Heelychat, the forum for heelys, the shoes with wheels - View topic

OK, so a couple questions of the legitimacy of a handplant

1st, how far up do you have to go, or is it just as long as your hands are on the coping and your wheels come up, you're OK

2nd, when landing it, as long as you land on your wheels you will be ok, even if it ends your run

at NTL trials, we had to be upright like handstand for at least 2 seconds and last practice david changed it so that yu had to renter the pipe forwards not just fall back in and land backwards.

Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1548 Location: Ohio

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

I say the only person you should compete against is yourself. For instance, with learning 180s which took me a long while, for a while I could do them but not very fast, but I wanted to be able to do them full speed, so I kept at it until now I am almost satisfied with them.

If you're happy with your handplant, good for you, nobody should be able to tell you "yours isn't a proper handplant because. . ."

On the other hand (no pun intended), if you would like to be able to handplant for longer, or do it better, or whatever, you go for it Smile

That's my two pence anyway Smile

its known as Cents... Something you Brits lack

and I am totally joking with you M.E., I just couldn't resist the play on words...

Anywho...

I compete with myself, but the down side is that I have no proper training. When it comes to Heeling, I am self made 100% which led me down some pretty bumpy roads.

For instance, when I was doing vert, check out some of my old vids... I planted my foot for the longest time going down because thats how I taught myself... I thought it was right until I saw other people roll down fluidly... Me planting was killing my speed, making my vert runs a lot shorter.

Always push yourself to new limits and always challenge yourself to new heights, but when its all said and done for, not only could you be performing a trick wrong, you could easily set yourself up for disaster

Joined: 03 Jan 2008 Posts: 223 Location: Warshington, USA

I wish there were a competent heeler near me that my boys and I could learn from. Watching videos is one thing, but having someone right there, showing and telling and correcting is quite another. :\

Team Heelys - SoCal Joined: 26 Dec 2006 Posts: -123845

Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1548 Location: Ohio

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK

Team Heelys - Northeast Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 1803

I don't know if we've expanded the topic to "whether a trick is ever strictly right or wrong".

The short answer is "no", with a HUUUUGGEEE "BUT".

In so far as there is no judging body, or authority to deem a trick right or wrong, you can pull it however you want.

BUT .. if a trick is sloppy, people will know it. Let me share a little philosophy (puts on black hat and brings out brandy).

The way I see skating (all forms) is that its somewhere in-between an art form and a sport. Its not really either. So its hard to say what is a proper trick and what isn't. But what I can say is this:

Athletics is the ultimate way of glorifying the motions of the human body.

In that regard, sloppy execution takes something great, and makes it something trivial. That's why I don't like to take the easy way out of a lot of tricks. If I personally don't think its shows how we (as people) have the amazing ability to balance, accelerate, and soar - then I personally consider it done wrong.

Again, its kinda of like art. You see something and you know its "right". You see other examples and you just know its "crap". It may vary from person to person. BUT - there is some art .. some rare art that appeals to everyone. That's because it glorifies the amazing capability of the artist. And in doing so, it helps everyone to realize that they have that inner-potential. It speaks to the truth .. that it is special to be human.

That's also why I don't care for tricks like the bloodstain. Because they look dumb (to me). And I don't see any animal in the animal kingdom doing that for speed, balance or any other useful thing.

Getting back to the handplant. The handplant that we do today is already a dummied down handplant. I know .. I've almost landed a handplant tru (until I hurt my shoulder on the "Kizmet"). You have to pump, accelerate, air and land it without touching the sole (at all). Then pitch and come back in ..

I don't like ending the run on any trick because skating is 50% about flow .. and with no flow, you kill half of it.

So - I don't consider myself the "authority" on what trick is legit and what isn't. I've never claimed to be. But I am the captain of my team. And within that small circle of skaters, a handplant isn't landed right if you have to gimp.

MDHZ

Joined: 22 Feb 2007 Posts: 1548 Location: Ohio

no one could've said it better Very Happy

I think it's a little more of a sport than an art form....art is all about impressing people and expressing yourself, but a sport is just about having fun. Skating leans a little more towards a sport b/c you don't worry as much about what other people think.

But you're absolutely right about execution....people love it when you land a trick perfectly b/c it looks amazing, and the more perfect it is, the harder it looks to pull off.

I actually have to lean towards art/self expression... I love landing the same tricks over and over and over... and pretty soon I get my own style (like my Frontside grinds) which I do ALL THE TIME now...

I can see what you are saying though Dave, and I couldn't agree more, but in true style of execution, I say make it pretty... All in all, you're the one who has to sleep at night. If you like it, then fudge the world and what they think, cause you like it...

It may sound different from what I originally stated, but I was just curious at the proper execution of the trick...

Joined: 15 Jun 2008 Posts: 1391 Location: UK