Method Grab
- Skill:
- land a method grab off a kicker
The Method is one of the most iconic grabs in snowboarding. Reach down with your front hand and grab the heel edge between your bindings, then push the board out behind you. A properly tweaked Method with a poked-out board is pure style.
What makes the Method special is the tweak. That's the extension of the board out behind your back with your chest arched open. A melon grab where you just touch the heel edge and don't tweak. A real Method has your front hand pulling the board up and across while your back leg kicks it out behind you, all while you keep your shoulders square and chest open to the sky. The board and your body form a rough J-shape in the air.
Because the tweak requires reach and time, Methods need airtime. Small kickers won't give you the hang-time to extend into the shape properly. Work up to a medium or large kicker where you can hold a straight air comfortably for 1-2 seconds, then start adding the grab. On approach, stay on the heel edge. The grab is a front-hand reach to the heel edge, which is a much more natural motion from a heelside takeoff than a toeside one.
Learn more here:
Video by Johnathan Buckhouse
Key tips
- Approach on your heel edge for the most natural grab
- Reach across with your front hand to the heel edge
- Push the board out and away from your body. The more you can extend the back leg, the better. That's the tweak
- Keep your back straight. The style comes from the board extension
- You need decent airtime for this, so use a medium or large kicker
- Practice the grab on flat ground first, sitting or jumping slightly. The reach should be muscle memory before you try it in the air
- Hold the grab until you start coming down, then release and spot your landing