Drop-In

also known as: Dropping In

balance parkvert difficulty 2/10
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Shown for a regular-footed rider. Teal ring + arrow = the rider's facing direction; teal band = the tail; a dot is where a hand holds the board - bright yellow for the front hand, amber for the back one, which is the whole difference between a mute and an indy. Board and rider rotate independently - each follows its own component. Drag to orbit.

How it works

The gateway to all transition skating, and the one trick on a ramp that begins at the top rather than arriving there: the tail is anchored on the coping with the back foot while the deck hangs down over the transition, and there is no run-up at all. The rider commits their whole mass forward until the front wheels touch the wall and gravity takes the board down the curve. Everything is in the commitment - leaning back leaves the wheels above the surface and the board slides out from under you. Mechanically it is a tail stall done from a standstill; a tail stall is a drop-in you build out of momentum instead.

Step by step

  1. Set the tail flat on the coping and pin it there with your back foot, ball of the foot over the tail pocket.
  2. Place the front foot over the front bolts while the front wheels hang in the air over the transition.
  3. Commit in one motion: lean your chest and shoulders out over the ramp, driving the front bolts down.
  4. Press the front wheels onto the transition surface while keeping knees deeply bent.
  5. Level your weight over both trucks as the board matches the slope, then ride down through the transition and let your legs absorb the pull into flat.

Body mechanics

Front footOver the front bolts; it is the lever that stamps the front wheels down onto the transition in one decisive motion.
Back footPins the tail to the coping before the drop, then settles over the back bolts as the board levels on the wall.
ShouldersSquare to the board and pushed forward over the nose at the moment of commitment; leaning them back is the classic cause of slam.
ArmsOut to the sides for balance, slightly forward to encourage the chest over the front truck.
GazeLook down the transition to the bottom of the ramp, not at your feet - the body follows the eyes.