membership.! Whilst!this!has!been!answered!a!lot!in!other!posts!on!this!website,!I!thought!I!would!try!and! answer!from!a!snowboard!member’s!perspective.!! ! A!rising!tide!raises!all!ships.!Firstly,!every!nation!in!attendance!brought!a!lot!to!the!table.!On! Day!1,!riding!with!many!of!the!other!representatives!before!the!clinics!started,!the!first!thing! that!jumped!out!was!how!many!shared!ideas!and!riding!styles!we!shared.!We!were!pretty! lucky,!riding!some!fresh!snow!and!finding!wind!lips,!trees!and!natural!hits!that!had!us!all! pretty!stoked!before!the!clinics!even!started.!This!was!the!theme!all!week!–!affirming!good! practice,!scrutinising!other!systems!and!ideas,!developing!ideas!and!honest!discussion!of! issues!snowboard!education!faces!all!over!the!world.!This!week!really!worked!as!a!thinkRtank! for!future!snowboard!education!and!really!does!add!immense!value!to!the!worldwide!product.! Improving!the!product!and!service!that!is!offered!all!over!the!world!is!ultimately!imperative! for!anyone!involved!in!Snowboard!Teaching.!! ! We!need!a!frame!of!reference.!Whilst!we!endeavoured!to!bring!back!a!lot!of!information!and! ideas!to!our!training!department!R!that!then!ultimately!shape!our!product!–!one!of!the!most! valued!aspects!of!attending!Interski!is!to!being!able!to!compare!our!ideas!and!systems!with! everyone!else.!BASI!are!developing!a!lot!of!new!Snowboard!content!at!the!moment,!and!this! provides!the!only!opportunity!to!measure!this!up!with!other!industry!leaders!in!one!go.!Some! of!the!market!changes!out!there!do!determine!what!we!focus!on!in!our!courses,!to!ensure!that! instructors!and!coaches!are!being!best!equipped!with!knowledge,!skills!and!understanding! when!attending!BASI!courses.!!

Rhys&Jones&(New&Zealand&Team)&happy&with&the&conditions&on&Day&1&

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Workshop Overviews

Given!a!very!full!schedule,!many!workshops!are!delivered!at!the!same!time.!Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve!reported! below!on!as!many!as!possible,!and!have!added!detail!to!workshops!I!wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t!able!to!attend!by! talking!to!either!those!presenting!the!workshop!afterwards!or!from!those!attending.!If!you! have!any!further!interest!in!some!of!the!content!please!get!in!touch!as!most/all!of!the! presenters!were!happy!to!provide!further!info!if!required.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 6!

USA !

