Hi all,

I'm 29 and just purchased my first skate board. I was motivated to do this for a couple of reasons: for a while I have wanted to use a character who is new to skating in my writing; and much for significantly, last night whilst a little intoxicated I made a little bet ...

The bet, now don't all laugh... A good friend was commenting that he still could not ollie even after three years of trying. To this I replied, "really, *hick*, if I practiced for a month I bet I could jump over this stool (and no I did not fall off at that point)." My friend, being just a little bit evil had the perfect reposte, "a case of your choice says you can't." Well you can all see where that got me ...

So the problem I now lay before your expert minds, given that I now have a board (and sensible shoes), how do I start and can anyone suggest what I should do every day in order to get to start trying to ollie asap.

I am in St. Annes-on-sea, lancashire for the next 10 days, near Blackpool and nearer to fairhaven lake. Is there anyone living near me who could spare a little time to prod me in the right direction?

After that I will be back at home in Haringey, London (near Finsbury Park). Again if there is anyone down in London who could help I would really appreciate it.

Final question ... I understand that there is an indoor skate park in Blackpool. How much do I need to learn before I can learn from watching other people at a skatepark?

Many thanks if you have just read all this and happy skating!

How to Ollie




2 foot in a month? looks like your gona be down 1 case of beer

ive been skating 4 years + and i can barely manage a foot and a half.

good luck with it tho m8

One of the best indoor parks in the northwest is in blackpool...



you need to come along the M55 to the very end ( do not turn off at Junction 4 ). The motorway regulations end and it becomes Yeadon Way ( A5230 ), now turn left at the first roundabout ( with metal artwork in the centre ) within a hundred yards or so you will come to another roundabout take the 2nd exit which is Cropper Road . Ramp City WSA is approx. 200 yards along here on the right.

Ramp City WSA
Cropper Road
Marton
Blackpool
FY4 5LB

Tel: 01253 699005

Theres loads of photos of the park that can be viewed here although they are a little out of date as the park has been updated and improved since they were taken.



Seriously? Would have thought you would be able to clear two feet plus with no problems after skating for four years.

Thanks for all the advice.

I know that its fairly unlikely in a month, but im hoping that if I completely avoid stationary practice then I won't get too caught up in a fear cycle

Anyhow day 1 - time to figure out how to skate in a straight line without falling off. So some really basic questions ...

My kingpins are really tight, so the board turns just a little. Am I correct that the trade off for more turn is less stability? I went to a fantastic shop, "Scene" in Preston, for my setup. They told me to loosen the kingpin by a quarter every so often. If I get a couple of hours in today, should I loosen a little tomorrow? Am I also correct in thinking that more turn equals a more forgiving board with learning to ollie?

My other question for you is once I get some confidence on the board (moving my feet, centre of balance, jumping up and down and falling off) ... should I start with the ollie straight away, or should I try some other tricks first? And if so, which ones do you recommend?

Thanks again for you helpful suggions.

Ams

learn to turn,skate around with confidence then learn to ollie.

Day 1 - Session 1 (how do I stop?)

Ok following the advice, "learn to turn,skate around with confidence then learn to ollie." I followed some local directions and tried Fairhaven Lake. The smooth surface there was much easier to skate on than the pavement outside. The place was completely deserted when I arrived, which was great as I never really figured out how to stop.

I did however find two ways to turn: the first was simply lean the way I wanted to go and I turned a little in that direction; the other was to pivot on the back truck and swing the board round a bit. I tried pivoting on the front truck too and nearly killed myself when the board flashed through a 180 Truely the "I wonder what happens if I do this?" keeps life nice and interesting.

I found the pivoting much easier with my left foot to the rear (is this normal if you are right handed?) and experimented for a couple of hours, placing my feet in different places and seeing how far and fast I could spin round. I found going anti-clockwise much easier to balance than the other way, but on the whole left feeling pretty good about the whole experience.

Is there a golden balancing point where you can balance on the rear truck without the board moving forwards? Or is it best just to keep practicing while moving.

