Learn To Skate A Pool - Part 1 of 2 

The biggest 3 mistakes I've made with frontsides are... 1. GO FAST! Remember if you're carving super fast, you WILL stick to the wall. Make sure you keep your speed up. 2. Remember to bend your knees. Lots of times, folks stay too stiff and upright. If you're going slow and standing up straight, you're going to fall. 3. Lead with the shoulders! Don't forget your shoulders should turn before your hips. If you starting turning your legs before your shoulders, things can get ugly. Hope that helps.

Yes. One of my favorite pool boards is my Pool King Dead Piranha deck, designed by Alva. Remember that Alva was one of the pioneers of pool skating, so he knows what works.

Hi Eric, thank u for ur videos... specialy this one.. i started cruising on a longboard last year, and 6 month ago, i saw ur video n i thought... yes, thats what i wanna do.. skate pools.. i never skateboard before n i m 36... went to the skatepark early in the morning to avoid crowd, n started to learn step by step trying to do what i saw on ur videos ... today i just can drop on small bowls n carve...stil not able to kickturn frontside, but i m having fun since the first day i started to skateboard.. still remember the fisrt time i was able just to pump a miniramp... so happy..smile on my face, same when i fisrt drop a small transition.. wish i could do carve grinds, n 50/50... well, just to say again thank u for the inspiration i had from ur videos.. i cant believe i had to wait 36 to discover that skateboarding could give me same fun n happynes as surfing did 20 years before... i m a father now, n i can feel i m having exactly the same fun as a kid... thank u !

Learn To Ride A Skateboard ... your shoulders are what move you through the transitions in a pool , bowl , half pipe what have you ... in this video even 23 days after your first drop in i can see you were letting your shoulders lag behind where your waist and feet were going ... learn to move your shoulders into the movement first and your body will follow with much more ease and comfort

Who remembers when skateboards didn't have noses

thx for the videos! thay are inspirative for me, a 51 year old guy who picked up my borad again after 35 years =) still gotta learn how to drop in though...

Coming back to this video again after a few years and I have to say good on you mate for putting in the effort. great set of videos and inspiring too.

@LearnToSkateboard , getting older and re learning old tricks that I used to do. when I was in my 20's I can skate a 4 feet ramp. but its fun to be skating again. thanks man. now I have to learn to carve.

This is such an AWESOME series of videos that I've watched tons of times in the last couple months. Where I live in China it is a near 2 hour drive to the nearest bowl and I have never been able to get the chance to go... These videos are really inspirational! I also found it funny how you did a review on the Bustin Yoface, since I am also way into tech sliding and seeing its capabilities in a bowl was a nice feature.

love your work,got the pumping part worked out,but im 42 and carnt get myself to drop in.The dream lives on thanks to your videos,im padding up and hopefully talk to u soon.jordan from AUS

Thanks. Glad you liked it. Yes, I know hitting tile is not techincally a "grind", but off the top of my head, I couldn't think of a better adjective than "grind" to describe the sound. So, that is why I used that word.

Right! I'm 46 now. Started when I was 44 by building a 3' mini in my back yard for my sons and me. I've learned how to drop in, kick turn bs and fs,rock to fakie, rock n' roll and since yesterday (finally, after hundreds of tries) I do bs 50-50 stall. So keep trying and learning. So much fun!

So much props to pool skaters! I have only been able to ride a 5ft mini ramp for years and i finally went to Chelsea skatepark in NYC and tried skating the bowl and it was unexpectedly hard to keep speed and pump the corners especially coming out of the deep end.

Eric,after this video you're my inspiration...I'm amateur and this is for me very,very inspired because pool skating is my dream since I was a kid..

Thanks. Glad you like it. The Vision deck in the video has 60mm 97a OJIII wheels, Bones Swiss 6 bearings, and Tracker 161 trucks.

Awesome ! You've given me inspiration , I'm going to keep on practicing till I can ride a pool.

u r my inspiration to start skating again!!!!THANKS for the upload

@miked1997 - Yeah, the Seismics were an experiment. I love them on my longboard. Didn't enjoy them as much on a shortboard.

Is it much harder to drop in on a pool than a bowl?

Your never to old or to young to skate . Some dude at my old skatepark was like 40 and he was one of the best ones out there

@SlurryAdam - Go for it. Try all forms of skating. Pool. Street. Vert. Downhill. Slides. Longboarding. Freestyle. There are so many types of skateboarding and they are all awesome and fun.

