How to Skate a Bowl (Keeping Speed!)

[@newnum2]

As an old grumpy looking guy who mostly skates the bowl I would add that I am perfectly fine with people jumping in and starting from the bottom, as long as they don't wind up taking a 20 minute long run afterwords. Take turns like everybody else and everything is fine.

[@tuftyterror983]

that how I learned. Then I was able to drop in and now I don't

[@kevskatesNM73]

😂 NO PUSHING

[@fd_skate]

I am 43 years old and I started (trying) skating in bowls this very year, so I am going to watch this a hundred times now! Hopefully it will help! 😅👍

[@fannys941]

magnus soderbom You got it!

[@remraf44]

51 and started skating at 44, still skating bowls as of now, stick to it

[@fd_skate]

@@fannys941 It's a slow process lol. 😅👍

[@fd_skate]

@@remraf44 yeah, hopefully it can only get better! 😅👍

[@CEM265]

20 mnt straching your legs thats all

[@kanescrimes4848]

I didn't skate transition until I had already been skating for 22 years. When I finally took the plunge, it was only because I had just gotten sober and was living next to where a brand new set of bowls had recently been built, and needed to get outside and exercise to help with my recovery. I would go and just carve around for hours.Not all at once obviously, I'd take breaks. That was 6 years ago, and now I skate transition almost as much as I skate street/street-parks. I really wish I had started skating transition when my province got it's first transition park(even though it was a 45 minute drive, or 2hrs on the bus) DON'T DISCRIMINATE ON WHAT YOU CHOOSE TO SKATE, GET IT NOW KIDDIES, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE. Great video Ben.

[@kanescrimes4848]

That's pretty close to a year bro. Congratulations.

[@sn1000k]

i quit drinking last january. Skating way more!

[@georgemellors8724]

Yeah mate, I just got clean and back into skating after 15 years and love it! At 43, slamming just seems to hurt a lot more and I never realised how tiring skating was 😂🤙🙏

[@juanjosetapia5949]

Never is late to continuous our deams

[@johnferreira9857]

Morning skating is the best! I must be getting old LOL. The trick tip is get good rest and go to bed early get up early full of energy.... meditate and drink a bunch of coffee and go skate in the morning. You'll find that environment is the best for enjoying yourself and practicing.

[@tremolony4924]

yup take a joint down too helps with board feel n body position

[@tremolony4924]

KDawg9000 ya i always gotta poop when i go early morning skating...

[@jaimzwaters4332]

Tre molony facts. Everytime I’m frustrated with barleyyyy missing a trick I just hit my blunt once or twice to refocus and get right

[@betomoreno4478]

That's a better environment than a cold office :)

[@robertgrunau6285]

“Just go early in the morning” is my modus operandi. I wanted to to start working on bowls, so thanks for this.

[@carpenter751]

This is also my M.O. for I too am old

[@adoniassousa7571]

Hheeehhhhhh

[@bluefletcherfish]

It's kind of funny how empty skatepark are in the morning. The sport attracts a certain type...

[@Underdog_Basketball]

Lol. Yup, old dudes like me with my little boys haha.

[@OhighOSkater]

Early morning sessions are literally how I learned to skate. It’s not 1,000 degrees outside yet and you might just have the park to yourself. It doesn’t get much better than that

[@Xsuperkraft]

"... treating it like a halfpipe on it's side" - Thanks you so much - what a great concept! 🙂

[@juliann267]

"not all bowls are created equal" our Skateboard messiah

[@WhiteStetsonHat]

I love how you have a straight face before skating the bowl, come back with big ass smile and slowly change back to straight-faced lol

[@juliag.599]

ive always gone to skatepark early in the morning because i was too shy and intimidated by boys skating there. all in all i’m glad cause now i feel more comfortable on a skateboard than ever and i go to skateparks anytime i want :)

[@ellastoll6426]

Yes totally!!

[@michaelrenner1308]

You’re right! I’m 43 and love skating the early morning in the bowl with my daughters with no one around

[@rossdecker4632]

33, skated street from age 12-20 put it down for 13 years and I'm back learning transition for the first time. It really is the most fun, wish I learned it as a fearless featherweight kid, rather a fearful ball of mass made of glass.. Still, super fun

[@zepsblackdog]

I recently tried this, and thanks to your tutorial, It actually started to happen. Your comment about treating these transitions like "ramps" sideways was spot on, and was KEY to making it happen. Thank you Ben.