I also had a few goes at jumping off the board while it was moving and then tried jumping up and landing on the board above the trucks. I guess the next stage is to get my feet into position and go for an ollie

Happy skating all,

Ams

Try to make it on a wednesday night, after 6pm, theres usually loads of guys the same age (and much older) there who are decent blokes and are more than happy to help out with advice and teaching you the basics ect.

They usually arange when they meet on the middle age shred forums. Have a nosey there and im sure you will find that you are not alone.

Scenes my local shop, top guys there, woody (builder of rampcity) also has a shop inside of rampcity, plus theres a cafe there too.

Next door is a pub if you fancy having a pint afterwards.

Excellent, thanks for the info Serapth, I'll definitely give it a go this Wednesday.

Day 1 - Session 2 (Meet and greet)

Thanks to everyone who skates down at Fairhaven Lake. I received a massive amount of advice and encouragement and even managed to land my first ollie (although Im still not convinced that a 1/2" ollie counts). More on this in a second.

Anyhow still no injuries .. harrah. Although i'm sure there is a form of RSI that you can get from trying to ollie over and over for an hour. I also learnt how to stop, by pushing the tail into the ground (like the start of a really slow motion ollie). Does this form of stopping have a name? Is it possible to stop with the nose the same way?

Ok back to the ollie. Following the fear threads ... I decided to just ignore grass and have practiced everything on concrete. I found that using a crack to support the wheels really dangerous as the board was less predictable.

Every time I get a decent pop the board jumps forwards, making it really hard to land. I think this is because Im a little slow at dragging my front foot forward. Do you normally start to jump before you pop? Or, do you pop, jump and drag the front foot forwards at the same time?

Anyhow Im off to look in the tricks section to see if I can answer my own questions.

Happy skating all.

I do NOT, recomend trying to stop using your nose, if the nose gets into a crack, the board will stop. leave you behind, and you will proceed to eat shit.

I'm so glad that you pointed that out ... could have been unpleasant

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8...%3Along&pl=true

ollie trick tip by tony hawk n some other guy is about 12 minutes in.

Oh that was really handy ... the ollie part was pretty much like the rest that I have seen, but it was good to see a video that talked about the real basics, ie pushing, turning, etc.

Im getting more height with my ollie now, but I can not land it anymore. I think its because im finding the front foot drag so hard to do (my shoe keeps gripping while im trying to drag). Will get there with some more practice. Might even try recording myself and see if I am doing anything else wrong.

I have noticed that I cannot jump as high as I could when I was younger, but then I guess I weigh lots at the mo. Still skating for an hour a day is sure to chase the fat away

DUDE!!!!!!!!I live in St Annes
What a crap place....

[/quote]
DUDE!!!!!!!!I live in St Annes
What a crap place....
[/quote]

Lol Well I have a really crappy car, but it has 4 wheels and runs most of the time, so getting out of St. Annes isn't too hard.

Want to meet up some time, you can laugh at me as I fall off for the 100th time

Sure , aslong as you're not going to kill/rape me.
Tomorrow i'm meating some friends , I think. Everything is so last minuite ,if you have msn I could contact you via there , i'm a nerd i'm never off it.
PM me if you do :D

I'm hoping to skate, and hopefully not fall off I havem't used MSN for a while now ... Ill dust off my login and see if it still works.

Incidently Day 3 - (Raining)

What more can I say ... rain Time to become an online gamer again for a day.

Day 3 continued (another skate park) - the local skate park in St. Annes at Ashton Gardens.

I am sure that there a parks that deserve the moto - I came, I saw, I walked away in disgust. Thankfully this one is marginally better than that. I can only describe it as freestyle orientated and small. On the plus side it was raining this morning and the concrete was dry when I used it this afternoon.

I'm working on the ollie, focusing on dragging my right foot upwards now. I have to say this is one of the most frustrating things that I have ever done, only mitigated by the flash of excitment when I land 1 every now and again.

Because the concrete was so small I worked on tick tack and accidently did a 180, so spent the rest of my time getting dizzy Has anyone ever gotten so caught up in spinning that they have gotten dizzy and fallen off?

That's a kick in the groin , what time were you there? I was there about 3.

I was there from about 3 to 4.30. Never mind we can meet up another time.

OK this is worrying ... its 11.20pm (so dark outside) and I want to go for a skate.