The!very!experienced!US!team!delivered!some!very!interesting!and!valid!content.!!At!the!very! heart!of!the!message!was!how!to!encourage!Student!as!well!as!Instructor!retention.!! ! Their!Learning!Connection!Model!includes!Technical,!Teaching!and!People!skills!–!and!the! whole!team!delivered!parts!of!this,!the!Snowboard!Team!focussing!on!People!Skills!in! particular.!One!question!that!was!asked!of!the!audience!straight!away!was,!‘Do!we!teach! snowboarding!to!people?!Or!do!we!teach!people!to!snowboard?’.!! ! At!the!indoor!lecture!(held!in!Ushuaia’s!old!prison!by!the!way)!Chris!Hargrave,!one!of!the!US! Snowboard!team!members,!started!by!talking!about!the!link!between!instructor!retention!and! student!retention,!and!how!important!it!was!to!consider!the!‘conversion’!moment!where!a! student!commits!to!a!lifestyle/life!long!snowboard!hobby.!By!being!more!connected!to!an! Instructor,!Chris!argued!that!students!have!more!desire!to!become!‘riders/snowboarders’!not! just!students!/!learners.!To!help!this,!he!discussed!equipping!instructors!better!with!the!skill! sets!to!build!a!relationship!with!the!students,!and!not!necessarily!rush!into!technical!skills!at! the!expense!of!softer!skills.!! ! In!his!own!words,!“Students!need!to!know!that!we!care!about!who!they!are!and!why!they!want! to!succeed.!If!we!strengthen!instructor’s!people!skills,!they!will!retain!more!students,!and!we! can!also!retain!more!instructors”.!Chris!mentioned!a!few!statistics!that!are!beginning!to!show! that!instructor!retention!has!room!for!improvement.!He!argued!that!if!an!instructor!can!feel! more!connected!to!a!learner’s!success!and!commitment!to!snowboarding;!there!is!more! chance!of!remaining!active!as!an!instructor.!! ! Building!flow!and!fun!into!your!sessions!by!connecting!both!to!the!group!and!the!group!with! each!other!can!really!aide!motivation!and!internal!drive.!By!building!and!helping!build!the! right!group!emotion/dynamic,!a!very!organic!learning!process!can!occur!–!with!really!strong! connections!and!motivations!created!from!a!flowing!and!fun!session.!! ! It!was!mentioned!that!‘generation!Z’!(2005!onwards)!have!very&short!attention!spans,!so! keeping!people!engaged!requires!more!than!simply!presenting!info!and!tasks.!Chris! mentioned!at!Blue!Mountain!(his!home!resort)!how!they!often!have!huge!numbers!every!day,! so!a!terrainRbased!approach!has!helped!keep!everyone!engaged!more!easily,!in!a!connected! way.! Key&Take&Home&Message:& ! Without!connection!and!relationships!with!your!learners!(and!learners!with!each!other)! technical!and!teaching!impact!will!be!limited.!Conversion!to!a!snowboard!lifestyle!requires! a!deeper!connection!that!instructors!can!play!a!big!part!in!facilitating.!Connecting!people! within!the!group!creates!better!chance!of!internal!motivation.!Instructors!can!be!better! prepared!especially!at!the!‘introduction’!to!the!sport!level!to!help!people!enjoy! snowboarding!as!much!as!possible.! 7!

Finland !

The!Finnish!team!were!again!very!professional!and!again!Alpine!and!Snowboard!had!similar! themes.!Jussi!Räsänen!led!a!session!of!the!Finnish!both!on!and!off!the!snow.!The!sessions!were! not!only!very!enjoyable!to!be!part!of,!but!underlined!by!quite!extensive!research!Jussi!(and! others)!are!carrying!out!at!PhD!level.!! ! Essentially,!right!at!the!core!of!the!message!was!how!to!best!achieve!intrinsic!motivation!and! deeper!learning!of!skills.!The!Finnish!education!focus!is!moving!from!a!structured!to!more! experiential!approach.!!Whilst!Jussi!ran!a!clinic!on!snow!that!was!aimed!at!a!higher!level!(he! led!a!session!in!the!park!that!allowed!us!to!choose!where!we!were!keen!to!improve,!and!him! act!more!as!a!facilitator),!the!theory!the!Fins!promote!is!applicable!at!all!levels.!!! ! Jussi!made!the!point!that!ultimately!snowboarding!thrives!on!the!excitement!of!learning!new! skills,!crucially!through!a!process!of!exploration!on!the!learner’s!part.!Help!learners!to!feel! autonomous!and!in!charge!of!their!own!pathway,!Jussi!argues,!and!there!will!be!a!more! meaningful!and!effective!learning!process.!! ! There!were!some!very!similar!discussions!to!those!had!at!the!US!clinics!R!centered!on! discovery,!autonomy!and!internalizing!motivation.!! ! The!indoor!lecture!was!very!insightful.!How!can!we!ensure!that!learners!are!learning!because! they!want!to!–!not!because!the!instructor!wants!them!to?!According!to!the!Finnish!contingent,! being!more!mindful!of!the!student’s!basic!needs!for!autonomy,!competence!and!relatedness! will!unlock!huge!potential!from!all!snowboarders,!at!all!levels.!! ! If!there!was!one!key!Theme!of!the!whole!of!Interski,!this!was!it,!selfRdetermination!theory.! Whilst!those!presenting!the!theory!have!worked!at!national!team!level!as!coaches,!they!are! taking!this!approach!to!Instructor!Education!and!to!every!level!of!student,!so!far!with!a! positive!result.!! ! Some!tough!questions!from!many!other!nations!regarding!this!‘looser’!approach!at!beginner! level!were!answered!well!by!Jussi!–!so!long!as!the!boundaries!are!set!then!the!more!freedom! learners!have!to!choose!the!better.!! Key&Take&Home&Message:& ! Message!of!the!week!–!look!deeper!into!what!makes!a!snowboarder!want!to!snowboard,! consider!their!basic!needs!for!autonomy,!relatedness!and!competence!–!I!would!heavily! recommend!everyone!involved!in!teaching!snowboard!read!more!into!selfRdetermination! theory.!The!coach/instructor!line!should!be!and!is!blurry;!we!can!all!do!a!lot!to!help!people! internalise!their!motivation.!

