Epiphanies that helped your skateboarding

[noxiousPond]

I’m a total beginner (still can’t kickflip, probably closer to landing heel flips at this point) But I’ve noticed I wear out my shoes by the big toe area faster that most people and I’ve realized I put waaay too much weight on my big toe setting up and trying to “balance” for kick flips. In reality putting all my weight on my big toe (the flick foot) I’m actually ruining my balance and I’ve found if I just try to… try less and just use the ball of my foot my flicks are cleaner and more balanced.

Not sure how much this helps as I’m sure a lot here are more advanced than I am.

[WashingtonNECKTIE]

I’m a total beginner (still can’t kickflip, probably closer to landing heel flips at this point) But I’ve noticed I wear out my shoes by the big toe area faster that most people and I’ve realized I put waaay too much weight on my big toe setting up and trying to “balance” for kick flips. In reality putting all my weight on my big toe (the flick foot) I’m actually ruining my balance and I’ve found if I just try to… try less and just use the ball of my foot my flicks are cleaner and more balanced.

Not sure how much this helps as I’m sure a lot here are more advanced than I am.

I think a lot of that just comes from learning and still being inexperienced. As you noted, staying flatter on your feet will give you more stability and more consistency. It's just a bit awkward to learn to stand like that and not emphasize your weight on the balls of your feet/foot.

As you get more comfortable, you'll notice you end up dynamically switching between a toe/ball heavy stance, and a more flat footed stance. Example would be pushing (heavy on toe) and setting up for like a noseslide (pretty flat footed).

All that to say, the ball area of my soles always wear out fast.

[codswallop]

Stuff you realized that helped you get better:

1) 360 flips are more pressure and release than scoop and flip
When I started in the 2000s everyone told me they were like a Varial Flip with an additional shuvit, 75% shove + 25% flick was the conventional wisdom. I struggled with that trick forever and would only land the occasional one with perfect floors and loads of tic-tacs during the roll away.

Committed to learning them properly these last few months and realized that if you pressure the tail and heelside rail correctly the board naturally rotates and spins under you. After discovering that it was about making sure my head, hips and shoulders were in alignment over the board and jumping upwards instead of away from my board.

Makes sense why people say they are easier to learn than kickflips.

Edit: I think this logic works for Big Spins, they look like a Shove that is caught and rotated 180, but its the pressure and release that gives the elasticity to spin freely.

2) Maintain your forward momentum to hold your grinds and slides
For a long time I would brute force my tricks and ollie way higher than I needed to get onto a ledge. Probably explains my preference for tall ledges but also why I'd either slip out and stick on Tailslides.

Over the past year I've learned to control the height of my ollie and focus more on the front foot drag to get high and level. Instead of stomping the tail in high above the ledge I'm slotting my tail onto the ledge and thinking about maintaining a forward momentum.

That has given me better control while sliding and can choose if I want to exit regular or fakie.

3) Approaching the ledge / rail at a slight angle is usually better than fully parallel
Linked to #2 and especially so for slides you have to turn into the ledge / rail. Going at a slight angle gives the nose and tail time to gain height to get up and onto the obstacle.

I'd love to hear your insights (especially on getting a solid ollie) that helped you approach skateboarding differently.

Definitely get that epiphany feeling and felt it most of all with ollies. Probably because of the cascading benefit on other tricks it had. The only thing I changed was basically looking towards the direction I was going instead of looking down and between my legs. Brought the consistency and fun way up.

[moykky]

Coming back after loooong break, I've noticed that what ever trick you're doing, squatting low when setting up does it. Even just for a slappy grind.

I always feel scared and that makes me stand upright (and fail). But when I force myself to squat low, it almost always works (the trick might fail, but I "get onto it") 

[91FeelGoodOnWood]

Bombing a hill is the best way to warm up.
Bring extra socks on the session.
Yes even 3 beers will effect your skate.
Yes Barcelona is still the best.

[rawbertson.]

when you do rock to fakie, you gotta be centered on the board (i always put my foot like an ollie for some dumb reason...)

[WashingtonNECKTIE]

Learning how to throw your rock'n'roll type tricks against the inside truck is clutch.
Better conservation of momentum and much more fun.

