Things You'll Need:
- Pair of aggressive skates
- Trick box or low handrail
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Step 1
A trick box built with PVC jointsBuild yourself a trick box or a low rail on a flat, open space like a driveway or parking lot. A trick box is simply a box of variable length and width that stands about two to four feet high and preferably has metal joints. They are easy enough to make and are useful to practice grinds and jumps from. A free-standing, low, metal rail is also a good tool to practice grinds. These are a little trickier to build because they require some welding skill.
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Step 2
Learn the "Soul Grind" first. To do this trick, skate up to your rail or box at a decent speed. When you jump onto the rail, your inside foot should land running along the "soul plate," which is the flat surface of the boot on either side of the wheels. Your outside foot should land in front of the inside foot, but perpendicular to the rail with your toe pointed inward. The groove between your front two and back two wheels is called the grind plate, and should be running along the rail.
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Step 3
Practice the "frontside." Again, approach the rail at a decent velocity, skating almost parallel to the rail. Next, jump onto the rail while rotating your whole body 90 degrees and land with both feet on the rail with both grind plates engaged and your toes inward. It will appear as though you are surfing down the rail.
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Step 4
Try a "porn star." It is a variant of the soul grind. Skate up to the rail and jump up onto it the same way you would for the soul grind. Instead of placing your outside foot in front, drag it behind your inside foot with the toe pointed inward.
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Step 5
Practice a "backside." It is performed the same way as a frontside, but when you jump onto the rail, turn your body the opposite direction so that your toes are facing out. This is more difficult because it can be tricky to keep your eye on the rail while facing away from it.
