Original subtitles

KIRBY: Hey guys!

CHARLIE: Here's the situation.

Today we're hanging out at Woodward West,

it's an action sports training facility in California!

KIRBY: So why are these guys throwing themselves

through the air only to master a new trick?

CHARLIE: Whoa!

It's all in the name of innovation Kirb!

And today we're gonna figure out how they do it!

It's time for Weird but True!

(theme music plays).

KIRBY: Hey guys! CHARLIE: Hey!

KIRBY: You're just in time. Big news today!

CHARLIE: The toaster company in our town, Timmy Torrium's Toaster Emporium

is hosting an invention convention.

You have to come up with an innovative new toaster product

that the world has never seen before.

Best invention wins a lifetime supply of free toast.

KIRBY: Free toast!

CHARLIE: Guys this is a big deal.

KIRBY: So like we gotta win. CHARLIE: We gotta win!

KIRBY: But we have a problem....

We've been brainstorming for hours, trying to find a way to take the toaster to the next

level, and we've come up with nothing.

CHARLIE: Nothing! We got a serious mental block on our hands here!

KIRBY: And if we want to get that toast, we have to think like real innovators.

CHARLIE: Boundary pushers. KIRBY: Trailblazers.

CHARLIE: Exactly.

KIRBY: And earlier today when I was trying to get inspired to

innovate I came across this insane video.

CHARLIE: He's lean, he's mean, and he's a skateboarding machine.

Part pro athlete, part out of the box engineer, Ricky Babylon builds each mind

bending apparatus he jumps off of.

Click here to catch all of the action.

KIRBY: Charlie!

CHARLIE: We're talking action sports and the athletes who master them.

KIRBY: Of course it's genius!

And if we wanna win this competition we have to think like them.

CHARLIE: Act like them. KIRBY: Be like them.

CHARLIE: So today we're going to figure out how, as we unravel the world of...

KIRBY: Action Sports! CHARLIE: Action Sports!

Alright guys, let's give you some background.

What is an action sport?

KIRBY: Definitions vary, but generally if you take a physical activity and

incorporate speed, whoa or height, dude

require skill for it to be completed safely,

and add some special gear, you've got yourself an action sport, awesome.

Extreme sports are a subcategory of action sports.

Woohoo.

And they're the most dangerous.

Extreme athletes, like base jumpers, risk their lives in the name of their sport.

Action sports are intense!

CHARLIE: And the thing that separates these athletes apart from any other athlete out

there is the fact that they're always focused on innovating their sport.

Take a "normal" sport, like basketball.

Two teams play against each other to score more points.

The goal is to win the game.

KIRBY: Action sports don't focus as much on winning.

They focus on innovation.

These athletes want to do the most extreme tricks or go down the most extreme ramps.

They're always taking things to the next level.

CHARLIE: Just a heads up guys, it's not smart to start trying these

action sports tricks at home.

They can be very dangerous and these athletes are train for years to become such pros.

You wanna find the best way to start learning this stuff before going for it.

We'll show you want we mean.

KIRBY: So from our research, we found out there are a bunch of different ways these

athletes come up with new creative ideas.

CHARLIE: First they think like design engineers.

Perfect. KIRBY: Much better.

CHARLIE: Alright guys, so design engineers focus on two things.

One, developing new ideas, and two improving existing products.

KIRBY: And action sports athletes approach their sports, in the same way.

CHARLIE: They've developed ideas, by introducing new equipment into their sports.

KIRBY: They do this across the board.

CHARLIE: Take skateboarding, and the evolution of the skate ramp.

Skateboarding originated as street skating.

Just cruising around public places doing cool tricks.

Then there was a drought in California.

Homeowners were forced to drain their pools.

Skateboarders saw the curves and dips of the empty pools as new territory to be explored.

Since then, even more innovations have emerged like the halfpipe,

megaramp, and the loop of death!

So that's one way action sports athletes innovate.

By developing new ideas, like using more and more intense skate ramps.

KIRBY: Which we could totally apply to the toaster competition.

