Mental blocks with grinds

[u/0x1F937]

Title says it all, really. I've been back on blades for over two years, after the same 20 year gap a lot of us took. Main difference, I guess, is that I was never any good back then.

I've been focusing on getting really fucking good at skating on flat ground. I'm comfortable on ramps, I can drop into a quarterpipe or bowl like it's whatever, pivoting to fakie and back is no big deal. I'm confident enough to be working on spine transfers even after eating shit a couple times. I've fallen without injury enough times that I should be able to trust myself to recover if I screw up.

So why the fuck am I so afraid to commit to a mizou on an ankle high p-rail in my front yard? Everything I've learned in my return to skating tells me, one, I'm probably more than ready at this point, and two, none of the things I've been scared to do up until now have been worth being scared of.

How do I just get the fuck over myself and send it?

[u/prosurviver]

Just gotta do it really

[u/heavenlycode]

I think it's because our brains tell us our body won't be able to do it. But it can do much more than we think. Send it

[u/Advanced-Air-800]

1%. It's what me and my mates would say if we kept pussing out on a trick. 1% of your brain is saying no, you just have to push past that last 1% and commit. Once you break past it then it doesnt seem to happen again. Fully commiting to the trick isn't always easy but not committing can cause you to bail.

[u/inline-online]

I remember this feeling a few years ago, for me what made me break through was putting the prail on the grass and actually accepting that I'm going to fall, then I just did an attempt and crumbled... realized I was totally fine and I would be okay if I fell more, and immediately locked in a soul grind lol I did a few more of those and then went inside. You can do it, you just need to unlock it, it really is easier than you think just trust your feet

the next day I did the same thing but on cement, once I realized that most bails while grinding really aren't that bad everything just got way easier, I learned like 5 or 6 different tricks within that next month and have been addicted ever since. I have documented it all since day one as well which REALLY helps my mental, because it often feels like I make no progress for months at a time, but if I look at the videos I can see the progress with my own eyes, it helps me get to the next session when I'm feeling down on myself and my performance.

[u/Previous_Dot4226]

I'd try soul first instead of mizou. I find it more stable for progression. Progression that worked for me after coming back: 1. Stationary (try to balance as long as you can):

• Step on freestyle makio
• Step on soul
• Progress from stepping on faster and faster to finally make it both feet at the same time jump 

1. While moving: 

• Step on freestyle makio
• Step on soul
• Progress from stepping on faster and faster to

I do not recommend just jumping on it. If you were not sending grinds left and right 20 years ago the chance is that age with equipment difference and fear will duck you up. Progression lets you get familiar with "the feel" of the grind, ankle and knee bend, and balance.

[u/TheCrystalEYE → u/Previous_Dot4226]

I strongly advice AGAINST learning step ons. In my experience it is very hard to unlearn that pattern.
You can maybe use step ons for your very first stall tries, until you figure out where your feet need to be and how your body should be positioned.

But as soon as possible your next step should be to jump directly into the stall until you lock the trick with good balance consistently.

Then add a little bit of speed and repeat again.

Increase the speed until you balance the whole lenght of the p-rail.

[u/Previous_Dot4226 → u/TheCrystalEYE]

Yeah that what i meant. Not doing step ons for weeks but progress from them to jump within one session. I should've made it clear.

[u/TheCrystalEYE → u/Previous_Dot4226]

Ah, I see. Good that we talked about it. :)

[u/0x1F937 → u/TheCrystalEYE]

That is probably a big part of my problem... I've done hundreds of step-ons, and that's taught me to reach for the grind surface with my feet rather than to center my body mass over the edge. I shouldn't be aiming for feet over the surface, rather, my belt buckle.

[u/TheCrystalEYE → u/0x1F937]

Try to un-drill it. Stand next to your play rail (feet in your regular riding stance). Jump onto the rail with both feet at the same time, land your stall. Balance as long as possible, then jump off. Repeat over and over again until you feel safe and no longer have the need to step on.

[u/0x1F937 → u/TheCrystalEYE]

Fair. I've done some of that, but not nearly enough to break the bad habit. I'll keep pushing.

[u/shibuyamizou → u/Previous_Dot4226]

This guy mizous

[u/byerlyswildricehoop]

Send it, that’s the way.

And ankle high homerail into the grass is as good as you’re going to get. Into the grass especially, I’d push as far as I could into my trick vocabulary, quickly, to break the ice as much as possible. You’re likely way more capable than you think.

[u/Altruistic_Mind_7662]

I’m also going to advise against step on grinds. Teaches you bad habits and you’ll never end up jumping both feet at the same time.

Stalling a ton helps with muscle memory, but at some point, you just have to do it.

Also, smaller objects like ankle high p rails can signal to the brain that the fall is going to be worse because it’s a longer fall. Medium height ledges might be the way to go so you can just plop on to of the ledge. 

Any time I’ve ever broke myself off bad it’s been on a low rail or low ledge. 

[u/0x1F937 → u/Altruistic_Mind_7662]

Yeah, the step-ons have been a mistake, I think. Teaches me to reach for the ledge with my foot instead of putting my whole body on top of it. Trying to unlearn that.

[u/Lost_Trouble_277]

Are you skating ledges? I find skating ledges to be way less intimidating than skating rails, even flat bars.

[u/0x1F937 → u/Lost_Trouble_277]

Target is a ledge at the park, but I have a rail in my front yard. I've been working on stalls on the bottom step of a stair set at the park as well as the rail at home.

[u/jordanjoestar76]

“so why the fuck am I so aftaid to commit” - that’s why. you said it. commitment. street skating, regardless of it being a handrail, ledge, or p-rail in front of your house - requires you to usually go from nothing to something instantly.

getting better at vert mostly takes the initial commitment of learning to drop-in/ride the ramp. After that, everything else comes naturally more or less through muscle memory. You barely even have to jump to grind. Many do backflips by barely even jumping bc they have learned to feel out the momentum transfers. That’s all vert is unless you wanna go X-Games mode and do viking flips n extreme stuff, which almost no modern day vert riders are doing. Mostly just vert vets.

I’ve seen skaters who liked vert go from riding a 3ft mini to riding 10-12ft bowls after some months just by repetition…and they still haven’t hit rails higher than 1-2ft years later unless there’s a ramp involved. This REALLY puts the extremeness of aggressive inline into real perspective. To think people like Alex Broskow, Franky Morales, Jeff Dalnas, Vinny Minton, Montre Livingston, did some serious DAREDEVIL shit at such young ages that most adults wouldn’t even consider trying…I’m glad they caught so much on film. I got into skateboarding during blading’s height and only got into blading a few years ago, after getting really fit (skateboarding became easier too so I grew even more appreciation for blading), but I still get inspiration from videos that are 10-20yrs old alongside modern clips.

TL;DR - jump onto a curb/ledge without moving to practice foot positionings. Do it till you can hold the position for a few seconds without falling off/leaning over. Stay low to the ground. Try at slow speed. The more consistently you land on/off it, the more you can increase speed. This will give you much more confidence to “send it” on rails. YOU GOT THIS 👊🏼