Hello 2012

UPDATE FROM LAST 6 MONTHS

So it’s been a while since the last post on here (nearly 6 months) and it’s time to try to start posting again with some regularity……..

The broken arm is now healed and although I’m wearing an arm brace when I skate I think it’s holding up well.  I’ll give it until April in the arm brace, and then I’ll probably switch to just wearing an elbow pad on that arm.  It will have had a year since the break to heal then and reckon that should be long enough.  I’ve had a couple of slams since getting back on the board and it’s not given me any trouble (touch wood).

Skating wise I only started again in late September so I had about 6 months in total without skating.  I reckon I’m now back at the level I was before I broke my arm and hopefully now I can get progressing into 2012 with some new skills.

Skate plans for the year are get the following tricks

• Disasters
• Ollies on transition
• Sweepers & Boneless Ones
• Blunts
• Proper 50-50′s around the corners of bowls
• Decent length boardslides

I’m also going to try to skate at least a couple of times a week, once in a park and once just cruising on the streets to get more comfortable with my ollies etc.  The one thing I’ve found with skating mainly in parks the last year is that my general skating ability for just bombing around ollieing up curbs and over stuff is shocking.  While I can comfortably clear a board height in a park, if I’m rolling up to something that high in the street it freaks me right out.

 

As for recent skate related purchases since the last post, there’s been a shit load but most haven’t actually been worn/used.  The highlights are

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I’m loving the TNT V’s, having been skating in Blazers for over a year these feel very simular in the boardfeel/cushioning department and so far are a comfy as fuck.  I’ve been skating the Big Mess for a a few months now and am loving it.  The Welcome Basilisk is going to be set up as my street/cruiser which will be taken to work for a skate on the way home (at least that’s the plan for when it’s not pissing down).  It’ll be set up with Indy’s and Bones DTF wheels (to cope with the varied\shitty pavement & road surfaces around here.
OTHER 2012 PLANS . . 

Along with the increased skating, I’m going to hopefully supplement this with a general shake up of my health\fitness situation.  I’ve kinda been pretty lazy for 3/4′s of 2011.  After breaking my arm I really let everything go from a health point of view and as a result have piled on almost a stone, and lost a fair amount of leg strength and flexibility (and I didn’t have an abundance of either to lose to be honest).  So it’s time to start eating healthier, and getting into some kind of shape (that’s not as pudgy).   I’m back on the 200 Squats & 100 Push Ups programme, and with a bit of luck I’ll be cycling a bunch more as well.  I’m also toying with doing a bit of running as well, mainly during work lunch hours but I’m not convinced on that as I fucking hate running with a passion.

Arm’s getting better

So the arm is now useable, and physio has started. It’s going to be a long journey getting it back to where it was before the break though. At the moment movement is very restricted, and the exercises I’ve got to do are all about flexibilty. The strength work will come in a few weeks.

I’m going to try to update the blog more and more now I’m not moping around at home feeling sorry for myself

Update – off the board for quite a while

So I’m out of commission for a few months as a result of this …..

I’m looking at about 3 months with my arm in a brace and then another couple of months to get the arm rehabbed and working properly again.

Fucking gutted as this means I’ll miss a good part of the early summer and no skateboarding until late August (I’ll hopefully be rolling before then, but anything that could fuck the arm up is going to be a no no (as we have a two week family holiday that I want to be fully recovered for in the middle of August).

Got a new board a couple of days before the latest injury, and for the two hours that I managed to skate it seems bloody lovely.

I’ve also got a new bike being built as well. Was supposed to pick it up next week but as I’m not going to be able to drive (or ride a bike) for at least another 10 weeks it’s going to have to sit at the shop waiting for me.

All in all a shitty week, but trying to stay positive. Looking forward to getting the brace off my arm and get into rehab/physio, even though I know it’s going to bloody hurt.

BRING ON THE PAIN!!!!!

First impressions on new board

So, first impressions are important and you don’t get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression or so we’re told.

With that in mind i don’t think I’m going to find another board I like to skate. Took the BL Hensley out for an hour at my local indoor park and really didn’t get on with it. I think it’s a combination of a few things

• smaller than my usual board
• slightly shorter wheelbase
• trucks are set up differently (they’re the same size, bushings etc, but not what I’m used to)
• different wheels (the surface is a bit slippery at the local wooden park so not being on the wheels I’m confident on didn’t help)

So what am I going to do ……..

I’d like to keep skating the new board, but I’m going to probably just use it for cruising and the odd bit of street skating and see if I get more used to it. I’d probably be better off just sticking my normal trucks/wheels on it and force myself to get used to skating it but as I only get to skate bowls a couple of times a week at the most I’m loathe to spend this time getting used to a new setup.

