No confidence in the park

Get drunk

There's not really anyway we can help you. Go for it. Maybe ride with friends... if you still can't attempt a 360 when friends are hyping you up you have a pretty serious issue and should go see a doctor for anxiety. Honestly just do it dude. It's a 360.

Just keep doing it. Confidence really comes down to getting comfortable and muscle memory.

For the 360 turn your head and keep your body level. For 180s and sometimes 360s you can jump and spin. For 3s and def 5s and up you kind of have to spin level. When spinning your body follows your head. Natural to look down at snow especially on 180s you kind of pop and lock eyes to where you're coming down. With 3's keep your head turned. Even if you're low air, and landing 270 reverting, that's not a bad start imo. Just keep doinig it till they come fully around in the air. When you get them, keep doing them.

Lots of mountains build smaller parks these days, great for learning to slide rails. Shorter length features, lower to the ground. Just gotta commit on the ski slide. It's one of those brain tricks where you brain tries to keep you safe but fucks you up. The more you commit the safer you are. Crank some tunes, or roll with friends and just send it.

Small parks are always good for getting confidence, learning some new tricks, or polishing the style.

Don't stress it, just have fun. If a certain trick isn't happening, try some things you know you can do. Land a few things then go back to it. It's fucking skiing, don't take it too seriously.

Yeah dude you’re gonna fall, it happens to every skier- it’s how we get better. Just accept this and keep trying and have some faith in yourself.


And remember:

“you miss 100% Of the shots you never take”

-Michael Scott

Thanks for the replies, I obviously have some confidence issues that I need to work on.

I wonder if taking a beta blocker would help. I have no clue if it would, nor have I ever taken a beta blocker. I know it's use is fairly common in live performance people.

Best thing to do is to face your own shortcomings head on. Not only will you progress on the slopes, but you'll learn a lot more about yourself in the process.

Honestly, this. Sent my first backie after a few beers

Edit: If you do get hurt after, itll hurt much less with beer

GarrettHanleyGet drunk

**This post was edited on Dec 28th 2018 at 6:36:22pm

do 360s everywhere.
walking down the stairs? 360 off the last one.
walking to the kitchen? 360.
just got out of the car? 360.

no joke. in all seriousness. I started doing them inside to get my feet and spin right and then you just start spinning everywhere for fun like your a 5 year old. your roommates may think you're an idiot but first attempt of the season guess what happened...360.

Young_pattyYeah dude you’re gonna fall, it happens to every skier- it’s how we get better. Just accept this and keep trying and have some faith in yourself.


And remember:

“you miss 100% Of the shots you never take”

-Michael Scott

I’m pretty sure that that’s by Wayne Gretzky but it could be by him too. Hence you skied in the state of hockey

I first learned my 360s by carving off side hits and doing 270s. Low risk. You get like 1 foot off the ground.

sbensI’ve been skiing since I was like 7 (I’m 16) but not until this year have I actually started riding park. I can 50/50 boxes and do 180s and simple grabs. I’ve been attempting to do 360s but whenever I do one I always stop at 180 and I can’t really figure out why. I have bad confidence issues and I try to tell myself I can do it but when I get to the jump I guess I just pussy out. It’s the same thing with rails, I just can’t build the confidence to jump and turn and actually hit the rail. If anybody has tips on how to boost confidence I’d appreciate it, I’m sick of being a pussy but I can’t break the habit lmao.

I have the same problems and I could three last season and now I can’t I don’t understand how it works

Your not a pussy, your brain does not have confidence because your body does not know what its doing. If you train your body off the snow, you will build confidence on the snow. There are a few different disciplines that will build the foundation you need, these were drilled into me when I was on the CU Freeride program:

1. Learn the "pop". When hitting a rail or jump, getting a good pop off the lip is everything and the foundation every trick is based on. To perfect your pop, your legs need to learn to launch equally and with control. Luckily, its really easy to train to do this. Here are some exercises you can do at home and at the gym:

Box jumps at the gym- find a box height you can jump onto comfortably and repeatedly. When you jump, be sure to be smooth and even with both legs. Also, and I will stress this over and over, is to keep you eyes level and forward. Use your peripheral vision to spot you landing on top of the box.

Stair Jumps- You can do this at home or at the gym. Find a stair set and jump up 3 stairs at a time while keeping your eyes forward, learn to trust your peripheral vision on the landing. This may actually be uncomfortable at first but its part of the confidence you are building.

Floor Jumps: On flat ground simply jump and land in place while keeping your eyes forward and hands in front of you. Do this 10 times then jump and do a 180 ten times while again keeping your eyes on the horizon line (Forward). When you rotate also focus on 'engage your core' which means keep those abs tight and legs strong your your whole body rotates as a singe unit.

