Stepping back a level means going back to the previous step and filling in the fundamentals that are missing. KAKU says many people don't like doing it: they feel they have already got this far, and going back to practise old material is embarrassing. KAKU's reasoning: if you can't control the board consistently at low speed, on a gentle slope, with a low edge angle, then high speed and a high edge angle will only magnify the problems you already have. Worse, in KAKU's view, many people's fundamentals are not under-practised; they were never really understood in the first place. There are many explanations online. Each one sounds reasonable, and put together they contradict each other. **Key point**: when you're stuck, go back to low speed, a gentle slope and a low edge angle, and see whether your control holds up there. ## The five elements In a post in November 2025, KAKU said that JSBA's advanced movements, taken apart, are all fundamentals. At the core are five elements: pressure (kajū), edging, rotation, lean and angulation. KAKU's question: how many people can't even say what they mean or how they relate to each other? So here are the definitions first: - **Pressure (kajū, 荷重; Chinese 施壓)**: the textbook defines it as the force applied to the board, and lists it as one of the turn mechanisms. For where the force comes from, see [Part 4](/en/blog/carving-lab-04-how-low-to-crouch/). - **Edging (kakuzuke, 角づけ; Chinese 立刃)**: defined as the state in which the edge is raised relative to the snow surface. It is also one of the turn mechanisms. - **Rotation (kaisen, 回旋; Chinese 旋轉)**: the textbook defines rotation as a movement that twists the upper body and other parts horizontally around the body's axis. It is also one of the turn mechanisms. - **Lean (rīn, リーン)**: the Chinese edition renders リーン as 傾倒. It means the body axis tilting toward the inside of the turn in order to draw the arc, also called 內傾 ("inward tilt"). - **Angulation (rīn auto, リーンアウト, "lean-out")**: the Chinese edition renders リーンアウト as 反弓 (literally "reverse bow"). It means the posture that resists external force and keeps you balanced in the turn. Where the textbook says 反弓姿勢 ("angulated posture"), the Japanese is 外傾姿勢 (gaikei shisei, "outward-tilt posture"). The textbook states that the first three are turn mechanisms. The last two have to do with balance: the body axis tilts into the turn, and angulation then adjusts it to keep you balanced. To compare the original Japanese terms, see the [Chinese–Japanese snowboard glossary](/blog/snowboard-glossary-zh-ja/) (in Chinese). **Key point**: get the definitions of the five terms straight first, then talk about movement. ## A low stance comes from angulation; touching the snow is a result As KAKU puts it, when the textbook describes a stable low stance, it stresses bending three joints (hip, knee and ankle) plus strong angulation.The thing I say most often: step back a level first.
KAKU
KAKU's explanation: angulation is there to balance out the centre of gravity moving off line at extreme edge angles. That is why many people bend their joints as hard as they can and still end up hunched over with their butt sticking out. In KAKU's view, the cause is angulation that isn't done right. Touching the snow is the same. KAKU says touching the snow has never been about reaching out hard to scoop at it. Once the joints are bent and the angulation is in place, your hand can brush the snow surface naturally. Touching the snow is for getting extra support in an extreme position, not simply for looking cool.Bending the joints is only the surface; angulation is the key.
KAKU
Writing about fast-track lessons, KAKU has also said that making students force a snow touch before they have the rhythm and balance of the S turn is teaching that skips stages; see [how long it takes to learn to snowboard](/en/blog/first-turn-01-how-long-to-learn-snowboard/). How to do angulation itself is the subject of the next part. **Key point**: how low you get depends on angulation; a hand on the snow is the result of a posture that is in place. ## Why understand the principles, and why agree on the words In another post, KAKU described a way of teaching that KAKU opposes: the instructor only says "do this first, then that", "no, no, not like that", "yes, yes, that's it". In KAKU's view, in a lesson like that the student spends the whole time guessing what the instructor wants. Guess right and you've learned it; guess wrong and you just don't have the knack.Touching for the sake of touching only makes your riding more and more crooked, until you end up with a movement that is neither one thing nor the other.