OMG! That looks so awesome. I wish they had pools like that in Norway...

@skateMASSECER - All skating is awesome. Downhill. Vert. Street. Longboarding. It's all cool. It's great that you want to get good at different types and styles of riding. That just makes you a better overall skater to have some diverse skills. I'm glad to hear my videos are helpful to you. Thanks for the comment!

@Aronisguitar - Cool. Have fun! Just remember, there is no pride in learning faster and there is no shame in learning slower. Skateboarding is never a competition. The only thing that matters is having a good time doing it!

I saw you the July 14 @ The Cove! you do pretty well man. That park have the best pools I've ever ride.

I just went riding in a pool for the first time!!!! it just feels so natural transfering from surfing. I can't wait 2 go back this afternoon!!!

Yeah it took me awhile to learn this too. I can finaly skate these and do most tricks in the shallow sides. Great video.

@alfonzo1086 - Technically, a "bowl" is usually pure cement with steel coping and it may or may not have vert. A "pool" has vert, tiles, and cement coping.

Excellent video !

@LearnToSkateboard Thank you i always was confused by fakie and switch. BTW i love the DVD.

@MrTippytay - Keep practicing. You'll get there. There was a time when I couldn't do a 4 foot ramp.

I love the "YoFace" by Bustin. I also like almost anything by Deckcrafters or Pool King. The other dude who makes great pool boards is Five Points Skates.

Hi I changed my wheels and I think I had improvement. although I was just making kickturns( backside) it was fun. I hope to learn to carve on the pool. thanks again for the tip.

Thanks. I hope you get to learn it. It's a lot of fun.

Thanks for the compliments. If you don't have many pools, just make a trip to The States. I've met a number of European skaters in Venice. 2 from Sweden. 1 from Norway. Another from Germany. In fact, the guy from Germany was here with a few friends and stayed for 6 weeks - they spent the whole time going to about a dozen skateparks in California.

@theUkskater - Watch Part 2. That gives some advice at the end. Remember, carving is just like pumping back and forth in a halfpipe - only difference is, you're doing it horizontally around a curve instead of vertically up a wall. The timing and motion is the same idea.

@LearnToSkateboard HA! I knew you were old. I am too though, 37 this summer. Also trying to skate some pools/bowls. I can totally identify with the taking a while to drop in. Doesn't matter if it's 4' or more it's kind of scary looking down. Plus when your large like me you think "Damn, 230lbs is a lot to hit that hard surface". I'm enjoying your pool journey, time to watch part dose.

@QCHonorsfilms - Pads are "Drop-Ins" by ProTec. Gloves are "Element" by O'Neal. Wrist guards are by ProDesigned. Helmet is "Faction" by Bell. Shoes are "Sk8Hi" by Vans.

@SaIadXD - I mean carving (that is "leaning to the sides"). You can kickturn (that is "lifting your weight") with any trucks.

@aceisking - "Fakie" is riding in your normal stance, but going backwards. "Switch" is riding the opposite of your normal stance. So, they look almost identcal, but they are quite different.

@SlurryAdam - "Loose" is a relative term. Most street skaters would think my trucks are pretty loose. Most pool skaters think my trucks are a bit tight. Being "tight" or "loose" depends on what you are accustomed to riding. I always say - make your trucks as loose as possible WITHOUT getting speed-wobbles. That's the ideal. And of course, how "tight" or "loose" that happens to be is going to be different for different skaters.

I swear you get the sickest skateboards I have ever seen

its always the first try that is the scariest. once that first try is done, nothing can stop you. sick video and keep thrashin the pools!

great vid and congrats on the progress. I was wondering what kind of board that was u used that said vision.

Great Video. What size wheels and trucks are you using on the Vision board? I've been rolling on 54mm Kryptonics and standard size Venture trucks. They're OK but I'm looking for a better performing combo. for my height. I'm transitioning, along with my kids, to more park/bowl skating and your video was very helpful.

Practice makes perfect ive been skating for about 9 months and all i can say is learn to drop in on quarter pipes then half pipes then if you feel your ready go for the pool

nice video. Im a street skater, i got real good at street and stairs but im trying to learn some vert. This video helps a lot. :)

Well if you live in Raleigh like I do I usually skate Marsh Creek Skatepark which has a good flow area to start on and then a Huge bowl towards the end of the park so if your in that area you should check it out. And then another is The Factory with Delicious skateshop that's in Wake forest and they have a small bowl that's alright but not as good as Marsh creek Im sure there's more bowls though.