Italy !

The!Italian!clinic!was!a!chance!for!the!Italian!Team!to!show!off!their!new!manual!to!the!world,! recently!completed!and!as!a!complete!reRwrite.!!

As!BASI’s!new!Snowboard!manual!is! currently!being!updated,!it!was!very! interesting!to!hear!how!the!Italian!team!built! theirs,!and!the!new!outcomes!they!have! reached.!! ! The!clinic!was!delivered!on!snow!and! included!some!riding!but!was!mainly!a! discussion!to!outline!some!of!the!key!points.! ! ! ! Team&Italia&describing&their&new&Teaching&Manual&concepts& ! ! The!Italian’s!have!6!basic!movements!that!are!based!on!common!movement!patterns!such!as! squatting,!throwing!etc!(to!help!learners!relate):! ! R! Walking! R! Sliding! R! Jumping! R! Rotating!/!Pivoting! R! Grabbing! R! Pressing!(even!just!picking!up!your!snowboard)! ! Using!these!movements,!learners!can!experiment!straight!away.!The!idea!is!that!a!simple! language!is!established!straight!away,!without!the!need!(at!least!at!first)!to!explain!too!much! or!get!too!technical.!IE!the!instructor!simply!says,!‘right!everyone!–!jump!over!here!(if!on!the! flat)’,!instead!of!going!into!too!much!detail!as!to!‘how’!to!actually!jump!over!here.!Its!very! much!task!orientated!from!the!start.!Its!not!to!say!that!they’ll!not!‘add!in’!the!more!technical! input!–!but!crucially!tie!everything!to!stuff!people!can!already&do!(walk,!jump!etc).!! ! Taking!this!further!–!to!a!traverse!–!the!Italian!team!asked!us!how!many!ways!there!were!to! make!a!board!traverse!over!the!snow.!A!lot!was!shouted!out,!from!certain!torsional!twist!to! lateral!movement!with!the!body.!The!message!was!–!if!they!can!achieve!it!R!refine!it!later.! ! By!focussing!on!movements!and!language!that!people!can!relate!to!from!every!day!life,!the! Italian’s!focus!on!learners!already!having!fundamental!movements!and!simply!try!and!apply! those!in!a!very!easy!to!understand!manner!to!snowboarding.!IE!–!it’s!not!actually!all!that!new! to!them!at!all.!! ! 9!

The!clinic!leader!described!this!as!being!key!to!making!people!feel!at!ease,!and!focus!on!goal! acquisition!rather!than!â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;the!rightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;!technique.!Naturally,!they!stressed,!the!stage!comes!where! refinement!is!necessary,!but!only!when!the!student!is!asking!for!that!(hints!of!more!selfR determination!here!in!Italy!also).!! Key&Take&Home&Message:& & Simple!use!of!language!and!simple!application!of!skills!that!people!already!have!will! increase!earlier!success!within!the!learning!environment.!Teaching!manual!a!big!success! thus!far.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 10!

