Learning to drop in on a ramp is daunting, especially frightening from the top when you haven’t gone over the edge yet.
They key is to build up to it by going up and down the ramp, turning, and getting higher and higher until you’re so comfortable on the ramp you’ve basically done the exact movement you’re do when you drop in.
Your balance and muscles become used to the different movements the ramp permits (and doesn’t permit), until going in from the top feels very natural.
It can seem a daunting experience standing at the top of the ramp, which is why getting used to skating the ramp itself is so important. But, trust me, once you’ve got the hang of going up and down the ramp the good news is that dropping in is ridiculously easy. It’s just going over the edge and letting the ramp take you down. once you’re familiar with the ramp and you drop in for the first time, it may blow your mind just how easy it is.
Here are the 9 top tips broken down for you:
1. Find The Best Skatepark You Can Go To Multiple Times
I didn’t learn to drop in on my first trip to a skatepark and you shouldn’t expect to either. Dropping in is easy once you’ve done it – you are just going over quite a steep drop and letting gravity, balance and familiarity with the curve take you down. But to get to the level where you’re familiar enough, you need to find somewhere you can go back to with some regularity. That way your plan to drop in can actually be actioned. If you can go in repeated trips without too much break in between, your progress on the ramp is going to be quicker. If you leave months between the sessions you’re going to make it a little more difficult for yourself. Almost having to pick up where you left off.
This goes for any trick as well. You need to be trying to the trick regularly to get it right. But you also want to make sure you’re going from progress to progress, rather than getting halted and frustrated.
2. Get Comfortable Skating Up, Down And Turning On The Ramp
Quite simply, start from the bottom and work your way up. The idea is to get so high on the ramp over time that you are running the entire ramp beneath your feet. Of course, to do this properly you will first have to learn how to turn on the ramp. You start really small and skittishly, and gradually over time you learn how to jump turn on the ramp. As you get more confident at this you can go higher and higher, until you are skating the whole length of the ramp all the way from the bottom to the top and back down again. So by this point you are almost skating above the railing at the top. You might get to the stage in your jump where you’re basically catching air off the ramp.
Notice how the ramp feels underneath your feet going from the very top. Getting familiar with the height and the feeling is what’s going to help make it not seem so daunting at the top.
Don’t simply charge head first into the bigger ramps and jump to get yourself up. IF you do that without knowing how to skate the whole of the ramp you’re likely just to get stuck at the top. Then you’ll be at the top, crapping your pants, and it will start to feed the fear of dropping in.
The trick with getting comfortable going up the ramp and jump turning round, is when you get really high you’ve basically already dropped in. you’re going about as high as the ramp gets, all the way to the coping, and turning to come down.
By this point you should also be able to get up the ramp without having to actually jump and pull yourself up. You can get to the point where you skate so fast all the way up it just takes you over the railing to land easily on your skates at the top.
3. Consider A Sit-Drop First
Sit at the top of the ramp with your legs hanging over the side, and your hand on the railing. Bend your knees up towards the top of the ramp, then push your body forwards onto the ramp, leaning and jumping outwards and forwards, keeping your balance and letting your skates take you down the ramp. When I was young almost everyone learned this way. Everyone I knew found this easier, and less daunting. It’s a great way to learn.
Having said that, you don’t have to learn this way. I didn’t. I actually found it scarier for some reason to try a sit drop. Probably because I couldn’t imagine exactly what was supposed to happen to my body and how it would get out in front of my skates quick enough. But I was the exception.
4. Start On A Smaller Ramp First A Few Times
This should be obvious, but actually if you’ve got a big ramp near you and you’re not thinking about it too much, it might not be.
But having a smaller ramp to start on is going to help enormously. In an ideal world, find a skatepark with quarter pipes of different heights. Ideally a small one, a full height one (the bigger variety, doesn’t have to be vertical), and something in between. I think you know what to do from here…
The reason starting small is such a good idea is because the first one is not too scary and each one is just a small change from the last.
Become comfortable with one until moving onto the other. Drop in repeatedly from the small and medium, getting a feel for “going over the edge”. Don’t just jump from doing one straight onto the next, unless you have already skated up and down the bigger ramps. If you’re feeling confident and you’ve skated the ramps, just go for it. It’s easy once you’re familiar with the ramps speed and angle.
It’s also slightly easier to learn to drop in on a quarter pipe (of the varying heights) than it is of a half pipe, only because you just need to learn to go down and not then immediately worry about the other side.
5. Make Sure You Have The Right Type Of Skates
If you’ve come to this page and have never skated before, or have just bought a pair of fitness skates (the ones that often come with brakes, and don’t have a grind gap between them), you should probably pay attention.