@SxEMETALBLADE - Still being afraid is totally normal. Don't worry about it. You'll get over it eventually. How long it takes to get over the fear is different for everyone. Just be patient with yourself. I got over my fear much faster on terrain where I could skate all the time. On new terrain, it can still be scary. It's cool you're learning downhill too. Have fun!

hi Eric, I love all your videos there so sick! I really want to get into pool skating but its always been something ive ignored since i broke my wrist in one. I can drop in vert a carve backside but frontside carves and kickturns always feel to funky! and for pool riding to work there pretty vital!! I just made an 80s style pool board (like yours) with the dogtown venice cross design on it cant wait for a session on it. please can i have some tips and pointers on frontside carves and more,THANKU

i love pool skating, it's so much fun

DUDE! Is that a Vision Aggressor II?! Man Ive Beel looking for visions!

this is a very good video for beginners like me. thanks.

@eldivinoandrea - It's a reissue of the 1987 Vision Aggressor II.

hey man great videos. up till now ive been more of a strictly street skater but now im definitely looking to start getting into park bowls half pipes pools etc. Whats your recommended setup for bowls and pools and stuff seeing as i dont think my 51mm wheels and 7.75 wide inch deck would be comfortable in a pool. Even if you have a recommended wheel base and stuff like that your opinion would be greatly appreciated. Go into as much detail as you could, and by the way keep shredding dood.

@NICGAVRAYWATS - I have about 20 boards of all different styles and shapes and sizes. Modern boards. 80s boards. Longboards. I don't think any board is "better" than another. Just depends on the kind of skating you want to do and what your personal preference happens to be. I think "Skates On Haight" has the Vision decks and I'm pretty sure they ship to Australia. Hope that helps. Thanks for writing!

this video helped my so much!!! in one day i can do drop ins,fs carves and bs carves! thanks a lot! and can you give me some tips about pumping?

Hey Eric, I was wondering if my trucks should be loose for skating the pool and nice video :)

Great video, thanks!

Man I'm happy I saw this video. I can relate so much to you :) I'm just starting to skate on ramps and pools, I so excited to learn it, the thing is that I'm a bit scared of heights. But I think there's a way to pull it out :) Cheers bro, u are good ;)

@LearnToSkateboard so there is hope! can you drop in with them sort of boards? oh and is it possible to do a video on using them boards ?

@ultramoana Hey I am 44years old. and I just started riding a skateboard more then to the store or whatever. I live in san diego and can be found in the skatepark everyday. and everyday progressing into more vert and even airs. i love it and will never stop until i cant walk...so just keep on hittin everything you can. slams are a part of learnning all you can do is try to be ready and fall right. it sounds easy but learning to fall right is the best thing i have learned.

@raulnarciso - Awesome. I'm glad it helped. You'll get there. Just remember, like I said in the video, it takes tons of practice and dedication. You're not going to learn it in 2 weeks. It's gonna take time. Have fun! The learning process is just as fun as having it wired!

@GabrielsPlaceFilms - "The Cove" in Santa Monica, California.

Thank you. The board is a Vision Aggressor II in turquoise.

@theblackoutofficial - That is Mob griptape with a Rob Roskopp graphic on it.

Is that one park with just alot of pools or was it many parks? The Santa Monica clip you showed look pretty cool do you need helmet and pads to skate it? That pool with the hip looked pretty fun I love those its like skating a snake run which I love my favorite one is the one in Venice park and the part that said Santa Monice looks alot like that snake run just smaller. Is it similar?

@LearnToSkateboard Do you have anymore ideas for any other dvds ? Also i will definitely buy the pure pool skating dvd.

inspiring!

@tg1king - I've never seen anyone drop in on one. But as long as the tail is long enough (and the rider is brave enough) I'm sure it could be done. As for doing a video with one, I don't own that type of board. But it might be interesting to try someday!

Skating is all about skating everything you can. Pool. Street. Downhill. Longboards. Vert. Just have fun!

@tg1king - Yes. I have a video called "How to start and turn and stop a skateboard?" and it is located at "iku4YmdRUuE".

