Your First Small Jump

1Goal

By the end of this lesson you can ride a small, well-built kicker with a flat base, pop lightly at the lip, and land on both feet with soft knees on the down-slope. You will know it is working when you land centered, in balance, and can ride away without correcting a stumble.

2Why it matters

Everything from this stage comes together here: the pop from ollies (F1, F3), the compact body position from butters, and the awareness built spotting 180 landings. A jump adds one new variable, airtime over changing terrain, so this lesson is about speed and landing zone safety (F4) as much as the pop itself. Get this right small and the pattern scales to every bigger jump later.

3How to do it

1. Pick a small, mellow kicker. Choose a jump with a short, gradual lip and a clearly visible landing that slopes downhill, sized so you barely leave the ground. Confirm the landing zone is clear before you drop in.
2. Check your speed on a practice pass. Ride the approach once without hitting the lip, or ask someone to judge your speed, so you land on the down-slope, not flat or past it.
3. Approach with a flat base. Point your board straight down the in-run, weight centered, knees soft, both edges flat on the snow so you do not catch a turn right before the lip.
4. Pop at the lip, not before or after. Extend your legs as your bindings pass over the lip itself, the same explosive pop as an ollie, timed to the transition, not a big kick well before it.
5. Stay compact in the air. Pull your knees up slightly and keep your arms in close, holding a small, stable shape instead of stretching out or flailing.
6. Spot the landing early. Find the down-slope with your eyes as soon as you are airborne and start extending your legs to meet it before your feet arrive.
7. Land on both feet, knees soft. Touch down with weight centered between both feet and absorb through the ankles and knees, bending to about 30 to 40 degrees on impact.

Coach's note: on your first jumps, less speed than you think you need is almost always correct. A short landing on the down-slope beats an over-speed landing on the flat, every time.

4Common mistakes

• Too much speed. Rider overshoots the landing zone and touches down on flat ground or the far knuckle. Fix: scrub speed on the practice pass until you land comfortably on the down-slope, well short of flat.
• Popping before the lip. Rider extends early on the in-run instead of at the lip, losing control of height and rotation. Fix: stay quiet through the approach; save the extension for the moment the bindings cross the lip.
• Stretching out in the air. Rider goes stiff and spread out mid-flight, making it hard to spot the landing or absorb it. Fix: pull your knees up and keep your body compact from takeoff to landing.
• Landing back-seat or on one foot. Rider lands with weight dumped on the tail or heavily favoring one leg. Fix: spot the landing early and extend both legs evenly so both feet arrive together, weight centered.

5Drill

Speed-check laps. Terrain: the chosen small kicker. Reps: 3 approach laps riding past the lip without popping, checking that your speed lands you on the down-slope. Feel: confidence in your speed before you commit to popping.

Small jump, land and ride away. Terrain: the same kicker, once speed is confirmed. Reps: 5 attempts, popping lightly at the lip and riding straight away after landing. Feel: a compact air position and a centered landing. Move on to bigger jumps only once you land clean and balanced at least 4 out of 5 times.

6Self-check

• I confirmed the landing zone was clear before dropping in.
• My speed lands me on the down-slope, not flat or past it.
• My base is flat through the approach, no edge catch before the lip.
• I pop right at the lip, not before it.
• I land on both feet at once with soft knees, weight centered.

7Verify it on video

Film from the side, wide enough to show the whole kicker, the takeoff, the air, and the landing zone. Show 3 full attempts on the same small jump, from approach through riding away, so speed, pop timing, and landing balance are all visible.