This is an in depth tutorial giving step by step instructions on learning to manual and how to exit manuals off of curbs. I also go into detail about the best type of deck for manuals.
Something I would add for balancing is to focus on where your hips are relative to the 2 wheels on the ground. Try to keep your hips directly over the wheels. While balancing, if your hips are drifting in front of the wheels, try to push the wheels forward so they're underneath you again. If your hips drift backward, try to pull the wheels backward so they're underneath you again. This helps more than trying to focus on if the front wheels are getting too high or low.
That's the kind of tutorial I'll never forget....priceless....I'm 41 years old and HAVING LOTS OF FUN ON MY BOARD....tks for the encouragement you gave me...hugs, bro
Hands down the best tutorial on manuals I've ever watched. Thank you so much! The advice about the safe way of bailing out of a nose manual is pure gold.
Your trick tip made my manuals 100% better. So simple, and I’ve been struggling with my new deck and Thunders. Longer tail, etc. made them so much different than my Indys and Chocolate short tail. So fun to have a fresh perspective that works out of the box. Thanks Ben!!
Wow thanks for this clip ben, after watching this i realized my manual skills are way too wrong. This is a must try tip for me next time i step into my board. Thanks ben 😁
I’m 33 years old and I’ve been skateboarding since 96 and my skateboarding has gotten better with age. But I suck at nose manuals. I’ve practiced them for years and I still suck. I’ve come to realization that I have no talent whatsoever for nose manuals. Awesome video by the way.
I’ll definitely be practicing manuals today incorporating your tips, especially the foot placement. My nose manny technique isn’t bad, but I’ve always had my back foot too far on the tail in regular mannies. No wonder I found nose manuals easier to balance. It’s always fun doing manuals while cruising. Thanks again for a great video! I love that you always bring your unique insight to every trick tip, tutorial or review
So this weekend I found myself trying to manual in an ollie stance (this is month five lol) and I couldn't really get steady. I pushed off of a wall at the skate park and noticed how EASY it was to "switch nose manual" or "fakie manual" and THIS video here is the perfect explanation for why! I can't wait to get home and try this today!
Thanks a lot Ben! Very helpful for a beginner like me just started learning! I will try the foot positioning you use, I found I put my foot way up on the tail and the result wasn’t good...
I learned manuals on a slightly taller sidewalk curb when i was 14. Close to double the size of normal curb. Low/normal sized curbs didn't work for me at first because i was popping to high and i would loose the "window" on the way down. Just my experience but something to consider. The perfect sized manny pad helps alot.
@@TheDimebag49 awesome. I'm picking up skateboarding for the second time in my life. Just noobing around on the basics but it's all slowly coming back with some sore muscles. 35 here.
Nice Video! One part I would like to know more about is if there is any tip about when ollieing and then holding the board balanced. That part I find the hardest
That 'fingers of flat' rule of thumb (fingers?) is actually really useful, I'd honestly never heard anyone talk about that before watching your videos and I'm a similar age to you - thanks! Ben (yet another Ben. I'm in England though). PS Any tips for help with ollieing into nose wheelies, landing with your feet in a good enough position, but the board immediately goes four wheels down so you end up trying to correct and it all looks awkward and nothing like one fluid movement?
Greetings from Pulaski, Tennessee. I am back on the board after around 13 years away, and your videos really motivate me to keep skating a part of my life despite having to grow up and move on with adult life. I came back to skating during grad school last December. i very much appreciate your scientific/detailed explanations for how wheel base and other factors impact the way a given set up rides. From an American southerner (yes, please look up pulaski {interesting KKK history}), i love your videos.
What helped me the most on (tail) manuals was to lean forward with my arms/shoulders and to also open up my shoulders more (more perpendicular to the board vs. parallel). Does anyone relate to this?
i’ve always had a really hard time with nose manuals. i can ride around in nose manny like you did on the basketball court. i can also nollie off of cracks/manny pads. my problem is with landing in nose manny after ollie-ing up the pad. usually i just land with all four wheels(not in manny) or way too far & fall forward. occasionally i manage to land in nose manny but i can never hold it long enough to make it to the end of the pad(or i lean too far forward & eat it). any help please?
31yo beginner from germany here: I really really enjoy your videos. you teach stuff very good, and your videos have a relaxing feel. in my last video I tried to do a tailslide for the first time. maybe you can give me some help. its in the last half of the video. it was the first time I tried them and I dont know how to jump with all my weight on the tail! I also have really really big problems doing a tailstall in miniramp. its really scary haha. Alex
Hi Alex:) Your on the right track. Maybe find a painted or well waxed curb that is a bit lower. Metal skatepark ledges don't have a nice consistent slide. They either slip out or stick. Also your center of gravity should be more up on the ledge. I notice your body weight seems to be not on top of the ledge but over your deck. Try to get your weight focused on your right leg for the slide. You will get it though your pretty close already.
i think it would be cool if someone explained how to turn in a nose manual.. i always see people nose manual around curved ledges and stuff and its so hard i never understood it.
This was a shockingly helpful video, thanks Ben! I have two questions that I am surprised you didn't address: do you find loose or tight trucks better for manuals? Second, and relatedly, lateral balance while manualling, do you put your weight toe side, heel side, or perfectly centered? I've heard some ppl say pick a side and bias your weight that way so you only have to balance around one axis.
