When you start out with snowboarding one of the first decisions you need to make is whether you are going to get some expert lessons from a certified instructor to get you going. Some people choose to miss out on this stage because they are so keen to get started, but in the long run you will benefit from getting the right guidance at an early stage.
What Can I Learn?
A qualified and experienced snowboarding instructor will make sure that you learn the basics the right way and start off safely and securely. You should only need a day or two of lessons and they will ensure that you enjoy your new sport right from the very beginning. It will also mean that you can avoid injuries by picking up the proper techniques for things such as stopping. Snowboarding might look as though it is really simple but unless you pick up the basic techniques then it can actually be really difficult as well as dangerous.
Should I Get Professional Lessons?
You choice here is really to go with private one on one lessons or group lessons. The private lessons will give you more intensive training but will almost certainly cost you a bit more money. This is a good idea if you want to get off to a flying start but feel that you need a fair bit of help. The group lessons are good for meeting other learners and for enjoying a social experience. The main problem with group lessons is that when there are a lot of people learning the pace might be quite slow and you might not learn as much as you had hoped to. If you are completely new to this kind of sport then you might struggle to keep up with the group, of course. Private lessons will get you learning a lot quicker and probably is the best choice if money is no object and you just want to learn in the best possible way. If you just want to have a bit of fun and don’t mind going at the speed of other learners then a group lesson could be ideal for you.
Learn As You Go Along
Some people decide to learn the necessary skills on their own without any instructor. This certainly isn’t impossible but it does mean you running the risk of hurting yourself or of picking up bad habits. If you want to give this a try then you could learn the basic techniques online and then find a quiet slope to try them out. Watching experienced riders is another way of seeing how things should be done. You will obviously save on instructor’s fees by doing it this way, but you could find that it takes you a lot longer to become fully confident on the board.
Find a Friend to Help You Out
The final option for picking up some snowboarding lessons is to get a friend to teach you. This is a cheap way of doing it but you need to be sure that your friend is an experienced rider before you trust them. If they have a lot of bad habits then they will just pass these onto you. You will also need someone with a lot of patience to help you out with those. If you are lucky enough to have someone you can trust who knows all of the basics and who has the time and patience to teach you then you are in luck. Just be sure to treat them to a good meal after it or find some other way to thank them for the lessons.
This snowboarding article was written by Hannah of free snowboarding gear information website www.masdesnowboard.com
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