Is this normal ... no one warned me that it could get his addictive. Whats next dreaming of ollie-ing?

yeah can't beat that sense of achievement huh! The first time I did a what I would call a "proper" ollie and the board stuck to my feet the whole way thru was so sweeeet...

welcome to hours of frustration & fun Ams




hehe...used to do that a lot back in the day

woohoo your hooked! you wont be able to stop till you can kickflip now, and then the fun really starts.

Day 4 - Injury log ...

Its really ironic that I have not taken any injuries more serious than a bruise on my shin from a rebounding skateboard. I am however unable to skate due to a trapped nerve. Proof that sleeping is more dangerous than skating.

Went skating anyway to try and loosen my shoulders up, but it wasnt having any of it, all I am left to say is thank the gods for drugs! The only down side is I now feel like an addict who is unable to get his fix.

I keep looking at the ramps every time I skate now. There is a delicous mix of fear and fascination in their gentle curves and sharp drops. I have decided to find some very small ramps to gain some confidence first

Great thread, Ams! It's really interesting to read about your development, and to hear your questions. Keep going - and reporting!

You know you're hooked when you start seeing everyday objects as something to do a trick on or off of.

I was worried that people would get annoyed with this thread, especially as I am using it as a skating diary to reflect on my progress. However a few people have said that its interesting seeing how someone else develops - so I will try and keep it up

Talking about seeing things to do tricks off ...
I have started keeping my eyes open when driving for smooth surfaces and pulling over when things look interesting. Ironically this is because all the skate parks that I have visited so far have been quite small and I want to find somewhere long and straight to practice pushing to go faster while rumbling along, instead of having to turn around every few seconds.

If you push the tail into tarmac to stop does your board get chewed up badly?

It's rather refreshing to read something that is written in English and not text talk. Feel free to keep us updated of your progress.

Wow this has happened to me, keep looking at random things and wissing i could to certain tricks on them



If im right i think this causes razor tail

Yeah I have razor tail pretty badly i'm ashamed to admit


Keep on dreaming Ams....I used to look at ramps the same way and it kinda amazes me still that I can ride them now, even if its only droppping in & rock to fakie (badly)


Now my eyes hunt out suitable ledges/rails/stairs etc and Im dreaming of the day when I can ollie them Skating really does make you look at street architecture etc in a different light...possibilites are everywhere (even if its only in your head right now lol)



great thread btw

Day 5 - Going local

Ok lazy sums it up, lets just say that I thought that skating around the local roads would be fun ... and educational

Aside from car dodging and pushing my self along seeing how fast I could go, the most interesting part of the experience was the look of confusion (yes confusion) on motorists faces. I can't say that I wouldn't be bewildered if I found myself waved past by an old bloke on a skateboard either.

Once again noone looked worried or annoyed by my skating. A few people looked interested; now that really does worry me, public looking at and commenting on a complete beginner skating.

My feet didn't seem to enjoy the experience much, but tarmac seemed better it less fun than unprectable paving. Surely by now, all pavements should be smooth tarmac!!! Anyhow after the rigors of local roads, its back to the beloved Fairhaven tomorrow and possibly even off to the wooden ramps of Rampcity.

Does anyone else find skating on tarmac difficult compare to the good all concrete?

Ha ha I get those double-take looks too






hell yeah when its safe I choose the road rather than footpaths...the tree roots round here lift up the concrete pavers which can send you flying if you're not careful. Damn brushboxes!


glad you're havin fun Ams

keep an eye out for the tiny stones that can stop your board dead.


note: stop your board..... you keep going! leading to the manouvre beloved of skaters, the faceplant

hehe I learnt that fine manoeuvre at the local skate park ... again due to evil little stones

Don't let this happen to you





downhill faceplant



watch out for those bastard stones!

^^^

Oww ... Ph34r ... oww! Never!!!

if your having trouble "dragging" your foot up the board, it might be because your grip is to grippy have a go at sanding it lightly with another bit of grip/sand paper

^

Make sure it's VERY lightly sanded if you do this...

Day 6 - Getting over mongo and going fakey

With a great deal of trepidation and a few encouraging words from the chaps on Middle-Age Shred, I braved the wonders of the local private skate park, RampCity.