[back smith]

Learning how to throw your rock'n'roll type tricks against the inside truck is clutch.
Better conservation of momentum and much more fun.

[GnarAlarm]

Bombing a hill is the best way to warm up.
Bring extra socks on the session.
Yes even 3 beers will effect your skate.
Yes Barcelona is still the best.

Why bring extra socks?
I'm borderline obsessive about cleanliness and hygiene, but I've never felt like I needed to change my socks on the sesh.

I absolutely can not drink and skate and I don't understand how people can.
I mean, I can see how people can have a few beers and carve around on transition, but I don't know how people get a beer buzz and can still do flip tricks and skate ledges/rails.

[moshandwallies]

Expand Quote

Bombing a hill is the best way to warm up.
Bring extra socks on the session.
Yes even 3 beers will effect your skate.
Yes Barcelona is still the best.

[close]

Why bring extra socks?
I'm borderline obsessive about cleanliness and hygiene, but I've never felt like I needed to change my socks on the sesh.

I absolutely can not drink and skate and I don't understand how people can.
I mean, I can see how people can have a few beers and carve around on transition, but I don't know how people get a beer buzz and can still do flip tricks and skate ledges/rails.

Personally, I bring extra socks because when I'm done skating the ones I'm using are usually wet and during the winter can give you a really hard time.

[bartlaser]

Sometimes its nice to just cruise and roll around.

[Ty Evans Lightman]

Admitting to yourself when you're over it instead of chasing the dragon

[Dwyck]

Going to the hardware store after work and buying enamel and a rub brick or two is also skateboarding

[Urtripping]

You don't reach down to grab your board when doing most airs or footplants, you shoot that fucker up into your hands

[GumOnMyGrip]

Not all tricks involve using both feet. Took me a long time to figure out that the front foot just doesn’t do much of anything sometimes…
Shuvs, backside 360 ollie, impossibles

[propaganda]

- skating the streets is like being a unleashed dog
- landing tricks is cool but sometimes falling gives me what i really want...... a woman to care about me and ask if im alright
- progession is not always linear
- im gonna have to learn how to code to use this site

[Hubba Bo-Tep]

New epiphanies:  Pop is actually generated with your front leg (not donkey kicking straight down with the back leg), and when lifting your front knee to generate the pop, it can go in other directions other than simply straight up (out towards the nose, straight up, towards the back shoulder and anywhere inbetween).  How I didn't know this for 35+ years blows my mind.

I need to crouch far less than I think I do, it's exhausting when I get super crouchy and it fucks my timing more than it helps.  Don't spend the energy jumping up, spend it bringing the feet up.

[luffy]

New epiphanies:  Pop is actually generated with your front leg (not donkey kicking straight down with the back leg), and when lifting your front knee to generate the pop, it can go in other directions other than simply straight up (out towards the nose, straight up, towards the back shoulder and anywhere inbetween).  How I didn't know this for 35+ years blows my mind.

I need to crouch far less than I think I do, it's exhausting when I get super crouchy and it fucks my timing more than it helps.  Don't spend the energy jumping up, spend it bringing the feet up.

Can you expand on this? I don't understand what you mean that pop is generated with the front leg, especially not having to crouch as much as you thought you needed to.

[Big Brother]

The pop foot in the pocket epiphany of 2008 after seeing Malto and Mike Mo skate was a pretty big one for me. Prior to that my toes were on the edge for a lot of tricks.

[ferguu]

Heelflip is just ollie north diagonal. Unlocked 'em in a session because somebody told me that.

[Suangi]

The pop foot in the pocket epiphany of 2008 after seeing Malto and Mike Mo skate was a pretty big one for me. Prior to that my toes were on the edge for a lot of tricks.

You got any examples of this? Not 100% sure what you mean

[ferguu]

Expand Quote

The pop foot in the pocket epiphany of 2008 after seeing Malto and Mike Mo skate was a pretty big one for me. Prior to that my toes were on the edge for a lot of tricks.

[close]

You got any examples of this? Not 100% sure what you mean

Like standing on the edge of your tail vs moving your back foot closer to the bolts. I'm not sure that's called the pocket, I'd just call it more 'inside' but I think that makes a similarly small amount of sense.

Personally works for nollies for me. If I put my front foot on the edge of the nose I'm sure to miss my pop, but closer to the bolts it's nice and responsive.

