(With Commentary) Surfskate Progression 4 Years - Carver & SmoothStar

[@graz-e.m.s]

Hey, excellent video & commentary. Watching your progression is helping me with mine. Not been skateboarding for over 30 years and surprised myself that I could still stand on a board!! My son wants me to teach him so I got my 1st ever carving board. I’m only 3 days into riding it. Studying how you’ve got lower on your deck has helped me to get lower on my board and it’s made a noticeable difference and improvement. Thanks for you video. Might make my first vid at the end of this week and document my progress. Cheers Graz

[@BenConley]

Glad to hear it helps, thanks for watching!

[@ghostdoggtv]

Subbed, great commentary. I started pumping and carving on a regular cruiser board with loose trucks which worked OK, have been on a waterborne truck with the rail adapter for the last couple of weeks and it's been life-changing. Just need to make it beach side now.

[@artisatumiwa6962]

loved seeing the progression! i just started surfskating a month ago and would now consider documenting to hopefully make something like this. thanks for sharing!! the shot in the sunset using the gopro was awesome btw!

[@BenConley]

Thank you very much!

[@DeniseNepraunig]

Super cool video and so nice to watch your progression and style evolving! The sunset shot looks awesome and also the roller skate filmed one! Thanks for sharing this with us!

[@BenConley]

Still so crazy to watch the early footage. Can’t believe that’s me but everyone starts somewhere:) Thanks for watching!

[@rickyo.1973]

Love it man… well done

[@BenConley]

Thanks for watching!

[@1ajdelacruz]

Thanks for sharing!

[@BenConley]

Thanks for watching!

[@BertzillaAvionicsInc]

great time travel Mate! congrats!

[@BenConley]

That’s so funny I’ve always thought filmmaking and documenting things was a bit like time traveling haha. Thanks for watching! 🙏

[@PenguinoZsif888]

Cool bro keep the flo pumping

[@BenConley]

Thanks for watching!

[@tonyjohnson3752]

Awesome video, great inspiration! Just subscribed

[@BenConley]

Thanks for the sub!!

[@kenshinfight]

My journey is almost the same Ben! I'm also at the state where I am aware of my front arm flopping around, and little compression.

[@BenConley]

Awesome haha thanks for watching!

[@robertchambers8317]

Great video!!! Well done. 🙏🏼👍🏼

[@BenConley]

Thanks for watching!

[@yabuking84]

please try waterborne front and rail adapter and tell me what you think 🙂

[@Digiphex]

How to pump the Carver CX and keep it going would be a good tutorial. Mine goes quite well if it is downhill of any kind but not if it is level so I guess I am not pumping it!

[@BenConley]

Shane Lai has some great videos on pumping, thanks for watching! kzbin.info/door/KDiNj-gKPkZtLogExYw2Jg

[@andreshenriquez3087]

Thank you!

[@BenConley]

Thanks for watching!

[@Lehite]

I started in 2017 too with my first ‘carving board’, the term ‘surfskate’ wasn’t that popular in the UK then. Coming from a kite land boarding background I liked the natural flow and being able to move the board without foot pushing. My kite boarding has taken second place now. I don’t have to wait for wind and find a big area to kite, as long as I’ve got my surfskate board with me and the ground is smooth and dry I’m rolling wherever I can. 👍🏄‍♂️

[@BenConley]

Wow I had no idea what life land boarding was, so rad. Thanks for your comment, I respond in more detail on my podcast. Episode coming out tomorrow! 🙏

[@karlrawstrone8568]

Hey Ben, did you ever try the C7 on the Yago deck?

[@BenConley]

I did right when I got the Yago before swapping the C7s to the longer Haedron No 6. It felt pretty sick, but wanted the C7s on the longer board for max turning radius. Thanks for watching!

[@snakeplissken2428]

Do you tight your back truck? Is it better this way? Because it seems it's not turning at all.

[@BenConley]

I do not! All the back trucks on the boards I have (Smoothstar, YOW, Carver) do not turn. Or at least they are not designed to turn like the front truck system, they are more like typical skateboard trucks. Not sure the boards would work the same if the back truck turned like the front truck. Thanks for watching!

[@severomagiusto4737]

In my opinion you were doing quite well already in 2017. I'm 55, I have never surfed and just started learning surfskate on a yow pukas dark (surfskating is not popular at all in Italy). I am having trouble with compression (it's a matter of age, I know 🙂), especially on the backside turns. I still can't figure out how to reach that "off-board" position where the knees are bent 90 degrees and the bottom is off-centered towards the inside of the turn (e.g., see 1:36). I don't know, maybe my turn speed is not sufficient to guarantee the necessary centrifugal force to keep me from falling. Everything I know is that I'll keep trying. BTW, excellent video!