2. Air Sense- As a human, you have evolved by being on the ground and that is what your body is used to. Being in the air is not a natural state and takes some training to make you used to flying. There are two good ways of building 'air sense'. The first is hitting up your local YMCA with diving boards. The trick here is to again get a good pop and make sure to keep your eyes level. That means DO NOT look down on the board when you jump, instead keep your eyes forward and use your peripheral vision. Do about 10 straight air jumps until you get a good groove. Then work on doing 180's off the board then 360s. Again, make sure your eyes are on the horizon level as you rotate and your core is engaged. This will go along way with feeling that full 360 rotation and get your body used to being in the air. The other way to do this is on a buddy's trampoline or even better get a day pass at the local gymnastics center. The tramps there are cool because they have pads you can land on which is more realistic to landing in the park.

Once you master these two aspects and build the muscle memory you can take it to the park. Again, make sure you build the foundation first. Pick a smaller jump line and do some straight air laps and focus on your training. As you drop into the jump say to yourself. "Eyes up... Engage Core... Clean pop" This will keep your mind focused on what to do instead of the typical panic that can set in riding into a feature. Once you have straight air down, do a few laps with 180s and when you feel comfortable work on 360s. Go slow and really master one level before moving on to greater rotation.

JAHpowI wonder if taking a beta blocker would help. I have no clue if it would, nor have I ever taken a beta blocker. I know it's use is fairly common in live performance people.

Best thing to do is to face your own shortcomings head on. Not only will you progress on the slopes, but you'll learn a lot more about yourself in the process.

He should probably get a lobotomy just like you did.

Take baby steps op. On day 1 work on the most basic tricks you can do comfy. On day 2 add a 180 etc..
Just take it slow. Your body will gain coordination with time and you will progress slowly but surely. Dont french fry when youre
Supposed to pizza.

postal_slimedo 360s everywhere.
walking down the stairs? 360 off the last one.
walking to the kitchen? 360.
just got out of the car? 360.

no joke. in all seriousness. I started doing them inside to get my feet and spin right and then you just start spinning everywhere for fun like your a 5 year old. your roommates may think you're an idiot but first attempt of the season guess what happened...360.

Holy nostalgia to being young and curb shredding, spinning down flights of stairs in my shoes. Through a 5 inside at my birthday party and ripped part of my head open on the ceiling and got concussed falling down a flight of stairs, but ate some cake and went snowboarding because yolo.

For on skis the spin everywhere is great too though. There a certain jump that's "better" for things because of height etc but then there is the comfort level. Sometimes a jump that's too small to do a trick is better because you aren't scared and commit. IE, learning 3s on some bullshit side hit or roller instead of the 800 jumps park crew built you. Sometimes trying to spin a 3 on flat ground is good. Probably won't make it past 270 but it gets you spinning level.

I def hop too much on 3s and tend to be a pussy and get backseat and slide out sometimes on down features. Just keep shredding op. Grab an album from that hip hop group your mom warned you about, crank it up till yur deaf, and fucking send 'er.

TRVP_ANGELHe should probably get a lobotomy just like you did.

At least he doesn't have a confidence issue when it comes to changing his NS username.

Honestly you’re gonna have to just get comfortable with getting uncomfortable. You can baby step it as much as you want but ultimately in skiing (and life) learning a willingness to step out of your comfort zone is gonna be nothing but good news.

That said - optimizing the rest of the environment so you can develop that can be good. I struggled with the same thing learning 3s even on baby jumps. Just so fucking scared and self conscious. Then built a jump with a couple friends in a glade with a soft landing where nobody was watching and just gave er. Feeling totally blind mid rotation was unsettling at first but you get used to it. After that trying other new scary things was also easier. Adrenaline becomes your friend.

theabortionatorJust keep doing it. Confidence really comes down to getting comfortable and muscle memory.

For the 360 turn your head and keep your body level. For 180s and sometimes 360s you can jump and spin. For 3s and def 5s and up you kind of have to spin level. When spinning your body follows your head. Natural to look down at snow especially on 180s you kind of pop and lock eyes to where you're coming down. With 3's keep your head turned. Even if you're low air, and landing 270 reverting, that's not a bad start imo. Just keep doinig it till they come fully around in the air. When you get them, keep doing them.

Lots of mountains build smaller parks these days, great for learning to slide rails. Shorter length features, lower to the ground. Just gotta commit on the ski slide. It's one of those brain tricks where you brain tries to keep you safe but fucks you up. The more you commit the safer you are. Crank some tunes, or roll with friends and just send it.