KAKU
西西 talks about the other side: vocabulary. As 西西 sees it, the essence of a technical term is that it sets the scope of a discussion. For example, how should a basic short turn and a dynamic short turn be defined, and what terrain does each suit? Without a shared understanding of what the words mean, there is no way to assess how far today's lesson got; and when the student asks about it next time, there is no way to reconstruct what was practised from conversation alone. 西西's conclusion: set up a coordinate system in language first, and students will progress faster. For how Basic and Dynamic are told apart in the exam, see 西西's [notes on the B-level instructor exam](/blog/jsba-exam-01-b-instructor-exam-notes/) (in Chinese). **Key point**: understand how movement relates to result, and the student doesn't have to guess; keep the vocabulary consistent, and you can still say afterwards what was practised. ## Who this post is not for - Riders who can't yet link turns consistently: this post is about checking back when your carving is stuck. Read [the fake weight shift in a beginner's first week](/en/blog/first-turn-03-fake-weight-shift/) first and get your edge changes solid. - Anyone who wants a step-by-step drill for each element: this post covers only the framework. For pressure, see [how low to crouch when carving](/en/blog/carving-lab-04-how-low-to-crouch/); for edging, [letting your edge angle grow with the external force](/en/blog/carving-lab-05-edge-angle-and-transition/); for angulation, [open hips and angulation](/en/blog/carving-lab-10-open-hips-and-angulation/). To have an instructor watch you on snow and find which step you're stuck on, see the Snowboard Progression Lesson on the [courses page](/en/courses/); to sign up, you need to be able to link turns consistently. For KAKU's qualifications, see the [principal's profile](/en/instructors/yuugyo/). The previous part covered [hands in short turns](/en/blog/carving-lab-08-short-turn-hands/); the next covers [open hips and angulation](/en/blog/carving-lab-10-open-hips-and-angulation/).Swimming, weight training, badminton, basketball: in which sport does technique improve without understanding the relationship between movement, force and result?
KAKU
This post draws on four of KAKU's Threads posts (two from November 2025, and one each from August and September 2026) and one Threads post by 西西 from September 2026. From KAKU's posts we quote only the passages on fundamentals and the principles of movement; from 西西's, only the passage on terminology. The five-element framework and the points about touching the snow and the low stance are KAKU's views, not official JSBA positions. The Chinese renderings and definitions of each element were checked against the glossary in the Chinese edition of the JSBA textbook; we cite only the definitions and do not reproduce the textbook's text.
## FAQ ### What should you do first when your carving is stuck? Step back a level, KAKU's most frequent advice: return to the previous step and fill in missing fundamentals. If you can't control the board steadily at low speed, on gentle slopes, at low edge angles, high speed and high edge angles only magnify the problem. KAKU's view, not an official JSBA one. ### What are the fundamentals of snowboard carving? KAKU splits JSBA's advanced movements into five core elements: pressure (kajū), edging, rotation, lean, angulation. Per the JSBA textbook's Chinese-edition glossary, the first three are turn mechanisms; the last two concern balance: the body tilts in, angulation adjusts it. That framing is KAKU's. ### Should you try to touch the snow on purpose? KAKU says no. Touching the snow isn't reaching out hard to scoop at it; with the hips, knees and ankles bent and angulation in place, your hand brushes the snow naturally. It gives extra support in an extreme position. Touching for its own sake only makes your riding more crooked. ### I get low when carving. Why am I still hunched over? KAKU says a stable low stance comes from bending the hips, knees and ankles plus strong angulation; the joint bend is only the surface, angulation is the key. Many people press their joints hard and still hunch with their butt out; KAKU puts that down to angulation not done right. ## Sources - https://www.threads.com/@kakukazui/post/Dcd1OBADyiw - https://www.threads.com/@kakukazui/post/DRXQBwODx-X - https://www.threads.com/@kakukazui/post/DRH4eRwj7rP - https://www.threads.com/@kakukazui/post/DdMHmOnj2st - https://www.threads.com/@ryokan_ijuin/post/DdMNa54k-L0