Method Grab
aka Method
The most iconic grab in snowboarding. Grab heel edge with your front hand, bone out the legs and arch the back. Pure style and tweak, not height.
The Breakdown
Four phases from roll-up to roll-away. Scrub the analyzer above — each phase lights up as the board hits it.
- 01 Approach
Speed and stance
Approach a medium kicker straight on with enough speed to clear the knuckle comfortably. Keep your stance centered and your knees soft, riding flat-based up the lip. Look ahead to the takeoff and stay relaxed — tension in your shoulders kills the tweak before you even leave the jump.
- 02 Pop & Reach
Pop and grab heel edge
Off the lip, pop evenly and reach your front hand down to grab the heel edge between your bindings. Pull your knees up toward your chest so the board comes to your hand rather than diving for it. Lock the grab early at the bottom of your float so you have time to shape the rest.
- 03 Tweak the Method
Bone it out and arch
This is where the method is made. Push your trailing leg out to bone the board, pull the heel edge up toward your back, and arch your spine so your chest opens to the sky. Hold that arched, tweaked shape at the peak — the longer and deeper the tweak, the better it reads.
- 04 Release & Land
Pull it back and stomp
As you start to drop, smoothly un-tweak and bring your legs back under you, then release the grab. Spot the landing down the slope, level the board to match the angle of the downslope, and absorb with bent knees. Ride away flat-based and centered.
When It Goes Wrong
The most common ways Method Grab bails — and the fix. Diagnose your slam, then get back on.
My method looks flat and boring, not tweaked.
You're grabbing but not shaping it. The style comes entirely from boning the back leg, pulling the heel edge up, and arching your back. Commit to the tweak the instant you grab and exaggerate it — a timid method reads as no method at all.
I can't reach the heel edge in the air.
You're reaching with your hand instead of bringing the board up. Pop, then snap your knees toward your chest so the board rises to meet your front hand. Grabbing early at the bottom of your float gives you far more time than lunging for it at the peak.
I keep getting thrown off balance and landing sketchy.
You're holding the tweak too long or releasing it abruptly. Un-tweak smoothly on the way down — legs back under you, grab released — before you spot the landing. Getting your weight recentered over the board early makes the stomp easy.
I catch my heel edge on landing.
You're landing with the board still tweaked or too flat to the slope. Match the base to the angle of the downslope and touch down slightly nose-first with knees bent. Landing flat-based down the fall line lets the edges engage cleanly instead of grabbing.
The method is the photograph that sold the entire sport — front hand on the heel edge, back leg boned out, spine arched and chest to the sky. It’s the definitive style grab in snowboarding, and crucially it’s judged on tweak, not amplitude. A perfectly tweaked method off a medium jump beats a stiff, lazy one off a monster booter every time.
Send it on a kicker you already trust so all your attention goes to shaping the grab. Pop, grab early, then bone it out and arch like you mean it. Get the method dialed and you’ve got the foundation — and the look — for nearly every grab and grabbed-spin in the park.
Dial In Your Setup
Gear that makes this trick easier to learn. Tune the setup, not just the technique.
All-mountain freestyle board
156–160cm · medium–stiff flex
A slightly longer, stiffer board holds a stable platform off bigger kickers and pops predictably. Too soft and it folds under you on takeoff; the method wants a board that launches clean and lets you focus on the tweak.
Shop boards & gearMid-flex park bindings
Responsive highback · medium flex
Methods are all about boning the legs and arching, so you want bindings that transmit that shape to the board. A responsive highback helps you pull the heel edge up and hold the tweak without mushing out.
Shop boards & gearWrist guards
Low-profile · under-glove fit
Reaching for the heel edge means your hands are committed and your reflexes go to them when a jump landing goes wrong. Slim wrist guards under your gloves save a very common and very avoidable break.
Shop boards & gearAffiliate links may earn nollie.zone a commission — never changes your price.
Stack Your Clip
Landed Method Grab? Soon you'll drop your line here and battle the crew for the top of the board.