Epiphanies that helped your skateboarding

[Paul Cicero]

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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

[close]

 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

nailed it.

When i was learning nose mannys an older local gave me the advice to trust that you will get up there and imagine being halfway through the manny vs focusing so much on the set up.

[rocklobster]

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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

[close]

 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

Holy shit this worked for me, I used to have BS tailslides on lock but I've been going through a slump with them. Just imagined myself holding a long one like Jamie Foy does in his recent Cold Call and I was sliding further, albeit less controlled. Still rolled away in fewer tries than usual so I'll take the win.



@Paul Cicero and @tzhangdox you're on track to be the next Silhouette!

[mayorjed]

Realising the importance of being comfortable on my board, as opposed to only skating to learn tricks.

I've stopped and started skating many times over the years. Having recently skated with some old friends for the first time in a while, I realised how inextricably linked my board comfort is with my general life contentment (i.e., when I feel awkward skating I tend to have a pretty miserable outlook on things.)

Whenever I would start skating again, I would focus on relearning tricks. I always found this approach frustrating - trying to be the same skater you were in the past - which would cause me to quit again a few months later. After years of this, I've finally realised that what keeps me coming back to skating is my love for the feeling of riding around. As such, I've found that I'm at my lowest when, after months of neglect, my board control is bad and I feel unnatural pumping about. I now care less about tricks - tricks come and go for reasons that'll always be mysterious - and care more about feeling 100% comfortable on my board to the point it just feels like walking. (The irony is that, through this approach, new tricks happen way more fluidly, almost incidentally.)

Realising this has caused me to relearn the importance of skating almost everyday. And when I say "skate everyday", I don't mean a full session everyday, but trying to do something on the board each day. A lot of days, after work, I'll just go and push around my neighbourhood for half an hour, maybe hitting little spots that I pass. Alternatively, I'll try and skate into town whenever I need to run errands, even though it's a bit of a trek. The main point of this is to keep my board feel. Being able to cruise around comfortably, manoeuvring terrain with ease, is directly linked to my satisfaction in life.

In short, when I feel unnatural on my board my life in general starts going askew.

This may sound obvious to some of you, but for years I always saw skating and life as being in conflict, with one always getting in the way of the other. But now I realise that, in order to be responsible and diligent in other areas of my life, I need to feel comfortable on my board, or psychologically it all falls apart.

[JM]

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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

[close]

 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

[close]

Holy shit this worked for me, I used to have BS tailslides on lock but I've been going through a slump with them. Just imagined myself holding a long one like Jamie Foy does in his recent Cold Call and I was sliding further, albeit less controlled. Still rolled away in fewer tries than usual so I'll take the win.



@Paul Cicero and @tzhangdox you're on track to be the next Silhouette!

Can’t wait to try this.

I’d wager that ignoring the first part of the trick to be prepared to slide/grind taps into the lizard brain where everything runs on: observation -> reaction. (No deep thoughts involved.)

I know every time I start thinking about a trick, it goes to shit.

And every single time I’m not thinking very much at all, things go better.

[Pbn_jake]

That if I’m air footing flat ground Ollie’s maaaaaybe my extra rattle loose blown out bushing trucks aren’t doing me any good.

Also that I don’t need a battery pack of modelos + a 12 oz double IPA every time I go and skate.

Without either of these in my life now I’d argue to say every session I have is incredibly more productive

[rocklobster]

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCUmlocMU6k/?igsh=ajBwb3ZrM3AzbHIx

Just watched this and it's helped my crap ollies (even after 20 years). I always struggled with understanding what people meant when they said you need to lift your knees to get height. Usually resorted to having my dragging foot really far behind the front truck which gives height at the expense of stability and style. I've been dragging slightly up and forward but could never get enough height or get it to bone out.

Small sample size but tried it out yesterday with some cones, ollies over felt much easier.

[FUBAR]

I dont know if it qualifies as an epiphany or not but I realized I like skating around fast (for me, anyways) and doing the more simple things versus my normal slow, two inch grind kinda pace. Since I have made this realization, I have had a bunch more fun. If you see an old guy cruising around the park doing very simple stuff with a smile on his face, say what up.

[I-am-12]

I dont know if it qualifies as an epiphany or not but I realized I like skating around fast (for me, anyways) and doing the more simple things versus my normal slow, two inch grind kinda pace. Since I have made this realization, I have had a bunch more fun. If you see an old guy cruising around the park doing very simple stuff with a smile on his face, say what up.

