Dropping in

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Dropping in is a skateboarding trick with which a skateboarder can start skating a half-pipe by dropping into it from the coping instead of starting from the bottom and pumping gradually for more speed. When a skateboarder drops in he uses his gravitational potential energy to gain initial velocity. This allows the skater to skate longer before exhausting himself and thus allows him to take more runs.

When a skateboarder drops in he stands on the deck of a half-pipe, puts his back foot on the tail of his skateboard and pushes it so that the back wheels just roll over the coping into a position like in a tail stall. He then puts his front foot on the deck, which now hangs over the half-pipe, leans forward and starts skating the half-pipe.

Dropping in is an essential skill for anyone who wishes to skate a half-pipe efficiently. It is also a very intimidating trick because it requires falling face down from a high place. It is common, almost an unwritten law, that when a skateboarder tries to drop in for the first time he/she falls on his back because he/she is too afraid to lean enough forward. However, some people can learn to drop in without falling down at all.

BMX and in-line skaters have their own variations of dropping in.