So I threw down the challenge to myself really. I figured some public heckling if I failed to make good would be motivating. The first day was not exactly inspiring, but the second was fun. Then I had a couple of days when I didn’t have time to skate, and I worried I would lose what little progress I had made. Then I started getting comments and emails from others stoked on taking the challenge themselves. I’m in the middle of a kitchen remodel, among other things, so my free time is more limited than usual. Stories of other people’s progress was starting to get under my skin. On Friday night I kind of hassled Conahan into hosting a miniramp session so I could get a little practice in. It’s pretty easy to talk Mark into skating, it’s just a matter of talking him into the “where.”
We go the lights hooked up and hit the mini. I started working on some other stuff since I didn’t want Mark to think I was using him for my own selfish invert goals. Mark brought it up actually, and started showing how it was done.
Then started pulling some Andrechts for the heck of it.
So I surprised myself and started to land some hand plants. Let’s make that distinction. I don’t know what the official distinction is, but I’m going to call anything below the coping a hand plant instead of an invert. All inverts are hand plants, but not all hand plants are inverts. Anyone care to discuss?
Landing these things was fun as hell, and not that big of a jump from goofing off in the street, as long as your feet aren’t leaving the board. Street plants aren’t the same thing, so don’t be tempted to put that foot down. I started trying to push them up higher and had a blast. A couple times my trucks would hit the coping on the way in, and I was able to ride it out at least once. There were a few other attempts where I came in tail heavy and was able to ride it out because it was a mini ramp. I don’t think it would have been such a casual situation on vert. Conahan had the idea to try releasing a little early to try and avoid that. The session ended before I really tried that.
And no, not every attempt of mine ended well. It was easy, but not a given. I think the key has been the analysis of the different stages. Hand plants are fun so far. I’m looking forward to getting higher. Something tells me it’s going to be a bit more of a jump to actually make it to the coping. Also, all talk of “de-stinkbugging” them was quickly forgotten. I just went with what felt more natural. Maybe next session.
Rich was at the session and made a few attempts. He seemed more interested in providing comic relief for the backgrounds though. Here’s an pic I got from Ash of Bad Egg Zine. She said the original post got her stoked to work on these too. Of course, she didn’t give me express permission to post this picture, but that’s what she gets for progressing faster than me.
I can’t emphasize enough how fun a hand plant is, even on a little mini ramp. Go out and try it. And let’s see it. Send in some of your progress shots and I’ll put them up. It will be like one big group hug. Gross.
28 comments
Jonathan
Randy! They are looking real good!
Troy
Nice Randy keep it up.
Doc
i tried working on inverts last night but after a number of fledging attempts I decided that I should learn backside airs first, so I practiced that instead.
benny b bones
This is some epic shit Kilwag. You are bigger than pay-it-forward!
kvon
I think a coping plant on a mini is difficult because your wheels tend to bang the coping on the way up. On vert ( or near vert) the wheels seem to miss the coping on the way up just fine.
kvon
Something that helped me wire them on the coping was to try to “GRAB” (coping) rather than “PLANT” (on coping). For me “planting” suggested that the plant hand went down followed by the board going up, but to think “grab” might suggest the board goes up as the body goes into tuck then the plant hand “grabs” coping (on the way by) slightly after you are in the air. The early release is definitely a key to riding away clean. The early release is also the time at which you need to “Push with your arm” as McGill said in Animal Chin ( of corse he was referring to egg plants). Keep it up. WOOT!
Livmo
Stick with it Randy. Inverts seem like one of those dying tricks. Nothing better than a flapped Andrecht or a proper frontal. Backside smiths and frontside tailslides are the new inverts. I commend anyone who still does em.
I’m showing my age, I guess I need to be saying “backsmith” and “fronttail” and start smacking my board in approval instead of hooting.
poopoo pants
“I
gogopilot
I really like this thread. Prior to severely dislocating my my ankle doing a bs rock n’ roll back in July, I was tackling them on a 5′ concrete wall at our local park, pulling them just below the coping about 30% of the time. Handplants/inverts are FUN and the bails are pretty clean. Can’t wait to get back out there in November when I get the screws out of my ankle to give them another shot. They are one of the tricks I really mis the most.
poopoo pants
i am building a vert ramp. its going to be like yeah
skaterdave
In the beginning some mags called it a handplant, others a straight arm inverted aerial… as far as I care, if my board is higher than my head it’s an invert. Sometimes my Indy’s are inverted
Tom Miller
PS- Randy, after you conquer inverts I encourage you to conquer smith grinds so I can poach the wisdom. Back smith, in particular, though no complaints with frontals.
Tom Miller
Since I can’t do these, have never really tried, and am lucky to skate 2x per month these days, I thought instead I’d chime in on the “care to discuss” question. Invert = “in vertical.” The body is straight up and down. Anything less than that is a hand plant.
But that’s just technicalities from somebody who can’t do either. Conahan was there in the Pleistocene when they were invented. Maybe he has more knowledge.
D.T.
have not re-learned them yet.
benny b bones
Good for you! I am so jealous. I need to get cracking on this one.
D.T.
they are much easier to learn on big tranny ramps or walls. You can bail straight to your pads and the weight on your wrist in null.hip hops next.
conahan
So cool that you all are into this. Next thing you know everyone will want to build a vert ramp.
TM
I agree that you should go straight to vert. Once you learn how to yank them upright on mini’s you’ll have to unlearn that for vert. All that said, I haven’t done an invert – on vert- snce the early 90’s and don’t plan on relearning them, but halfway up something small is fun & easy. I’ve tried to teach some kids that way. I suggest a fat front hip pad.
Watch some videos with Kendall, Ffej, Mertz, and Blender…
skaterdave
I’ve never done Andrechts, so count me in…
Dan Hughes
Fun fun fun!!!
damienhialation
I’m going on a skate trip this weekend. I’ll send you my failed attempts pics, which i guess means I’m joining the challenge too. 🙂
warehouse
My advise ( from someone who could occasionally land them back in the day, and now can land them about 5% of attempts):
On vert, try grabbing coping right off the bat. It is hard to unlearn the below coping handplants and progress to inverts.
Doc
im joining the challenge.
SR
I say move to vert now. Straight to glory. Only bashed shins and hippers await you on the mini.
You already know how to get into it and it is easy to bail out of if you’re not feeling it, either to a knee slide or a deck flop. Once you’re up, just aim at the planted hand on the way back in, pivot at your wrist back into the ramp on your locked arm, and stink-bug it onto the tranny on the way down. Easy.
jeff
take this to vert, asap. sure, start low so as not to take the hipper right off the bat, but as soon as you’re making those, move em on up. should be possible to get them as close to the top as you are on the mini in just a few sessions. once you’ve got that, inching up to coping should be pretty straightforward. moving from hand on cope, to fully stalled inverts takes a bit more time.
GVK.
Oh hawk rider. Is what rich is saying in that photo
From_ak_with_Love
Rock on! keep it up
conahan
In fact, it took me a while to learn how to do them on a miniramp.