Small parks are always good for getting confidence, learning some new tricks, or polishing the style.

Don't stress it, just have fun. If a certain trick isn't happening, try some things you know you can do. Land a few things then go back to it. It's fucking skiing, don't take it too seriously.

Thank you, it helps a lot for somebody to explain how to actually do the tricks.

postal_slimedo 360s everywhere.
walking down the stairs? 360 off the last one.
walking to the kitchen? 360.
just got out of the car? 360.

no joke. in all seriousness. I started doing them inside to get my feet and spin right and then you just start spinning everywhere for fun like your a 5 year old. your roommates may think you're an idiot but first attempt of the season guess what happened...360.

It can't hurt, I'll start doing 360s everywhere haha

SuspiciousFishYour not a pussy, your brain does not have confidence because your body does not know what its doing. If you train your body off the snow, you will build confidence on the snow. There are a few different disciplines that will build the foundation you need, these were drilled into me when I was on the CU Freeride program:

1. Learn the "pop". When hitting a rail or jump, getting a good pop off the lip is everything and the foundation every trick is based on. To perfect your pop, your legs need to learn to launch equally and with control. Luckily, its really easy to train to do this. Here are some exercises you can do at home and at the gym:

Box jumps at the gym- find a box height you can jump onto comfortably and repeatedly. When you jump, be sure to be smooth and even with both legs. Also, and I will stress this over and over, is to keep you eyes level and forward. Use your peripheral vision to spot you landing on top of the box.

Stair Jumps- You can do this at home or at the gym. Find a stair set and jump up 3 stairs at a time while keeping your eyes forward, learn to trust your peripheral vision on the landing. This may actually be uncomfortable at first but its part of the confidence you are building.

Floor Jumps: On flat ground simply jump and land in place while keeping your eyes forward and hands in front of you. Do this 10 times then jump and do a 180 ten times while again keeping your eyes on the horizon line (Forward). When you rotate also focus on 'engage your core' which means keep those abs tight and legs strong your your whole body rotates as a singe unit.

2. Air Sense- As a human, you have evolved by being on the ground and that is what your body is used to. Being in the air is not a natural state and takes some training to make you used to flying. There are two good ways of building 'air sense'. The first is hitting up your local YMCA with diving boards. The trick here is to again get a good pop and make sure to keep your eyes level. That means DO NOT look down on the board when you jump, instead keep your eyes forward and use your peripheral vision. Do about 10 straight air jumps until you get a good groove. Then work on doing 180's off the board then 360s. Again, make sure your eyes are on the horizon level as you rotate and your core is engaged. This will go along way with feeling that full 360 rotation and get your body used to being in the air. The other way to do this is on a buddy's trampoline or even better get a day pass at the local gymnastics center. The tramps there are cool because they have pads you can land on which is more realistic to landing in the park.

Once you master these two aspects and build the muscle memory you can take it to the park. Again, make sure you build the foundation first. Pick a smaller jump line and do some straight air laps and focus on your training. As you drop into the jump say to yourself. "Eyes up... Engage Core... Clean pop" This will keep your mind focused on what to do instead of the typical panic that can set in riding into a feature. Once you have straight air down, do a few laps with 180s and when you feel comfortable work on 360s. Go slow and really master one level before moving on to greater rotation.

Thank you, I defiantly need to get used to being in the air because sometimes I freak out and start falling on the big jumps.

JAHpowAt least he doesn't have a confidence issue when it comes to changing his NS username.

I don't get it lmao

KevskiHonestly you’re gonna have to just get comfortable with getting uncomfortable. You can baby step it as much as you want but ultimately in skiing (and life) learning a willingness to step out of your comfort zone is gonna be nothing but good news.

That said - optimizing the rest of the environment so you can develop that can be good. I struggled with the same thing learning 3s even on baby jumps. Just so fucking scared and self conscious. Then built a jump with a couple friends in a glade with a soft landing where nobody was watching and just gave er. Feeling totally blind mid rotation was unsettling at first but you get used to it. After that trying other new scary things was also easier. Adrenaline becomes your friend.

I can relate to this because I couldn't do 180s until I built a jump in my backyard with my friends, maybe I will do the same to learn 3s and other tricks. Thanks.