All footage in this video is in the minibowl and the pool and The Cove in Santa Monica. The pool is shot from different angles, so it might look like different pools, but it's all the same one. Yes, you need gear to skate Santa Monica. No, the Santa Monica minibowl isn't really like the Venice snakerun at all, but it's still super fun.

Thanks for the reply! now im getting better, i can drop in on the slightly smaller bowl and my carves are pretty steep, but i have a different problem: while i can do full 180 kickturns, i cant do those angles kickturns where you carve up and lift the wheels and carve down, but you only really turned like 90 degrees or so. whenever i try its a bit like im doing a pop shuvit and i kick to hard, or i dont commit and do a really weird carve. still haven't figured out the launch out though.

@Fretburn999 - Actually, the wheels on the Vision are just as big as the wheels on the other board you see in the video. However, the Vision has a longer wheelbase and less-squirrley trucks. I think those 2 factors assisted a lot.

Hi, I'm looking for a skating pool around Miami to make a photo shoot. Maybe some people know where I can find it ? Thanks for your help !

You guys are so cool! At 5:30 what brand was your skateboard?

Hi,i first want to thanks you for this video,it helps me a lot :) . i also want to know where is this pool where you learned to ride ???? I also have a problem,i always used to be a street skater,now i get older and i want to learn to ride transitions ,pools and ramps but today i am 39 years old and i'm afraid to ride in pools that are deeper than about 5 or 6 feet ...i know that getting older is growing fear but it's really frustrating cause i know i can progress regardless of my age

Do you think you will ever make a learn to skateboard pools or learn to ride a skateboard 2 with more ramp tricks dvd ? Also i am looking for a skateboard like what you have in learn to ride a skateboard i am fond of the old school style boards where is a website you recommend buying one from ? I will learn ramp,pool and bowl skating with it.

Thumbs up for listening to that song, gotta love it

@LearnToSkateboard i hope you get around on it. by the way have you got any videos on techniques on how to stop on a board

@aceisking - I do have some ideas for a pure pool-skating DVD. But, it may be many months before I have the chance to make it. I get a lot of my skate gear from SoCalSkateshop and SkatesOnHaight. Both have websites if you Google them.

i burst out laughingat the caramelldancin part, thats awesome dude lol

Nice video, just curious what kind of trucks are those? They look different.

I like big boards. 8.5" to 10" wide and 16" to 17" wheelbases and 7" tails. But plenty of guys skate transition with smaller decks like yours too. I'm usually on 60mm to 65mm wheels.

Nice board

@tg1king - The style of boards you refer to are not new at all. They are just seeing a "rebirth" lately. They were very popular in the 1970s and the first pool skating was done on boards like those. I know a kid at Venice who rides a little wooden cruiser board with the same style and shape as the "Globe" and "Penny" plastic boards. He totally rips in the pool. They are a lot harder to ride, but they can totally shred a pool if you're willing to learn.

@b0redavid - The drop in is very scary to learn. I always tell people, "There is no shame in climbing in." I started that way. Everyone I know started that way. Back when pool skating started in the 70s, EVERYONE climbed in - most backyard pools simply had too much vert to drop in. So just be patient with yourself. When you're ready to try it, you'll do it. Keep having fun!

@aceisking - No. These clips were made after the DVD. This question is answered on the webpage where you order the disc.

@Fretburn999 - Glad to hear it! Wear your gear and have fun!

hi this video is very helpful, but is it better if the trucks are soft or hard?

@supaaaPete - Plenty of online skateshops will ship internationally. You can still get what you want, even living in Belgium.

Does it matter what kind of tiles are under the coping?. I'm looking into building an indoor wooden bowl like Supreme's. I got the bullnose thing figured out. Thanks :)

@skateboardvids96 - Transitions are transitions. The same methods and techniques apply on a $3 million professional skatepark as in a DIY skatepark. Sure, the DIY park may be more difficult to ride, because it's not as well-made and smooth. But, overall, the basic techniques don't change.

How did you get to session a practically-empty pool (without tons of other skaters)?! Man, here in Oxnard it's packed all the time...

@raulnarciso - 86a is way soft for pool skating. It's not impossible to skate pools with soft wheels, just a lot harder. For pools, I tend to like 60mm to 65mm in diameter and 97a to 101a in durometer.

Googles caramel dancing

Does it help to have my fs/bs kickturns on ramps good? That's what I'm doing, we don't have bowls in my city but I'd like to skate it someday in other cities that have 'em.

never to old

ok thank you...i going to try and learn soon