Author Topic: Suggestions for Keeping Shoulders Square?  (Read 650 times)

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nateolson

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Suggestions for Keeping Shoulders Square?
« on: April 15, 2021, 06:07:19 PM »
VIDEO: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D0YeyxbXFXlTeQgZRLuYPs1-l2cb81MU/view?usp=sharing

Hey all,
Some background: I'm 20, I skated as a kid and just picked it back up about a year ago. I can ollie well enough to hit 2 stairs and get up curbs. I can manny/nose manny ~4sec, learning pop shuvs now.

My issue: I keep landing with both feet near the tail of my board. I've linked a <20sec video of my attempts. I think this is because I am opening up my shoulders instead of keeping them square (correct me if there are other reasons). I just keep pulling my left shoulder back towards my heelside so that my chest is facing my direction of motion - the last two clips of the linked video show what I mean.

Has anyone else experienced this? What can I do to force myself to keep my shoulders straight and land on bolts instead of on my tail?

Hubba Bo-Tep

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Re: Suggestions for Keeping Shoulders Square?
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2021, 03:07:25 AM »
Looks like a combo of your weight being a bit too far forward and not getting the full 180.  I think it's mostly a weight issue though as you are almost always landing ahead of the deck (which is causing you to fight to get your back foot on which opens your shoulders).  Generally speaking, if the deck lands behind you, your weight is forward of where it needs to be when popping and vice versa.

Play around with where you look right before you pop.  I'd start looking further 'back' from where you are looking now until you find the right spot.  For me, I look at the toeside edge a little bit behind my front foot for a bs pop-shuv.

phlap

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Re: Suggestions for Keeping Shoulders Square?
« Reply #2 on: April 17, 2021, 09:12:39 AM »
One extra tip that might help with shuvits is to try and catch the board with one foot at a time. Try and catch the board with your front foot before dropping your back foot onto the grip.
-Summer of George-

numagik

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Re: Suggestions for Keeping Shoulders Square?
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2021, 12:48:00 PM »
^ this for sure. when i get a good shuv off my front foot is there waiting before the board comes all the way around. youre definitely turning your shoulders a little too which would make that part harder. a trick that works for me is trying to keep my hand near the same side knee. you can also think of it like squaring up for a body check and keep your elbow on the front side of your rib cage. not the best posture for taking a slam lol but it might help you break through the mental block

jimgrude

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Re: Suggestions for Keeping Shoulders Square?
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2021, 11:31:08 PM »
Like people have suggested before, it's probably a mental block that's keeping your body from following your brain. Being comfortable and in control when on your board is something that just comes from experience, so there may unfortunately not be a "trick" to fixing this. However, there are definitely ways to train and speed things up. Most skaters are either "frontside skaters" or "backside skaters", meaning that they feel more comfortable turning one way over the other. You are likely a frontside guy, so maybe you can compensate this involuntary motion by doing lots of backside stuff. Find some transition and try carving and kickturning backside a lot. Maybe give backside 180s or reverts on flat a try.