That's also how you get better and get more steeze.

Skating faster is the best thing I've ever done in terms of progression. You just have to remind yourself every 5 or 10 minutes that however fast you're doing your tricks, do them faster no matter what.

[FUBAR]

Yeah man, it is way more satisfying to do, let’s say, a front shove at “speed” vs. just doing one damn near standing still. Same with the ole simple fs 5050 grind. WAY more fun grinding five feet than just a quick on and off grind. Sad that it took me too many years to figure out, but I still have afew years left in the tank.

[JM]

All I needed to do was pretend that I am Tiago, and BAM! way better at getting into fakie “front” tail slides.

Also, clicked one day that back noses are the same motion getting into as fakie “front” noses. Way way easier now to get into.

[WashingtonNECKTIE]

All I needed to do was pretend that I am Tiago, and BAM! way better at getting into fakie “front” tail slides.

Also, clicked one day that back noses are the same motion getting into as fakie “front” noses. Way way easier now to get into.

I had the same thing happen recently. I was working on FS oliies on the punk wall, and my friend was asking how to get through the vert and the tight transition. I said "I just imagine how GT would do it. Go fast, ollie hard, and suck those knees up". He got a small one but got the stoke and kept charging at em.

Having some sort of "mental muse" really is helpful in certain aspects. This comes with limits of course. Trying to channel Tyshwan may not result in being able to nollie hard a trash bin

[GnarAlarm]

Realized the other day, more often than not my tricks pop better and I'm more likely to land bolts if I slightly bow out my knees when squatting to do the trick. Not full on cowboy bowlegs like Chad Bartie or Chris Colburn, just knees pointed slightly out away from each other. Especially helps my heelflips and heelflip variations but helps at least a little with pretty much everything.

[I-am-12]

Realized the other day, more often than not my tricks pop better and I'm more likely to land bolts if I slightly bow out my knees when squatting to do the trick. Not full on cowboy bowlegs like Chad Bartie or Chris Colburn, just knees pointed slightly out away from each other. Especially helps my heelflips and heelflip variations but helps at least a little with pretty much everything.

Keep in mind it's probably just your front leg that matters here. I figured this out when learning how to pop over higher things (and generally better, stronger ollies) but only focused on the front knee. It forces your front foot to "rise" inward more, since your foot is behind your knee, AND when your shin+foot go to straighten out again, it levels out the board automatically.

Logically / in theory, I don't see how doing it with the back leg would help. In fact, I used to also bow my back leg while learning 5050s (because it magically gave me more pop), and then later I realized really only the front leg matters.

[Bingyflip]

One irrational handicap I've always had is crooked grinds.

Last night, lying down post wank, I realized if I come onto the ledge pretend I'm getting into a backside 5050 instead of a nose slide I'll stop leaning and falling over the ledge.

Took a half day at work to test my theory. Will report back.

[WashingtonNECKTIE]

One irrational handicap I've always had is crooked grinds.

Last night, lying down post wank, I realized if I come onto the ledge pretend I'm getting into a backside 5050 instead of a nose slide I'll stop leaning and falling over the ledge.

Took a half day at work to test my theory. Will report back.

That some wild post-nut clarity, hopefully it works out

[JM]

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All I needed to do was pretend that I am Tiago, and BAM! way better at getting into fakie “front” tail slides.

Also, clicked one day that back noses are the same motion getting into as fakie “front” noses. Way way easier now to get into.

[close]

I had the same thing happen recently. I was working on FS oliies on the punk wall, and my friend was asking how to get through the vert and the tight transition. I said "I just imagine how GT would do it. Go fast, ollie hard, and suck those knees up". He got a small one but got the stoke and kept charging at em.

Having some sort of "mental muse" really is helpful in certain aspects. This comes with limits of course. Trying to channel Tyshwan may not result in being able to nollie hard a trash bin

Have you really tried yet? You’re not Tyshawning hard enough, then.

I believe in you.

But just in case, film the attempts and share.

[WashingtonNECKTIE]

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All I needed to do was pretend that I am Tiago, and BAM! way better at getting into fakie “front” tail slides.

Also, clicked one day that back noses are the same motion getting into as fakie “front” noses. Way way easier now to get into.

[close]

I had the same thing happen recently. I was working on FS oliies on the punk wall, and my friend was asking how to get through the vert and the tight transition. I said "I just imagine how GT would do it. Go fast, ollie hard, and suck those knees up". He got a small one but got the stoke and kept charging at em.