Thanks for all the replies!

sbensI don't get it lmao

https://www.newschoolers.com/forum/thread/865961/Pick-my-new-name

BigPurpleSkiSuitHonestly, this. Sent my first backie after a few beers

Edit: If you do get hurt after, itll hurt much less with beer


**This post was edited on Dec 28th 2018 at 6:36:22pm

Liquid courage

Start off on smaller shit and then work your way up, you should be constantly challenging yourself. And acknowledge the fact that you WILL fall, if your not falling on stuff you try then try something a little more difficult than that. If you can imagine yourself doing the trick and you know how to do it, then send it, chances are you might fall the first few times but there is nothing better than stomping that trick you've worked hard on. The 360s were a problem for me too, I just stopped at 180 and wasn't really going for it. I knew what I had to do and I got sick of being a pussy and I just committed to it. In essence, if you know what you're doing then you have to commit, you're the only one who can make yourself commit.

Above all make sure your skis are proper park skis. I've been skiing since i was 2 (now 16) and have been skiing at a very advanced level for as long as i can remember. I always hung out in the parks, but had alpine skis that were very incapable of doing anything in the park, The skis would barely let me hit the boxes, and it wasn't fun. I could hit and land every jump, but it was always one of those moments where your anus puckers up mid air. I just got my new J Vacation Skis a week ago, and have already made insane amounts of progressions. Any jump is doable, and boxes and rails are pieces of cake. MAKE SURE YOU GOT THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB!!!

Remove all expectation of what you "should" be able to do and just ride. Let it come naturally and don't get bent out of shape about the fact that you're afraid, everything will come in time.

I have a similar problem with commitment, I get these terrible mental blocks all the time, it took me 4 months to push myself to drop in on a 3 foot ramp at my local skate park. It took me a full season to rack up the confidence to slide rails and over time, I feel like I've used every commitment trick in the books. The one that I think helps the most is for sure getting out of your comfort zone often. Committing to shit is hard as fuck, but if you commit to something scary every day then that feeling of hesitation or panic becomes manageable. Commitment is a skill, and the best way to practice it is to do it, even if its just committing to asking out that girl in chem class or if its going climbing even though you're petrified of heights. Baby steps methods work, but sometimes you just gotta buck up and send it, and getting practice pushing through that barrier has the biggest impact on your overall ability to commit. Also alcohol works wonders for mental blocks but it might not be the best habit to pick up at 16.

I had the same issue when I was about 12-14 and had very little experience also (racing skis). Basically I just went into my yard built a small jump practiced my threes, railslides, sw on, fs and f2 which are all pretty basic tricks. Once I had those tricks in my bag I gained confidence at my local hill and really wasn’t afraid to to master and try harder things after that because I wasn’t killing myself on a basic railslide.

So more than half your life you’ve been ducking out of hitting jumps and just speed checking

Maybe practice more side hits or go back to racing

JT9DStart off on smaller shit and then work your way up, you should be constantly challenging yourself. And acknowledge the fact that you WILL fall, if your not falling on stuff you try then try something a little more difficult than that. If you can imagine yourself doing the trick and you know how to do it, then send it, chances are you might fall the first few times but there is nothing better than stomping that trick you've worked hard on. The 360s were a problem for me too, I just stopped at 180 and wasn't really going for it. I knew what I had to do and I got sick of being a pussy and I just committed to it. In essence, if you know what you're doing then you have to commit, you're the only one who can make yourself commit.

Thank you for the advice, I went out last night and almost stomped a 3.. ended up landing 270 and falling on my ass. I'll get there.

bike.life.beckAbove all make sure your skis are proper park skis. I've been skiing since i was 2 (now 16) and have been skiing at a very advanced level for as long as i can remember. I always hung out in the parks, but had alpine skis that were very incapable of doing anything in the park, The skis would barely let me hit the boxes, and it wasn't fun. I could hit and land every jump, but it was always one of those moments where your anus puckers up mid air. I just got my new J Vacation Skis a week ago, and have already made insane amounts of progressions. Any jump is doable, and boxes and rails are pieces of cake. MAKE SURE YOU GOT THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB!!!

I have Line TW's, and I would say I am an expert skier in everything but park, but I guess it just takes time and I'll get there eventually.

JWillySkeezRemove all expectation of what you "should" be able to do and just ride. Let it come naturally and don't get bent out of shape about the fact that you're afraid, everything will come in time.

Thank you for this.

jacksmagicshirtI have a similar problem with commitment, I get these terrible mental blocks all the time, it took me 4 months to push myself to drop in on a 3 foot ramp at my local skate park. It took me a full season to rack up the confidence to slide rails and over time, I feel like I've used every commitment trick in the books. The one that I think helps the most is for sure getting out of your comfort zone often. Committing to shit is hard as fuck, but if you commit to something scary every day then that feeling of hesitation or panic becomes manageable. Commitment is a skill, and the best way to practice it is to do it, even if its just committing to asking out that girl in chem class or if its going climbing even though you're petrified of heights. Baby steps methods work, but sometimes you just gotta buck up and send it, and getting practice pushing through that barrier has the biggest impact on your overall ability to commit. Also alcohol works wonders for mental blocks but it might not be the best habit to pick up at 16.

