Epiphanies that helped your skateboarding

[I-am-12]

You don't come out of the bowl / go above your board and coping for a rock and roll.

If you pump up, sit backseat, and focus on getting your rear trucks as close to the coping as possible, you'll end up doing a MASSIVE, super stylish rock and roll.

[type]

Dont fight the switch, go with it

[JM]

I cant tell you how much… actually yes i can…

skating sub 8” boards, you’re naturally always going to be on your toes if you line up with the edge of the board for ollies.

On more than 8.25” and up, there’s more chance of being more “flat footed” if your toes are aligned with the edge of the board.

So just scooting your toes back from the edge, you will be on your toes again to pop fat ollies again.

Watch out Tiago, I’m coming for yah.

[rocklobster]

Less (power) is more (control)

Been spending more time on my warm up just focusing on popping proper ollies, can't bone them out yet but just lofty and leveled. It's taken me a long time to in internalize that a solid ollie is more about timing, drag and lifting the back foot than popping harder - overcoming 20 years of poor form takes time!

2 things that are gradually  helped correct my ollie
- a friend pointing out that I was dragging very slowly while popping disproportionally hard, resulting in a height but rocket
- I started observing where the the grip was wearing on a fresh coat of Shoe Goo. In the past it used to be near the tip, around the 2nd or 3rd toe, now its more side on around the little toe area to get a solid drag parallel to my forward momentum

[JM]

Less (power) is more (control)

Been spending more time on my warm up just focusing on popping proper ollies, can't bone them out yet but just lofty and leveled. It's taken me a long time to in internalize that a solid ollie is more about timing, drag and lifting the back foot than popping harder - overcoming 20 years of poor form takes time!

2 things that are gradually  helped correct my ollie
- a friend pointing out that I was dragging very slowly while popping disproportionally hard, resulting in a height but rocket
- I started observing where the the grip was wearing on a fresh coat of Shoe Goo. In the past it used to be near the tip, around the 2nd or 3rd toe, now its more side on around the little toe area to get a solid drag parallel to my forward momentum

A good, level, knees-sucked ollie is a fine craft indeed

[signtime]

Here's a different one that changed everything for me.
Skateboarding is a million times easier when you're not super depressed. Your mental health can take all your skate skills away faster than you could ever imagine.
So care about yourself first instead of getting super frustrated when skating doesn't work either. Take a break.

Mmhmm mmhmm. My greatest skate epiphany was that the feeling we experience when we skate is us manifesting LOVE into the world. Made me feel a sense of purpose again in my life and skating. Joy and fun and friendships made me a better skater than practice alone ever could.

[MetalAnkleMan]

"Missing one day is better than missing 3 months" - MetalAnkleMan

I have a habit of forcing myself to skate, I often skate with a headache or something obviously wrong with my body. Over time I've learned if you're not on point that day to skate...you open up the door to injury.

Listen to your body

I have rolled my ankle 3 times in the past year. 2 times I had food poisoning and 1 time I had a headache.

3 months is my average turnaround time for recovery.

Missing one day of skating will always be better than being out for 3 months.

[Chickenparmesan]

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Two epiphanies over the past 3 years...

There is more than one type of 'pop'.  There's the ankle-flick ollie 'pop', and there is the foot, tail and ground all make solid contact with each other at the same time 'pop'.  I discovered the latter when learning properly caught front shoves that rotate underneath you.  I never did understand @silhouette's tip for front shoves (pop straight down) until I started popping them like this.  Watch Tom Asta's front shove, his is text book 'foot, tail and ground making solid contact at the same time' pop.  This pop type opens up v heels, hard flips, impossibles and probably a fuck ton more rotational flip tricks.

The other seems patently obvious, but I have just properly internalised the fact that if your board lands behind you, you are leaning too far forward when you pop.  If it lands ahead of you, you are leaning too far back when you pop.  Etc etc... Basically, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, it's so simple it's stupid.

[close]

damn i'm trying to learn how to keep front shoves under me more, can you expand on this or point me towards a clip that explains?

all the clips i see of front shoves is the pop foot and ankle flicking it towards the nose diagonally, not directly down like you are saying

My FS pop shuvs are all in the popping foot. Get the front foot outta the way, start between an Ollie/kickflip position, and just get it up away from the board as you pop. Pop hard and slightly scoop with that back foot right smack in the middle of your tail. Suck up your legs and wait to catch. Hope this helps

I can’t remember who but someone gave a trick tip on the nine club once and it worked 1000%. I don’t even watch the show just needed background noise. Good luck

[Suangi]

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Expand Quote

Two epiphanies over the past 3 years...

