Req 2d13 — Drop-In from Coping
Dropping in is one of the most psychologically challenging beginner skills in skateboarding — and one of the most rewarding to conquer. You stand at the top of a ramp with your tail on the coping (the metal pipe at the lip of a ramp), lean forward, and commit your weight forward to ride down the transition.
What Is Coping?
Coping is the metal or concrete pipe that runs along the top lip of a halfpipe, bowl, or quarter pipe. It marks the transition from the deck (the flat area at the top) to the skating surface below. When you drop in, your tail rests on the coping as you set up at the lip.
How to Drop In
Place the tail on the coping. Roll your board to the lip so the tail (including the back wheels and tail) hooks on the coping. The front of the board should be pointing down the ramp.
Position your feet. Back foot firmly on the tail (to keep the board hooked on the coping). Front foot on the board just behind the front truck bolts.
Stand up straight. Do not lean back. Many beginners hunch or lean backward in fear — this actually causes you to fall. You need to lean forward.
Commit your weight forward. This is the critical moment. Shift your weight forward and over the board by leaning your upper body and pressing the front foot down onto the ramp surface. The board will follow your weight down the transition.
Bend your knees as you go. As the board begins to roll down the ramp, bend your knees to absorb the motion and lower your center of gravity.
Ride out at the bottom. As you reach the flat bottom of the ramp, straighten slightly and ride out into the park.
The Mental Challenge
The difficulty of dropping in is entirely mental. Physically, it is not a complex motion — it is simply leaning forward. But standing at the lip of a ramp with a significant drop in front of you triggers a strong protective lean-back instinct. The only way through it is to commit. Half-committed drop-ins (leaning back at the last second) cause the back wheels to slip off the coping and a fast fall.
Official Resources
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