Canada Canada!had!a!healthy!number!and!very!professional!approach!to!the!whole!event.!! ! Therefore!they!were!able!to!present!two!separate!clinics:!Women!in!Snowboarding!and!Level! 4!Tasks.!! ! Mellen!Gorman!led!the!Women!in!Snowboarding!Clinic!that!I!went!to.!It!was!a!very!full!clinic! with!a!lot!of!information!Mellen!has!been!researching!at!an!academic!level,!and!with!input! from!expert!sources.!!

Essentially!Mellen’s!session!was!focused!on! instructor!considerations!when!teaching!women! (at!all!levels).!By!focussing!on!typical!anatomy! and!movement!patterns!–!the!physical! considerations!were!addressed!and!talk! through.!We!also!discussed!social/psychological! considerations,!which!was!very!insightful.!! &

With!permission!from!Mellen!I!have!attached! her!hand!out!to!this!article!as!its!very!insightful! and!thoroughly!researched!(you!can!find!it!at! Mellen&Gorman&talking&female&specific&snowboarding.& the!end).!On!the!hill,!we!focussed!in!particular! on!the!proportion!on!ACL!injuries!in!female! snowboarders.!This,!Mellen!attributed!in!part!to!knee/hip!flexion!on!landings!and!the!ratio! between!quad!and!glut!muscle!imbalance.!Mellen!advised!that!increased!functional!training!–! off!the!snow!in!preparation!for!snow.!Instructors,!if!better!informed,!are!in!a!great!place!to! ‘signpost’!to!appropriate!places!to!do!this.!! ! Taking!a!longerRterm!approach!to!your!snowboarding!was!discussed!at!length!and!agreed!that! for!all!snowboarders!to!be!a!positive!direction!for!instructors!to!promote.! ! By!the!end!of!the!session,!all!present!were!far!more!informed!about!key!small!differences!in! women’s!anatomy!that!we!can!be!mindful!of!when!describing!certain!movements.!Expect!this! to!be!reflected!in!the!new!content!we!are!producing.!!Thanks!to!Mellen!Gorman!for!a!very!well! delivered!session.!! ! Canada!also!ran!a!really!fun!session!in!the!park!that!afternoon!focussed!on!style.!The!highlight! being!a!30Rstrong!method!train.!Very!fun.!! Key&Take&Home&Message:& ! Don’t!use!a!one!size!fits!all.!Spend!time!as!an!Instructor!learning!more!about!Biomechanics! of!males!and!females,!lots!of!readily!available!information!out!there.!Understand!more! about!how!humans!move!and!become!a!more!effective!teacher.! !

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Austria !

“Insight!for!output!–!Feedback!learning”! ! Austria’s!indoor!lecture!honed!in!on!feedback!during!sessions,!and!how!we!must!be!careful!as! instructors!to!cut!too!much!reliance!on!the!instructor!on!the!learner’s!behalf.! ! Beware!the!Feedback&Junkie!–!Austria!described!how!they!had!listened!to!student!feedback! that!pointed!towards!a!learner!who!could!only!learn!when!face!to!face!with!an!instructor.!This! dependence!on!an!instructor!isn’t!actually!good!for!Snowboard!Schools,!and!isn’t!equipping! snowboarders!well!enough!to!continue!for!life.!! ! To!help!ensure!more!selfRsufficient!snowboarders,!the!Austrian!team!showed!us!3!key! feedback!approaches!to!better!equip!new!instructors.!These!were!all!designed!to!allow!the! student!to!be!better!at!selfRassessing!away!from!lessons.!! ! W!(Watching):!Instructor!builds!up!a!relationship!between!the!inputs!a!student!makes!and!the! tasks!they!are!trying.!Also!builds!a!scale!of!performance!that!student!and!teacher!agree!upon.! ! I!(Inside!view):!Using!the!scale!established!in!the!Watching!phase,!the!learner!tries!to! understand!how!that!‘feels’!and!associates!the!feelings!of!movement!with!outcomes!more! accurately.!Similar!to!how!BASI!terminology!would!describe!the!associative!stage!of!skill! acquisition.!Crucially!this!is!something!which!can!be!related!to!by!the!student!away!from!the! lesson.! ! R!(Reflection):!At!the!last!stage,!we!are!ensuring!that!the!perspective!of!both!instructor!and! student!is!the!same.!This!shared!perspective!of!movement!scales!/!how!it!feels!allows!the! instructor!to!suggest!changes!that!the!student!can!accurately!make.!Careful!questioning!by!the! instructor!can!really!help!ensure!understanding!on!the!learner’s!behalf.!! ! This!model!is!all!about!the!instructor!building!up!a!collaborative!relationship!with!the!student! (s).!The!team!informed!us!that!some!instructors!had!struggled!with!not!simply!dictating!what! happens!all!the!time,!and!beginning!to!allow!more!control!to!the!student.!!