Like why stop at electricity as a power source?

CHARLIE: Whoa! I think we're onto something here Kirb.

Keep going.

KIRBY: Another reason why these athletes are like design engineers is while design

engineers work to improve existing products.

These athletes work to improve their stunts using existing equipment.

Like take the idea of doing a backflip off a motocross jump.

For a while it was considered absolutely impossible.

Until 2002. When Caleb Wyatt landed one.

Now, the bar was set a little higher.

Riders started doing one handed backflips, then no handed backflips.

Then in 2006, Travis Pastrana landed a double backflip.

And by 2015, Josh Sheehan landed a triple backflip.

Three flips, in the air, on a motocross bike.

CHARLIE: Ok guys, so how can we take this same technology inspiration

and boost it up to the next level?

Psychologically we gotta figure out what's going on in their heads.

KIRBY: So, I guess we gotta approach this like psychologists.

CHARLIE: Very nice.

KIRBY: So guys, according to interviews and a bunch of psychology papers,

it turns out that action sports athletes aren't the crazy fearless risk-takers

we make 'em out to be.

CHARLIE: How does that make you feel Kirb?

KIRBY: A bit confused. CHARLIE: Me too.

This is what we thought the standard action sports athlete would be like...

KIRBY: Extreme scooterist, Ricky Babylon, has just landed

the first ever Rainbow Ramp stunt!

How do you feel Ricky?

CHARLIE: Great dude!

KIRBY: How'd you prepare for this amazing stunt?

CHARLIE: Just woke up today and was like, gonna nail it!

Slammed an energy drink and went for it bruh!

KIRBY: Well there you have it.

CHARLIE: You know? Kind of spontaneous, and fearless, but in actuality,

they're usually a bit more like this:

KIRBY: Extreme scooterist, Ricky Babylon, has just landed the first ever

Rainbow Ramp stunt! How do you feel Ricky?

CHARLIE: Great dude!

KIRBY: How did you prepare for this incredible event?

CHARLIE: Well... I've been practicing on my own rainbow ramp.

Let's go.

Worked with a team of 8 engineers.

Did about 200 jumps into a foam pit.

And 100 more jumps onto some pads 300 practice jumps later,

slammed an energy drink and went for it bruh!

KIRBY: So yeah, there seem to be two key parts to the action sport athlete's mindset.

Goal-setting and conquering fear.

So in goal-setting theory psychologists have found that harder,

more specific goals lead to better performances than goals

that are easier or less specific.

So for these action sports athletes that are trying to conquer a trick it's almost

like the perfect storm.

They have a clear goal...

CHARLIE: Landing a trick that's never been done before.

KIRBY: That's pretty difficult.

CHARLIE: I mean, it's never been done before.

KIRBY: And this leads to an insane level of commitment.

For example: it took Tony Hawk an entire decade of practicing before he finally landed the

900: that's a trick where he spins around two and a half times in the air.

And Shaun White secluded himself from the snowboarding world,

commuting by helicopter just to practice on a private halfpipe,

before landing the double McTwist 1260, where he flips two times while also spinning

around three and a half times.

It's absolute craziness.

So setting clear difficult goals can help us innovate, Charles.

CHARLIE: I know!

Alright, it's time for the final piece of the puzzle, that missing link that drives

these athletes to push the envelope.

KIRBY: Let's hear it.

CHARLIE: Believe it or not, it's all about fear.

You'd think these athletes would be pretty fearless, right?

Like the part of their brain that registers fear might be replaced by a part that just

likes to shred the gnar all day.

What else would encourage them to surf waves that are 50 feet tall?

Or jump off the side of a cliff?

Ahhhh.

But a lot of 'em say fear is a good thing.

KIRBY: You've heard of the fight or flight response, but action sports athletes try a

third method, they embrace the fear.

CHARLIE: The fear can actually keep them on their toes and make them realize they have to

do things with absolute perfection if they wanna be safe.

So if we wanna be as innovative as these action sports athletes we have to

embrace our toaster-related fear.

