Skate insights/secrets

[tzhangdox]

Great thread!
For hardflips go fast an shove the hell out of your tail in a straightforward motion.  Don't concentrate in the flick, this will come automatically.

One trick I can't do is a proper fs smith on a ledge.  Can Do 5-0s and lipslides but still... Any advice would be great! 

It probably won't work if you try to 5-0 and drop your nose afterwards. Most people lean back and point their front foot forwards a lot with smiths, its like the board is in front of them, like they are boning an ollie almost. If you ollie high and land in smith position it might be easy for the nose to drop too much and stick. It might be easier on something a little higher if you try it this way, ollie, and try to push your lower half out so that when youre in the grind, the board is a bit ahead of your body. Then make sure most of the weight is on your back foot while you straighten out your front foot and point with your front toe. Popping out is pretty straightforward.

[underknowledge]

backsmith flip out = roll up, back smith, flip out, roll away...

[shit_for_brains]

3 flips are easier if you can already do switch 3 flips

[Esquivel]

To smith a ledge lean more to the side as well, not too much over the top like a 50 or 5-0. Going faster helps on this one, too. Just try aim the back truck and smash it in. Don't ollie too high, just enough to get you on the ledge.


Any tips for these would be greatly appreciated:


Bs smiths? I can do them sometimes depending on the ledge. Most of the time I just stick.

Front big spins? Regular or switch, I can't figure this one out at all. I can get one foot on switch ones every time. As soon as I commit it goes about 270, if that.

Front crooks make no sense either. I've been doing nose grinds and front nose slides for years and years. I get closer to fakie front crooks, because they feel easier to pinch. I think I've done more nollie ones accidentally, too.

For both bs and fs smiths: when you ollie pull back the front foot so that upon landing in the grind the foot is clearly placed behind the front bolts. Think of it as a similar motion to what people do when they ollie up something and their front foot is already in place for the next trick. This is going to help in actually grinding and not sticking on the smith. If you have a look at most really long smiths the front foot is placed close to the middle of the board! Not saying that smiths won't grind otherwise, just that this will help with the grind (and also with coming off the trick)

[ttching!]

backsmith flip out = roll up, back smith, flip out, roll away...

If you say 'doo' three times as you set up for a heelflip, you'll activate Antwuan style.

[Betaphenylethylalamine]

Sounds lame as fuck because it is, but if you wanna learn Smith grinds f/s or backside do them nollie to get the feel for it because it's 8000x easier.

Also, to hold a Smith you need gnarly good balance. Anymore than 2 or 3 feet is fucked up hard

[shark tits]

there was a time in the late 90s when i could only smith downhill on metal. so like, contest rails and maybe a box going off a curb or skatepark hubba.
5-0s are easier downhill too, just ollie level and land w/ your weight towards the back a little and that's a downhill 5-0. you're level to ride off the end.

i'm still bad at smiths but i can prolly do em on any metal obstacle [i just don't choose to].

[straight]

3 flips are easier if you can already do switch 3 flips

this is not the case for kickflips .. at least for me

[jamersonbass]

I could use some kickflip insights.  The last time I had them consistently was 2 years ago.  Went out last night and got kicked out seemingly everywhere.  We ended up skating a lot of flat and I was trying to drill my kickflips and landed some, but was doing this weird thing where I would catch and land, and then my body would instinctively pivot fs off my nose leading to misses and ultimately, humility.... 

My 11 year old nephew 2 hours away just got a skateboard and I want to be able to show him some stuff, so I'm extra motivated to get my kickflips back.  HALP!

[Casey Jones]

Smith grinds and feebles are essentially one-footed grinds. You just stand on your back leg completely.

[Chuck Gender]

Smith grinds and feebles are essentially one-footed grinds. You just stand on your back leg completely.

Thanks for all the smith grind advices pals.  I am sure I will be landing my first one next session

[metsuri]

Expand Quote

Smith grinds and feebles are essentially one-footed grinds. You just stand on your back leg completely.

[close]

Thanks for all the smith grind advices pals.  I am sure I will be landing my first one next session

One more piece of fs smith advice; approach at an angle, not as parallel to the ledge as you would for a 5-0. That way it's easier to get into the right lean.

[mattchew]

I too need smith advice, so thanks! been trying them on and off for a few months and have only done one proper one, all the others have been like, the shittiest looking 5-0's ever/totally undipped smiths.

A few different people have tried to explain them using the 5-0 analogy and it does not work for me at all. I have pretty damn good front 5-0's and trying to do a smith the same way just does not click for me--I feel like you have o lock in much differently on your truck.

[shit_for_brains]

I too need smith advice, so thanks! been trying them on and off for a few months and have only done one proper one, al the others have been like, the shittiest loking 5-0's ever/totally undipped smiths.

A few different people have tried to explain them using the 5-0 analogy and it does not work for me at all. I have pretty damn good front 5-0's and trying to do a smith the same way just does not click the same way--I feel like you have o lock in much differently on your truck.

The 5-0 comparison comes in because you want to lean your weight back, like you would on a 5-0. It's about taking your front foot/truck out of the equation. You're locking your back truck and sort of one side of the middle of your board in using your back foot and your weight center, and keeping your weight off your front foot so you don't smush it down and stick.

[Betaphenylethylalamine]

Expand Quote

I too need smith advice, so thanks! been trying them on and off for a few months and have only done one proper one, al the others have been like, the shittiest loking 5-0's ever/totally undipped smiths.

A few different people have tried to explain them using the 5-0 analogy and it does not work for me at all. I have pretty damn good front 5-0's and trying to do a smith the same way just does not click the same way--I feel like you have o lock in much differently on your truck.