[@TrueRockDude]

Learning how to skate bowls- pumping, carving, air over hips- is how I got comfortable on my board when I first started skating

[@faunaflage]

Great vid. I'm an oldster and need to get into bowls. Great visualization technique of just seeing the walls as halfpipes on their side! Thanks for that.

[@SwiftKing1]

i watched you repair drywall like a week ago, and now im watching you SHRED... NICE

[@bakedbeings]

The half pipe on its side is such a *useful* pov and so obvious in hindsight 👍Thanks!

[@ABSCrunchFit28]

This is timely - as I am heading to a clinic for Bowl tomorrow! Thx for posting!

[@jonbonjovi_is_happy]

Love your story at the beginning, it resonated with me so much. I’m 28 and just really catching the transition bug myself after skating on and off for many years. I can do a few coping tricks but keeping speed eludes me on the half pipe and in bowls. I can’t wait to practice next time I get the chance!

[@timo8925]

Exactly where I am now. For a 50's guy who's just at this level, youtube is all I got, so thanks. I've watched Omar Hassans videos, but hey he's Omar and makes everything look super easy! Keep them up man!

[@abi__cats]

Best tutorial on how to carve a bowl. I'm so glad I found this thanks! Can't wait to try it out!

[@32srt32]

never skated transition the 20 yrs of skating but have been really trying to learn, bought some pads and i can close to the coping but not quite able to slash grind yet. my switch game is getting more control and better everyday! you are an inspiration to all of us that grew up in the 90s and trying to get better everyday now in our 30s and 40s

[@AdventuresInSkateboarding]

Watching this again as I get back in bowl. Checking the bowl for debris was a solid tip. I will do that first thing this morning.

[@hi9274]

This is the best explanation I've ever heard. Can't wait to try this at the park tomorrow

[@retrosc88]

Just started skating again after almost 20 years. Really helpful videos especially this one as it's what I'm trying to learn. Keep up the good work man

[@fenderman1984]

I've found these transition videos immensely helpful.

[@fenderman1984]

Also going to the skatepark at 5 in the morning is so satisfying.

[@HarounCherif1975]

When it stops raining here in Portugal, I am so going to the skatepark and try out the stuff I learned today. Super video. thanks.

[@netzaperez1147]

I'm 31 and picked my board back up. Never ever skated bowls and seeing the kids ripping it is always intimidating, but what the hell. Thanks for the tutorial, looks like fun and got me hyped!

[@stevenmarr7700]

Yesterday I learnt the hardware to clear the ground of pebbles before riding... I have been practicing frontside kickturns in a large bowl at my skatepark and I snagged a rock 3 times within the first 15 minutes.. flying head first. Fortunately I am well padded, but it taught me to clear the ground going forward...... very smart tip lol.

[@timothyom2008]

super helpful! Especially the loose truck tip! I keep mine very tight and tick tacked too much. Big improvement when I loosened them up. Thanks!

[@auldsk8r]

Great video and I'm glad that he mentioned at 4:25 about first checking the bowl for debris before skating it. I do that out of habit if I arrive at a skatepark and am the only person there. You never know what you might find in a bowl that might catch on your wheels and cause a nasty slam.

[@nuffaction5464]

Hit me where I live when you said there's only going to be old guys there in the AM! I'm one of those old guys! Lol

[@Jack-xy4fy]

This makes so much sense. Great tips. Wear pads if your learning

[@chris928901]

I’m young and you’ll see me early in the morning...not being bothered

[@lozio2352]

A half pipe on its side. That's a helpful take. Good work!

[@GeezerSkateCo]

Probably the best carving tutorial we’ve been able to find on the Tube! Thanks!

[@bartdevuyst]

Once again, great editing in these new video's! Next step, voice overs for even smoother explanations! Love what you're doing!

[@bendegros]

Voice overs will come soon. I will buy a usb microphone soon.