You need “aggressive” skates. This sort of goes without saying and you should (hopefully) already know this. Aggressive skates have a gap between the front two and back two wheels that are for grinding. These skates are made for ramps. That gap sits on the coping, allowing you to rest it there easily when you step into the ramp.
The wheels are smaller (around 50 – 65mm ish), meaning they’re slightly slower (but still good for acceleration) than fitness and speed skates.
Now, if you already know this the next thing to add is that most aggressive skates out there are good enough quality to drop in on ramps. But as with everything, if you get a good pair your whole skating experience is going to be a little easier. That said, you also want a pair that’s comfortable and suits your feet shape and skating style. If you’re learning to drop in you’re likely a beginner, so you’re style isn’t that formed yet and you’ll probably want to get a good all-around pair like the USD Aeons. See here for my review of them.
You can also drop in on other skates. Of course you can. People do it everyday. You can drop in on roller skates as well. but if you’re starting out, you will want to do it on the skates that are specifically designed to do it because it will be easier on them.
6. Skate Up The Ramp Forwards And Then Come Down Backwards
Just like turning on the ramp and coming down forwards, this is an important way to get familiar with the ramp. You start going up the ramp a tiny bit, then down backwards. Then you do it again, but a bit higher. Then you do it again, but a bit higher, Et cetera. You repeat this until your going all the way to the top. But don’t rush yourself, take your time, and make sure you feel comfortable with the curve.
Being able to go down the ramp backwards is very helpful if you’re learning to drop in on a half-pipe. But if you are learning all this on your local half pipe, please also learn at the same time, how to go up the ramp backwards. This is something a lot of people struggle with because your tendency is to lean too far forwards. Or even too far back. It’s just difficult to balance when you can’t see exactly where you’re going. Which is a reason why, going up a ramp backwards, you can actually just look over your shoulder a bit to help you see what’s coming.
7. Put One Foot On The Rail, Lean In And Step Down With Your Favored Foot In Front
So, you’ve skated up and down the ramp about 100 times. You’re super familiar with the ramp and you’ve reached the point where through turning right at the top of the ramp, you’ve basically dropped in already without actually doing it. that’s going to make this next part really easy. And you should have a natural feel for the way you want to drop in. Here’s how I do it, and how other people generally recommend you do it:
Stand at the top of the ramp straight on, not at an angle, not sideways, but facing the direction of the ramp.
Place one foot on the coping. Not two. You’re going ot place one on the coping, and then lead with the other foot by leaning over and stepping down into the ramp. So you should know which foot feels the most natural. If there’s a bar to hold onto the side to steady yourself you can do that for your first couple of times.
Don’t hang about. The reason not to hang about is simply to stop you getting stuck in a freeze state where you’re frozen and scared. But this doesn’t mean rush into it, it just means by the point you get up there you should be comfortable with the ramp, so you can say to yourself, okay, let’s drop back in and go down just like I’ve been going down anyway, and then just do it after a few seconds getting yourself in position.
The stepping motion is accompanied with you leaning forwards. This should be obvious as you lean forwards for your leading foot to meet the ramp. Just like when skating on the flat your wheels are parallel to the ground, that’s the angle you’re leaning in to reach.
With your leading foot taking you over the edge, the other on the coping will follow you down.
Don’t over think it. these words could do more harm than good if you focus on them. The technique comes naturally from your practice going up and down the ramp and getting familiar with the angle your body moves through, which the speed, with the distance between your legs, everything you’ve practiced ad nauseum till now.
You can make sure you:
- Keep your hands out to balance
- Learn all the way into it, with your leading leg out in front
- Don’t fear the ramp, it will be there under your feet,
- Keep your legs the same distance apart
- Feel bloody awesome.
8. Avoid Getting Into A Freeze State
We skate because it’s fun. It gives us an unnatural movement our ancestors rarely could experience. Skating into a ramp is a great experience, and it’s something you build up to because it’s now within your skill set.
That’s why all these build-up steps are here in the tips, because dropping into the ramp should feel quite natural to you once you’ve got super familiar with going high and turning to come back down on the ramp. This will also make the whole thing easier.
The longer you spend at the top of the ramp being scared… the worse it will be… I can attest from experience.
So, if you find yourself freexzing, either get up the courage, don’t think about being scared, think about how awesome it’s going to be once you’ve done it, about how confident you are on your skates and how easy it actually is, and do it.
Or… keep skating up and down the ramp until it gets even more comfortable.
9. Make Sure You’re Wearing All The Protection To Feel Confident
It’s just not worth having an accident and cracking your skull open. It really really isn’t. Some helmets look sweet nowadays. Super comfortable. Worn by the pros. Just wear one.
The most common injury from skating is to the wrists. I’ve reviewed the best wrist guards here.
If you’re kitted out with the right gear this can also give you an emotional boost as well, you feel that if the worst happens at least you’re protected.