Having some sort of "mental muse" really is helpful in certain aspects. This comes with limits of course. Trying to channel Tyshwan may not result in being able to nollie hard a trash bin

[close]

Have you really tried yet? You’re not Tyshawning hard enough, then.

I believe in you.

But just in case, film the attempts and share.

Haha thanks for the vote of confidence. Truthfully, I hadn't tested that specific example.

Guess the first step would be learning nollie hardflips

[JM]

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All I needed to do was pretend that I am Tiago, and BAM! way better at getting into fakie “front” tail slides.

Also, clicked one day that back noses are the same motion getting into as fakie “front” noses. Way way easier now to get into.

[close]

I had the same thing happen recently. I was working on FS oliies on the punk wall, and my friend was asking how to get through the vert and the tight transition. I said "I just imagine how GT would do it. Go fast, ollie hard, and suck those knees up". He got a small one but got the stoke and kept charging at em.

Having some sort of "mental muse" really is helpful in certain aspects. This comes with limits of course. Trying to channel Tyshwan may not result in being able to nollie hard a trash bin

[close]

Have you really tried yet? You’re not Tyshawning hard enough, then.

I believe in you.

But just in case, film the attempts and share.

[close]

Haha thanks for the vote of confidence. Truthfully, I hadn't tested that specific example.

Guess the first step would be learning nollie hardflips

Let’s break it down Transworld Trick Tips style:

1. Bend your legs
2. Pop nollie and let the back of the board pass through your legs.
3. Nollie hardflip over trash can.
4. Land and roll away.

Seriously it’s that easy. You got this.

[I-am-12]

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All I needed to do was pretend that I am Tiago, and BAM! way better at getting into fakie “front” tail slides.

Also, clicked one day that back noses are the same motion getting into as fakie “front” noses. Way way easier now to get into.

[close]

I had the same thing happen recently. I was working on FS oliies on the punk wall, and my friend was asking how to get through the vert and the tight transition. I said "I just imagine how GT would do it. Go fast, ollie hard, and suck those knees up". He got a small one but got the stoke and kept charging at em.

Having some sort of "mental muse" really is helpful in certain aspects. This comes with limits of course. Trying to channel Tyshwan may not result in being able to nollie hard a trash bin

[close]

Have you really tried yet? You’re not Tyshawning hard enough, then.

I believe in you.

But just in case, film the attempts and share.

[close]

Haha thanks for the vote of confidence. Truthfully, I hadn't tested that specific example.

Guess the first step would be learning nollie hardflips

[close]

Let’s break it down Transworld Trick Tips style:

1. Bend your legs
2. Pop nollie and let the back of the board pass through your legs.
3. Nollie hardflip over trash can.
4. Land and roll away.

Seriously it’s that easy. You got this.

*Most detailed pro skater trick tip youtube video

[Bingyflip]

Expand Quote

One irrational handicap I've always had is crooked grinds.

Last night, lying down post wank, I realized if I come onto the ledge pretend I'm getting into a backside 5050 instead of a nose slide I'll stop leaning and falling over the ledge.

Took a half day at work to test my theory. Will report back.

[close]

That some wild post-nut clarity, hopefully it works out

World works in mysterious ways.

Hanging the front foot slighly off the board toe side was what I was missing. Get into them everytime just gotta grow balls for the speed

[GnarAlarm]

One irrational handicap I've always had is crooked grinds.

Last night, lying down post wank, I realized if I come onto the ledge pretend I'm getting into a backside 5050 instead of a nose slide I'll stop leaning and falling over the ledge.

Took a half day at work to test my theory. Will report back.

It works. A lot of people have a bad habit of leaning out and away from the ledge when they're learning crooks.
When people ask how I do it my main advice is basically "stand on that thang!". Get up on top of it, not off to the side of it!
Imagining a 5050 would definitely help, that's a good way to put it.
Same thing for people who say they have to 180 or shuv out of back crooks because the board always goes primo when they try to come off straight. It's going primo cause they're basically crooking the side of the ledge, if they would get up on top of it the board will stay flat coming off regular.

[WashingtonNECKTIE]

Well speaking of crookeds, is there a good tip on holding the lock-in/pinch? I’ve got em pretty consistent, but real short. Maybe a couple feet. I can pop out the middle of the ledge decent, but really sitting in and grinding the distance hasn't worked for me.

Still gotta get more on top or what?

[Bingyflip]

Expand Quote

One irrational handicap I've always had is crooked grinds.