[close]

The 5-0 comparison comes in because you want to lean your weight back, like you would on a 5-0. It's about taking your front foot/truck out of the equation. You're locking your back truck and sort of one side of the middle of your board in using your back foot and your weight center, and keeping your weight off your front foot so you don't smush it down and stick.

Yeah, it's like a manual, all back foot.

Do some on a curb and just stall to get the feeling

[metsuri]

I too need smith advice, so thanks! been trying them on and off for a few months and have only done one proper one, al the others have been like, the shittiest loking 5-0's ever/totally undipped smiths.

A few different people have tried to explain them using the 5-0 analogy and it does not work for me at all. I have pretty damn good front 5-0's and trying to do a smith the same way just does not click the same way--I feel like you have o lock in much differently on your truck.

I don't think it's the same as 5-0 at all. I learned switch barley grinds by getting into a switch boardslide that's a bit tilted and worked my way to the grind. That has the same weight distribution.

[Budo]

To smith a ledge lean more to the side as well, not too much over the top like a 50 or 5-0. Going faster helps on this one, too. Just try aim the back truck and smash it in. Don't ollie too high, just enough to get you on the ledge.


Any tips for these would be greatly appreciated:


Bs smiths? I can do them sometimes depending on the ledge. Most of the time I just stick.

Front big spins? Regular or switch, I can't figure this one out at all. I can get one foot on switch ones every time. As soon as I commit it goes about 270, if that.

Front crooks make no sense either. I've been doing nose grinds and front nose slides for years and years. I get closer to fakie front crooks, because they feel easier to pinch. I think I've done more nollie ones accidentally, too.

Firstly,  the more obvious part is that it is pretty much all in the back foot and you got to kick/shuv it out with a lot of force and also keep your front foot out of the way.  Second, the secret for me to finally land them was waiting longer than it felt natural to put my feet down.  Every time I land one it feels like I have to wait awkwardly long before finally putting my feet back on the board.  Besides donkey-kicking the back foot out and waiting a long time the rest of my body just feels like a regular FS 180.

[lampshade]

Once you learn to gleam the cube everything else makes sense.

[spazz attack]

Front side rock,use your toe.

[Vitriol]

Front side rock,use your toe.

This ^, and peep your back heel. One of the few advice given to me that actually really helped me land a trick.

[Willie]

Mctwists are easier with a slight alley oop.



Not that I'd know from experience but Birdman said so.

[shark tits]

Mctwists are easier with a slight alley oop.



Not that I'd know from experience but Birdman said so.

if birdman sees you on his real estate, birdman will kick your ass. birdman will kick you ass.

[Fecal Fury]

1080's on a quarter are way easier to learn Fakie as you return facing in your normal stance.

You've welcome.

[ill_Murray]

Kinda dumb because its obvious but I did nothing but push switch going from spot to spot for the last 6 months and it's helped my switch game so much

[Esquivel]

^FUCK. YES.

strong switch leading foot gets stronger

[Grind King Rims]

I think that's what I gotta do. And you get the added fun of being transported back to when you were first figuring out skateboarding.
Thanks pals.

[DaSk8D00D]

Kinda dumb because its obvious but I did nothing but push switch going from spot to spot for the last 6 months and it's helped my switch game so much

This is another good one a lot of times I'll even skate back down the run up switch if I'm trying a trick over & over again. It's definitely made me a lot more comfortable riding around switch & requires very minimal effort

[shark tits]

Expand Quote

Kinda dumb because its obvious but I did nothing but push switch going from spot to spot for the last 6 months and it's helped my switch game so much

[close]

This is another good one a lot of times I'll even skate back down the run up switch if I'm trying a trick over & over again. It's definitely made me a lot more comfortable riding around switch & requires very minimal effort

ha, i usedta do that too. i do almost 'laps' switch, like i warm up backwards and doing little swollies and i nollie off a curb a million X a night. i have been pushing switch for almost 20 yrs but jumping switch is what builds the muscles. as someone mentioned above, pushing switch weighs on your new front leg more than your new pusher.
symmetrically legg-ed friends of mine had switch ledge and flatground guns so i've slowly been incorporating that into my skillset.
as jake phelps said so long ago 'switchstance is opening up new ways of looking at the world' and as such i can do lots of stuff switch in my waking life.

[slappies]

Expand Quote

To smith a ledge lean more to the side as well, not too much over the top like a 50 or 5-0. Going faster helps on this one, too. Just try aim the back truck and smash it in. Don't ollie too high, just enough to get you on the ledge.


Any tips for these would be greatly appreciated:


Bs smiths? I can do them sometimes depending on the ledge. Most of the time I just stick.

Front big spins? Regular or switch, I can't figure this one out at all. I can get one foot on switch ones every time. As soon as I commit it goes about 270, if that.

Front crooks make no sense either. I've been doing nose grinds and front nose slides for years and years. I get closer to fakie front crooks, because they feel easier to pinch. I think I've done more nollie ones accidentally, too.

[close]

Firstly, �the more obvious part is that it is pretty much all in the back foot and you got to kick/shuv it out with a lot of force and also keep your front foot out of the way. �Second, the secret for me to finally land them was waiting longer than it felt natural to put my feet down. �Every time I land one it feels like I have to wait awkwardly long before finally putting my feet back on the board. �Besides donkey-kicking the back foot out and waiting a long time the rest of my body just feels like a regular FS 180.

When I was trying to learn them I found I put too much focus on making the board itself spin around, I ended up doing some wild 720 shuv and the board would land 2 feet behind me. I find if I just do a front 180 and put a little more oomph on the board it does a f/s shuv and comes around with me. Just watch MC do them a bunch, it honestly helps.

[Made In China]

I watched this over and over for Bobby's switch heel because he has some weird ass foot placement and an amazing switch heel. When I went out and tried it like him, I actually figured it out and landed a few :')