What is Airbag Training?
Airbag training is an environment where athletes can get used to bigger air off a well-maintained jump and land on the soft surface of the airbag. This allows for athletes to practice new tricks they have been practicing during the trampoline training sessions and work towards eventually qualifying these tricks in an on-snow environment.
The airbag we will be using is located at Winsport, and the set up usually has one jump about the size of the third large in the Boulevard Park. They usually also have a smaller jump there for us to practice on, but this is not a guaranteed. To practice doing tricks on the airbag, your athletes will need to be comfortable doing a straight air on a jump of that size first or at least have a desire to practice getting big air on a jump that size (Airbag is a lower risk way to get comfortable in the air).
The airbag we will be using is located at Winsport, and the set up usually has one jump about the size of the third large in the Boulevard Park. They usually also have a smaller jump there for us to practice on, but this is not a guaranteed. To practice doing tricks on the airbag, your athletes will need to be comfortable doing a straight air on a jump of that size first or at least have a desire to practice getting big air on a jump that size (Airbag is a lower risk way to get comfortable in the air).
What is an Inverted Maneuver?
An inverted maneuver is defined as any trick that involves the athletes’ boots going above their head. This includes, but is not limited to, backflips, front flips, flat spins, cork 720's, Misty’s ETC.
Is Airbag Still a Valuable Tool if My Athlete Has No Desire to do Inverted Manoeuvers?
If your athlete either has no interest in doing inverted maneuvers or does not feel they are ready to do inverted maneuvers this season, airbag is still a valuable tool. These sessions are great for athletes as they can get used to larger airs and gain air awareness on their skis. It's even great for practicing grabs or spins such as 360's and 180's in a lower risk environment.
The Process for Learning Inverted Maneuvers (Like the Legendary Backflip)
- First, we want to see that the athlete has proper mechanics on the trampoline before they attempt to do an inverted maneuver on the airbag (i.e. for the backflip the athlete must demonstrate a solid take-off and landing on the X in the centre of the trampoline). They must also demonstrate that they are setting the flip with the hips moving forward and the shoulders staying stacked over their feet. We will be organizing more trampoline sessions either on the nights of the airbag sessions, or a mass gathering of athletes and coaches at Vortex to both learn and assess the athletes’ abilities to do inverted maneuvers.
- After completing the maneuvers and displaying proper mechanics on the trampoline, the athlete may now bring the inverted maneuver to the airbag under the coach’s supervision. On the airbag the coach will make sure the conditions are as ideal as they can be (ex. Winsport gets a lot of wind and that is not ideal for a first backflip attempt). The coach will also make sure the athlete gets a lot of practice to ensure their technique and control in the air is perfect. Usually this takes about 50 tries to get there, but it can be half that or double that and may vary from one athlete to the next. The amount of tries it takes is also dependent on technique and how the athlete responds to the coaches’ tips.
- After completing the first 2 steps, the athlete will then be given a small test. The test includes 5 jumps in a row on the airbag demonstrating proper technique and control consistently from one jump to the next. The above process may take 2-5 airbag sessions and a handful of trampoline sessions to get to this point.
- Once the athlete has demonstrated proper technique and control on the trampoline and airbag, and has passed the test of 5 perfect jumps, they may now take the inverted maneuver to snow. The on-snow portion must be completed under the supervision of a certified Air 4 coach (currently our only Air 4 coach is Thibault). The coach will make sure that the conditions permit for a lower risk inverted maneuver and will do everything to set the athlete up for success. The on-snow portion of the inverted maneuver qualification process involves demonstrating the trick on various jumps (general rule is 15 attempts), and then the athlete can attempt the test when the coach feels they are ready.
- The final test for the inverted maneuver to be qualified on-snow is like the airbag. It involves 5 consecutive jumps wherein each time the athlete demonstrates proper mechanics, control, and technique for all 5 jumps.
- Please note that this season we may not be having athletes flipping on-snow as it adds an extra component of liability that the club is not necessarily prepared to tackle this season. Currently Thibault is our only Air 3 and Air 4 certified coach to complete both airbag training and on-snow qualification of inverted maneuvers. Hopefully by the 2024-25 ski season we will have more Air 3 and Air 4 coaches to move and evolve our club in the Freestyle direction (Target 2-3 Air 3/4 coaches next season).
