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Part II: Let's Try This Again
By Ted Shred

Okay you've tried it and failed.  You hit the ground hard and went home 
with your tail between your legs.

Or maybe you didn't fall, but things are still  awkward.  You just don't 
get it... yet.

I want you to gather yourself, grab your board and head back to your 
favorite slope.  Let's start again from the top.

Here are some more tips to help you refine your ride and get you smoothly
down the hill:

1) Feet Positioning

I reiterate here - Feet positioning is THE KEY to learning how to carve.  
* My feet are always in the same spot no matter what.  The first thing I 
do is look at where I put my feet.  I just look for a second to make sure.
* My back foot is just in front of the stomp pad (it should be touching for
tall rippers - a little farther forward for the vertically challenged) and
my front foot is centered on the triangle of my grip - about a foot and a
half from the nose.  They are both in the center, my back foot is sideways
to the board and my front is pointed a little bit forward.
* A little trick to make sure your feet are centered is to bounce slightly
up and down.  If you start turning, your feet are not centered.

2) Balance

* Now my feet are in position, I start gaining speed, and as I ready for a
turn I...
* Shift Weight Over Back Foot!  Balance is very important in making smooth
turns.  When I turn my board, I shift my weight just a little so that I'm
positioned a little over my back foot.  As I lean, my back wheels grip
better and turn me faster.
* Leaning forward will limit your ability to maneuver so keep this in mind
when making that first turn.  You'll know when you're shifting your weight
back because your thigh will be burning.  This is good!  Carveboarding is 
a physical sport and very cardiovascular.

In my first Chronicle, "Learning to Carveboard," I talked about leaning 
into my turns and LOOKING.  This will help you enormously as you make 
sharper turns and want to slow yourself down.  However there is another 
important part I failed to mention... 

3) Arms

* "My arms are like two pendulums and when I swing them, the rest of my 
body follows."

* As I make a turn my arms are outstretched for balance.  My front arm
points towards where I'm turning and my back arm follows in the same
direction.  As my upper body twists, my lower body follows and I make 
smooth coordinated turns looking at where I'm going.
 
* Some people have some bad habits and their arms swing all over the place.
This is not good.  Your arms can throw you off balance if your not using
them properly so that is why I came up with this drill:
- The Grab That Fanny Drill - Keep in mind that this drill is not
recommended on the STEEP STUFF
- In order to start the drill you must first make sure your feet are in
position and head down the hill
- Before you make your first turn, take your back arm and grab your fanny!
That's right, don't be shy!  Grab some cheek! 
- As you start your turn, point to where you want to go with your front arm
- Anchoring your back arm will help you center yourself over your board and
put more weight over your back foot at the same time
- This may feel goofy but it will look a lot cooler to your friends instead
of that Jigaboo you've been doing with flailing arms

* Do The Grab That Fanny Drill until you can lean the board over in either
direction comfortable and make turns with your rear arm planted on your
rear!  Then you can revisit this later and always be aware of where your
arms are going as you make coordinated turns down the hill

4) Pump

* As you master the four points I mentioned - feet positioning, balance,
looking and arms - you will be ready to start pumping
* Pumping is what we do to when we want to get speed.  You might use this 
to get moving through the flats or to get a little extra speed when charging
into a driveway or something steeper.
* This is an advanced skill and will be easier to learn after you are
comfortable making good turns.  I will not get into it here for sake of
space - and I'm sure you're sick of reading.  But this is where the sport
starts to mimic surfing a bit.
* My best advice would be to grab your favorite surf video.  Watch for the
sections where a surfer needs to get speed to make it past a closeout
section or before they go for a trick.  Kelly Slater would be an ideal
person to watch doing this.  He was really good at this even as a little
kid.  You will see their arms swing around in circles as they gain speed
down the line.

We'll get into more advanced carving in the next Carving Chronicles.  See
you then, Shred fans.

Ted Shred