J-turn and Garland: The Drills That Prepare for Edge Change

Before linking turns, you need to learn something fundamental: getting into motion and progressively building control. That's where the J-turn and the Garland become essential.

The J-turn involves starting with a small straight or diagonal descent and ending by braking with a single edge, tracing a path similar to a J. Its value lies in forcing you not to brake abruptly from the start. First, you let the board slide a little. Then, you progressively increase the edge angle and make the board cross the slope to end up controlling your speed.

This teaches a key idea: the edge doesn't appear suddenly; it's built.

The Garland, on the other hand, works on another critical skill. Instead of fully switching edges, you bring the tip of the board closer to the fall line and then return to the same edge. In other words, you approach the transition without fully crossing it.

Why is it so useful? Because many beginners understand the theory of edge changes, but as soon as they feel the board pointing a little further down, fear sets in. The Garland lets you practice precisely that part: entering the fall line, the slight increase in speed, and the moment to rebuild support without losing your calm.

In the J-turn, a typical mistake is braking too early and too hard. This cuts off the movement, makes the board jerky, and prevents learning the real progression of the turn. Another common mistake is trying to turn with shoulders and arms instead of letting control originate from the edge and pressure in the lower body.

In the Garland, the most common problem is not daring to get close enough to the fall line or, conversely, going in too far and running out of time to rebuild the original edge. In both cases, there's a lack of sensitivity in the transition.

If you master these two exercises, changing edges will no longer seem like a leap of faith and will start to feel like a logical sequence.