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Key&Take&Home&Message:& ! Do!your!students!need!feedback!from!you!every!single!run?!If!so!–!consider!what!you!can! do!to!break!this!cycle!and!create!more!independent!and!more!knowledgeable!riders.! ! &

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New Zealand !

As!in!2011!at!the!St.!Anton!Interski!event,!the!New!Zealand!crew!had!a!very!professional! approach!with!a!large!team!and!great!clinics.!Of!note!was!how!well!Alpine!and!Snowboard! teamed!up!and!delivered!content!off!the!snow,!sharing!the!same!messages!with!different! disciplines!presenting.!! ! The!team!ran!two!clinics:!Safety,!Fun,!Achievement!and!Versatility! !

Safety,!Fun,!Achievement!

! SBINZ!recently!changed!their!model,!‘Safety,!Fun,!Learning’!to!adding!in!achievement!instead!–! reflecting!the!market!need!to!retain!more!students!and!through!the!understanding!that! achievement!means!more!to!riders!than!the!learning!process!itself.!! ! This!formed!the!basis!of!the!clinic!on! snow,!which!was!led!my!Rhys!Jones!and! Tony!Macri.!After!riding!piste,!park!and! pow!the!message!coming!across!was! that!through!building!comfort!and! confidence!throughout!a!session,!you! get!commitment!from!the!learner.!This! is!known!to!the!NZ!crew!as!‘The!3!C’s”.! Discussion!ensued!and!there!was!much! chat!about!learning!vs!achievement.!If! the!instructor!can!set!realistic!goals!and! ‘bite!size’!achievements!then!the! learning!process!is!far!smoother.!We!all! agreed!that!keeping!it!appropriately! challenging!was!the!key!to!ensuring! Hanging&with&the&Kiwis& engagement!from!learners.!!! ! If!we!can’t!offer!some!control!to!the!students!over!their!own!goals!and!the!environment!they! want!to!be!in,!then!we’ll!not!be!at!optimal!performance!levels.!! ! Overall!–!proper!buy!in!from!students!requires!commitment.!The!simple!but!effective! Confidence!+!Comfort!=!Commitment!went!a!long!way.!! ! !

NZ!S!Versatility!

! This!clinic!was!centred!on!delivering!versatile!and!adaptive!instructors!to!the!market.!Richie! Johnson!and!Keith!Stubbs!led!this!session.!! ! 13!

The!main!idea!here!was!that!versatile!riders!and!teachers!would!better!retain!students! (definitely!a!theme!this!Interski).!!Richie!also!talked!through!key!riding!tasks!at!every!level!in! the!system,!to!outline!the!instructor!pathway!for!us!all.!Through!a!number!of!really!interesting! tasks,!the!guys!led!us!through!a!lot!of!different!skill!sets!and!demanding!riding.!Instead!of! asking!people!for!identical!movement!input,!key!movement!focuses!are!addressed!whilst! allowing!for!lots!of!various!ways!to!achieve!the!output.!! ! A!strong!focus!on!foot!sensitivity!was!also!key!here.!Smaller!fine!tune!movements!can!have! large!impacts!on!outputs,!right!from!level!1!tasks!to!highRspeed!carving.!! !