Last night, lying down post wank, I realized if I come onto the ledge pretend I'm getting into a backside 5050 instead of a nose slide I'll stop leaning and falling over the ledge.

Took a half day at work to test my theory. Will report back.

[close]

It works. A lot of people have a bad habit of leaning out and away from the ledge when they're learning crooks.
When people ask how I do it my main advice is basically "stand on that thang!". Get up on top of it, not off to the side of it!
Imagining a 5050 would definitely help, that's a good way to put it.
Same thing for people who say they have to 180 or shuv out of back crooks because the board always goes primo when they try to come off straight. It's going primo cause they're basically crooking the side of the ledge, if they would get up on top of it the board will stay flat coming off regular.

Hell ya thanks for that! I'ma go out tonight and STAND ON THAT THANG.

[Septa Bus]

Well speaking of crookeds, is there a good tip on holding the lock-in/pinch? I’ve got em pretty consistent, but real short. Maybe a couple feet. I can pop out the middle of the ledge decent, but really sitting in and grinding the distance hasn't worked for me.

Still gotta get more on top or what?

after skating for nearly 20 years i finally learned how to crooked after being ashamed of never 'wanting' to learn how

go for a backside noseslide, but be closer and more parallel with the ledge/rail. all the weight on the ball of your front foot when you lock in, but you wanna 'sit back seat', so your weight is in the front of the board, but you're mostly leaning back. then just scooch that shiz out like a nosegrind.

hope that gibberish helps, the front seat/back seat concept helps me with a lot of tricks once someone described it to me a couple years ago

[Plan9Customs]

Keep my front shoulder inline with the nose. If I tell myself that with kick flips they pop better, flick better, always dip the nose, and catch back foot first. You’d think after decades it’d be ingrained, but I’m a stupid.

[formula420]

Well speaking of crookeds, is there a good tip on holding the lock-in/pinch? I’ve got em pretty consistent, but real short. Maybe a couple feet. I can pop out the middle of the ledge decent, but really sitting in and grinding the distance hasn't worked for me.

Still gotta get more on top or what?

Weight on the heel

[Urtripping]

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Well speaking of crookeds, is there a good tip on holding the lock-in/pinch? I’ve got em pretty consistent, but real short. Maybe a couple feet. I can pop out the middle of the ledge decent, but really sitting in and grinding the distance hasn't worked for me.

Still gotta get more on top or what?

[close]

Weight on the heel

This is it

[Unkle Fleak]

Look to where you want to land. Believe in your instincts through muscle memory.
What truly matters is where your head is over the board when you pop.  It doesn’t matter where your feet are placed if your head is not in the right place. 
Lead with your dome piece and you’re looking to end up on your ass piece.

Back 3 on hells (banks) I didn’t have a bank. So I did it all the way up the biggest hill I had three pushes and a back three for like three weeks. Frank told me that if I start landing those 270 or just beyond then I’d be doing 360s on flat and it was the truth.

I learned this when I fixed my back 3s in like whatever year Lee burger came out. I forget it all the time still. Where is Where my head at? I’m trying to back 270 to belly flop here!?!??


One more. Trap the tre flip

[Xen]

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Well speaking of crookeds, is there a good tip on holding the lock-in/pinch? I’ve got em pretty consistent, but real short. Maybe a couple feet. I can pop out the middle of the ledge decent, but really sitting in and grinding the distance hasn't worked for me.

Still gotta get more on top or what?

[close]

Weight on the heel

[close]

This is it

Yep, and look down at your lead foot's laces (this almost automagically makes you stand up and sit on them)

--

Here's a few weird ones that took a bit of getting used to (literally pro tips - from a local pro) and might not be common for a lot of people...but it's helped more than I thought it would:

A) go watch Tiago/O'Neil skate, watch how they crouch and how they distribute their weight (especially Tiago, his wieght is amost alway over his rear truck, almost looks like he's leaning back)

B) don't bend down like you're picking something up / squat for pop

C) if you keep your arms in front of you, you don't have to worry about being squard up

[Pavement Diver]

Keep my front shoulder inline with the nose. If I tell myself that with kick flips they pop better, flick better, always dip the nose, and catch back foot first. You’d think after decades it’d be ingrained, but I’m a stupid.

Thank you!

That explains why my BS Flip are more consistent than a regular kickflip. I bet with regulars, I'm thinking of kicking my foot out and throwing my shoulder in the same direction, but the BS rotation digs my shoulder towards the nose.

This is going to solve some issues, I think.