Author Topic: Upper/lower body separation  (Read 499 times)

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commie

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Upper/lower body separation
« on: April 07, 2023, 05:53:59 AM »
Does anyone else struggle with this? I'm talking about tricks that require you to turn your lower body one way and keep your shoulders the other way - e.i. back tail to regular.

I don't know if it's a flexibility issue or something else, but a lot of my tricks want to go to fakie (back tail, back lip, front blunt etc.). I have a hard time keeping my shoulders turned the other way to come off to regular. I've done a few of these tricks to reg, but they are few and far between.

Thoughts on how to fix this?

mfweeno

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Re: Upper/lower body separation
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2023, 07:16:44 AM »
I am a bigger-bodied skater, so I struggle with this too.

A lot of people have trouble dissociating the shoulders and hips when rotating because of mobility restrictions (usually in the torso or hips or both). I personally deal with this on tailslides too - I am always torquing out of frontside tailslides and going to fakie, and I have to concentrate pretty hard to take them to regular. As far as tailslide-specific "cues" go, I try to open my shoulders a little earlier so my hips have some room to follow through, then I anticipate the turn back to regular as soon as my tail/baseplate locks into the ledge.

One drill that can help with torso and hip mobility is the "World's Greatest Stretch" (video below). This drill encourages a lot of rotation in the torso, and the lunge component can help lengthen tight hip flexors/thigh muscles that affect hip mobility and your ability to rotate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG38sH8fwSM

goodatmeth

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Re: Upper/lower body separation
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2023, 07:25:50 AM »
Standing straight, how many degrees can you approximately turn your shoulders in one direction without moving your feet?
You should be able to get over 90°. If you can do that, then it's not a flexibility issue.
I can get to about 120° I'd say.

animalflesh

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Re: Upper/lower body separation
« Reply #3 on: April 07, 2023, 07:48:33 AM »
Is your head turned the right way every time? Shoulders should follow at least enough to not have tricks go out to fakie…

Sometimes it’s hard to be conscious of keeping your body in the right position to come out when you’re too focused on doing the trick

sle_epy

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Re: Upper/lower body separation
« Reply #4 on: April 07, 2023, 11:10:59 AM »
Does anyone else struggle with this? I'm talking about tricks that require you to turn your lower body one way and keep your shoulders the other way - e.i. back tail to regular.

I don't know if it's a flexibility issue or something else, but a lot of my tricks want to go to fakie (back tail, back lip, front blunt etc.). I have a hard time keeping my shoulders turned the other way to come off to regular. I've done a few of these tricks to reg, but they are few and far between.

Thoughts on how to fix this?

I found that it's all where you look when you get into it. If I look between but behind my feet in the direction of the slide my shoulders will stay parallel and I'll come out regular. Looking directly at my front foot and less behind me makes me come out regular. Shoulders follow your line of sight kind of. I used to think that I had to actively control my shoulders but it turned out not to be the case once I get the trick down.
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