[@BenConley]

You are an inspiration! It's def all about speed. Flexibility helps. I respond in more detail to your question at the end of my 3-7-22 podcast episode, link in bio to listen and thanks again!

[@severomagiusto4737]

@@BenConley Thank you for your answer in the podcast! I am from Rome. There are some skateparks in Italy, but what I meant is that while skateboarding and longboarding is more known, surfskating is generally not. By the way, if I should write "cinque terre" in the way an english speaker would pronounce it by reading it, I would write it this way: "cheenkwae terrae". Take care! 😉🤟

[@monkey_kang]

loved this video!

[@BenConley]

Thanks for watching!

[@calesvideos]

Surprised I've not run into you, we surf/skate all the same places. I recognize every cut in the video haha.

[@BenConley]

Thanks for watching and small world haha. I respond in more detail on my 2-7-22 podcast episode, link in bio!

[@LeviHorizon1]

Hi so you prefer smoothstar over carver? Could you explain why and how it feels the difference

[@BenConley]

Thank you very much! If I had to choose I prefer the SmoothStar because it's more responsive and has more freedom rail to rail making it easier to turn. That being said I like my Carver boards for stability and pushing (meaning pushing with one leg like a normal skateboard). So to sum it up, if I'm looking for flow and turns I like the SmoothStar. If I'm looking to run errands around town for transportation and need a little more stability, I like the Carvers.

[@SurfAlbany]

Thanks for the excellent and informative video. How much do you think surfskating helped your surfing? I'm 60, been surfing for about 15 years (intermediate level I'd say) and started surfskating a few months ago. I think it's helping my surfing, especially regarding carving more aggressively on the wave face and I hope for more improvements to follow. Thanks again.

[@BenConley]

You are an inspiration! It has 100% helped my surfing. Thanks for your comment, I respond in more detail on my podcast. Episode coming out tomorrow! 🙏

[@YangGQ]

Hey! I am 59! Surfskating is great! never managed skateboarding.

[@ansborromeo7470]

hi you mentioned the lead arm should be low. why is that?

[@BenConley]

If that’s you surfing in your videos I should be asking you questions haha. My front arm rises up in certain situations like climbing a wave face or even pumping sometimes but keeping it low and in control on the outside of my front knee makes it easier for me to turn my head (front arm not blocking me when it is raised) which leads to better turns and better style imo. Also helps to stay compressed. Thanks for your comment, I respond in more detail on my podcast. Episode coming out tomorrow! 🙏

[@ansborromeo7470]

@@BenConley oh that's not me, that's JR Esquivel a local pro here. I just transitioned to a small board a 5'7 fish. Thanks posted your video to my surfskate brand FB as well 'Steady Surfskates'.

[@nielskusters7006]

Hi ben, great vid! I'm looking at the Carver booster surf skate (USA surfing team). It's a 30'75 with a 16' wheelbase. I am about 5 foot 9 Iittle smaller. I think it is a bit like the Yago Dora but with a slightly smaller wheelbase. I do surf my shortboard or groveler when i can and i can skate (kickflip, shove its, riding around). Do you think this board is a good choice, or should i go bigger?

[@BenConley]

I think if your surf stance (measure the distance between your feet) comes close to the wheelbase (how far the trucks are apart) you should be good to go. Ideally you want your front foot just a bit behind the front truck. Hope that helps!

[@steffenschreiber9615]

Hi, i do love the smoothstar #77 so much and riding it now for almost 3 years. Do you have an recommendation for filming your progress in surfskating? By the way very, very nice video. thanks, Steffen

[@BenConley]

I would recommend keeping it simple! I use my phone all the time and when I don’t have a simple tripod handy I just prop the phone up against whatever is available. The last thing I want to do when I skate is to worry about filming so keeping it really simple helps me get more footage. Thanks for your comment, I respond in more detail on my podcast. Episode coming out tomorrow! 🙏

[@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo]

Keeping it simple is a great advice . But if you want it a bit more advanced I really suggest an insta360 one x2 camera with a selfie stick and tripod bundle 👌👌

[@steffenschreiber9615]

@@letsgoletsgoletsgoletsgoletsgo Thank you so much 👍. Appreciate the info.😊

[@Gus.L.83]

Hey great video, what about the YOW? And how is the surfing going? Today finally I received my seaside & beyond, I’m so happy 🤙

[@BenConley]

Next progression video will have the YOW. Enjoy your SSB that's so rad! I respond to your comment in more detail on my 1-17-23 podcast, thanks for watching!

[@markgransbury8377]

Hi how tall are you?

[@BenConley]

5’11” Thanks for watching!