Dropping In

This entails starting from the top of a transition and "dropping in." Before trying the tail drop, you should be comfortable rolling all the way up and down the transition. Set your board on the coping with the nose and trucks out over the coping and the tail resting flat on top of it. Do the following all in one motion: with your back foot in position on the tail, step out over the board, set your front foot in place, and crouch over the board as it and your body simultaneously tilt downward into the transition. Be sure to lean plenty forward and "commit" because any hesitation will send the board shooting out from under you. In the same way, if you just plunge forward ahead of the board, you will find yourself racing down the transition headfirst with the board coming down behind and independently of you. This is not desireable. It is sometimes useful to learn the tail drop by grabbing the nose as you step out onto the board and guiding it downward with your body until you're actually rolling down the transition, at which point you let go of the nose and allow your front foot to set it down as you extend your legs and pump. It is crucial that you keep your body centered over the board or else it will shoot out from under you. That's why grabbing the nose is helpful, it keeps you and the board in synch.