The Frontside Kickturn and
the Frontside
Grind.
The frontside grind
is a natural extension of the frontside kickturn.The frontside kickturn
is like the backside kickturn except that you pivot around to your heel
edge
rather than to the toe edge of
your board. The frontside kickturn is more difficult because you are turning
toward your blind side. To do a frontside kickturn, begin with your torso
slightly turned with your leading hand across yourchest (this would be
in the opposite direction of the actual frontside turn). As you roll up
the transition, swing your torso frontside, with your leading arm pointing
in the direction you will be turning. As you begin slowing up the transition,
lift the
front wheels and allow your legs
and the board to follow the swing of your torso.
Bring your leading arm around until
it points down the transition, and let the
board "catch up" until the nose
is also pointed in the same direction. Set your
wheels down, and pump down the
transition.
The frontside
grind is like the frontside kickturn except that the rear toe-edge
wheel rolls over the coping, and
the truck grinds the coping as the turn is made.
More pressure is needed on the
heel edge of the board to allow the wheel which
is now over the coping to re-enter,
and to keep the back truck from locking or
"hanging up" on the coping. Once
you are comfortable with the basic grind, you
can try "lapping over," or purposely
applying pressure to the toe edge of the
board once in the grind position.
This will be necessary to perform the Smith and
five-0 grinds, for example. Also,
with more speed frontside grinds can be
extended across a long section
of the coping.
Dropping In.
TheDrop In is much more energy-efficient
than fakieing up a transition from the bottom. It basically
entails starting from the top and "dropping in." Before trying the tail
drop, you should becomfortable rolling all the way up and down the transition.
Set your board on thecoping with the nose and trucks out over the coping
and the tail resting flat ontop of it. Do the following all in one motion:
with your back foot in position onthe tail, step out over the board, set
your front foot in place, and crouch over the board as it and your body
simultaneously tilt downward into the transition. Be sure to lean plenty
forward and "commit" because any hesitation will send the board shooting
out from under you. In the same way, if you just plunge forward ahead of
the board, you will find yourself racing down the transition headfirst
with the board coming down behind and independently of you. This is not
desireable. It is sometimes useful
to learn the tail drop by grabbing the nose as
you step out onto the board and
guiding it downward with your body until you're
actually rolling down the transition,
at which point you let go of the nose and
allow your front foot to set it
down as you extend your legs and pump. It is
crucial that you keep your body
centered over the board or else it will shoot out
from under you. That's why grabbing
the nose is helpful, it keeps you and the
board in synch.