I’m also toying with redrilling the front truck to give it another half inch of wb.

200 Squat progress update

So I’ve actually managed to (semi) regularly follow the 200 Squat program. Here’s the progress so far

I’m finding it easier to keep doing these as I can do them at work (in the disabled toilet lol). I think they’re helping with my skateboarding (as pumping/carving round bowls is basically a series of squats).

I’m determined to actually start the press up/ sit up ones soon ……..

New Board

I fucking loved Hensley back in the day, and while I’ve already got a Black Label King Size (old school shape) I wanted a board I could use everyday.

It’s 8.6 wide which means it’s a touch narrower than my current Death Zarosh but not by much. It’s also a lovely punk point shape.

Currently using 169′s with 60mm bones DTF’s. I’m toying with sticking some rails on as well as I’m having no luck board/lip sliding with any regularity .

Fucking weather’s stopped me using it for the last few days but hopefully I can get an hour in at Saffron Walden tonight on the way home (if it dries out).

First night back on the board for 6 weeks (ish)

So I managed to get to the park for an hour last night. A combination of time off the board and not being 100% sure how the foot would react meant I stayed well below coping but it felt fucking great to be carving around again.  I had a couple of bails which gave the foot a slight twinge, but nothing major.  I’ll continue to take it easy for another week I reckon, and with luck be back up to speed in time for the next late night jam at Unit 1.

I grabbed a pair of the nike sb zoom fp’s yesterday as well and they’re super comfy.  Tons of boardfeel which is nice, but I think the foot will really need to have a bit more support in the sole for another month or so (possibly longer).

 

I also grabbed a pair of these on sale, but having had them delviered they’re the narrowest shoes in the fucking world!!  I haven’t got particularly wide feet, but these seemed to need another couple of cm’s width to make them even remotely comfortable.  So these went straight back

 

To be replaced by a pair of Adidas Silas

Having spent over a month with next to no exercise, last night really showed me that I need to do something more than just skate a couple of nights a week if I’m going to get back to where I was.  Time to start some other exercises, and maybe even get out on my bike for 45 mins on the nights I don’t get out on my board.

Foot’s almost on the mend, and oh noes, not more shoes

So the Nike SB Zoom FP’s are now released and with the foot problems I’ve had recently I’m going to go to Slam City tomorrow to try on a pair.

 

If they’re comfy and feel good on my feet I’m probably going to grab a pair, and then see if I can off load the Koston Dunks for just under what I paid for em (as they’ve not been skated in and only worn 5 or 6 times to walk to and from the station in the mornings).

In other news the foot’s feeling like Tuesday night might be the night for getting back on the board!!  Going to be a very gentle session at the local indoor park, and will be simply carving the bowl and probably trying a few grinds (nothing that will involve a lot of jumping).

SC Everslicks are ‘at least’ 4 weeks away in the UK

So I have it on good authority that the SC Everslick (Tom Knox and Eric Dressen) are at least 4 weeks away from hitting these shores.  I have to admit I’m a bit gutted, as I was looking forward to having a new set up for when I start skating again after the injury.

 

I’m temped to see if there’s some other nice wide  old school shape I can get hold of in the mean time  .  .  .  .

 

(I’ve not skated the American Nomad deck yet, so in theory I still have a new board to skate.  I’d got my sights set on one of the SC’s though)

One month off the board (so far)

So it’s now been a month since the slam @ Bay 66 and the foot is still not in a position to risk stepping on the board.  I have to say I’m getting a bit pissed off at the lack of activity.  I reckon I’d be ok until I had to bail and then put any pressure on the foot.  It’s ok for walking and very light jogging, but as soon as the foot’s slammed down or it twists off axis it hurts like a motherfucker.

 

In the hope that some new sneakers would make it easier to get back on the board, I’ve shelled out on some Koston Dunk Lows.

 

Not sure if they’re going to make any difference at the moment, as the foot is still too sore to really test it out, but I’m hoping that the fact it’s a cupsole might give me more support in the hope that I don’t reinjure myself.

 

In other news, I grabbed an American Nomad (which I’m not sure that I needed but it was only £30 posted so I couldn’t say no).  I’ve now got about 5 decks that I only really use 1 of!  Going to set 1 up for the new skatepark in Rainham (and prob other Concrete parks) when it’s opened and have 1 set up for Unit1 (and other smaller wooden miniramp type places).

 

 

Oh and I’ve got my eye on one of these fuckers (not sure which one yet)

 

 

 

Anyway – hoping to be back on a board in the next week