There is more than one type of 'pop'.  There's the ankle-flick ollie 'pop', and there is the foot, tail and ground all make solid contact with each other at the same time 'pop'.  I discovered the latter when learning properly caught front shoves that rotate underneath you.  I never did understand @silhouette's tip for front shoves (pop straight down) until I started popping them like this.  Watch Tom Asta's front shove, his is text book 'foot, tail and ground making solid contact at the same time' pop.  This pop type opens up v heels, hard flips, impossibles and probably a fuck ton more rotational flip tricks.

The other seems patently obvious, but I have just properly internalised the fact that if your board lands behind you, you are leaning too far forward when you pop.  If it lands ahead of you, you are leaning too far back when you pop.  Etc etc... Basically, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, it's so simple it's stupid.

[close]

damn i'm trying to learn how to keep front shoves under me more, can you expand on this or point me towards a clip that explains?

all the clips i see of front shoves is the pop foot and ankle flicking it towards the nose diagonally, not directly down like you are saying

[close]

My FS pop shuvs are all in the popping foot. Get the front foot outta the way, start between an Ollie/kickflip position, and just get it up away from the board as you pop. Pop hard and slightly scoop with that back foot right smack in the middle of your tail. Suck up your legs and wait to catch. Hope this helps

I can’t remember who but someone gave a trick tip on the nine club once and it worked 1000%. I don’t even watch the show just needed background noise. Good luck

FS pop shuvs for me are a weird trick. Doing them regular I can pop them easily and quite high. There is a definite snap there. Doing it switch is like a totally different trick. I can do them but they barely pop even if I try and smash the tail down.

When I do them regular, I think I put a lot more pressure or weight on my front foot before popping. It's a weird one. Need to spend some time one day just figuring out what I am doing differently.

[Shtonk]

NB 440v2 Highs have done wonders for me.

The biggest epiphany was that Ryan Lay is right about skatepark design. We all grew up and still skate in parks that are mainly built for the top 10, often top 1 percent. Ledges too high, transitions too aggro, stairsets and handrails. We need to get dudes out of park planning who can't separate between a demographic's needs and their own wet dreams.

[BhaktaDon]

It helped my ollies to think of the movement of snapping a towel.  You gotta pull backwards with back foot first then snap forward with sliding foot.  This language helped me understand the timing.

[cVlt of the hVffer]

NB 440v2 Highs have done wonders for me.

The biggest epiphany was that Ryan Lay is right about skatepark design. We all grew up and still skate in parks that are mainly built for the top 10, often top 1 percent. Ledges too high, transitions too aggro, stairsets and handrails. We need to get dudes out of park planning who can't separate between a demographic's needs and their own wet dreams.

Kind of agree but you need to right amount of challenge also. It's a balance. Some recent designs have gone too far in the 'user-friendly' direction.

[CarcassToss]

Any time I have been to one of the So Cal/AZ parks designed by a company that consults with former pros it seems like they design it for what the pro wants to skate with the exception of Ryan. I think Tyrone Olson works for a company that did a lot of SoCal parks and they all seem to have the flow centered around something you huck down, some overly ridiculous transition, and seem more fitting for BMX.

[Suangi]

It helped my ollies to think of the movement of snapping a towel.  You gotta pull backwards with back foot first then snap forward with sliding foot.  This language helped me understand the timing.

"Pull backwards"? That wording is throwing me to be honest. Do you mean like push backwards when popping down?

I kind of do this with nollies except pushing forwards and have a lot of nollie pop but think that's just because I am dominant right foot and goofy.

[BhaktaDon]

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It helped my ollies to think of the movement of snapping a towel.  You gotta pull backwards with back foot first then snap forward with sliding foot.  This language helped me understand the timing.

[close]

"Pull backwards"? That wording is throwing me to be honest. Do you mean like push backwards when popping down?

I kind of do this with nollies except pushing forwards and have a lot of nollie pop but think that's just because I am dominant right foot and goofy.

