Pressed Body position An athletic and relaxed body position will
maximize your balance while riding.
Flexed knees and ankles, back straight and head up, shoulders, hips and knees aligned
with the direction of your board.
When riding, our weight is normally positioned directly in the centre of our feet however
the key to buttering is being able to adjust your balance through different points on your
board.
Start by playing around with your weight.
Move your hips and center your weight over your back foot like this.
Not much has happened yet.
Your board is still flat with the snow.
For buttering we need to get some flex happening in your board, raising one end off the ground.
So pick a spot right in the middle of the tail and project all your weight into that
point.
You're hips have now moved dramatically.
The other aspects of your stance remain unchanged.
Keep your back straight and head up while your shoulders hips and knees stay aligned.
If you're doing this correctly you'll find that your board is flexing up off the ground
without you having to actively lift your nose.
This is a fundamental position required for buttering and is the exact same as doing a
tail press.
Now shift your weight and project it into the nose, flexing your board until the tail
rises.
The ideal position is when your board rises about 10cm or 4 inches off the snow.
Having a small controlled amount of press is far more balanced then raising the board
too high.
These positions of balancing over your nose and tail are quite difficult, the first few
times you try.
As your lower body muscles become conditioned, it'll become easier to hold steady.
If you feel yourself bending over at the waist like this then try keeping your back up straight
and just shift your hips more towards the tip or tail.
If you find your knee bending in like this, try to keep it out which will help to balance
the press.
Moving presses
Once you feel comfortable in this position and can easily hold it for an extended period
of time.
You're ready to try it riding on a gentle slope.
This is the first buttering trick to learn.
It's easier on the tail.
Project all your weight into the tail of your board by actively shifting your hips.
Keep your back knee out.
Remember it's much easily to stay balanced with the board raised only a small amount.
Don't try too hard.
It's way better to just be controlled and stylish.
Now try it on the nose.
You really have to put all your weight down hill with this one.
Remember to keep your back up straight.
The first few times you do these nose and tail presses while riding you'll tend to look
down at your board to see how far it's lifting off the snow.
Once you are familiar with how it feels, try to keep your head up which will improve your
balance.
This uncomfortable position of pressing the board is the key to buttering and we'll be
using it throughout this vid with a bunch of different flatland tricks.