Can't ollie

This is my third season snowboarding and would like to learn some
tricks. I tried to ollie but it seems I'm not doing it the right way,
I can jump but I think I'm not at all using the flex of my board.
I try to raise my front foot instead of pushing both feet to the floor
but my board doesn't fold!!! Is my Burton Clash 158 too stiff ?
Am I doing that the wrong way ? Can you describe the correct way to
ollie a snowboard ? or should I take a lesson?

thanks for any help!

you probably want to check if the board is a freeride board or a
freestyle board (or all-mountain freestyle board). Freeride boards are
usually too stiff to flex them. If you have a freestyle board, I find
it easier to lean on the tail than to lift the front foot (although
they both may appear the same), and the bring the knees to your chest
and then land flat on the board.

you probably want to check if the board is a freeride board or a
freestyle board (or all-mountain freestyle board). Freeride boards are
usually too stiff to flex them. If you have a freestyle board, I find
it easier to lean on the tail than to lift the front foot (although
they both may appear the same), and the bring the knees to your chest
and then land flat on the board.

On Sat, 25 Dec 2004 14:23:29 +0100, nkk wrote:

This is my third season snowboarding and would like to learn some
tricks. I tried to ollie but it seems I'm not doing it the right way,
I can jump but I think I'm not at all using the flex of my board.
I try to raise my front foot instead of pushing both feet to the floor
but my board doesn't fold!!! Is my Burton Clash 158 too stiff ?
Am I doing that the wrong way ? Can you describe the correct way to
ollie a snowboard ? or should I take a lesson?

thanks for any help!
This any use to you?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/h...00/3254915.stm

nkk wrote:
This is my third season snowboarding and would like to learn some
tricks. I tried to ollie but it seems I'm not doing it the right way,
I can jump but I think I'm not at all using the flex of my board.
I try to raise my front foot instead of pushing both feet to the
floor
but my board doesn't fold!!! Is my Burton Clash 158 too stiff ?
Am I doing that the wrong way ? Can you describe the correct way to
ollie a snowboard ? or should I take a lesson?

thanks for any help!

Your Burton Clash is actually a rather soft board, so it should be very
easy to flex once you do it right (and you'll be like... "oh! that's
how"). I think you probably aren't using your hips/torso enough to
initiate the ollie and flex the board. Try leaning back over your back
foot first with your legs straight so you are "pulling" the board up
with your hips and you legs are just like "straight ropes". Here is a
photo of an exaggerated example:

http://tinyurl.com/4m9r3

Go ahead and try this in your living room - you should be able to pull
the board up this way - your hips are what give you the power to flex a
board. You need to use your legs in conjunction with your hips to flex
the board (this actually true of many sports). Anyways, the trick to
doing an ollie is swinging back your weight a little to flex to board
like this, and then swinging it forward (to balance) as your enter the
air (I grossly simplified it, so ask me if you have more questions).

Hope that helps... oh and btw, if you are doing well made jumps, you
don't need to ollie at all, the lip of the jump should throw your into
the air properly if you have enough speed. Speed is so much more
important starting out. Maybe when you become good, you can compensate
for a lack of speed with a big ollie, but definitely not starting out.
This is just my opinion of course... Good luck!

lonerider wrote:
nkk wrote:

This is my third season snowboarding and would like to learn some
tricks. I tried to ollie but it seems I'm not doing it the right way,
I can jump but I think I'm not at all using the flex of my board.
I try to raise my front foot instead of pushing both feet to the

floor

but my board doesn't fold!!! Is my Burton Clash 158 too stiff ?
Am I doing that the wrong way ? Can you describe the correct way to
ollie a snowboard ? or should I take a lesson?

thanks for any help!


Your Burton Clash is actually a rather soft board, so it should be very
easy to flex once you do it right (and you'll be like... "oh! that's
how"). I think you probably aren't using your hips/torso enough to
initiate the ollie and flex the board. Try leaning back over your back
foot first with your legs straight so you are "pulling" the board up
with your hips and you legs are just like "straight ropes". Here is a
photo of an exaggerated example:

http://tinyurl.com/4m9r3

Go ahead and try this in your living room - you should be able to pull
the board up this way - your hips are what give you the power to flex a
board. You need to use your legs in conjunction with your hips to flex
the board (this actually true of many sports). Anyways, the trick to
doing an ollie is swinging back your weight a little to flex to board
like this, and then swinging it forward (to balance) as your enter the
air (I grossly simplified it, so ask me if you have more questions).

Hope that helps... oh and btw, if you are doing well made jumps, you
don't need to ollie at all, the lip of the jump should throw your into
the air properly if you have enough speed. Speed is so much more
important starting out. Maybe when you become good, you can compensate
for a lack of speed with a big ollie, but definitely not starting out.
This is just my opinion of course... Good luck!


