4 Common Mistakes When Learning to Drop-In

Dropping-In on a skateboard or a surfskate is mentally terrifying if you have never tried it before. So simple yet so scary! But it is legitimately dangerous if you do it wrong. I know this because I sprained my ankle on my very first attempt, even though I did everything the tutorials said. Eventually after seeing a lot of people do the same things wrong I decided to make this video as a supplement to other drop-in tutorials out there. Here are the 4 mistakes I see most often, and how you can fix them.
If you'd like to help me keep these tutorials coming through the winter, you can help chip in to my indoor skatepark membership fees via my Buy me a coffee page: www.buymeacoff...
Let me know how your first drop-in attempts went in the comments and if you learned anything from them!
#surfskate #howtodropin #howtoskateboard

[@joachimdias232]

I was really confident droping-in on four foot, so i thought i could move to 6 foot something. Although i was a bit scared i thought i could do it...I landed right on my face and broke out my teeth. I guess i looked to much down, because it wasn't an issue of commitment ;).

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Ouch... Sorry to hear that, hope you were able to heal up.

[@joachimdias232]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer Hi Mark, thanks for the wishes. I hope my dentist can fix it. I’m taking a break from surfskating, though i really love the sport. I have to get out of the Valley of despair (do you know the Dunning-Kruger effect? I guess i just fell literally off mount stupid…) Cheers Joachim

[@AshbalGabriel]

Thank you for this ! Im trying to build up the courage to drop soon. This will help me greatly ! 🙏

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

You got it!

[@belpix]

Useful insights, thanks! Especially - switch on flat bank.

[@kinnikunky]

the shoulders thing is crucial. great tips!

[@christopetkov4168]

the ‘look where you want to go’ advice is gold great vid!

[@fess9867]

Tip 3, is the thing I think really most people don't get or convey when teaching. well done. I usually refer to it as your weight needs to go forward rather than shoulders, but same thing. it's particularly bad with "work your way up" style dropins. you can get away with your weight not being forward on smaller transitions and then as you move up you may have learned a bad habit.. and then 'manual/shootout' your way down once you try on the next higher drop in.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Good point, Yeah the steeper it gets the less forgiving it can get if the weight isn’t shifted forward enough, and bad habits might get you.

[@raychard123]

Been watching your vids religiously dude learning a ton. Do you adjust your trucks every time you go to a skate park compared to riding it on flat? Or do you have different boards for each? My trucks are pretty loose but scared they might be too loose for my skatepark. Or is the looseness something you just get used to?

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

@raychard123 I generally like mine as loose as they can be up front and you just get used to it. For street tricks or anything that might involve more complex fakie riding I will often use C5s, or Solrides which are less loose.

[@raychard123]

@@MarktheLandlockedSurfer Gotcha I definitely feel the looseness getting easier to manage the more I skate. Thanks for the tip!

[@jackofallboardsNEW]

Great video Mark and thanks for doing it. I totally agree with everything you mentioned here especially the shoulder part and looking to where you are going part. I'll be re-learning to drop in next season. I wasn't ready in to drop in 2022 because I skated all of 2022 with a torn rotator cuff (non-skateboard related) and didn't have guts to try since it was my lead shoulder that was injured. I'll be 100% in 2023 and will give it a go again using the tips you gave here. You sure have a nice indoor park to ride there, only one indoor park near me with a street setup and not much for surf skaters but still useful for flatland training.

[@guilbertemilianodzulestrad6079]

Did you get it?

[@t.blaschke7461]

Thanks, great tutorial, vital info!!

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Glad it was helpful!

[@JesseBullied]

I feel like this video is directed at me... 🤣 Good job Mark!

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

You don't even need the video, you have the experience and balance. You just need a little push to go for it! Come out to the yard and I can walk you through/encourage you!

[@mrmileskp]

Hope Jeremiah Watkins is watching this 🤣🤣🤣

[@RichardColli]

Great tips thanks! Waiting for spring to be able practice though 😅

[@brunodanha]

Great video man! It's all about the shoulders!!

[@AntonSafonov]

Great video, really to the point. One day I will drop in!

[@johnhwang_au]

The best advice I have ever gotten from the KZbin

[@dougsheldon8970]

High arm is key. I was really struggling for the first two weeks. Would nail most but once or twice a.session i would kook it. Watched a set on video and realized my back was high and not at my side on the good ones. On the bad ones and even the falls my back hand was at my waist. Still look down too much and that caused me to fall forward once in a while. Also find when my front foot is more perpendicular than angled i have stronger drops. Started w banks and moved to 2.5 then 3 then 4 and 5. Now gearing up for the 5 foot.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Video is so useful for analysis and correction thanks for sharing!

[@andreasstrack69]

Bad Sound but good tips

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

Yeah the acoustics in there are awful, but December in Canada is limited in options. Need to find a decent wireless clip on mic.

[@imppao]

Thanks for the video, super useful. I almost killed myself trying a drop-in last time; that thing of slamming the foot did not work. 😂 I'll try again next spring or as soon as the snow melts.. 🙏

[@derekparkes5449]

Bad slam victim here. I used a peice of 2x4 under my surf skate tail to "drop in" on a really gentle ramp without a coping. Slowly finding steeper ramps until copings were fine. But best tip was back wheels are on a ladmine - any weight and you are dead. Hop over and land weight on front foot. Same as high arm and shoulder parallel I guess.

[@Ezzeenow]

I've dropped in successfully from a small bank on a standard skateboard but I did notice when I get ready to drop in on my surfskate cx trucks the board is higher up meaning more travle to slam the nose down. It's gotten to my head. Is it the same as a standard board? Maybe I'm making it a bigger deal than it is? Well I'm gonna have to do it because I live close to a very nice bowl. I think it's a 5ft drop in. Thx for this video.

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

You nailed it. Bigger wheels, higher trucks and shorter tail means it is a little bit longer before those front wheels make contact. But other than that it isn’t a big difference from a regular skateboard. So be aggressive in getting your weight shifted and you’ll be fine. Try the bowl drop on your standard skatepark first. If you have that you can do it on your CX trucks.

[@dougsheldon8970]

I put a tail protector on mine and it shortened the distance and made my back foot super stable.

[@zefe3886]

One thing i wanna ask, what truck is that? 🤨

[@MarktheLandlockedSurfer]

These are the Curfboard trucks. Review on them here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b37WfWtvl8uIo9E