Flatland

Joined: A long time ago...

I have not watched a current flat video in years, the only videos I own are The Dorkin' Vids  I have the box set,  I think this helps, I don't really watch people ride so I just do what is comfortable and fun.  Not watching current Vids leaves my mind open to do what I want to  do.  It keeps me thinking free and not following a trend, That I don't know exists.   I like to be creative on my own.  You have to admit that everyone is influenced in some way by what they see, just human nature...    :-)

But I do agree it get really boring to see the same thing no matter what it is.

just my opinion

Joined: A long time ago...

My comments bolded in brackets,

If this style of riding bugs you, then I suggest you don't plan a trip out to Japan anytime soon  :-D this place is turbine insane... so much so that there are riders here that can't do any straightline rolling tricks but they can turbine themselves into next week. [I have nothing against turbines, I think you miss-read my posts a little--I was merely bitching about the overkill status of certain tricks]

On one hand though, seeing a rider like Keelan Phillips win Ninja Spin was somewhat of a relief... he's got insanely smooth brakeless style, can do the turbine stuff but keeps it reasonable and in good taste, and he actually rolls single positions without spinning at all (his no handed pedal nose wheelie thing and that backwards backpacker varial jump to hiker bomb). Maybe there's hope for contests yet if riders can walk away with a win with runs like that. (on a random note, I also thought that the Paul Buchanan guy in the Global Flat clips from Ninja Spin ruled... smooooth rolling positions all linked cleanly with no speed loss. Dope.) [Yeah Keelan rules!]

I guess the question then would be: What is it that you WISH you were seeing riders do? If it means riding more like you or in a way that's up to your specific standards, then that's sort of defeating, isn't it? [People can really do what they will, I'm not looking for people to ride like me,...God no, I'm boring to watch so forget that! I just like to see more creative stuff] If you break tricks into "essential" categories (e.g. stationary, hopping, scuffing, straightline rolling, carving, spinning, or turbining), then you can kind of see the predicament. [that's not what I was doing, Ipicked on two trick positions] Almost everyone has cut out stationary and hopping because they're "old school", people are now saying that scuffing is uncool, and while straightline rolling (which from what I can tell from videos back in the day is the style of the person who started this topic) is respected, it's not really feasible in a country like Japan where space to learn that style of riding is severely limited (probably one of the biggest reasons why spinning/turbining is so popular here). In short, if things keep becoming "uncool" or "oldschool", then it contradicts the no boundary aspect of riding. I sometimes get sick of the turbine style here too, but then again I also know that it's not necessarily a young riders fault for thinking it's the way to go here when he's only got a 15 square foot piece of crap spot to ride in. [Right, but look at a guy like Matt Wilhelm for example; he is very creative with what he does while spinning]
I think it really does just come down to open mindedness... from both the people who maybe haven't yet opened their minds to tricks outside of turbining AND from the people criticizing them for not doing it. Both sides are just opposite ends of the evolution of skills; close one end off and you limit the possibilities. [True] In Diversion 3 I think it was, Stephan(?) Cerra that made a comment during his section that he started learning straightline rolling tricks because he "needed them in the arsenal"... I don't recall seeing anywhere on a forum that anyone disagreed or disrespected him for doing that. For all you know, maybe all of the riders in the contest footage we see CAN do non-spinning/turbining stuff and they just choose not to. If there IS an oldschool, then there has to be a new school, and that's apparently what you and others are sick of seeing. [Not at all, I'm not suggesting we turn back the clocks one bit; but rather, that uniqueness ought to survive]

But if someone is REALLY down with flatland and they really have a love for it, then there is NO school (haha... like in the Matrix, the only way to see that there was no boundaries was to realize that there was NO spoon... lol). I personally love any style when I see that the person riding is sincerely having fun and enjoying themselves. [Ditto...reluctantly] In the end, isn't that the only real point to it all anyways...?

Peace and soul.... time to go study...  :cry:

Joined: A long time ago...

Matt Wilhelm is one of my favorites... in fact, I'm still trying to learn his "straight A college student status to pro level flatland skills" link right now! lol  That right there is the most difficult link in flat today hands down, aside from the "working full time to pro flat skills" link or the "raising and supporting a family to pro flat skills" combo. Those are some fundamentals we're all going to have to learn one day, played out or not... haha  :-D

alright, I swear I'm going to study now...

Joined: A long time ago...

yeah i would say that about martti and viki,those guys have got alot of SUPER hard shit going on while spining.and its not like they only do spinny turbin stuff.those guys have so many tricks.backwheel and front.

Blindness has took over hoza.

ATLFLAT- www.myspace.com/hoza33

Joined: A long time ago...

haahah fuck turbine steamroller.......

thats true hein.........hang five and mc circle turbine  too!