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Turning Turning on snowshoes is as easy as turning when walking or running without them, as long as the turn is not too sharp and the speed is not too high. Simply make each successive step a bit farther to the side in the direction the athlete wants to go.   At high speeds or on sharp (90 degrees or greater) turns, some snowshoes may slip sideways, as most snowshoes do not "edge" well. In these situations, the athlete must plant the snowshoe flat on the snow, not angling it into the snow. The tendency is to allow the snowshoe to make contact with the snow at an angle when one leans the rest of the body into a sharp turn or at high speeds to maintain balance. To counteract this, athletes should concentrate on landing on the balls of their feet (on front claws) and not angling the snowshoe.     Skill Progression Your Athlete Can: Never Sometimes Often Take successive steps to the side Keep snowshoe flat and balanced Turn without causing overlap on tips or tails   Teaching Points Teach athletes to take successive steps to the side. Teach athletes to land on the balls of their feet with the snowshoe flat on the snow. Teach athletes not to cause overlap on tips and tails of their snowshoes. Teach athletes not to back up in snowshoes, but to take small steps when making a 180-degree turn.   Faults & Fixes Chart   Error Correction Drill Reference Athlete can only turn in one direction Teach athlete how to turn in the other direction Practice opposite direction turning Snowball Game — place snowballs in a circle and have them go the other direction Athlete takes a large area to make a turn Teach athlete to take smaller successive steps Set up pylons to reinforce correct turn Snowball Game — place snowballs close together and have them in a pattern to encourage small turns Overlap occurs when turning Teach athlete to increase number of steps and reduce the angle of step Practice turning Snow Write Drill Athlete leans too far back Point toes down Toe walks Athlete attempts to back up Teach athlete not to back up Set up pylons to reinforce correct turn

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