180 Jump + Back Closed Lion + Open Tree
Last combo's entry, inverted: a 180 from front to fakie that lands on the outer edge and chains a back closed Lion with an open Tree exit.
Third episode of Combos of the Week: we invert the entry of the previous episode. Instead of entering from fakie towards the front, we start facing forward with a 180 jump to fakie that lands directly into a back closed Lion, with an open Tree exit. The previous combo isn't a prerequisite — but it's a lot of fun.
The novelty is the trajectory: in all the previous combos we held a curved line and fitted the movements along it; here a slalom trajectory is introduced — not the cone-skating discipline, the zigzag movement. On that zigzag live the episode's two exercises: the fish, very wide and on two legs, as if you were going wall to wall; and the snake, the same back-and-forth on one foot.
The fish isn't decoration: it generates impulse, teaches you to stay in contact with the ground while the speed increases and places you right before the jump — which is why it works for multiple entries of multiple combos. From the fish, the 180 jumps to the opposite edge and aims to land directly on the outer edge of the landing leg: that is what gives continuity into the back closed Lion.
A warning: you are skating backwards and the impulse generated for the back closed Lion is very strong — it can throw you if you're not prepared. If you've never tried this exercise, do it with all your protective gear. The episode's findings and concepts accumulate in the Combos of the Week course.
Steps
- Check the prerequisites: a comfortable 180 jump, back closed Lion and open Tree separately. Each one's detail lives in its tutorial; here we combine them on a new trajectory.
- Exercise 1 — Fish: the zigzag on two legs, very wide, changing to the corresponding edges on each swing. Picture two parallel lines as limits in your space — in the video I use the lines of the court's concrete — and treat each one as a wall: the swing goes from wall to wall.
- Exercise 2 — One foot snake: the same zigzag on one foot. Look for a wide movement and close it into the open Tree straight to fakie position: the rotation of the leading leg in the air draws the open Tree's arc and leaves you in the roll out position.
- Exercise 3 — Fish to 180: from the fish's edge change, jump to the opposite edge and land directly on the outer edge of the landing leg. Practice it with a 180-only exit, just to feel that landing.
- Join the entry: fish and 180 from front to fakie, straight to the outer edge. Here you already pick up quite a lot of impulse from the momentum you carry — if you've never tried it, do it with all your protective gear.
- From the outer edge, the entry goes straight into the back closed Lion's drawing of the 3: the leg you land with is left in the perfect position for what comes next.
- Close: with the knee up generate the hip opening, follow the rotation with the shoulders and — the same feeling as the snake — close the open Tree straight to fakie, finishing the combo.
Common mistakes
- Making the fish narrow: the exercise asks for width — two lines as limits, wall to wall. Without width there is no real edge change and no impulse.
- Landing the 180 flat or on the inner edge: the continuity into the back closed Lion is born from landing directly on the outer edge; if you land flat, the entry has to be rebuilt from zero.
- Underestimating the backwards impulse: the energy the back closed Lion asks for can throw you if you're not prepared. Protective gear on and progressive speed.
- Restarting the rotation for the open Tree: it is the continuation of the shoulders — knee up, hip opening — with the same feeling as the snake closing to fakie.
In one sentence
From the slalom fish, a 180 from front to fakie that lands straight on the outer edge, chains the back closed Lion's drawing of the 3 and closes the open Tree to fakie. The zigzag — fish on two legs, snake on one foot — gives the impulse and the placement; the outer edge gives the continuity.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need last week's combo?
- It's not a prerequisite — this episode inverts its entry and playing them as a pair teaches the game, but the combo is built from the 180 jump, the back closed Lion and the open Tree, each with its own tutorial.
- What is the slalom trajectory?
- The zigzag movement — not the cone-skating discipline. On that back-and-forth live the fish (on two legs) and the snake (on one foot), and from there come the impulse and the placement of the jump.
- Why does the outer edge matter so much?
- Because landing directly on the outer edge is what allows continuity: from there the entry into the back closed Lion's drawing of the 3 comes out on its own, and the leg is left in the perfect position for the open Tree.
Sources
The nomenclature of families and variations follows the official source. The drills, progressions and teaching concepts around it are ARCO's own elaboration, created to communicate the ideas.