When I first arrived I handed over my £5 and had a wander round. I felt exceedingly out of place for a bit, but then I jumped on my board and had a bit of fun.

Thankfully at this point a pleasantly rotund chap by the name of Woody arrived. A cheerful greeting and a few minutes putting knee pads and wrist pads on quickly gave way to my first experience of ramps.

Woody was great and he walked me up and down a pair of small ramps. Then he noticed that I was pushing mongo. So I stopped that. Then he noticed that I had become goofy (sp?). Well goofy was better than mongo, so I just had fun for the rest of the evening. I feel much happier with my balance now. I loosened up my kingpins at last, then at woody's and a second woody's advice, I tightened them up again so that I was more stable on the ramps.

By the end of the evening I was first and foremost very tired, three hours of straight skating will do that to me. But much more importantly I had a good idea of how to stay on my board up ramps and back down fakey, up fakey and down back down forwards. I also started doing 180 pivots to turn on the ramps and to change from fakey to skating forwards. I still need to practice some more, but I am really looking forward to learning how to drop in.

Not injured log - I had three falls to my knees, all from fakey to forwards. Thankfully the knee pads were up to the job and I just jumped up and had another go. Without pads the first fall would have ended my evening.

This was by and far the most fun I have had for ages. Skating rocks and I can not wait to go out again tomorrow.

our resident middle aged skater holic blog. This really is interestesing stuff to read keep it up!

I agree, apart from the middle aged part, I refuse to be middle aged until I hit 40.

Keep updating us Ams, one of the very few blogs I have found interesting. It's nice to read about your progress.

i refused even then..... maybe when i hit 50.

but, yeah, great thread! keep up the good work.

Come on, your as young as you feel.

Incidently my knees are a bit sore this morning, I'll have to go for a skate to loosen them up

Meet another worrying phenomenon last night ... dreaming about skating. I'm not sure why the local council decided that then needed to resurface all the roads and put in a half pipe every quarter mile, but it was fun. At least I think it was a dream ...

yup it probibly was i doubt they'd put a half pipe every quarter mile

Day 7 - Back to Fairhaven

A bit of a laid back day today after the excitment if Rampcity. I wandered back to Fairhaven where I meet a park full of local skaters.

It was good to work on my ollie again. Although I only landed a few, I feel that I understand what I need to work on. When I bend down to jump I lean forwards and when I jump my back leg stays down. Hah now I just need to do something about it

Anyhow a whole week of skating and still lovin' it.

Happy skating all.

I got your message and tried to get there before 5 , unfortunatly i got there later than that and missed you , again

Loving reading this. It's just making me wanna start skating again more. I know it's going to be just like starting again.

If it was me doing this bet, I'd put the stool on it's side and ollie it that way, though, using the fact that I didn't specify which way I'd ollie it. But that's just 'cause I'm sneaky.

Ah cunning, like the cutting a card in a deck by putting knife through it. Unfortunately as my ollie is at best 1" I would need to take a sledge to it and even then it would be a long shot on my landing it

I was shown another trick last night, I think it was called a frontside shove it. So armour, blood and tears ahoy, in nomine Patris et fillii et Spiritus Sancti, time for a go at something new.

Week 2 - Day 1 (Oh yes ...)

Finally managed to meet up with Pseudonym, although the glorious summer sunshine and rocketing temperatures sent me home earlier than I would have liked. I may go out again later when the sun goes away.

However a lot can, and did, happen in an hour. I had intended to try a frontside shove it, but instead found myself happily trying to pivot 180 on the nose to fakey (thankyou James for showing me this). Then to my surprise Pseudonym arrived and we had a good chat.

He showed off a cool trick that he had been working on (much jumping, spinning goodness) and even landed it for the first time. Then it was my turn and he asked to see my ollie. Well an audience really gets the blood pumping, so I put everything into it and landed my first moving ollie!

Putting the ollie aside while I was ahead, P. showed my how to do a front side shove it, only pulling it with the back foot instead. I managed to get the spin more or less right, but again found that my back foot was letting the side down.

Another fantastic (if short) session and special thanks to Pseudonym for all his help and encouragement.

Ahhhh! I want to go skating again now.