how to practice manuals and see progress
how to practice manuals and see progress by Sarah PM is a skateboarding tutorial for the Manual. A progress-documentation video from an intermediate skater who went from near-zero to confident rolling manuals in about five months through a three-phase approach.
What this video teaches
A progress-documentation video from an intermediate skater who went from near-zero to confident rolling manuals in about five months through a three-phase approach. The unique value is the stationary-carpet training method: spending weeks doing stationary manuals indoors on carpet to build the ankle and calf muscles specific to the trick before ever taking it outside. Sarah documents that consistent short daily sessions compound faster than sporadic long ones.
Key tips
- Start with stationary manuals on carpet or grass, this builds the specific ankle and lower-leg muscles that rolling alone does not train
- Set a timed goal for stationary manuals (e.g., hold 30 seconds total per session) and extend duration gradually before moving outside
- Phase 1: stationary indoors. Phase 2: rolling casually with no pressure (5 minutes at a time mixed with other tricks). Phase 3: dedicated pad/court sessions
- Consistent short daily sessions (10-20 minutes) produce faster progress than occasional long sessions when frustrated
- No speed is needed to start, just find any crack, line, or edge and practice the weight transfer to two back wheels
- Stretch ankles, calves, and feet after manual practice sessions to prevent strain from the unusual loading
- Having 'solid board control' as a prerequisite means rolling comfortably, not needing flip tricks, manuals are accessible fairly early
- Once manuals feel solid in parking lots, find a fun spot (basketball court lines, curb sections) to make practice enjoyable and extend sessions naturally
Summarized from the video transcript.
Teaches
Manual