How to Do a 50/50 Grind on a Skateboard

Video Transcript

"Hi, my name is Shaw Connolly, I'm from San Fransisco, California, and I'm a sponsored skateboarder that teaches skateboarding eight to thirteen years old. Now, I'm here to explain how to do a front side 50/50 on a ledge. Now, first off, the ledge that you choose to do your 50/50 on, you're going to have to make sure that you're able to ollie high enough to get on to the top of that ledge. So, you're actually going to have to be able to ollie slightly higher than the obstacle that you're skating, because for a 50/50 to work, you have to ollie above it, and then come down and land on it. Now, a lot of people think that you can kind of pull yourself up, but you want to make sure that you can ollie above that height, and then come down on it. Now, what a 50/50 is is when you ollie up, front side is usually the way that people learn the easiest, meaning that it is on the front side of your body. So, when you approach it, you see the ledge and it is at your toe side of your board. Now, I'm regular foot, so I'd ollie up, and you want to ollie over the ledge, and then land on the top of the ledge in this position. Now, you want to make sure that you lock your wheels against the edge of the, the obstacle. The ledge, or the block, or the bench that you're doing it on, or rail, or anything. And, this is where you lock in and you're able to hold yourself. Now, in a front side 50/50, once you've landed in this position and you're beginning to grind across the top of the ledge, you're going to want to put weight on your toes to hold the grind. Now, for a front side 50/50, you put your weight on your toes because you're toes are the two wheels that are on the top of the ledge. Now, the most weight is going to be on this side of the board to keep it locked in that position, and then your wheels are locked against the edge of the ledge, and that's how you stay on and you grind a far distance. Now, when you first start you'll probably notice that you'll ollie in to a grind, and maybe not grind very far, and then just get back out. Now, that's what you're going to want to do to learn, and then eventually, you're going to start heading a little more parallel to the ledge as your confidence gets up, and you'll be able to land in a 50/50, and grind much further, because the more parallel you go to a ledge, the more you're headed in the same direction, and you can grind a longer distance. But when you're starting out, you may find it easier to approach the ledge at less of a parallel angle, and just kind of get in to it, and get out. And then eventually, as you master the ledge trick, you can grind more parallel and get on a little more direct. And this is how you do a front side 50/50 on a ledge. My name is Shawn Connolly, and I'm from San Fransisco, California. I'm a sponsored skateboarder who also teaches skateboarding to kids eight to thirteen."