Over the last 20 years, snowboarding has been through a breakthrough on whats possible, exploring and defining new boundaries year after year. Progression and motor learning go by hand season after season, where young athletes grow pushing existing realities and unbinding new movement possibilities.
Since the popularity of double corks in 2006 and it wide extension to competition, nowadays its prevalence are a basic standard in the Big Air, Slopestyle and Half pipe scene. Sport progression was led towards the known DD (Danger and Difficulty). Flip and spin became the line of action/learning to keep progression in snowboarding over the years and it was well rooted due to judging criteria and its rewards during contest performances. The trend was changed during Olympic snowboard slope style Pyeongchang 2018 debut where scorings drifted to the known reference and got a point of discussion and send reflexive thoughts to the community. Is that the way we want to develop snowboarding?
Obviously, snowboarding and its top end has grown more than the before mentioned aspects, features got safer and bigger, trick variety has been extending athlete learning skills, gender level is progressing toward equity and many more.
Mention has to be made to the quality practice and skill development achieved on progression camps during early/end season over the last decade, the reality we live today is a consequence of it. What was once only for professional athletes it has become mandatory to anyone willing to step into the competition and professional scene. Spots where dreams come true and athletes together push and challenge themselves to unwind progression.
Hold on, its 2022. Where 1800º’s come from?
Its clear by now that snowboarding is a dynamic sport lead by fast progression and motor learning skills. Once was time for double 1080º’s, followed by flat and double 1260º and it continued until flat and triple 1440º established the new gold standard. A reference which now, the 1800º contender, looks to over-rank. Lets take a look at 1800º history and when did start to be seen:
+ Sebastian Toutant (CAN), was seen practicing Cab 1800º triple in Saas Fee (CH) in october 2015.
+ Billy Morgan (UK), landed the first recorded Backside 1800º Quad Cork in Mottolino (ITA) in april 2015.
+ Vlad Khadarin (RUS), landed a flat Frontside 1800º in Saas Fee (CH) in october 2017.
+ Markus Kleveland, landed the first competition Backside Quad Cork 1800º at XGames BA Aspen (USA) in february 2017.
+ Takeru Otsuka, stomped the first Frontside Quad Cork 1800º at XGames BA Aspen (USA) in february 2021.
Dynamic gold standards: New lead
Its 2022, it took 7 long years to consistently spread progression towards 1800’s. Considering the extended trick list athletes learn to perform on demand (about 40 manuevers with simple grab) in freestyle snowboarding. Could had happen earlier? a) Perhaps but we will agree that since Pyeongchang Slopestyle and Big Air and event Halfpipe snowboarding had prevalence focus on style, rotation management and other highlights reflected on when we see high performance riding today and
b) skill development and motor learning at this level of complexity is not a straight line.
Let’s go back on time few months…..It is October 2022…..Saas Fee (CH) where The Stomping Grounds (a performance training camp) takes place. Let’s narrow our focus on a young 17 year old rider. On October 18th Yuto Miyamura posted on social media the remarkable achievement of have been successfully landed all four 1800º’s. A quest easily said rather than done.
Before keep reading, take your time and watch Yutos Miyamura performance here.
Many riders have been pushing to successfully unlock an learn 1800’s recently, we have seen the same pattern over the years but all four flats all in? That calls the attention.
The time has come. We reached an in-flexion point on riders motor learning goals. Elite men Slopestye and Big Air game has changed. 1800’s are on the table. You are in or you are out. That simple.
Behind the “Spin to win”
Sensationalism and divulge unlimited human potential are not EVOLVE Snowboarding goals. We will rather promote snowboarding through sport and learning science.
Let take a closer look at how Yuto’s does all 1800º’s but before we delve deep into it. Grab a stopwatch and spin 5 times in a row. How long did it take? Now we are ready to keep reading and bring those numbers to reality.
Yuto’s spends and average of 2.48 seconds on the air. This time allows him to spin up to 5 times 1800º over his superior-inferior axis. Light body motion tilts during rotation but never flips. In order to do so he spins at an average of 2.03Hz (for those how know Hertz (Hz) is an angular measurement unit which reflects 1 spin of 360º per second). The remarkable achievement is that an athlete has to be able to generate a great amount of rotational torque at the take off efficiently transition to maintain/increase/decrease rotational momentum.
A maximal of 3.03Hz its been seen at take off, and a minimum rotational angular velocity of 1.58Hz, what makes the minimum relatively high.
Yuto’s maneuvers are remarkable textbook performances with a smooth rotational angular management due to its grab held an average of 1.66 seconds. This number represents 67% of the total air time during trick execution. During this time he is able to efficiently conserve rotational momentum and maintain/increase/decrease his rotational velocity seen in the charts.
Highlight that such performance showcase a deep assimilation and therefore learning of the skill which is controlled unconsciously at sub-cortical level. During the air time span and high rotational speed his inputs do not even reach the brain. True movement learning mastery.
Here are displayed all four 1800º kinematics and its dynamics:
Do not leave now! What about the takeaways?
High end performance snowboarding has been analyzed in this blog post. Each rider has to adapt their performance at their respective level. It took 7 years (give it or take) to the most renowned professional athletes to practice and ultimately learn complex motions. Despite new terrain parks builds and jumps clearly promoting safer practice it is clear that on top of it appropriate level of learning and sub-cortical motor control is a must to excel. Goals achieved with quality practice and time. Effective and efficient progression are consequence of planned and delivered practice structures inducing adequate skill learning.
As for performance analysis and it consequences in its respective coaching, this information and its correct interpretation are key to promote athlete skill learning and extend the library of freestyle tricks in SS, BA and even HP at all levels. Practical applications of snowboard science are a fundamental support to complete learning processes. What are your next goals?
EVOLVE Team / Simply, Riding Better