[@anthonycharles8920]

Back in the early to mid90s bowls and skatepark were very rare even in ny. At the time I learned how to skate in the street and that was really it .. I only skate a half pipe only a few times without ever really dropping in. It's only now since I started to skate again in my late 30s that I have started to explore these bowls and skatepark vert spots.. its completely new to me.

[@guitarnoob74]

I'm one of those old farts that goes to the skate park at the butt crack of sunrise. I love carving bowls and trying to go as fast as I can. It's amazing how much cardio you can get from doing such a fun carve line and it's really fun if you get it rite. Thanks Ben

[@bumbeatle9253]

Please do a tutorial on how to air over hips. Yours look so butter and fun!

[@nikghoskin2302]

I'm an old dude, you'll see me early in the morning! #waytoooldtoskate

[@fannys941]

nik ghoskin I'm old too, but I don't care, I skate with all the kids :)

[@recon1071]

Where?

[@fannys941]

@@recon1071 Texas

[@katherineseiss102]

Texas here as well. #olddudetoo.

[@paulformaioni37]

im old 46 and i skate at midnight under the lights

[@nolanshanafelt4096]

Thanks a lot man!! I've looked around for a lot of tutorials about this but I like your wording and what you said the best. Now I actually get out and skate.

[@grandmasterTrend73]

Thx for this nice and very helpful video. Turning 46 this year and recently restarted skating after 20 years! And the bowls that are in so many skateparks nowadays are one of the main reasons I wanna get back on the board :-) concrete surfing yeah! First attempts on the board where not as bad as I expected. Muscle memory survives 20 years apparently. Probably it also helps that I kept up snowboarding every winter in the alps ;-)

[@Pantostadoh]

since two weeks me and a friend (30 and 31 years) are going every day to practice in the bowl. I hope in two weeks more we can drop in the bowl and gain more speed in the transisions. Thanks for your video, i see it every day and is working for us. Sory the bad english we are from Argentina. Sk8 and family!

[@evanbarnes3184]

Thanks for the half pipe on its side concept- finally makes sence

[@EarthtonesCymbals]

Good advice Ben...it is especially nice skating when the only ones there are "old dudes" anyway!

[@xBrendon]

I know I’m a year late but Thanks for the advice on the tick tacks man! I’ve just now started skating actual parks coming from a town with gravel roads and barely anywhere to skate. I love skating the bowl but I always had the issue of not keeping speed and now I know what I’m doing wrong! I was treating the bowl more like a half pipe, I would kick turn high by the coping and go straight down but I would always loose momentum going back up the other side of the bowl

[@tomcolley5416]

Appreciate I'm extremely late to seeing this video! Just got back into skating again and was looking for some tips on bowl riding to get me back into it. Was surprised when I saw Ben's video pop up, only a few weeks ago I was watching his tutorial on dry lining! 😂 Who knew the Vancouver carpenter could shred a bowl too! 🤙

[@AllenPlaysGuitar]

Thank you! Looked for a video like this a couple of weeks ago and didn't find anything. Great lesson!

[@lbedu9960]

ignore this guy, the way you should skate a bowl is : - put loud music on. - crack open a beer and smoke some. - get in the bowl and put your toughts to 0. - pump a lot to keep speed and try tricks. always works out

[@marmooki]

eduard0Fernandes definitely dude 🤟

[@samjones3433]

@George Davis fuck this guy, the video has actual advice. this guy is basically saying "drink beer, smoke weed, do tricks". thats not advice. this sounds like the sort of dickhead that would be laughing at you in the park for trying. take the advice in the video

[@Retardino]

hi sam I hope you know that his comment was meant as a joke.

[@sk8traveler727]

Getting to that perfect zen level of buzzed during a bowl sesh is an art unto itself and needs a tutorial video. 😂

[@xx_somescenecath0lic_xx888]

eduard0Fernandes don't smoke

[@doktor_faust]

Thanks for this video, i was looking for something like this for a long time, because most of the other videos doen't really show or explain HOW you actually create a line by finding the right spots for pumping. Most of them just tell you to pump. That works with half pipes, but they don't explain how corners work. Thanks for that!

