It might be considered an unpopular opinion. But no, it is not that hard to drop in on a skateboard. The actual act of dropping in doesn’t take that much skill. And it becomes easier if you have a good skateboard.
E-skateboards can be helpful in learning how to drop in as they come with features which contribute toward the easiness of doing a drop in. To find a suitable e-skateboard you can take a look at Lumbuy’s awesome longboard collection at https://lumbuy.com/electric-longboard/.
What does it take to master dropping in on a skateboard?
Dropping in, while being the fundamental technique in skating, is the first wall of fear that you have to overcome. So, you need a lot of courage to do that before.
You need practice a lot. I mean, it is actually practicing a lot to muster up the courage necessary to drop in. From then it is either success or bust. But the good news is, after you have done it once, the fear becomes irrelevant.
Things to do before attempting to learn dropping in
Prepare for it mentally. Prepare yourself for all the time you are going to fall miserable. Try to gather determination in your heart.
When it comes to the physical portion of the preparation, the emphasis on mental preparation is important but it can’t reduce the importance of preparing physically. Putting on some extra precautionary equipment such as a helmet goes the long way. Because you don’t fear the fall, you actually do fear the pain. And your helmet or protective dress reduces them. And because of those extra things, you won’t just stop trying again and again.
Finally, master riding your skateboard. Dropping in is totally an act of balance and not knowing how to do that while skateboarding won’t be of any help for you.
The fundamentals of dropping in on a skateboard
Practicing how to do a drop in starts with a stationary board. Try to leap on your board when it is in a stationary position.
After you have done that, increase the difficulty. Run along and try to leap onto the board again. You should focus on keeping your weight forward.
Only after doing that, you should proceed on to the actual act of dropping in.
A breakdown of how to do a drop in
Focus on the terrain.
Start by focusing on the ramp/terrain. Explore it and get familiar with it. Because you don’t want to fall victim to uneven terrain, even with a helmet on. Decide on which path you should drop and ride on. Check if there are any other skateboarders there.
Set your board
Go to the top of the ramp/terrain and set your board in such a way that your tail touches the edge of the top position. Obviously the front wheels won’t be touching anything. Now, put your front foot to the usual position but don’t do anything right now.
Stomp and drop
Stomp on the front side of the board with your front leg. You have to put all the pressure on it. Don’t worry about the height. It might be hard to do it while the front portion of your board hangs in the air, but it is very important to get yourself acquainted with that feeling and just do it anyway. As I have said before, the various attempts while trying to master dropping in actually focuses on overcoming the fear. This is your call to overcome the fear you have been feeling so far.
Fall and retry
Two things can happen after you decide to let yourself go from the top of the ramp – you’ll fall or you won’t fall and ride it out. But whatever happens, take note and tweak accordingly.
If you fall, you might have not committed yourself to the steps that have been discussed here. Find in which steps you are actually making a mistake.
If you don’t fall, ride out but don’t lose focus because of the joy of being able to do an awesome drop in. Because you’ll be riding out in a really high speed and that is very dangerous.
Closing words
Learning how to drop in is essential in skateboarding. I mean, that is how you get into a ramp, so obviously thinking about learning to do tricks is just wishful thinking if you don’t know how to drop in.
But it doesn’t require skill and it is all about determination. So, don’t just stop the next time you fall when trying to do a drop on, instead get on and give it another try.
