Todd Richards Tips 1: Snowboarding Basics

I have had a chance to view this DVD twice since purchasing it last week and I'm very pleased. Unlike most - if not all - other instructional snowboarding videos on the market, Todd Richards' Trick Tips Vol. 1 does not start the viewer with how to get into your bindings, fall over properly, and make your first frontside turn. Richards and Co. thankfully skip over such basic knowledge (which most any rider would outgrow after two or three visits to the slopes anyways) and after a very brief segment on safety, jump right into park and halfpipe basics. Todd and righthand man, Billy Anderson, tackle straight airs, 50/50 rails, as well as method, mute, tail, indie, and stalefish grabs, as well as other park essentials. As for the halfpipe, Todd and Billy introduce such basics as dropping in, speed control, transitions, kick-turns, ollies, and then progress to 5 different backside grabs and 5 different frontside grabs.

YOU CAN ORDER Todd Richards Tips 1: Snowboarding Basics HERE

I really enjoyed this video. One of the first things that caught and kept my attention was the candid, off-the-cuff humor between Todd and Billy. Laughs make learning easier, and this Todd Richards Tips 1: Snowboarding Basics DVD is no exception. The quality of the DVD was respectable as well. I own a few instructional martial arts videos which look as if they were produced by the practitioners themselves with no additional or professional help. Although you won't find any Spielbergian special effects or emotional John Williams soundtrack here, the little graphics and music that were used were modern and complemented rather than distract from the presentation of the film.

My review isn't complete without testing the taught techniques of this DVD, but being in Seattle in mid-June leaves me little to no opportunity save a lengthy trip to Mt. Hood, which probably won't happen. The good news is this video has provided me with the know-how, inspiration, and confidence to try out these techniques as soon as I hit the hill.