We know you've seen it. And if you're regularly hitting the rails, we know you've done it. Sure, you held the full length grab. Your landing was solid. But was it clean? Be honest. Impresssive tricks and complex transitions can hide a multitude of sins, and none more contentious than the sin of a sloppy angle. Riders, beware the 'Zeach'.
The what now?!
The 50-50 that's not quite 50-50. The boardslide that's slightly skewed. The 'Tindy' (your hand being in front of the back binding when attempting an Indy grab). Compromised execution resulting from incorrect positioning, if you pre-spin, let your tail slip out or take off crooked from a kicker, you're riding yourself right into 'Zeach' territory.
Precision matters. You're looking in for a slick, locked-in aesthetic. No one wants to be the park's 'Zeach Lord'.
And I avoid that how?
Glad you asked. Well...
Much of it comes from mastering the approach.
The run up is key. Each feature has a slightly different approach, depending on what you are going for. This might need to change depending on if you are aiming to land on the nose or tail of the board. Get comfortable with the feature before dialling in the details.
Equally important is the angle at which you line up to the feature.
Even small, subtle adjustments can, alongside a clean cut, significantly improve your chance of success. You want your body and board in line and locked in. Your core engaged. And to be looking ahead - any twisting will take you off that perfect perpendicular. A word we've now used twice in as many blogs and quite frankly, we're starting to feel a bit smart. Boardskills, beauty AND brains. We're an absolute triple threat.
Focus on performing proper board & lipslides.
Are you able to hold your board in position for the length of the full rail? Is it at a perfect 90º angle the whole time? Can you do it on different rails? By taking your time to learn textbook board & lipslides will help to really improve your style in the park. Okay - it might not seem like the most exciting thing to do in the world, but as you improve your riding, the small details like this do make a BIG difference.
Your hips don't lie... Learning to use your hips to hold the board in position is a key skill to learn in order to clean up your riding! Free your hips from your torso. This not only helps to keep your board locked in position on rails, but can also really help to prevent prespinning on kickers too!
As always, timing is everything. This one more applies to kicker spins. We've all been there - you want to get that 360 round as fast as possible and because of this you end up spinning a 180 on the kicker. This technically means you've only actually done a 180 in the air, right? Learn to time your pop at the right moment, and keep your board straight on the kicker.
Take time to work on proper grab positions
Repetition is key. Yes, some grabs are easier than others - but we are pretty doubtful you will be able to bust out a perfect method on the first attempt! Use your legs independently of one another to get those hard to reach positions on the board! Here's a diagram of some basic grabs for you to try!
Persevere to see progress.
Consistency is critical for success, so commit to refining your 50-50 and boardslide variations every time you ride. Film yourself and interrogate the footage; analyse your approach, your angle, the angle of each action. Hold yourself accountable. Regular repetition is the only way to embed the instinctive muscle memory that will take you from sketchy to spot-the-F-on.
So there you have it.
No more excuse to let your line slip. We want to see a precision approach, textbook timing and the perfect 90 on all your rails from now on. We want to see that same seamless form on your kickers. No more 'zeaching', my lords.
But since you've been there, done that, you may as well buy the t-shirt...
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