[scab]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

The pop foot in the pocket epiphany of 2008 after seeing Malto and Mike Mo skate was a pretty big one for me. Prior to that my toes were on the edge for a lot of tricks.

[close]

You got any examples of this? Not 100% sure what you mean

[close]

Like standing on the edge of your tail vs moving your back foot closer to the bolts. I'm not sure that's called the pocket, I'd just call it more 'inside' but I think that makes a similarly small amount of sense.

Personally works for nollies for me. If I put my front foot on the edge of the nose I'm sure to miss my pop, but closer to the bolts it's nice and responsive.

In the same vein: it took me ages to realize I can move my popping foot all over the tail and don't need to stay right in the middle, e. g. pop from the heel side pocket for heelflips and scoop from the toe side pocket for 360 flips. Once I started doing that I managed to build a small but respectable bag of flip tricks, whereas before I could kickflip, varial flip and not much else because I couldn't figure out how to make the board move the way I wanted it to with just the flick.

[rocklobster]

Expand Quote

New epiphanies:  Pop is actually generated with your front leg (not donkey kicking straight down with the back leg), and when lifting your front knee to generate the pop, it can go in other directions other than simply straight up (out towards the nose, straight up, towards the back shoulder and anywhere inbetween).  How I didn't know this for 35+ years blows my mind.

I need to crouch far less than I think I do, it's exhausting when I get super crouchy and it fucks my timing more than it helps.  Don't spend the energy jumping up, spend it bringing the feet up.

[close]

Can you expand on this? I don't understand what you mean that pop is generated with the front leg, especially not having to crouch as much as you thought you needed to.

Some older skater who just picked up skating in the 2020s explained it to me that there's way less drag from the shoe across the grip tape, more up towards the nose and less forward to straighten out the board. Dragging up instead of forward gives more height and control since you're not limiting your vertical leap.



Having the foot drag up, towards the center line and foot towards the back is news to me

[Suangi]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

The pop foot in the pocket epiphany of 2008 after seeing Malto and Mike Mo skate was a pretty big one for me. Prior to that my toes were on the edge for a lot of tricks.

[close]

You got any examples of this? Not 100% sure what you mean

[close]

Like standing on the edge of your tail vs moving your back foot closer to the bolts. I'm not sure that's called the pocket, I'd just call it more 'inside' but I think that makes a similarly small amount of sense.

Personally works for nollies for me. If I put my front foot on the edge of the nose I'm sure to miss my pop, but closer to the bolts it's nice and responsive.

Ok, cool. Will def give it a go. I've always been really good at nollies and have lots of nollie pop and my foot is planted exactly like you said. Kind of in the middle, not on the tip. I wonder if it will work for ollies because my ollies suck conversely

[Big Brother]

Front board pop outs in the middle of a ledge

[propaganda]

Skateboardings kinda like tryna swat a fly

[Big Brother]

Learning to approach almost parallel for a front krook like a front nosegrind then pressing into the krook milliseconds befoe your truck hits was an insane revelation for me. Shockingly easy to hold if you get the technique, which was something i never thought i would do. feels fucking amazing.

after years of ollieing over to the front truck and rolling into front board and breaking my back, this was a personal lifetime achievement award.

[rocklobster]

Learning to approach almost parallel for a front krook like a front nosegrind then pressing into the krook milliseconds befoe your truck hits was an insane revelation for me. Shockingly easy to hold if you get the technique, which was something i never thought i would do. feels fucking amazing.

after years of ollieing over to the front truck and rolling into front board and breaking my back, this was a personal lifetime achievement award.

It's really strange that applying the logic of a BS Crook to a FS Crook doesn't work at all, haven't done one in a while but you're right - roll parallel and focus on getting directly above the obstacle before pressing down. I have my front foot setup well behind my front bolts so by the time my truck makes contact with the ledge it's right over the truck and tweaked instead of too far forward on the nose and stick.

[BeachChicken]

I think for front nose, crook, and nosegrind its the same for me that if the rear isnt well over the ledge ill just shoot out or not lock in very well. That's what I learned most when I started on smaller ledges and worked upwards- it wasn't just the ledge height, but my rear foot relation to the ledge.