[@vahioslim3003]

Early morning old dude checkimg in!!!! 😄😄😄😄

[@OhighOSkater]

Transition skating is absolutely my favorite

[@hamellsk8]

A great tutorial! I don’t do much bowl skating but I think loosening my trucks will help with my mini ramp skating definitely. Thanks for another awesome video!👍

[@MocapLatte]

always a fun and informative vdo Ben ! tnx

[@AnthonyTran]

Interesting! I am guilty of putting off skating transitions for so long. I'm going to have to find a bowl and get used to zipping around now. Looks like so much fun!

[@shorty6string]

wow this is great timing for me. just learned how to pump straight up and down and starting to dabble in (very low) full bowl runs.

[@JazzDefiance]

Love the new video. Thanks for taking the time to share your mind.

[@indigenerureinwohner9260]

"Early in the morning" That's the only way for someone 30+ to use the parks without those kids. Got that idea a few days ago, now i can't stop thinking about getting a skateboard again! :)

[@elmanitasdeplomo]

And did you end up getting into skating again?

[@ProgressSkateboarding]

Great tips, Ben. I'm a big fan of bowl skating! So fun. I'll try some of your techniques next time I'm out.

[@korwindel1]

Great tips and great carving :) Gonna definitely try to learn bowl carving. Got a new set of pads for confidence, which is needed when you try to learn stuff at 30...

[@nikkimak8187]

I actually love going early in the morning it's so nice and empty and a diff vibe

[@screamingguy3897]

Wow those bowls are incredible😲

[@AdventuresInSkateboarding]

You must have watched my videos and identied my problem. I have been trying to work the bowl for the the last 3 months. Speed has been an issue at times. But I love it and I feel it is the secret to skating into my 50s.

[@DinoKatrino]

Skating bowls is fun!

[@joyblooming]

Thank you for this tutorial! I’m a beginner roller skater at the skate park and carving is my current nemesis skill. I can pump pretty well, and now I’m going to visualize the bowl as a ramp on its side. Brilliant!

[@paulrevere2928]

Riding bowls having a decent size wheel 58-64 mm helps a lot! Less pushing and more momentum from your pump and proper weighting and unweighting is crucial....

[@mskatesnow]

Carving bowl is so fun! And leg burner !!

[@8081050]

Good information, now to apply it. Thanks 👍

[@GryphonWahle]

I really enjoyed this and the way you examined it made sense, and I can't wait to try and employ this practice to get better, so thank you!!!.... ...at the same time, you called a nut a bolt.

[@wangnimama]

the sound when you skated in that bowl was like a jet aeroplane

[@jbrown6367]

Today I skated a bowl for the first time. Age 51. Thanks for the tips.

[@woofcubatl]

I was always a street skater mostly due to no actual skate-parks other than DIY hijacked parking lots. Any one remember C.H.U.D in Boise, ID? LOL I think that place coined the term crusty, I mainly skate the old 4th ward skate-park in Atlanta and have found that learning to carve and work the transition much easier in the 12ft pool instead of the bowls due to not having nearly as much flat to work around. Only drawback is that getting up close to the vert in that cramped pool is scary AF. Thankfully the transition is good and it kinda sucks you up against the wall when you get up higher. It took forever to get my head around carving, ramps and street take a completely different style of skating. I really dont remember it hurting nearly as bad when I wrecked when younger and on blacktop. That white asphalt is from the devil for sure. Not to mention when you have to bail on transition or in a pool it seems you have a bit more time in mid-bail to see the pain coming. its very strange and painful.

[@lucky-mn3gm]

How good is the tranny bowl in Atlanta?

[@jptothetree]

Thanks for the great video! I'm super new to skating, so I appreciate the insights.

[@datguy9408]

I want to start skating bowls 😢

[@weonboard9430]

Very nice vid. Im 45 soon and been skateboarding for 16 mounts or so. I feel that one more thing is to be able to turn frontside quite high.

[@WaxySmooth]

Great video Ben! Would love to see a lil more in depth but this is good too. Just started skating this year and I just got my frontside carves on lock. Now is matter of bonking that coping.

[@jdvlanka265]

I could smoke a bowl in a half pipe. Does that count?

[@brianhawthorne8480]

As long as you share

[@alexmiller4400]

You’re closer than you think lol

[@seriouslylovingbacon]

Great advice, once again. Keep at it man!

