Sports & Gaming
Vert Advanced
Lesson time 8:59 min
Learn some of Tony’s advanced signature moves, including the 540 McTwist.
Students give MasterClass an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars
Topics include: Backside Smith Grind • Bluntslide to Backside 180 • Invert • Caballerial • McTwist
Teaches Skateboarding
Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk teaches you how to take your skateboarding to the next level, whether you’re a beginner or a pro.
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- Tenacity is one of the most important factors of skating. The idea that you will continue to try something over and over and not give up until you get it is key to success and key to success in your life in general. There are skills and things you want to accomplish that are going to take years, if not decades, to develop. And if you're willing to stay the course and you're willing to learn every aspect of it and little by little chip away at that success, you'll finally earn it. [MUSIC PLAYING] Vert ramps were actually made to emulate pools but to give you better walls and better transitions to do these tricks. And now we're seeing the top skateboarders doing things I never imagined possible. So backside Smith grind. What it means is you're grinding your back truck and the middle of your board or the rail of your board at the same time. And so that requires a very delicate weight distribution. Your heel can stick to the top of the ramp and stop you from grinding. And so you'll see some of the most accomplished people that can do back Smiths. They actually point their front foot forward and angle as to keep the heel away from the rail and away from the deck as they're grinding. So the idea is that you get your back truck in the grinding position. Keep your front foot so that it stays on the board. It's not hanging off at all. And you just grind along until you feel like you're slowing down, and then you can just sort of drop it back in. Backside Smith grinds, I like them a lot because I think they look cool, and I like them because I can grind as far as I want to or as little as I want to, and really it's just a matter of how much speed I have and when I feel like it can come in. A bluntslide to backside 180 in is you're coming up the wall at an angle, and then you're sort of shifting your board back the other direction in order to get it in position to slide. And the key to the trick is how you slide on your tail and how much weight you put on it. And that is a function of keeping your weight a little bit back and hang your front heel, if not your back heel as well, off the board. As you slide along, your feet might be moving. And as you start to come in, your feet will probably even move further towards the toes. And so if you come up into the trick in a position that you normally skate in, by the time you leave it, you probably have your feet hanging off too far. Your toes will be hanging off too far. So what I like to do is compensate for it in the beginning. And so I approach the wall with my front heels off the board. And as I slide it, I feel my heel moving again. And as I come in, it moves back into the regular position. The movement to come in doesn't take a lot of effort, because your body is already moving that direction and your momentum is heading backside. So lifting up your board makes it come in easily. It's more about moving your shoulder and turning it in the backside direction while lifting up your...
About the Instructor
A pro at 14 and the first to land a 900 at the X Games, Tony Hawk is one of the most influential skateboarders of all time. Now he’s helping you take your skateboarding to the next level. Joined by pros Lizzie Armanto and Riley Hawk, Tony teaches you beginner, intermediate, and advanced tricks in street, park, and vert. Learn how to push yourself, get up when you fall, and find your own style. Start reaching new heights.
Featured MasterClass Instructor
Tony Hawk
Legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk teaches you how to take your skateboarding to the next level, whether you’re a beginner or a pro.
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