KIRBY: What fear? It's just a toaster.

CHARLIE: The fear of looking like total idiots when our toaster invention fails Kirb!

KIRBY: What are we gonna do? I still have no ideas!

CHARLIE: Me either!

KIRBY: I guess we can't really get into that mindset unless

we give one of these sports a shot?

CHARLIE: How about cliff diving?

KIRBY: Too extreme. Body boarding?

CHARLIE: Not extreme enough. Skateboarding?

KIRBY: And BMX. CHARLIE: Perfect!

I know exactly where we should go.

Woodward West, it's an action sports camp in California.

KIRBY: This is gonna be amazing.

CHARLIE: So we're heading to Southern California

to the town of Stallion Spring in the mountains.

Not far from the Mojave desert.

We'll meet you there after the break.

See you soon.

KIRBY: Weird But True, the world record for the highest skydive without a parachute

is 25,000 feet!

CHARLIE: Hey guys we made it! This is Woodward West.

KIRBY: It's action sports paradise.

CHARLIE: And the perfect place to get out of our innovation funk.

Apparently we gotta look for this guy named Kris.

He's the idea guy around here, helps designs all the ramps, jumps, and rails.

Let's go find him.

KIRBY: Kris Sherry, Rad Designer and Artist,

and the go to guy to make sure it all works.

His favorite Weird but True fact is, in the early days, around 1960,

skateboarding was nicknamed "sidewalk surfing"!

Are you Kris? KRIS: Yes I am.

KIRBY: Nice to meet you. KRIS: Nice to meet you, welcome.

CHARLIE: It's nice to meet you. That was incredible!

KRIS: Thank you, thank you.

It's one of the perks of getting to work here.

CHARLIE: So what uh, what do you do here at Woodward?

KRIS: I'm the facilities manager and part of a crew that gets to build ramps and

uh everything you see here.

CHARLIE: So you kind of come up with the ideas to design all this stuff?

KRIS: Collectively. CHARLIE: Uh huh.

KRIS: You know, we talk to pros and kids that would like to see certain things

and then we try to recreate it.

CHARLIE: We're trying to come up with new ideas and be innovative,

but it seems like you guys, action sports athletes, it comes to you so easily.

You're always pushing the envelope.

CHARLIE: What inspires you to introduce new things into this insane jungle gym over here?

KRIS: Maybe seeing some flaws in how the park, maybe, flows or freshening it up to maybe a

new feature that might be just hot in that season.

I think you get enough kids riding something you created you'll start to find and see

what works best.

CHARLIE: Almost seems kind of like there's two groups here, like kids are inspired to do

new things based off what you create, but then also you're seeing what they're able to do

and it's kind of inspiring you to create new things too.

KRIS: Yeah it's a beautiful cycle.

CHARLIE: So the ideas for these elements, do they just pop into people's minds?

Or did they draw inspiration from things outside?

Or how did it work?

KRIS: Oh definitely just getting inspired by the things you see around us.

You travel around anywhere outside, whether it's a park or at the mall or parking lot

you just look around and you see what is skatable.

CHARLIE: Do you like look at the landscape in a different way?

KRIS: Oh yeah.

CHARLIE: Guys here's a great example of being inspire to innovate by

the world around you.

So designers like Kris, they saw a set of stairs,

but they thought they could do more with it.

So they flattened out the stairs, made the handrail nice and low and it's a perfect

addition to a skate park!

Inspiration is all around us guys!

KIRBY: So this sort of jump, it started by using the side of a pool.

And when skaters would go up that side of the pool and grind on the porcelain edge

they'd go pretty far, but when we brought that kind of skating inside,

made a wood ramp, and for the coping piece, that edge, tried plastic,

tried cement, but nothing worked better than metal.

And now with that metal coping skaters can go flying across no problem.

CHARLIE: So back in the day it started as street skating, then we got pools,

then half pipes, then mega ramps, and loop de loops, where are we going next?

KRIS: The next step is uh where the kids take it and the innovation that they keep

bringing to the table and we just try to keep making that platform

so they can keep growing.