[@zhou_sei]

as soon as you said to treat it like a halfpipe on its side, i imagined what that would be like and it INSTANTLY clicked!

[@christiankarafyllis4674]

Hey Ben😎 I love your product tests/detailed descriptions/trick tips🤗.can you please do a tensor all geometry trucks review? Id like to know how well they turn and the difference from the mids.

[@colesmith4418]

thanks for the tips, John Mulaney!

[@doyouevenskate2718]

Great explanation

[@christopherwho8566]

Thanks for the tips; most helpful !

[@brd2deth939]

Looks like a super fun park!🤙

[@MrFlyingguy]

so useful, thank you.... 47 yr old Brit trying to skate with my son who at 11 is clean rinsing me.

[@kevskatesNM73]

That FS ollie was tight Ben 🙌

[@juanjosetapia5949]

I found it very usefull , but i would like ti know what Kind of trucks or wheels its recomended to skate in a bowl. Thanks !

[@jeremytelman6897]

Ben, thanks for this video man! I just joined the Abbotsford OG Skate group (old guys) lol, and we mostly do bowl because were not kids anymore ha. but Bowl has been the one thing I never did when I was younger. I found it funny that you were at Railside at the end of the video, I just relearned how to drop in again at the Mowat bowl in abby last weekend, and then last night went to Railside as a break from painting and setup my work lights and started trying to carve the bowl. Im from abby, but that bowl is worth the drive. Im amazed at how much speed you get bro, thats going to be my 3 month goal I think. thanks man, hopefully I can run into you at a park sometime. Cheers man, also if you want a group of older (30ish-50's ) skate dudes to carve and have fun with. Check out the Abbotsford old guys skateboard group on fb.

[@jwest88]

The closest smaller bowl was in an indoor skate park that no longer exists; I haven't really skated a bowl in 2 years or so because of that. I need to bite the bullet and drive out to a skate park that has one. I'm fine at backside but frontside carving is so hard for me. Definitely something I need to work on.

[@pepperdepep23]

Love your comparison to A halfpipe on it’s side!but, on A hp you go up and down.so, i think it’s the moment of pushing when you go down is the main technique to gain and keep speed, no?!okay, i’m mostly have going round in circles in A bowl in mind!and that you’re riding with your body more or less parallel to mother earth! Thanks for triggering my observing modes in A 47 year young re-incarnated skater! Cheers

[@arsaeterna4285]

0:58 at this point I understood your previous statement and my mind began to blow lol

[@panictryouts]

One other thing i like to tell newbies, is that the first wall you hit is going to set your speed for the next few walls, so go as high as you can. Otherwise if you go low your first wall, you are going to be huffing and puffing to get your speed back up. Plus going fast makes it much easier to carve than it is going slow. If you go slow you run the chance of gravity forcing your body down and then you gotta kickturn out of your carve.

[@davidcampbell1760]

HAHAHA! Go early, it's just going to be old dudes, lol. Yeah 55 and still rolling, love it. I can pump all over anything with corners and hips but those big round walls slow me down like crazy.

[@chaikneesnollies5398]

My girlfriend moved to Vacaville that has a nice skatepark with a 5’ bowl and a Park with mostly all transition and I never skated parks or transitions growing up so I’m making my morning trips to learn how to pump the tranny lol thanks Ben

[@JonnyDIY]

Am i gonna become one of those weirs old dudes that pumps around the park with his massively wide old school deck?? I hope so 😄💕👍

[@im-pro-at-skyrim8285]

transition tutorials are needed!

[@christopherrobinson9690]

I’ve noticed falling or bail the bowls and half pipes they seem to throw you down mostly the face an crown. Street skating bails are not so bad. That drop will get ya. But trying to ride a wall basically is a different animal that a flat ground. Lol. I’m learning but slowly.

[@ThoseVeganAussieBlokes]

Another excellent video as always, although I do have a question for you. when filming the lines of your bowl skating did you set up multiple cameras or did you have a single camera and move it into multiple positions while you did the same line several times?

[@bendegros]

Single camera multiple postions.

[@falalamedia1025]

Very helpful thanks man💪

[@mattpolhamus9194]

Really helpful Ben! The 2 camera set up is great. Now just need to find a bowl that's not an hour away :(