Yeah I mean when you pop the front of the board is pulling backwards

[GnarAlarm]

- Don't bend over like you're going to pick something up off the ground, squat like you're going to sit in a chair

- Bend your knees more.

- On 360 flips, look at your front foot. Something about watching your front foot keeps you centered over the board

 

[Dwyck]

- Don't bend over like you're going to pick something up off the ground, squat like you're going to sit in a chair

- Bend your knees more.

- On 360 flips, look at your front foot. Something about watching your front foot keeps you centered over the board

This line of thinking has improved my transition skating more this year than ever. Squat down!

[formula420]

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NB 440v2 Highs have done wonders for me.

The biggest epiphany was that Ryan Lay is right about skatepark design. We all grew up and still skate in parks that are mainly built for the top 10, often top 1 percent. Ledges too high, transitions too aggro, stairsets and handrails. We need to get dudes out of park planning who can't separate between a demographic's needs and their own wet dreams.

[close]

Kind of agree but you need to right amount of challenge also. It's a balance. Some recent designs have gone too far in the 'user-friendly' direction.

I think (for the most part) parks should be able to prep you for the streets. So yea parks should have full sized ledges and stairs and stuff, but should also have some smaller stuff to noodle on too.

We are entering an era where cities dont just have one park. So i think its good to have a variety of sizes and shapes and difficulties and obstacles.

[Timberwolf]

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NB 440v2 Highs have done wonders for me.

The biggest epiphany was that Ryan Lay is right about skatepark design. We all grew up and still skate in parks that are mainly built for the top 10, often top 1 percent. Ledges too high, transitions too aggro, stairsets and handrails. We need to get dudes out of park planning who can't separate between a demographic's needs and their own wet dreams.

[close]

Kind of agree but you need to right amount of challenge also. It's a balance. Some recent designs have gone too far in the 'user-friendly' direction.

I think the one thing that has stood out to me about the skateparks/spots that Ryan has built or contributed  is that they are usually wide open and have a lot of flatground to push around. I agree with him it feels better to push up to an obstacle than to go down multiple ramps or quarterpipes to get to them. My favorite skateparks have always been ones where the obstacles are spread out.

[devils acrobat]

- Don't bend over like you're going to pick something up off the ground, squat like you're going to sit in a chair

- Bend your knees more.

These two and the good old shoulders. Need to remind myself every damn session.

[Sifter]

Ollieing into kickflips.  Front foot ROLLS up to the nose just like an ollie then you flick/flip it.  I've always approached it like scraping my toe all the way from behind the bolts up and through the nose with minimal friction.  I have flat feet so I think this s why

I dont have proper kickflips yet by any means but this realization has helped steer me away from continuing the classic whole foot off the board, toe on edge, heel clicker mid air, fall back down to the board kickflips

[Keep_on_Chooglin]

If you're struggling with slappies, the very simple thing that changed everything for me was....simply keeping my backfoot over the bolts instead of on the tail. If you prevent yourself from being able to put any pressure on the tail, it forces you to lead with the nose and that changed everything for me.

[formula420]

If you're struggling with slappies, the very simple thing that changed everything for me was....simply keeping my backfoot over the bolts instead of on the tail. If you prevent yourself from being able to put any pressure on the tail, it forces you to lead with the nose and that changed everything for me.

100% i learned to slappy cuz there was a video where spanky says feet on the bolts!

[Paul Cicero]

imagine yourself halfway through the trick before you pop

[Sila]

I tried everything with slappies, they're still elusive

[manuduncan]

imagine yourself halfway through the trick before you pop

 Can you elaborate on this? Bc wouldn’t logic dictate that you have to lift your front foot a millisecond before you pop to allow the nose to come up

[Sedition]

I tried everything with slappies, they're still elusive

Here is a “How-To” I wrote awhile back for a b/s slappy. The principle is basically the same for f/s, the mechanics are just slightly different.

(1)  Find a tiny curb. We are talking REAL small here. 1” – 2”. No higher than two inches. If possible, find a slanted one (like they have in California). If you can’t find a slanted one, no worries. Just make sure the one you found is 2” tall or shorter.

(2) Wax the fuck out of that curb.

(3) Go to an empty part of a parking lot. Once you are there, tighten the fuck out of your trucks. Yes, I said tighten your trucks. Stay with me on this one.