Sounds like some folks like to over think it. Use the ball of your foot centered over your truck. Also, ride your trucks however you like them. If you loosen or tighten them because of what someone says it will just mess you up.
Hey Ben, do you ever consider re-recording these videos for Just Keep Skating? I notice this video doesn't actually tell you how to manual but you mention something about bending one knee. I think that should have been the first trick to it because one might assume we lean back to manual but we actually just bend our front knee to let the board come up to us a bit. Also, you assume that anyone who can ollie, knows how to land manual. Maybe cover how to ollie into manual/nose manual or nollie into them?
Hey Ben, thanks for the tutorial! One thing about the foot position: I also find the position you suggest, a really great spot to lock in a balanced manual; however, where should I put my foot if I want to pop an Ollie or a shove it out of a manual? Surely it needs to be on the very end, no?
Do you mean your back foot? Your back foot should be in pretty much the same position as a manual. Maybe an inch further back but it is still possible to pop an ollie or a shove it out of standard manual position.
Yeah, I meant my back foot! Ok that’s interesting, I’ll try it. I’ve been attempting a FS revert off a low manual pad (without pop). I’m close, but it’s so much harder than I had expected!
Hey Ben, manuals were the first thing I've learned after riding around :D. But I don't understand how you can pop/Ollie/Kickflip out of the Manual. Do you make a little motion with you foot back-/forward to make the pop?
Hey been.. LOVE your channel man! I’m 29 6’7” 270 lbs.. and I’ve always loved skateboarding so I bought my first board and I’ve been practicing about an hour every day (I get really sore and tired as I’m out of shape) for 11 days now. I’m working on just being comfortable pushing, riding, carving turns, throwing board down, kickturns, and just started trying manuals. I have a question for board setup. I have a Blind 8.25, and the option of thunder hollows or plain stage 11 Indy’s, reds or shake junt bearings, and 3 different wheels.(56mm clouds92a, 54mm spitfire80a, 53mm formula four99a). I skate very rough ashphalt and the 80a spits are miles faster than both other wheels, the harder ones immediately stop when I hit rough spots. Thanks for any tips or help! I’m having a hard time finding the sweet spot for balance on manuals but I have a blast every day practicing!
Hmmmm... At your height and weight I think the indys might be best(less wheelbite). As for wheels, just ride what you like best. If your not trying to do technical tricks yet and you don't have smooth ground just stick to the softer wheels. I have never tried shake junt bearings but Reds are decent.
Ben Degros Yea I don’t think bearings matter too much as long as they roll. Wheel hardness I’ve found has made the biggest difference out of anything at my level. No skateparks and I just have asphalt parking lots and cement sidewalks, all pretty dirty and cracked up. My 99duro wheels feel like I’m slamming on the brakes in a car when I hit rough terrain, where my 80duros glide over it without slowing down at all and they roll forever. I’m trying to learn manuals now so wheelbase and wheel/truck height is having a bigger impact. I cant seem to find the right balance but I need a lot more practice. My thunder hollows make my board soooo much lighter and flippier than when I have regular indys on it.
Ben Degros I never experience wheel bite, I’m using bones hard bushings and I keep the trucks kinda tight, I can still carve turn well enough for me but I’m so heavy I have to keep them that way. I’m hoping to drop some pounds from all this skating :-)
Ben Degros wow I understand that haha, I still feel like I should be learning something new everyday but I don’t feel that I’m ready to try Ollie’s yet. Any tips on what to work on before Ollie’s, shove it’s and other flip tricks?. The manual practice is helping me get comfortable with picking up the nose to ride over stuff and with dragging the tail to stop
i figured out, why im so bad at Progressing! XD the Board is Crap. in all ways Possible. i never thought, that the Quality of the Wooden part is so important. if its come to learn more than riding! (and now i know why Skaters Change them so often.. even if it Looks still pristine. (thx for Your "nerdyness"!) Now im more focused on the shape of boards.
xamos when i lose balance i push the board forward a little without feet leaving board kinda like how when you go down a bank you push the board forward at the end
I can do infinite manuals on flat surface on every stance yet I cant do a nose manual on a curb/box. No matter how much I pry my body it just wont do the thing
i still dont understand how to ollie up something and land manua or just ollie manual on flatl, maybe its something you have to understand by practice but still, anything with more detail about it will help a lot.
i have one question that can help me a lot, when you ollie to manual you have to land it soft by bending your knees a little like regular tricks? or you have to land completelly solid like when you do a manual just lifting the nose?
i can do manuals & i can do rolling nose manuals(no ollie in) very well(i love doing them over the yellow bumpy things on sidewalks) as well as great nollies(especially off curbs/cracks) but i have an extremely hard time ollie-ing & landing in nose manny :( any tips?
Greetz from Germany! Really like your Vids! I'm 32 and I'm the typical stop and go skater...because the day have not enough hours 😁 Be at work, be a dad, be a husband...needs a lot of time! But in the next week's I change that...give me the time for skating...since I was 12 Skateboarding never leaves me....It's not a sport or a lifestyle...its...you know....it's ....mmmh....it's skateboarding fuck hell, who don't understand this is a really poor person! Skater being one of the best people the world ever create! Thx to every skateboarder out there! I can lose everything....but My kid, my wife and skateboarding I will never leave! ❤❤❤
Ben Degros yeah i know but even before I stopped skate i didn't do manual.. and I was skating for 4 5 years.. I did manual but was short.. but yeah patience .. ;)