The&NZ&team&took&us&through&some&tight&tree&lines&

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Key&Take&Home&Message:& ! Successful!instructors!need!to!be!multiRskilled!and!versatile!in!their!approach!to!teaching! and!their!own!riding.!Education!systems,!even!down!to!the!tasks!required!to!pass!exams,! can!really!help!this.!Achievement!is!king!when!it!comes!to!student!retention.! !

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Argentina !

The!hosts!had!taken!to!heart!the!synchronised!demonstration!idea!that!is!more!traditionally! the!realm!of!the!Alpine!teams!and!put!on!a!pretty!rad!show!in!the!park!they!had!designed! specifically!for!this.!This!included!some!pretty!close!backRtoRback!kicker!riding!and!even!midR air!crossovers.!Fair!play!Argentina!!! !

The&Park&â&#x20AC;&#x201C;&very&fun&set&up.&

The!Argentina!onRsnow!clinic!was!based!on!higher!end!riding!in!Park!and!Boardcross!â&#x20AC;&#x201C;!based! on!taking!their!focus!on!foot!steering!into!higher!end!performance!riding!with!different! applications.!!

Spinning.!After!an!introduction!to!their!system,!we!talked!through!the!concept!of!steering! through!your!lower!body!(specifically!your!feet)!and!feeling!pressure!on!the!outsides!of!both! 15!

your!feet!as!you!take!off.!We!played!on!the!piste!with!this!concept,!before!taking!it!to!the! kickers.!Interesting!concept!â&#x20AC;&#x201C;!on!a!frontside!takeRoff!feeling!your!leading!foot!rotate!into!the! outside!of!your!boot,!and!your!back!foot!to!the!inside.!On!a!backside!rotation,!feeling!your! front!foot!rotate!to!the!inside!of!your!boot,!and!the!back!foot!to!the!outside.!I!felt!this!was!an! appropriate!way!to!focus!on!one!movement!that!actually!engages!a!lot!of!other!key!muscle! groups.!! ! SBX.!Although!not!present,!I!was!informed!that!the!clinic!leader!(Diego)!had!good!World!Cup! experience!and!worked!on!using!foot!sensitivity!through!rollers!they!had!had!built.! Key&Take&Home&Message:& ! Foot!movement!is!king.!By!working!on!the!quality!of!movement!even!just!within!your!feet! in!snowboarding,!you!have!a!lot!of!performance!capability.!This!sits!with!BASI! snowboarding!very!well,!which!values!very!accurate,!wellRtimed!and!subtle!movements!in! our!feet.!Also!a!very!impressive!display!of!how!to!have!4!riders!hit!one!jump!at!the!same! time,!with!flags!and!Messi!shirts!on.! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 16!

Slovenia !

Heavy!Metal! ! Slovenia!opened!their!clinic!by!talking!about!the!psychological!barriers!learners!come!across! when!riding!rails!in!particular.!They!speculated!that!people!can!feel!competent!on!boxes!but! making!the!jump!to!thinner!rails!is!a!large!jump.!! ! They!had!a!portable!rail!prototype!that!was!designed!to!maximise!safe!repetition!and!enhance! the!comfort!of!a!rider.!A!big!factor!highlighted!was!the!getting!used!to!â&#x20AC;&#x153;Board!against!Metalâ&#x20AC;?! feeling!that!is!so!strange!for!people!at!first.!! ! The!success!even!in!our!mini!session!showed!the!potential!of!the!device.!I!know!its!being!used! a!lot!in!the!UK!(similar!versions)!and!this!was!a!great,!simple!clinic.!! ! Key&Take&Home&Message:& ! Get!the!safe!reps!in!away!from!danger!to!build!up!the!skill!safely.! ! !

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Switzerland !

