Snowboarding discipline
Big Air
Big air is a freestyle snowboarding discipline in which riders perform a single trick off one large jump, focusing on difficulty and execution.
Overview
In big air, riders launch off a single large jump and perform one trick, often a complex rotation combined with a grab.
Competitions commonly give riders multiple attempts, with the best-scoring jumps counting toward the result.
Judging focuses on the difficulty, execution, amplitude, and landing of the trick performed.
What defines it
- The discipline centers on one large jump rather than a course of features.
- Each attempt is a single trick, so difficulty and clean execution carry a lot of weight.
- Riders often combine multi-rotation spins or flips with grabs for higher difficulty.
- Formats frequently count a rider's best jumps, encouraging both consistency and progression.
Getting started
- 1Develop comfort on small and medium jumps before considering larger features.
- 2Learning solid takeoff and landing basics is a common early focus for jump riding.
- 3A qualified coach or instructor can guide progression at an appropriate pace.
Other Snowboarding disciplines
The forms of Snowboarding sit alongside each other — explore the rest.
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Sports
- SnowboardingA downhill snow sport where you ride a single board sideways down the mountain.
- KitesurfingA board sport in which a large steerable kite pulls the rider across the water, combining board skills and kite control.
- Trail RunningRunning off-road on trails, hills and natural terrain, away from pavements and traffic.
- FootballThe world’s most popular team sport — endless running, teamwork and community in one game.
- Race WalkingA technique-driven endurance sport that turns walking into a fast, low-impact discipline.
Movement patterns
- HopA single-leg spring that takes off from and lands on the same leg, using the stretch-shortening cycle to project the body vertically or horizontally.
- JumpThe plyometric pattern of projecting the body off the ground through explosive triple extension and controlling the landing — the core expression of lower-body power.
- Crossover StepA lateral or diagonal travelling step in which one leg crosses over the other with accompanying hip and trunk rotation, trading a stable base for greater reach and speed.
- GaitThe cyclic, alternating single-leg pattern of walking and running that carries the body across the ground — the base of most field and endurance sport.
Exercises
- Jump squatAn explosive squat variation where you spring off the floor at the top of the movement.
- BurpeeA full-body exercise combining a squat, a plank, and a jump in one flowing movement.
- Side plankA core hold on one forearm and the side of the foot that targets the muscles along your side.
- Goblet squatA squat variation where you hold a single weight close to your chest for balance and control.
- Bulgarian split squatA single-leg squat where the back foot is raised on a bench behind you.
Skills
Techniques
- Flip TurnA fast turn in freestyle where the swimmer somersaults at the wall, pushes off on their back and rotates to continue swimming.
- One-Handed BackhandA backhand groundstroke struck with a single hand on the grip, driving through the ball with a full extension of the hitting arm.
- HeaderA technique for controlling or striking the ball with the forehead in football, used to pass, shoot or clear the ball in the air.
- Volleyball DigA defensive contact that keeps a hard-driven ball in play by passing it up off the forearms, usually from a low position.
- Crossover DribbleA basketball dribbling move that switches the ball quickly from one hand to the other to change direction and get past a defender.
How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Discipline
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-07-09
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Snowboarding