Tricky: Chick Hip

by Dylan Davidson

• What is it?
• How do you identify it in your riding?
• What is the effect on board performance and balance?
• What can you do to fix it?

Because women, biomechanically, have a larger range of movement through the hips than men, often they find themselves in a less than ideal position on their heel side turn.  This position is commonly referred to in the industry as “chick hip.”  Although it affects guys as well, it is most prevalent in intermediate level female riders. While greater range of movement can be an advantage, it can also lead to inefficient steering and edging movements, and affect the rider’s stance and balance. 

Steamboat Springs Instructor Bec Bale demonstrates an exaggerated version of the "Chick hip" position.

Chick hip arises when this greater range of movement is used as the primary turning force on a heel side turn.  This can result in a big movement of your center of mass towards the tip of the board and over the heel side edge.  This movement away from a centered stance will make it hard to hold an edge and remain balanced in challenging conditions

You will be able to identify chick hip in your own riding by a loss of board performance on your heel side, or a reduction of stability.

There are a number of ways you can eliminate chick hip from your riding.  When steering the board, by focusing on rotating through your lead knee rather than the hip, you will be able to remain more centered over your board.  If you are trying to create more edge angle, you can physically lift you toes on your heel side edge instead of just relying on your high backs, and having to move your hips too far away from your board and your base of support. 

You can also adjust your equipment to help.  One soultion is to move your binding angles to more of a “ducked-out” position, which will make you more aware of the hip movements you are making. Or try widening your stance; this will limit the available range of movement. 

If you adjust your stance, keep in mind that this restriction in your range of movement, at an intermediate level will help you stay aligned and balanced, and as a result help you to hold an edge.  However, as your confidence grows and you start seeking more challenging terrain (trees, bumps, steeps etc), you will probably need a broader range of movement in order to make the tighter turns that are required.  It is always good to experiment with your equipment but be aware of the pros and cons of different binding angles and widths.

Hopefully this will make you aware of a common problem prevalent in female riders, and with some minor adjustments to technique and equipment you will notice a significant difference in board performance and balance in no time.

Note Bec's weight shift away from center on a heelside turn. This type of shift is a common cause of instability and heel edge control problems.

Dylan Davidson is a fully certified snowboarding instructor based in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He has 10 years of instructing experience both in the United States and New Zealand, and is one of four members of the New Zealand demo team to recently attend the InterSki Conference in South Korea. InterSki is an event held every four years to share techniques and ideas in order to facilitate the growth of ski and snowboard instructing. Dylan also coaches junior competitive athletes for the renowned Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club.