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Second Sunday Skateboard Session Episode 3, 4, and 5 - Definitely Seeing Progress

TET Episode 5 Heelflip attempt.
TET, Episode 5 Heelflip attempt.

Continuing my ten part series of Second Sunday Skateboard sessions, the series where I'm attempting to master all seven basic skateboarding tricks in Braille Skateboarding's Skateboarding Made Simple Volume One, over twenty weeks (or ten fortnights). 

Each episode is a short Sunday check in to show where I'm at after each two week period of practicing. Generally I aim for at least an hour practice session every second day if weather or my work schedule permits. These are the links to Episode One and Episode Two should you feel the need to see where I started. 

I'm not a complete newbie, having been a relatively hardcore skater through the late eighties and early nineties, however I was mostly a mini ramp and curb skater, and never really maintained my skills beyond riding and ollies. 

The explosion of council built concrete parks came a decade too late for me to maintain my mini ramp skills. Once we closed our own skate park in the late nineties that was the end of my mini ramp access. 

I still don't have access to a mini ramp despite living within walking distance of my local skatepark. It has transitions but they're all a little too advanced for me, especially with no part of the park being able to be skated like a mini ramp.

I realize my energy levels on these videos makes it seem like I don't even enjoy skating, and there's no real story, other than seeing whether I'm getting any better on the same seven tricks. However I'm making these for me, and I'm prone to quitting if the filming process becomes overwhelming. 

As someone who's about to turn 55, I'm very grateful that I can ride a skateboard, and learning tricks is still a very viable option for me. If you're just curious to see where I'm at, Episode 5 is the best episode of the three. I'll understand if you skip straight to - quite frankly it could use a little more love and eyeballs!

Episode 3 - Strong Wind Warning

This was a particularly difficult session to even be motivated to film because I absolutely do not like skateboarding in a strong wind, and our driveway and carport is basically a wind tunnel. It wasn't my best session, but I showed up to make good on my commitment to film every second Sunday. 

Episode 4 - Most Improvement Yet

Through the fortnight I'd seen a tip from skateboarding YouTube channel Skate IQ on The Easiest Way to Ollie that involved not just kicking down with the back foot but also kicking a little bit back. 

This was a bit of a game changer for me when it came to my kickflips as it seemed to help keep the board under me (almost solving my problem of the board going forward without me). I landed a few kickflips tail to the ground, which isn't a land for me, but it is both feet back on the board.

This was also the first session where I was able to show myself landing a pop shuv-it. They weren't great but I had landed some prior to filming episode three, but couldn't land any on camera on the day.

Episode 5 - Halfway, Have I Improved?

This session was without a doubt my best yet. I was graced with perfect weather, a light breeze and a cloud that kept me in the shade for almost the entire session. I was enthusiastic (as much as I'm able to show enthusiasm anyway), and in a good frame of mind.

I felt I was able to demonstrate improvement on my ollies, both 180 ollies, and both pop-shuv-its. heelflips and kickflips were about the same with no lands, but I got close with primo kickflip that was my worst on camera slam to date (spoiler... nothing broken).

---o ---o--- o---

Generally I am happy with my progress. At the time I'm writing this, episode six has been filmed and is waiting to be edited. I feel I'm on track to have at least the first five tricks landed by episode ten, and I am getting closer with my heelflips and kickflips, picking up another tip this last fortnight that has helped me get the full flips a little more consistent.

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