The mental blocks drive me insane. Last year I got drunk with my cousins at boyne and sent it hard in the halfpipe only to land on my head and fuck up my shoulders, but hey it was fun.

PeterkrekorianI had the same issue when I was about 12-14 and had very little experience also (racing skis). Basically I just went into my yard built a small jump practiced my threes, railslides, sw on, fs and f2 which are all pretty basic tricks. Once I had those tricks in my bag I gained confidence at my local hill and really wasn’t afraid to to master and try harder things after that because I wasn’t killing myself on a basic railslide.

Part of my issue is being self concuis (which is horribly stupid) but when I made a jump in my yard I was able to do 180's and railslide sometimes without eating shit.

skiguy04So more than half your life you’ve been ducking out of hitting jumps and just speed checking

Maybe practice more side hits or go back to racing

I don't back out of jumps I just back out of doing tricks on them, most of the time I just straight air shifty or throw in a grab. Like I said in the original post, I haven't really started park until this year. Before this year I would sometimes ride park but only to do small jumps and boxes.

always visualize it and buy a mouth guard! biting down on that thing right before you sending it! Also try and "tramp sesh" as much as possible with spins and flips and aerial acrobatics to feel more comfortable in the air. and finally, make sure you are flexible and set up a routine every day for help with skiing (i.e. a 10-minute stretching session focusing on the lower body and abdominal areas and start every evening). another thing is when youre not skiing, just "jib everything" yeah jump from that picnic table to that concrete barrier and do small shit like that it keeps your balance/coordination and pure muscle memory in check so when you re back on youre skis, its like you never left!

Just eat shit. That’s like 50% of the sport, eating shit super hard but getting up and trying again. If u eat shit u eat shit. It’s either u let this bring you down and get to you and let it cause problems or you just send it and eat shit.

DethStixJust eat shit. That’s like 50% of the sport, eating shit super hard but getting up and trying again. If u eat shit u eat shit. It’s either u let this bring you down and get to you and let it cause problems or you just send it and eat shit.

This is honestly the truth. I used to be hella scared to try shit, but I'm at the point now where if I fall, I want to land it that much more. It's all in the mindset man.

me and my buddies are like yo I can't wait to eat shit on this

Johngreenacreme and my buddies are like yo I can't wait to eat shit on this

Yea welcome the fall

If you really want to get confident hitting rails, I'd suggest you try rollerblading in the summer. It can really work wonder, and it's a great sport in itself. If you manage to hit a rail and land on a 5cm groove, there's no way you can't on skis (also, protip: watch the end of the rail, not your feet). Thanks to skating I can hit any rails in the park, but I'm still too scared of speed to even straight air jumps.

And last but not least: just send it. The bigger you go the more time you have to catch yourself, either to land the trick or to not injure yourself at worst. It's only scary the first time.

Edit: I forgot one more thing: get someone to film you. At least if you die it won't be pointlessly.

**This post was edited on Dec 29th 2018 at 7:29:10pm

Just don’t think and go for it. You’ll fall a few times but that is what will boost your confidence. I had the same issue and just learned 3’s the other day and I’m slowly getting the hang of rails. Find some small features and keep trying

On the way up to the jump, you gotta just keep saying I'm not a pussy and you'll either be a pussy or not

Positive affirmations

I can relate to this man. What I usually do is think about how confidently I can ski outside of the park. I'm admittedly not good at park either but I've been able to get confident on rails after a few runs of just cruising.

JakeClaeysOn the way up to the jump, you gotta just keep saying I'm not a pussy and you'll either be a pussy or not

fuck yea

TehHopRocketI can relate to this man. What I usually do is think about how confidently I can ski outside of the park. I'm admittedly not good at park either but I've been able to get confident on rails after a few runs of just cruising.

First post win

&& on jumps don’t knuckle

same age basically same problem lol

Be depressed and reckless like me

I always imagine myself landing the trick I'm trying and how it should look. That usually gets my confidence up and keeps me shredding.

Eject out of both bindings mid air on the biggest jump you can find while attempting to land fakie

Wu tang a joint and hit your juul right before you try it next time

1. Eat as much Taco Bell as you can
2. Perform as many jumping jacks as you can
3. ?????
4. Profit