At long last, the incredible Mike Osterman has made his way back to the Braillehouse. With Aaron’s freestyle game rapidly improving, Mike has returned to teach Aaron some World Champion level freestyle tricks! What do you think, should Aaron enter the World Freestyle Round-Up? Under the tutelage of a World Champion like Mike Osterman, anything is possible! Let us know what you think in the comments below and be sure to check out the video! Follow along, listen to Mike’s tips, and with enough practice, we’re confident you’ll be able to add these incredibly fun maneuvers to your ever-expanding bag of tricks! 

How to Pogo

1. Grab the nose of your board with your “front” hand, with your thumb on the bottom of the deck and the rest of your fingers on the griptape. With your backhand, grab the board on the side of the nose just above the truck’s and close to your other hand.
2. With the board in Pogo position and your hands in place, balance with your back foot on top of the bottom truck. Before learning how to get into the Pogo position, World Champion Freestyle Skateboarder Mike Osterman recommends just getting comfortable learning how to balance on that truck.
3. As you begin to sway to either side and lose your balance, start hopping to find your balance again. The Pogo isn’t about jack-hammering your tail into the ground. You hop while in Pogo to maintain your position.
4. To get into a Pogo you’re going to start with your front foot pinning your nose to the ground and your backhand grabbing the tail.
5. Simultaneously swing the board upright and switch hands while stepping up onto the truck.
6. To get back on your board and ride away, toss the board back down onto its wheels, jump and get your back foot out of the way, then land back on the bolts…FIRST TRY!

How to No-Hands Pogo

1. Start with your front foot pinning the nose down
2. Grab the tail of the board with your back hand
3. Swing your back foot out, pull the board upright, step on the back truck with your back foot, and pinch the board between your legs using your front foot against the griptape
4. Balance in this “Koala” Pogo position without hands, using small hops to adjust your center of gravity.
5. Release the board back down on the wheels, leaning toward the direction it drops and getting your back foot onto the bolts to roll away…FIRST TRY! 

Make sure to watch the video for even more tips for landing these tricks, and Mike also shows the Braille team how to properly Coconut Wheelie. You don’t want to miss it!  A huge thank you and shout out goes out to Mike Osterman. If you haven’t subscribed to him on Youtube yet, do yourself a favor and get do so here! For everything that you could ever need to get started in skateboarding or to progress your skateboarding even further, visit our Online Skate Shop! We’ve got you covered, whether you need some fresh skate gear, the latest Braille apparel, tutorials, ramps, you name it. We’ve got it! Now get out there and SKATE!