How to Avoid Common Half Cab Mistakes

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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Learning to do the half cab on a skateboard is hard--there's just so many ways you can screw it up. Fortunately, with this article and some practice, you'll be able to avoid some common mistakes while doing the half cab.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Foot Position

Step 1

Pay attention to the position of your feet on your board as you try to avoid common mistakes when doing the half-cab.
Step 2

Make sure your feet are not too far forward or too far back.
Step 3

Place your front foot so it's about midway up the deck, with your back foot near the tail of your board. By doing this, you will be able to pop you board as you do a half-cab.

Pop Off

Step 1

Work on your pop off as you try to avoid common mistakes when doing the half-cab.
Step 2

Make sure you get enough height as you pop your board. If your board doesn't get high enough, you can run the risk of crashing, landing messily, or even damaging your board.
Step 3

Practice your pop offs so you can get them cleanly. A clean pop off means a clean half-cab and a clean landing - thus the avoidance of a common half-cab mistake.

Slide Your Feet

Step 1

Practice sliding your feet when doing a half-cab.
Step 2

Make sure your front foot slides back toward your back foot as you pop your board when doing a half-cab. This allows your board to pop up and leave the ground. Not getting your front foot back in time is a classic half-cab mistake that can be avoided with practice.
Step 3

Work on your timing when doing the half-cab. You'll find that after a while you'll be able to nail that sweet spot when you need to have that front foot slide back the instant your board pops into the air.

Wind Your Shoulders Around

Step 1

Work on getting the momentum needed to bring yourself around in the air as you do a half-cab.
Step 2

Wind your shoulders around by turning them in the direction you're going right after you pop your board. If you're turning to the left, wind your shoulders left, if you're turning right, wind them to the right.
Step 3

Turn your shoulders with enough force to do a half-cab. Not winding your shoulders at all or enough are common half-cab mistakes that can easily be avoided.

Bring or Suck Up Your Legs

Step 1

Make sure you get your legs up high enough when you try to avoid common mistakes while doing the half-cab.
Step 2

Get your feet off the board high enough so that your board can turn around while it's in the air. Not getting up high enough means that the board could land prematurely, causing an accident - something to avoid especially when you're trying to clear something while doing a half-cab.
Step 3

Practice sucking up your legs when doing a half cab. With time, you'll find yourself doing it without having to think about it too much.

Land the Half Cab

Step 1

Make sure you're looking in the direction you're planning to land when doing a half-cab. Eying your landing is a great way to avoid a common mistake when doing half-cabs.
Step 2

Wind your shoulders around so that you can turn enough to focus on what's coming next.
Step 3

Work on your foot position so you're in the right place on the board when it comes down so you and your board don't have to part company involuntarily.
Step 4

Practice your landings on the flat first so that you have them nailed before attempting jumps or doing a half-cab down a flight a stairs. By practicing your landings over and over, you can avoid common mistakes when doing a half-cab.