Compared to Backside, Frontside 50-50s on transition is often strangely difficult. But once you understand the physics behind it, you'll see that it's actually much easier to approach.
Summary
Keep Your Weight on the Heel Side and Stay Inside of the Ramp
In a Frontside 50-50 in transition, keeping your weight inside the ramp and over the heel side of your back truck is the golden rule. This position makes it mechanically impossible for the back truck to hang up on the coping. Even if the toe-side wheels brush the coping, the board will roll back in smoothly.
Use Pumping for a Solid Lock-In
When locking into the grind, many skaters struggle with the front truck hanging or both trucks catching toe-side. The solution is to pump a bit harder right before the coping. Push your body upward and inward to counter the outward force and keep your mass inside the ramp. Extend fully so the back heel-side wheel locks on, then set the front truck—this makes the grind stable and repeatable.
Introduction of the All in One Analyzer
An AI-powered motion analyzing tool that features body parts tracking, 2D to 3D video conversion, frame by frame playback and more!
Common Problem - Getting Stuck on the Coping
One big reason rolling back in feels so hard is that you can't see the bottom of the transition while grinding. If you feel unsafe or unstable, it's natural to hunch forward. You may even grab something in front of you to avoid falling backward. Plus, during the trick, the deck of the ramp appears right in front of your face, which may make you hunch even more.
The problem is, when you hunch forward, the center of mass also shifts forward. If you try to come back in from this state, your body rotates around the line connecting your center of mass and the back toe side wheel. With this, the back truck can't get over the coping and gets stuck. In other words, as long as the weight is on the toe side, you can't come back in.
The Proper Principle to Get Out of the Grind
The most important thing is that if your center of mass stays inside the ramp and your weight is over the heel side of the back truck, your body will then rotate around a line that connects these points. Then, the toe-side wheel naturally clears the coping, making it physically impossible for the back truck to get caught. The toe-side wheel may touch the coping, but as long as your weight is on the heel side, you can roll back in without any problem.
Ledge vs Transition
Another factor that makes the trick feel harder is the difference between Frontside 50-50s on ledges and transitions. In a ledge a Frontside 50-50, you can usually stay centered over the deck. Grind straight, and you can come off the grind easily. But in transition, your center of mass upon coming out of the grind is much farther inside the ramp and lower compared to that on a ledge. This difference is what throws people off.
Practice Steps of Getting Off the Grind
1. Place your board on the coping so both trucks' heel sides are touching the coping.
2. Start leaning back so you will bring your body weight back to the inside of the ramp.
3. Add a slight shoulder rotation, and you'll be able to come back in.
Note: If you feel unsafe, step off the board as soon as possible.
Field of View
In order to fight the fear of rolling back in, experiment with where you look. Some skaters find it helpful to look at the back truck. That way, they can visually confirm their toe-side wheels clear the coping, which lowers the risk of hanging up.
While others may feel safer when they can see the direction they will be heading. To do this, you do not need to twist your upper body all the way 180 degrees. Just lower your front arm and glance right beside it, and you'll naturally see the way forward.
Common Problem in Locking-In
When locking in, a frequent issue is that while the back truck locks in, the front truck stops on the deck of the ramp. Or you may also lock in with the toe sides with both trucks. Since your weight is inside the ramp during the trick, standing on your toes will tip the board, and you won't be able to hold the grind.
Steps of Locking-In
As you ride up the ramp, pump a bit harder right before the coping.
Envision the place you want to be, just like the practice that you did on the coping.
Push your body upward and inward toward that spot, stretching into the ramp as you pump.
There's a force pushing your body outward, away from the ramp, which naturally makes you tip forward even if you don't do anything. Pump to counteract that force and bring your body into the right spot.
Keep pumping until the heel-side wheel of your back truck catches the coping. The board will try to shoot outward, but the heel-side wheel holds it in place. Once you're fully extended, set the front truck on the coping and enjoy the grind.
Ideally, you want both trucks locked on the heel side. But as long as the back truck's heel side is locked on the coping, you don't have to worry too much about the front truck, and you can still grind. While grinding, avoid leaning over the toe side, and keep your weight on the heel side the whole time.