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hello all, after much procrastination, i would like to say that i finally got my first back smith today
i can confirm with full confidence that, No, you do not need to have back 5-0s at all in order to learn back smiths
they are so absurdly different tricks. I tried getting back 5-0s (and landed a couple) and they feel and are performed completely differently
best of luck to any future readers. you def do not need back 5-0s to get a back smith. also back smiths absolutely feel just as cool as they look.
Got any tips while it’s still fresh? Shed some light for those of us in the dark?
got you my g, the key is to break it down into steps
pre-reqs: have a dummy consistent back 5050 and alright back 180s. you don't need anything else. no back lip, no bs 5-0, no back tail
i first started by rolling really slow, approach a curb at a ~30 ish degree angle and pop into a back lip. at this point dont worry about what your shoulders are doing at all. just focus on getting your hips to turn. dont worry about landing/coming out rolling from this trick, i dont think i ever did.
this step helps you learn how to turn your board with your hipsonce you start getting the hang of that, go to a basketball or tennis court/anything with a long line on the ground. you want to start approaching the line at a 35 degree angle, pop straight over the line and twist your hips (so your board turns)
WHILE keeping your shoulders parallel to the line at all times. YOU DO NOT NEED TO LAND BACK ON THE BOARD WHEN DOING THIS. because you practiced the back lips on the curb, turning your board into a smith position should be easy because you dont need to turn your board nearly as much of an angle as youd need for a back lip.
this step helps you learn how to keep your shoulders parallel to the ledge while turning your hips after that, you can take it to a ledge. approach at a 35 degree angle. once you pop and turn your hips while keeping your shoulders parallel, simultaneously use your front foot to slightly push down the board and away from the ledge while keeping ALL your pressure on your back foot TOES. emphasis on the pressuring being all in your back foot toes. you MUST lean back and keep your head right above and aligned with your back leg. popping out is as simple as putting extra pressure on your back foot and releasing some pressure from your front foot. its a really subtle pop out and it definitely does not need a lot of force or thought to do once you start being able to hold the grind for 2-3 feet.
im not gonna lie, i purchased a stomp session monthly sub to get access to chris cole teaching how to do this trick. it helped slightly but not too much. the key takeaway i took from his tutorial was the 35 degree approach and all the weight being in the back toes. DM me if you want me to send it to you
its honestly not that hard of a trick, im just really fucking lazy