Backboard (Rail)

Your first rail trick. A backboard on a rail (HS FS90) is the same as on a box: approach heelside, pop, rotate frontside 90 degrees, and slide across. But the rail is narrow and round, which makes balance much harder. Every small weight shift is amplified.

The biggest mental shift from boxes to rails is the approach angle. On a box you can approach slightly off-line and the flat surface forgives you. On a rail, if you're not pointed directly down the tube, you will slip off. Spend a few laps just riding past the rail and watching your approach line before you commit to the first hit.

Falls on rails are often worse than falls on boxes, because the edges are hard. Wear a helmet and an impact vest. If you feel yourself slipping, let go of the handle early and try to land in the water next to the rail rather than on it.

Key tips

• Master the backboard on a box first. The technique is identical
• Lock your core tight. Rails punish any wobble
• Stay directly over the center of the rail
• Keep your base as flat as possible. Any edge catches will throw you
• Start on thicker, lower rails before progressing to thin or elevated ones
• Look at the end of the rail, not at your feet
• Commit to the pop. Timid approaches land short and catch the edge of the rail