(4) Do some backside carves, really flexing those ankles, and pointing those toes down. Your trucks should be so tight now that both your heel-side wheels lift up in the air. You should be carving on just your two toe side wheels. Do this a bunch so that you can easily go up on to your toe side wheels whenever you want.

(5) Loosen your trucks up again. Get them back to where you had them before.

(6) Go back over to that tiny curb. Approach the curb at about a 45-degree angle, with a decent speed. Have your weight slightly ahead of your feet. Knees bent/and crouching down a tad.
 
(7) Just as your front heel side wheel is about to slam into the curb, do that same motion you did with the really tight trucks to carve up onto two wheels. Shift/thrust your hips toward the front of the board, so that they “catch up” with your shoulders (which were slightly ahead of your hips/feet), as your do this, also swing your back leg around (almost as if front leg was the pivot point) to help get the back trucks up on the curb. MAKE SURE that your shoulders stays in a parallel line directly over the curb. If your shoulders are too “open” (not parallel) it is MUCH harder to get your back truck on top of the curb. There is a LOT going on here, all at once, and they are very subtle motions. Getting the weight distribution, weight shift, speed, angle, and shoulders to all go as one, I think, is one of the reasons slappies are literally the HARDEST tricks to teach.

( Once up there, grind away until you want to come off.

(9) Find a SLIGHTLY taller curb, and repeat the same process.

 
Note: The textbook definition of a slappy makes NO USE of the tail to lift the front truck onto the curb, and NO USE of the nose to lift the back truck up, either.
 
Note on F/S Slappies: On f/s slappies, the shoulders are SUPER important. Not to scare you, but f/s slappies can produce some NASTY slams. What often happens on those slams is this sequence of events: (1) you get the front truck up, but the back truck doesn't make it, (2) the rear toe side wheels bounce off the curb, (3) the back end of your board then slides around, turning the board 90 degrees (e.g. board goes into a f/s railside position), (4) rear truck then catch against the curb and board stops dead, (5) since your feet are now twisted a bit under your torso, it is next to impossible to "run out" of, (6) This sends you flying backwards toward your hip/back/forward elbow. Slams like this are bad enough on flat ground, but now you also have the edge of a curb to look out for. Making sure that rear shoulder gets parallel with the curb, when "slapping" into it, can help avoid this sequence of events. Leaving the rear shoulder "open" is almost an invitation for this type of the slam.

Note on Wheels Size & Shape: Larger wheels make it easier to roll over/slap-up a curb. Wheels with a more rounded profile (e.g. Spitfire Classic type shape) make slappies easier than a more squared-off shape (e.g. Spitfire tablets).

[tzhangdox]

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imagine yourself halfway through the trick before you pop

[close]

 Can you elaborate on this? Bc wouldn’t logic dictate that you have to lift your front foot a millisecond before you pop to allow the nose to come up

 I absolutely agree with the sentiment but obviously cannot speak for him. Though this is what it means in to me:

For grinds and slides, if you’re putting all your mental energy into getting into the trick, your won’t be ready to grind or slide it when you get in. We already do this pretty instinctively for basic tricks we have, but slightly more difficult tricks require some conscious thinking.

For me, Nollie/fakie crooks and kickflip back tails come to mind. If I just trust that I’ll get into it with minimal effort and try be ready to grind/slide and then land… I’ll be much more mentally ready to do the rest of the trick if I do lock in

If I’m fully focused only on getting in, I’m more prone to sticking and am less ready to grind/slide, even if I do get into the trick slightly more consistently.

Also translates a lil to some flatground tricks. For example I tend to under rotate frontside flips and switch backside flips, and tic tac the last few degrees. But if I worry less about the flick and just imagine the first part is already done and put my mental energy on finishing the rotation and rolling away smooth, it almost helps manifest it a little. Gotta kinda jsut trust the first part

[magiccarpetride]

warming up/ stretching has helped immensely. In my 30s now ive noticed if i actually take the time to warm up and stretch, it can make my body feel so much better then going straight into having a sesh.

[srsbsnss]

That I could actually slide switch back tails after 29 years of failing. once I started to treat it like a switch Ollie into a regular frontside nose slide instead of overthinking it and doubting myself it just happened.