I am so lame. Every year, usually sometime during the winter, I think about all the moves I want to learn and make a mental note to work on them. Unfortunately, that’s about as far as I get. Sure, I learn some new tricks here and there, but not the basic ones I feel I should have in my “compulsory routine” such as backside airs and inverts. Well, I finally decided to make a concerted effort after shooting my mouth off about it. I started yesterday on September 1st, and by coincidence, September has 30 days in it. Originally I had planned “Inverts in 30 sessions,” but there was some incredulous heckling when I unveiled that plan. Something to the effect of it shouldn’t take me two years to learn inverts. Ha ha. So 30 days it is. I’ve been asking people for advice, sometimes on camera, and I’m going put together a little video documentation. I’m not sure if I’ll do it in installments or wait ’til the end. Common wisdom says to learn them low first. This picture (Thanks Rich) is misleading because it almost makes it look like I might land it. You can see the whole sad (not sad plant) truth after the jump. I feel I should add a bit of a disclaimer. I landed one, possibly two below coping handplants some time back in 1989 or so.
Wheee!
20 comments
benny b bones
Allright, I’ll jump on this bandwaggon too. Gives me a reason to wear knee pads without looking like a pussy. Does my 30 days start today or on the 2nd, when you guys azall started?
Hamburg John
ahhh, just had to check the videos on the web and this on does help…sounds and looks really simple but learning the basics on flat sure will help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zFQPEZNMPE
I love the “intro speech” in this one – it sounds like KIT from Knight Rider 🙂 Also the fact that we have to try the basics at least 5000 times…oh well, get skating guys…
Hamburg John
YES! Finally a group of skaters set a date to make this cool trick. I’ve been thinking about inverts since the day I started skating vert (yeah, didn’t get far though and it’s been 20 years…)I’m in for it..September 30th is the day. Good luck everybody. I never understood how to get my hand on the transition but DINO’s info should help! Off to the park in twenty minutes..
kvon
Wearing women’s underwear helps as well.
tito
ok im starting with you! Sept 3rd, im on after work!
Dino
can only do them on the transition at the moment,but i’m working my way up-heres a couple of tips,hope they help.
as you ride up the transition get ready to grab midway between your feet with your leading hand(grab with your fingers straight and flat on the bottom of your deck-it keeps your deck stuck to your feet)at the same time cross your trailing hand in front of grabbing hand and get ready to plant it,the closer to your board your planting hand is the easier it will be to come back in.
as you grab and plant push your trailing leg, so the tail bounces off tthe transition/coping,at the same time turn your head and spot your landing(this is IMPORTANT,other wise if you keep watching your hand/coping you will flip over-not good).pull your grab hand in, let go of the board and push off with your planted hand,land and ride away!!
theres a lot of stuff to do at the same time,but stick with it,try the stuff above and adapt to your style-you’ll be nailing them in no time.
hope this helps,and good luck!!
rocco
inverts are really easy, just huck it and go for it as much as you can. the real trick is to know how to run it out so you dont eat shit. if you can run down the tranny then theres no way to get hurt. just try it and try it until you feel completely comftorable with the rotation, and once you know you can spin it right…shot gun a beer and take a bong rip and just go for it, you will either just land it first try, or you will eat shit and then land it 2nd try.
kvon
“M.c inverts to fakie how about it” Cool! Can you get Rich to post a sequence of that.
houseofneil
Just FYI, that’s how I first dislocated my shoulder in 2002. I went for the invert, the board came back too fast and I totally flipped over with all my weight on the right shoulder. Popped that sucker out clean.
GVK.
M.c inverts to fakie how about it…? Rich has till the end of the summer.
Kilwag
I am mostly upset to find out that I am not Neil Blender.
Mac
Nice long, fast frontside stand-up grinds. 30 days… Randy, I think I’ll try to get that invert back as well (wasn’t Rich talking about getting this too?)… Bernie does a nice job describing it.
kvon
YES! DO IT! You will be stoked! I’m stoked for ya! I got ’em this summer thanks to hard work and MC’s sequence from Rich. My advice, Wear hip pads, hi tops and wrist guards and every other pad you can find. I started on the tranny as well but now I got the coping wired. I would throw out twenty plants every time I went skating and I skated every day, I felt like I was getting nowhere, but it all came together. backwardsbernie is right , if you slightly air into it you can nail it at the coping. In a way your arms become your legs with that in mind you can muscle some control once you are into the plant. I found that sometimes I could throw up a bad plant and save it. Good luck man! I cant wait to see ya land it! PAD UP! PAD UP!
benny b bones
Backside disasters as well. Fuck it, backside airs in general. 30 days…
Larry
those and pivot fakies. goddamn.
Bjjpdx
Good luck I’m sure you’ll nail em down.
backwardsbernie
I’ve lost them a couple of times. so there are a few things I try to do to get ’em back”: Go straight up don’t carve it. it’s not some sort of rainbow cart wheel as much as it’s more like you land close to where you take off. Plus carving them will result in the dreaded over rotated landing where you slam on your tailbone followed by a nice whiplashy head smack. Also you are not Neil Blender or Steve Schneer so you’re not doing a hand stand you’re not gonna really have the weight of your body on your hand. I think of it more like you do a little upside down mute air and your hand plants down for an instant to keep you from totally flipping over and re-directs you back into the bowl. Hold on tight to that board don’t get lazy and let it flap off your feet that will result in a sloppy landing that will hurt. I always learn ’em low on the wall and work my way up. Good luck! they are fun as shit.
nweyesk8
inverts are still one of my banes..
Concretin Nik
I’m simply uncomfortable with my a$$ above my head, so I really think inverts are out for me all together… but the FS rock… I’m in… I should have that… Let’s get to it!
Prickly Pete
Good for you, man! It’s the invert and frontside rock-n-roll that we monday morning hessians daydream about pulling. Throw out the challenge to other would-be rippers.