CHARLIE: All this stuff is so amazing.

Is there any chance we could ride some of it?

KIRBY: I feel like it's the best way to get over our innovation block.

KRIS: Well lucky for you guys, we have you set up with our pro Jake that will help you out.

CHARLIE: That sounds perfect! We gotta go meet Jake. Thanks so much for your help.

KIRBY: Thanks so much. KRIS: Alright bye.

CHARLIE: See ya. KIRBY: See ya later.

Jake Kinney, action sports director, became a pro mountain biker at age 18.

His favorite Weird but True fact, you can compete in an

underwater mountain bike race in Wales.

CHARLIE: Are you Jake? JAKE: That I am.

CHARLIE: So apparently Kris said you can help us get on some of these jumps?

JAKE: Oh yeah I can get you on a bike, a nice skateboard.

CHARLIE: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It looks kind of scary, I'm not gonna lie.

Like real talk here, was it nerve racking? Or?

JAKE: Uh nerve wracking the first couple times.

If you really think you're gonna land something and then in the air you're like,

'Oh no I'm not gonna land it.'

CHARLIE: Yeah.

JAKE: Every time you drop in, whether it's a bike, skateboard,

anything you wanna do.

CHARLIE: Gotta think you're gonna hit it?

JAKE: I like to envision the trick first.

Sometimes you'll see athletes close their eyes, uh what their doing is they're

envisioning what the trick looks like.

CHARLIE: Hmmm.

JAKE: And then you execute the envision.

CHARLIE: And then in mid air and you realize how...

JAKE: You realize it's going south you, you just get away.

CHARLIE: Ahh.

JAKE: Go to your knees, go back up, reevaluate what you did and make it happen.

Do you guys have helmets?

KIRBY: Yup. CHARLIE: Helmets and pads.

JAKE: You got knee pads? KIRBY: Got them.

CHARLIE: You got it.

JAKE: Before we get started we gotta learn how to fall right?

So let me show you both how to do that.

CHARLIE: Alright. KIRBY: Perfect.

CHARLIE: I feel like we're gonna do a lot of it today.

JAKE: Yeah. CHARLIE: So it's a good thing.

JAKE: So we're gonna learn the knee slide.

We're gonna start with this bank we have here.

When you get rid of whatever you're on...

CHARLIE: Uh huh.

JAKE: And you land on your knees, you're just gonna slide yourself right out.

KIRBY: Oh man. CHARLIE: Ok.

JAKE: And lean back ok? CHARLIE: Yup.

KIRBY: Let's do it.

JAKE: So walk in and lean back.

KIRBY: Walk in...

CHARLIE: Alright guys, we gotta take a quick break cause we gotta go grab some bikes

and skateboards.

KIRBY: But I think we're ready, it's time for some tricks.

We'll see you in a bit.

Weird but True, in 1956 an inventor created gas-powered roller skates

that can go 40 miles an hour!

CHARLIE: Hey guys, welcome back.

Alright, so we're in this place called the junction.

It's got a bunch of ramps, some rails, Jake hooked me up with a skateboard,

Kirby with a bike, now it's time to get the creative juices flowing.

Alright what's the gameplan Jake?

JAKE: Alright well we're here, we're gonna ride down this bank,

we're gonna learn how to roll in first, then we're gonna grow up to the drop in.

CHARLIE: OK.

JAKE: On the board, we're gonna wanna make sure that our feet are

covering the bolts, our knees are brent, and we're centered over the top of the board.

On the bike, what you're gonna wanna do is keep your elbows out,

again, your knees bent, very similar between both sports.

And then as you're going down, look ahead and just keep your knees bent

all the way to the finish line.

CHARLIE: Alright.

Wait, wait. I got a question.

JAKE: Alright here we go, we're gonna go.

CHARLIE: What's the most common mistake here?

Like where's my most likely to fall?

JAKE: So with the angle of the bank, your body's gonna wanna lean back.

CHARLIE: Uh huh.

