A reader just emailed me about my instructions on How to Drop In. He said that he's learned all kinds of skateboarding from this site (woo hoo!), but when it came to dropping in he was having trouble. "I always would stomp down as hard as I could when dropping in," he says, "but never learned to lean forward.  My friend one day saw me fall down while dropping in, and told me my problem, and I proceeded to land it my first try after that and have never bailed doing it again."

Sweet!  I'm stoked for you bro - in my instructions, I talked a lot about stomping your foot down with all of your weight, but I didn't really push the leaning in part very hard.  It's important!  So check out the new and improved How to Drop In instructions, now with more leaning!  We also have a sweet How to Drop In Video, and I highly recommend checking that out too.  Between the two, you should be dropping in bail-free in no time.

If you ever notice anything like this reader did, where I leave out some key to learning a skate trick, or if you have an idea of something that might help others, e-mail me!

I got an e-mail from a reader who wants to learn to ollie, but just can't seem to get it. He writes, "Me and a friend of mine started skateboarding a month ago, we really like it and we are practicing everyday. I can land the ollie on grass, but when I try it on the pavement while I'm not riding I land with one foot on the ground."

I hear this story a lot, and every time it's a little different.  Learning to ollie is so important to learning technical skate tricks, but it's such an obstacle for a lot of skaters.  This guy had already read my Scared of Getting Hurt? article, and he said it didn't help him.  Sometimes learning to ollie just takes extra time for some people.  That's just how it is.  My suggestion to this guy is to try practicing while holding onto a fence or something, with your board on pavement or concrete.  Something where you can focus completely on your feet, and not worry about falling at all, but where your board CAN roll.

Have you been through something like this?  Give this guy some advice by leaving a comment below, or submit your story on the How did you learn to ollie? page.

You might have heard that season two of Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory will be attacking your television soon. I wrote something about it like a week ago. In case you don't know what that is, think pro skater Rob Dyrdek plus a huge factory and endless ideas of crazy stunts and things to try. It's a fun show, and the second season is almost here - August 27 at 9pm ET/PT on MTV.

To help you get even more excited about it, I interviewed Rob this morning. He talks about how he got started in skateboarding (it happened FAST for him), how he got into making reality TV shows, and what he thinks is most important as you chase your dreams of becoming a pro skater, or anything, really.

“Stay inspired!" Rob says. "That’s the key to life and success in anything. Put yourself in a position where you get up each day and can’t wait to get out skate. When you go to bed, think about the tricks you didn’t land, and keep yourself in a place where you just can’t wait to get up and try again. The moment you become uninspired, everything becomes half-assed. Your skating, your life, everything you do."

Read the rest of the Rob Dyrdek Interview, and get some inspiration! You can also see more pics of Rob in he Rob Dyrdek Picture Gallery. If you have any inspiring thoughts of your own to share, post a comment below!

There are all kinds of skateboard practice tools out there, and some are better than others. Softrucks are a great idea for practicing ollying at home, but now there's another product on the market - the Wheelbone.

The Wheelbone is a rubbery strap that hooks onto your skateboard, looping over it's wheels and holding them in place. This lets you practice ollying, and other tricks, without worrying about your wheels rolling and slipping. The Wheelbone is a great idea, and it should help skaters to practice their ollies more. There is a danger in using it too much, but as long as you use it wisely, the Wheelbone is a brilliant idea that should help most skaters learn to ollie faster, higher and more safely.  Read this review of the Wheelbone for more!

Do you use something like this to help you learn to ollie?  What is it? Or do you think things like this are lame?  Leave a comment and tell the planet what you think!