BS Smith Grinds

[Paperclip20]

Hey guys, looking for some help with this one. I have BS Tails, BS 50-50, BS 5-0 all on lock. However I don't quite understand the secret to smith grinds on ledges. (I can do them on small transition)
Currently I'm having trouble not falling forwards so I believe part of my problem is not leaning back enough.

If anyone has some general pieces of advice or gifs/timestamps of good ones to watch as an example feel free to post em. I've wanted to learn these for awhile now.

[whale]

I can do em' but I lose them from time to time. When I do I break it down to back truck does a bs 5-0, while the front foot pushes the board down.

[camel filters]

Upper half of body does a back 5050 while lower half is doing a halfass underturned back tail. That's how I think of it. Weight is all on the back foot while extending the front. Lmk how that works for you!

PS I can only do them on fresh ledges or angle iron. If anyone has tips on how to hold them on more rounded ledges, please drop them here.

[smellsdead]

how i learned was by ollieing and placing my back truck on bit by bit until i was grinding and shooting out, then your foot placement will come as you get comfortable.

all your weight on the outside of your back foot like pinky toe, front foot should be back further than you expect, shoulders square, lean way back, lock that wheel in and poof

[Lloyd Braun]

Having bs 5-0's and tails will help you a lot here. Get the lock in correctly down first, it's strange and awkward when first learning. Try going slow and just stalling them at first, or even just posing one on the ledge to get an idea of how your weight should be. Once you are comfortable locking in, try to grind them by leaning back, way back. You want your head over your back foot. Front foot just keeps the board pointed down. When locking in try to just place the truck on the ledge instead of jamming it up there (if that even makes sense). For me I find going faster helps, but not so fast you have no control. I try and focus on pushing down on my back foot with it about right in middle of the tail. It will take a lot of trial and error. I have my days where I do them every go, and others I land one or two on the sessions I try them. Nik Stain and Cyrus have my favorite ones right now. Watch their footage to get stoked.

Another pal had some good tips in the tricks you're trying to learn thread, think its within the last few pages.

Hope that helps

[tzhangdox]

If you can get into the grind thats a great start.

Try think ollie "into", not "onto" the smith. Pretty much lean back and try get your truck in as gently as possible. Along with leaning back, you also want to consciously push your legs out in front of you.

Also try to make sure you land in the smith with your back foot in a good spot on the tail. Too deep in the pocket/close to the bolts and you can't put pressure on the tail properly and you'll stick, too far on the tip of the tail and you'll get in a 5-0.

@camel filters doing them on chunky ledges is the same, except everything has to be dialed up. You have to land in the grind even more gently, lean further back, push your legs/the board further in front of you, put more pressure on the tail

[Blueabyssofthisss]

Roll up with your shoulders parallel exactly like a normal bs 50-50. Aim the front truck at the ledge and right as you’re getting even with the ledge in midair, straighten your shoulders out even more. This always lands that back truck perfect with the weight and body in the right place for me.
  I learned this on accident after realizing that my bs 50-50s sucked because I was always sitting in them with my shoulders slightly open. This was causing me to slip in to bs feeble before I could make it to the end of the ledge/rail.

[Skibb]

Try think ollie "into", not "onto" the smith. Pretty much lean back and try get your truck in as gently as possible. Along with leaning back, you also want to consciously push your legs out in front of you.

This! It's like holding on to a long powerslide, you gotta really push it ahead of you - the board will wanna stick and you need to tell it otherwise.

Apart from that, the main revelations for me was:

• Weight on your back heel. This is what keeps you on top of the curb.
• "Steer" with your front toes, this is what makes the dip happen. Front foot almost only there for the pose, really.

[Paperclip20]

Sad to say I haven't gotten them yet. I think being tall they are going to be easier to learn on tall ledges as the few I've ever done were on a decent height ledge. However I did realize my biggest error is not understanding how to put all of my weight on my back foot. I've been working on that and improved my back 5-0's and back tails in the meantime so hopefully the smith comes soon.

[tzhangdox]

Sad to say I haven't gotten them yet. I think being tall they are going to be easier to learn on tall ledges as the few I've ever done were on a decent height ledge. However I did realize my biggest error is not understanding how to put all of my weight on my back foot. I've been working on that and improved my back 5-0's and back tails in the meantime so hopefully the smith comes soon.

It doesn't feel too much like a 5-0 or a back tail to be honest. More like a 5050 that you missed, where you're really leaning back and putting weight on your back foot and pointing with your toe.

[ClayH]

[tube] https://youtube.com/shorts/4eTy7soLUJ0?feature=share[/tube] Anyone know how why I can’t get it to pinch? I can front smith pretty well so I know how I should feel when I’m locked into a smith and my back smiths feel super uncontrolled.

[rocklobster]

[tube] https://youtube.com/shorts/4eTy7soLUJ0?feature=share[/tube] Anyone know how why I can’t get it to pinch? I can front smith pretty well so I know how I should feel when I’m locked into a smith and my back smiths feel super uncontrolled.

I'm still working on mine but yours are looking pretty good at the moment, a front angle would give a better view.

Expand Quote

Sad to say I haven't gotten them yet. I think being tall they are going to be easier to learn on tall ledges as the few I've ever done were on a decent height ledge. However I did realize my biggest error is not understanding how to put all of my weight on my back foot. I've been working on that and improved my back 5-0's and back tails in the meantime so hopefully the smith comes soon.

[close]

It doesn't feel too much like a 5-0 or a back tail to be honest. More like a 5050 that you missed, where you're really leaning back and putting weight on your back foot and pointing with your toe.

Was messing around with them and the best I got was a BS 50-50 with my front truck slightly ajar off the ledge, but I could feel the weight distribution was very different from a 5-0 or 50-50. 95% of my weight was centered vertically down over my back foot, the front foot was barely applying pressure.

[tzhangdox]

[tube] https://youtube.com/shorts/4eTy7soLUJ0?feature=share[/tube] Anyone know how why I can’t get it to pinch? I can front smith pretty well so I know how I should feel when I’m locked into a smith and my back smiths feel super uncontrolled.

A dipped back smith doesn't really feel super similar to a mega dipped front smith, yours looks perfectly good to be honest.
But if you wanna dip it more, lean back, maybe put your front foot further back and point the front toe down.