JAKE: That's why, when we say stay centered over the board, as the bank's going down you

don't wanna lean back and loop out.

CHARLIE: OK. KIRBY: Mhmm.

CHARLIE: Guys, I don't skateboard much.

It's like three feet high, but it's kind of spooky.

JAKE: Ok so we're gonna just drop our boards, put our feet on the bolts,

put your hands on the handle bars.

KIRBY: Yup.

JAKE: Stay loose and just roll right in.

CHARLIE: Whoa!

JAKE: Perfect. Look at you guys. Experts.

CHARLIE: Wooh! I wanna go bigger.

JAKE: Let's go bigger CHARLIE: Let's go bigger.

JAKE: Alright. CHARLIE: Alright.

JAKE: Risk for the reward. You got this. This is a true drop in.

CHARLIE: Ugh. KIRBY: Ahh.

CHARLIE: Ohh. Ahh.

JAKE: How are you doing?

CHARLIE: I'm ok. I'm still alive.

I hit my jaw on that one, but my teeth are still good.

And I know what I gotta do next time, don't lean back.

Let's do it. JAKE: You got this.

CHARLIE: Yeah Jake, you're right.

Let's go guys.

Weird but True, the brain of action sports athletes is flooded with dopamine

when they're performing.

It's a feel good drug that your brain produces that helps you process things like fear

and anxiety, stuff like that.

I think that's what's happening to me right now,

because this guy doesn't really hurt too much.

Let's get back at it.

Alright guys, take two.

JAKE: There it is!

KIRBY: That was so much closer!

JAKE: That was way better! CHARLIE: A little better.

KIRBY: You got it man, you got it.

This!

CHARLIE: Ugh. JAKE: Yes!

KIRBY: You got down! JAKE: You're right there!

CHARLIE: Ughh. JAKE: He's right there!

CHARLIE: We're so close!

JAKE: How bad do you want this right now? KIRBY: Yeah.

CHARLIE: I want this really bad. JAKE: Yeah.

CHARLIE: I haven't landed yet, but I gotta. I'm focused.

KIRBY: Getting closer every time.

CHARLIE: This is it.

KIRBY: You got it man, you got it.

Fear into focus. Fear for the reward! You got this!

JAKE: This is it. KIRBY: You got it Charles.

CHARLIE: Ohhhh!!! JAKE: Yeah!

KIRBY: Yeahhh!! CHARLIE: Wooh!

JAKE: Good job!

CHARLIE: Ohhhh. JAKE: Good drop in.

KIRBY: Good job! CHARLIE: Oh my gosh.

JAKE: Successful drop in.

CHARLIE: That was the tiniest little trick ever, but it feels so good!

JAKE: We have some dirt rollers.

How would you like to try rolling over those?

KIRBY: OK. CHARLIE: Kick it up a notch!

JAKE: We talked about mountain biking.

KIRBY: Yup.

JAKE: You do like mountain biking, mountain biking is

consisting of a lot of dirt riding.

So this'll be a mixture of both.

CHARLIE: What's the key to hitting these jumps...

KIRBY: Yeah. CHARLIE: And hitting the burn?

JAKE: You gotta hit some rollers to get to the jump. KIRBY: Ok.

JAKE: This is what builds the speed, builds your momentum,

and kind of builds your confidence at the same time.

CHARLIE: Do you sit down on the bike or do you stand up?

JAKE: You stand up. CHARLIE: Stand up.

Is she going just over all of them or is she trying to jump?

JAKE: Kind of like a dance move, she's gonna bend her knees and just go with it.

CHARLIE: Got it Kirb? KIRBY: We'll see.

JAKE: Yeah? Action sports is all about staying loose.

Even though we may look like we're, our tricks are ver... done very in a tight form,

we gotta be loose and agile to be able to perform the tricks.

KIRBY: Mhmm. CHARLIE: You can't like lock up.

JAKE: You can't lock up. CHARLIE: Lock up.

JAKE: Can't stiff up, you know?

KIRBY: Stay loose.

