Dropping In

Can an OldVertDog teach a Poodle new tricks?

I yanked this tip on dropping in and pumping from Ryoken in the skateboarding forum. We really have some talented folks sitting in our forum discussions these days. If there's something you'd like to ask a skater, or if you're interested in passing advice, please don't hesitate to stop by.

MRSPOODLE
To: OLDVERTDOG (1 of 3)
2860.1

I usually skate street, but I very recently started to try vert. I like it but I'm not any good yet. I can't drop in (well I can but I don't, I just don't like doing it for some reason, like I can do a rock to fakie and roll back down fine but I don't like dropping in) but I can do rock to fakies and reguar rock and rolls, nosestalls, etc. but I have trouble pumping. I just can't get high enough to reach to coping on bigger stuff. Even If I drop in after a few trips to the coping I can't get up there. I would appreciate some tips on pumping so I can work on stalls and eventually airs. I would also really like any other tips you could offer me because you seem to REALLY know what your talking about. Thanks so much!

P.S. Other people can respond to (obviously) I just would especially like ryokens help. And don't say vert sucks because it doesn't it is just differen't.

From: Ryoken (OLDVERTDOG)
To: MRSPOODLE (2 of 3)
2860.2 in reply to 2860.1

The key is actually at the very bottom of the tranny. lets say your working kickturns on the half, you go up, compress, do your kickturn and start to come back down.

You'll be compressed from your kickturn, start to straighten up/ stand up as you come down the wall, stop straightening up when you are like 4" to 6" from being fully extended, save this for your big pump at the bottom.

When your at the very bottom of the tranny, almost out on the flat, unweight that last 4" to 6". really standing up hard. when done right, you can feel a speed increase.

Another key is to *flow* that initial standing up (uncompressing) going down the wall into that final hard 4" to 6" pump at the bottom. don't rush to straighten up after the kickturn really fast, it's wasted energy and looks dorky.....

The pump going down is way more important than a pump up the wall.... but once again, at the very beginning of the tranny is where the pump takes place. a quick, short unweighting as you hit the bottom of the tranny. thats really all you have time for, cuz now you have to recompress to do your trick. thats why i rarely pump going up, it gives you more setup time.

Hope that helps, it's one of the harder tips to put into words........

Try other methods of dropping in to give it a new and exciting approach ;)

A frontside axle stall drop-in will liven things up quickly, along with rollins..... can also bring some severe crashes :(

Tell ya what tho, that is one of the coolest feelings, a roll-in over cope on vert is just a sweeeeet feeling.....

And there's nothing wrong with fakieing back and forth, practicing your pump to get to vert. thats how i learned back in the day.... drop-ins (actually called elavator drops) where a very new trick when i started, prolly didn't do one for a year....

anything else, just ask......... i can yack vert for hours ;)

and if ya hadn't, ya might wanna check the trick tips at my site. there's a couple good ones and more on the way, if i ever get my lazy ass to do em.......

Old School Skate: http://oldvertdog.homestead.com/11.html