How to Skate Posts

Rodney Mullen on Hacking Communities and Context vs Content

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012 at 9:58 am  

Rodney Mullen speaks to an audience of non-skaters.

Here’s an excellent talk from last May at TEDx USC – by one of skateboarding’s originators: Rodney Mullen. Some of the topics and concepts he brings up really speak to the creative methods of skateboarding, and how skaters learn and “hack” the existing concepts of skateboarding. It’s a great talk, a little over 15 minutes. Though Rodney’s speech was given to an audience of non-skaters, it really resonates with skateboarders in that they have a another layer of experience that perhaps the audience that heard the talk, couldn’t understand. But, I’m sure they got a taste of it.

.

The classic Benihana, done huge in slow motion

Saturday, July 7th, 2012 at 10:46 am  

Adam Shomsky, in his skateology series, again shows us the power of slow motion photography and it’s ability to show us more than the human eye can see (at regular speed).

Awesome trick.

.

New Slow Motion Video

Saturday, June 30th, 2012 at 9:15 am  

Redlake N3 High Speed Camera

Adam Shomsky has done it again, this time revealing a quick view of his Redlake N3 High Speed camera setup. I clipped this still from his video, which continues Adam’s tradition of editing smooth slow motion video of styley skating and chill music. Jesse’s kickflips are some of the best, and the slow motion footage shows just how he does them. My favorite in this video might be his kickflip blunt to fakie kickflip out. Sick!

.

A slow-motion tribute to Ryan Gaynier

Tuesday, June 19th, 2012 at 8:16 am  

Adam Shomsky again captures a whole lot of tricks in Slow-motion. Unfortunately, Ryan passed away recently, but Adam has created a really excellent tribute to him here. You can see Ryan’s style, and especially his technique, as he performs a ton of flip tricks, grinds and slides. Rest in peace, Ryan. I hope some folks can learn something from your movements in life captured here.

.

Physics in Skateboarding: 720 flip in slow motion

Thursday, May 31st, 2012 at 12:42 pm  

Adam Shomsky captures and edits an excellent 720 double kickflip – courtesy youtube.

.

Skating is Playing. Learning is Fun.

Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012 at 7:55 pm  

Kidskate.

Skating’s gotta be fun. It’s playing. That’s why learning it is so unlike learning other sports, with the drills, practice, lessons and other stuff that’s more a part of school than a sport. In skateboarding, trial and error is a big part of learning, but that doesn’t mean coaching can’t be part of it.

The “error” in trial-and-error style learning is actually the best mind training there is. As Daniel Coyne talks about in “The Talent Code,” making small errors and detecting them is actually the best type of rehearsal and practice a person can do – whether it’s for a sport, a musical instrument, or any activity. By detecting small mistakes safely and re-trying multiple attempts at a movement, we train our brains to do it effortlessly. That’s the secret behind muscle-memory and true mastery.

In skateboarding, we learn how to fall safely, out of necessity. Read the rest of this entry