The!Swiss!team!was!very!professional!and!made!up!of!a!cross!section!of!National!Team! Coaches,!Trainers!and!School!Managers!representing!their!nation!very!well.!! ! The!clinic!produced!was!entitled,!â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Learning!of!Movementsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.!The!focus!here!was!on!teaching! children,!through!using!freestyle!tasks!that!allow!the!kids!freedom!enough!to!choose!to!copy! friends,!copy!the!instructor!and/or!to!figure!it!out!themselves.!Very!similar!themes!to!the! Finnish!approach,!that!relied!on!the!instructor!being!flexible!enough!to!step!in!and!set! boundaries!where!necessary,!but!not!to!get!caught!up!to!heavily!in!stepRbyRstep!technical! explanations.!! ! The!team!also!ran!a!very!good!park!session,!that!split!everyone!into!teams!and!asked!them!to! assign!riders!to!certain!grabs!(all!on!a!Team!List!handed!out!by!Isa!who!was!presenting).!! ! Key&Take&Home&Message:& ! Clever!use!of!fun!and!engaging!tasks!mean!that!engagement,!fun!and!motivation!is!at!the! forefront!of!every!session!delivered,!regardless!of!ability.! ! !

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In Summary… !

Fishing&trip,&Argentina.&

If!you!have!read!this!far,!you’ll!notice!the!consistent!themes!creeping!across!all!the!different! clinics,!messages!and!discussions.!If!you!consider!that!there!is!not!(yet)!a!lot!of! communication!between!the!various!nations’!Snowboard!departments,!this!is!a!really!positive! outcome.!Whilst!there!remain!healthy!differences!in!opinion,!almost!all!the!nations!present! discussed!how!to!better!serve!learners!in!the!market,!and!also!how!to!better!prepare!new! instructors!coming!in.!! ! There!was!a!sense!of!there!being!an!obligation!to!the!snowboard!instruction!market,!in!terms! of!being!able!to!offer!lessons!that!help!people!‘convert’!and!commit!to!a!lifestyle!that!involves! snowboarding!at!its!heart,!rather!than!simply!offering!a!service.!! ! There!was!strong!agreement!on!the!instructor’s!role!when!it!comes!to!allowing!students!more! autonomy!and!control!over!their!learning!process.!! ! Overall!though!there!was!a!really!good!feeling!that!there!is!now!good!momentum!built!up!that! the!different!Snowboard!‘departments’!across!all!the!nations!present!(and!others)!can! maintain!through!increased!communication!and!collaboration.!We!had!a!final!team!meeting,! and!left!feeling!there!is!a!great!chance!to!continue!helping!shape!the!snowboard!instruction! market.!! ! Please!get!in!touch!if!you!have!any!queries!or!ideas!relating!to!the!above.!I!am!happy!to!share! more!information!or!put!you!in!touch!with!any!of!the!presenters.!! ! Ben!! ! 19!

Canadian hand out !

Women in Snowsports Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors

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Mellen Gorman, BScH, RMT CASI 4, Representative CASI Technical & Education Committee

1. Anatomical: “How we’re built” Centre of Mass (CoM) Quadriceps Angle (Q Angle)

Symptom

Cause (key differences between men & women)

Female snow slider bends forward at the hips/ “breaks” at the waist or “pikes”

Centre of mass location slightly rearwards of centre. Feet are often proportionally smaller for height.

Teaching solutions & modifications

Equipment: frequently bindings are placed too far towards heel edge because of small size of rider’s feet in proportion to height. Set up bindings centered edge-to-edge or biased slightly towards toe-edge to bring CoM towards midline of equipment.

Static/constant position Specific coaching to encourage CoM centered over centre of equipment, rather than cantilevering upper body forward to balance rearward-displaced CoM. Knees turn inwards / “Aframe” /genu valgum Knee pain/discomfort Limited mobility or lack of power in flexion & extension

Anatomical differences in pelvis width & femur anteversion = Q angle. Tendency for women to distribute more weight toward the medial (big toe) side of foot aka “how to walk in high heels”. *pelvic tilt & weakness in quads will exacerbate genu valgum.

Specific coaching to encourage knees to track over the feet with flexion: 1. External rotation at the hip = knees track more naturally over the feet, 2. Encourage weight distribution to be on outer edge of foot, rather than medial side. Equipment: Even though in normal gait toes might be straight or toe-in, set up snowboard with 25-30° angles between the feet to encourage neutral or external rotation at the hip to encourage knees moving in line with feet as opposed to tracking inwards

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