Hi Lonerider, thanks for your help!!
I'm trying on a carpet right now: following your post I can now flex the
board and jump 8-11" from the floor. I move my weight to the tail, then
jump (push to the floor) using only my back foot and while entering air
I swing my weight forward to balance the board (parallel to the floor),
is this right ?
Only a couple of problems:
- when I jump, the board moves slightly backward
- I find it difficult to lean back over my back foot with straight legs,
is it because I have my highbacks very angled ?

lonerider wrote:
nkk wrote:

This is my third season snowboarding and would like to learn some
tricks. I tried to ollie but it seems I'm not doing it the right way,
I can jump but I think I'm not at all using the flex of my board.
I try to raise my front foot instead of pushing both feet to the

floor

but my board doesn't fold!!! Is my Burton Clash 158 too stiff ?
Am I doing that the wrong way ? Can you describe the correct way to
ollie a snowboard ? or should I take a lesson?

thanks for any help!


Your Burton Clash is actually a rather soft board, so it should be very
easy to flex once you do it right (and you'll be like... "oh! that's
how"). I think you probably aren't using your hips/torso enough to
initiate the ollie and flex the board. Try leaning back over your back
foot first with your legs straight so you are "pulling" the board up
with your hips and you legs are just like "straight ropes". Here is a
photo of an exaggerated example:

http://tinyurl.com/4m9r3

Go ahead and try this in your living room - you should be able to pull
the board up this way - your hips are what give you the power to flex a
board. You need to use your legs in conjunction with your hips to flex
the board (this actually true of many sports). Anyways, the trick to
doing an ollie is swinging back your weight a little to flex to board
like this, and then swinging it forward (to balance) as your enter the
air (I grossly simplified it, so ask me if you have more questions).

Hope that helps... oh and btw, if you are doing well made jumps, you
don't need to ollie at all, the lip of the jump should throw your into
the air properly if you have enough speed. Speed is so much more
important starting out. Maybe when you become good, you can compensate
for a lack of speed with a big ollie, but definitely not starting out.
This is just my opinion of course... Good luck!


Hi Lonerider, thanks for your help!!
I'm trying on a carpet right now: following your post I can now flex the
board and jump 8-11" from the floor. I move my weight to the tail, then
jump (push to the floor) using only my back foot and while entering air
I swing my weight forward to balance the board (parallel to the floor),
is this right ?
Only a couple of problems:
- when I jump, the board moves slightly backward
- I find it difficult to lean back over my back foot with straight legs,
is it because I have my highbacks very angled ?

nkk wrote:
Hi Lonerider, thanks for your help!!
I'm trying on a carpet right now: following your post I can now flex
the
board and jump 8-11" from the floor. I move my weight to the tail,
then
jump (push to the floor) using only my back foot and while entering
air
I swing my weight forward to balance the board (parallel to the
floor),
is this right ?

Yea, that's the basic idea.

Only a couple of problems:
- when I jump, the board moves slightly backward

I think that will decrease as you slowly lean to blend the actions into
only smooth motion. As you get better, you won't need to throw your
whole body weight back to flex the board and also you will be able to
get more of a forward jump in the second half of the ollie. Also, that
won't be as much of an issue when you are on snow instead of carpet and
when you are moving forward.

- I find it difficult to lean back over my back foot with straight
legs,
is it because I have my highbacks very angled ?

Yes, if your highbacks have a lot of "forward lean" in them, it will be
a little difficult to lean back over your back foot with straight legs.
However, you eventually will want to ollie with slightly bent legs
(just a little) anyways, pulling with your leg in combination with
pulling with your hip (more power and it is easier to keep your balance
that way). I just told you to pull with your legs straight so you
realize that you should be using your "hips" a lot to pull up the front
foot. Again mainly I think that will go away as you practice more and
the whole ollie becomes one smooth motion.

Glad I was able to help, just keep practicing and you will become a
master in no time!

Baka Dasai wrote:

That sounds like nonsense. I ride a carving board that is far stiffer
than any "freeride" deck, and it's easy to ollie it. It doesn't flex so
far, but it doesn't need to because when it snaps back it has a helluva
lot more power than a softer board.



yeah....I'm no expert when it comes to freestyle but I definitely hit my
share of kickers, boxes and the occassional rail. I learned to ollie a
skateboard as a kid but by no means was ever great at it (12-18" max), I
could bunny hop a bmx bike or scooter really well. when ollieing on a
snowboard it seems to me (just like on anything else) that it's more
about timing than how stiff the board is.

it might be a tad easier for a skilled rider to jump higher on a flexy
board, but to me if you know how to hop up on your board you're going to
be able to do it regardless of the inherent stiffness, or lack thereof.
the one I usually ride for park stuff is a medium flex, and though I'm
still getting used to doing more of that in the snow, it doesn't seem to
help nor hinder me one way or the other. in fact if it was super flexy
it probably would have thrown me off quite a bit up until now.

bri

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