skater badboy

Step 6 - Stomp and Lean
When you put your front foot on the board, stomp it down with all your weight until your front wheels hit the ramp, and lean into it. Put all of yourself into the ramp - you can't hold anything back.

It can be scary to stomp down and lean into open air. There is no turning back once you've started the stomp, and I would say at least 80% of the problems people have when dropping in is not being committed enough to this part. You have to trust that you and your skateboard will make this work. You have to invest in dropping in 100%. It's all or nothing. Be committed to the drop in. Once you do it, it will get easier and easier every time.

Here's a secret about skateboarding - skill is very important, but even more important than skill is self confidence. It's all in your head. This is what separates something like skateboarding from other "sports". Your strongest opponent is yourself. So when you face something like dropping in, and you do it, you are taking a huge step toward self control.

That was a little deep, but it's true. The point is, if you are going to try and learn to drop in, then just do it. It's like Yoda says, "Do or do not, there is no try." Yeah, I just quoted Yoda. But he would agree - when you get to the top of that ramp, and you are ready to drop in, just put your foot over those front trucks, stomp it down, and LEAN IN!

Step 5 - Place Your Front Foot
When you are ready, put your front foot over the front trucks of your skateboard.

I recommend blurring this step with the next one, and not putting your foot there and waiting. But take a look at the picture above to get an idea for where your front foot should go.

# Name: John Rodney Mullen
# Gender: Male
# Hometown: Redondo Beach, CA or Hermosa Beach, CA
# Date of Birth: August 17th, 1966 in Gainesville, FL
# Family: married to Traci Mullen
# Occupation: Engineer / Skate Brand Owner / Skateboarder
# Started Skating: 1974
# Started Competing: 1977
# Turned Pro: 1980
# Favored Discipline: Street
# #1 Sponsors: Almost, Enjoi, Darkstar, Tensor, Speed Demons, Matix, Globe
# Stance: Regular
# Nicknames: Mutt, King
Rodney Mullen Skateboarding Style and Strengths: Rodney Mullen is easily the best street skateboarder the world has yet seen. His skateboarding style is comfortable and relaxed, making the incredible tricks he does look light and simple. Rodney Mullen often smiles and laughs, while pulling off trick after trick that no one has ever seen. Rodney Mullen is inventive, creative, confident and easy going.
Rodney Mullen Favorite / Signature Skateboarding Tricks: "I like frontside crooked grind variations, particularly the munkey flip out, or nollie hard flip. Darkslides are fun." (Quote from Skateboard.com)
Rodney Mullen Skateboarding Tricks Invented:

    * Flatground Ollie
    * Godzilla Rail Flip
    * 540 Shove-it
    * 50-50 Saran Wrap
    * Helipops (360 Nollie)
    * Gazelles
    * No Handed 50-50 Kickflip
    * Heelflip
    * Double heelflips
    * Ollie Impossible
    * Sidewinders
    * 360 Flip
    * 360 pressure Flip
    * Casper 360 Flip
    * 50-50 Sidewinders
    * One footed Ollie
    * Backside 180 Flip
    * Ollie Nosebones
    * Ollie Fingerflip
    * Airwalks
    * Frontside Heelflip Shove-its

    * Switchstance 360 Flips
    * Helipop Heelflips
    * Kickflip Underflip
    * Casper Slides
    * Half Flip Darkslide
    * 540 double kickflip
    * Caballerial impossible
    * Half-cab kickflip underflip
    * Handstand flips
    * Rusty slides
    * Kickflip

Rodney Mullen Skateboarding Career Highlights:
1977 - Mullen won the first freestyle contest he entered
1980 - joined the Powell-Peralta Bones Brigade
1984, 85, 87, 88 - featured in The Bones Brigade Videos 1-4
1988 - appeared in feature film, Gleaming the Cube
1992 - began World Industries with Steve Rocco
1990+ - featured in videos by Plan B, A-Team, Globe and Almost
2002 - won Transworld Readers' Choice Award for Skater of the Year
2002 - created Almost skateboard company
2003 - wrote "The Mutt: How to Skateboard and not Kill Yourself"
Rodney Mullen Personal History: Rodney Mullen's father, a doctor, only allowed Rodney to skate if he always wore pads and would quit after his first serious injury. Rodney Mullen avoided injury and obeyed his father, and got sponsored 9 months after getting his own skateboard. Freestyle skateboarding faded from popularity, but Rodney Mullen took his creative skills and continues to feature in skate videos up to the present day. Rodney Mullen no longer skates in competitions, but still skateboards two hours a day.
Rodney Mullen Interesting Fact: Rodney Mullen has only lost one freestyle contest. Ever. In his entire life. And in the contest he lost, he came in 2nd, because he was sick. Rodney Mullen has even won one vert contest.
Rodney Mullen Quote: "Do what you love and try not to look at what other people occupy themselves with. Most people seem restless and bounce around too much to focus or even pay attention enough to themselves to figure out exactly what they really do love, as opposed to what the people that surround them are doing.