Learn Snowboard Grabs

How to Practice

Improving your overall flexibility will definitely help you with your grabs. Regular stretching will help you stay limber and ready for grabbing as soon as you get air.

The trampoline is a good place to practice your snowboard grabs. Make a tramp safe board by taking an old skateboard deck (no trucks or wheels) and tying some rubber bands around it. You can then jump around on the tramp with this and practice the various grabs.

You can also practice the grabs on the snow. Strap into your snowboard and find a flat area. Then, bend down and grab your snowboard. Hold the grab for a few seconds then stand up again. Try to stay balanced while doing this.

Snowboard Grabs

There are many different ways to grab your board in snowboarding. Some are more common and accepted than others.

Most grabs are between either the toeside or heelside edge between your two feet.

The following diagram shows you how to grab your snowboard. We’re going to explain a few of the grabs in more detail.

Created by Wikipedia user Nlin86

Indy
One of the most basic grabs. Your rear hand grabs your toe edge slightly inside your rear foot.

Tindy
The Indy’s ugly cousin. Don’t grab here, as it is considered a “panic grab” and is generally associated with bad style.

Mute
A mute grab is where you grab your toeside edge (between your feet) with your front hand.

Stalefish
A stalefish is where you grab your heelside edge (between your feet) with your rear hand.

Melon Grab
A melon grab is where you grab your heelside edge (between your feet) with your front hand. It’s similar to the stalefish grab but with the front hand.

Method
A Method Grab is a tweaked Melon grab. You combine a backside shifty with a melon grab for one of the most stylish grabs in snowboarding.

Nose Grab
A nose grab is where your front hand grabs the front tip (nose) of your board. Lift your front leg up and extend your back leg to bring your board up towards your hand.

Tail Grab
A tail grab is where your back hand grabs the back tip (tail) of your board. Bring your back leg up and reach backward with your hand to grab the board. Extend your front leg to help bring the board back.

Rocket Air
A two handed nose grab.

Cross Rocket
Similar to the Rocket Air, this is a 2 handed nose grab where you cross your hands.

Roast Beef
A roast beef is when you reach between your feet with your back hand, through your legs and grab the heel edge of your snowboard.

Chicken Salad
Similar to a roast beef but reaching through your legs to your heel edge with your front hand.

Taipan
Another “through the legs” grab. This time with your front hand behind you all the way through your legs to your front edge.

Canadian Bacon
The opposite of a Taipan, back hand behind you through the legs to the toe edge.

Beef Curtains
One grab which is gaining popularity in the snowboarding community is the beef curtains. Check out this video to learn more about this very stylish grab:

Learn How to Grab

These are some of the more common and accepted snowboard grabs. To learn how to grab on a snowboard check out our Intermediate Jumping vid which is part of Jumping Volume 2.

Or you can also get our 8 DVD Boxset, the Freestyle Program, which will teach you everything from jumping, jibbing boxes and rails, buttering and riding pow.

Jumping Vol. 2 Download Freestyle Program Download