JAKE: We gotta just stay loose and stay focused.

KIRBY: Alright. JAKE: Alright you ready?

KIRBY: Yup.

CHARLIE: You got it Kirb! You got it!

JAKE: Here she goes!

Loose, loose, loose, loose, loose.

KIRBY: Super loose. CHARLIE: Yeah!

JAKE: There it is! That was pretty straight to me.

CHARLIE: Yeah.

JAKE: So do you feel like you could go faster?

KIRBY: I feel like I can maybe go faster.

JAKE: Do you feel like you could catch a little air?

KIRBY: Let's do it.

JAKE: What do you think about going in the foam pit?

KIRBY: That's kind of a lot bigger, but ok.

CHARLIE: I feel like that's the goal we gotta set.

JAKE: Yeah?

CHARLIE: Weird but True, in 1923 a man rode a bike down the Eiffel Tower steps.

So this should be no problem.

Right Kirb? Let's see it man!

JAKE: You got this. KIRBY: No problem.

JAKE: You're going to envision yourself going down the ramp and ending in the foam.

KIRBY: Yup.

JAKE: You're gonna make sure your pedals are level, your knees are bent,

and your arms are bent, and you're confident.

CHARLIE: Focus, focus.

JAKE: When you add all those together, perfect recipe.

CHARLIE: You got it Kirb! What's you goal?

KIRBY: Land in the foam pit! Here we go!

CHARLIE: Let's do it!

You got it, you got it, you got it, you got it!

Yeah!

JAKE: Yeah she did it! CHARLIE: Ahhhh.

JAKE: She did it! KIRBY: I did it!

CHARLIE: Yeah! Yeah! Way to go!

JAKE: Great job, great job!

CHARLIE: Wooh! How you feeling Kirb?

KIRBY: So good.

CHARLIE: I feel like I have a million ideas right now. My mind's racing!

KIRBY: We gotta get going.

CHARLIE: We gotta go back to HQ. Thanks Jake!

JAKE: You're welcome. KIRBY: Thanks so much. See you later.

JAKE: Nice to meet you both.

CHARLIE: Guys, we'll see you there!

KIRBY: Weird but True, in 1974 skateboarding was revolutionized when a guy

improved the wheels using parts from an old vacuum cleaner.

CHARLIE: Hey guys, welcome back!

Kirby's just wrapping up a few things.

KIRBY: And we're finished!

CHARLIE: We present to you: The Toast Coaster 5000!

Our official submission to Timmy Torrium's Toaster Emporium's Invention Convention.

KIRBY: We approached this whole thing like an extreme athlete approaches their sports.

Check it out.

CHARLIE: Like design engineers, we improved an existing product, the toaster.

In the form of extreme personalization.

KIRBY: It features independent levels to set your desired level of core and crust

toastiness as well as general smokiness.

CHARLIE: We also developed some new ideas too.

Instead of electricity, our toaster is powered by super magnets mounted onto that tiny

little rollercoaster.

KIRBY: The Toast Coaster 5000 is all based on goal setting theory.

You've got your general goal, make some toast, as for the high level of difficulty,

that's where these guys come in.

CHARLIE: The Burmese python and the bull shark use the concept of fear to ensure that

you take your toast out at the right time.

Take it out too early, the shark comes to life.

But if you take too long, you get a visit from the Burmese python.

Kirb, we're totally gonna win this thing.

KIRBY: Or we'll be disqualified for entering a bullshark.

CHARLIE: Either way we learned how to come up with an awesome idea!

What else did we learn today?

There were so many Weird but True things!

KIRBY: Action sports athletes say fear is a good thing

that keeps them performing at a high level.

CHARLIE: Not long ago people thought a flip was impossible on a motocross bike.

And today a guy can do three flips in a row.

What's up Kirb?

You submit the Toast Coaster 5000?

KIRBY: Yeah I did! And I met Timmy!

CHARLIE: Whoa no way!

KIRBY: Cool guy. He said something weird though.

He said, 'son it's not the toaster that makes the toast. It is the toaster!'

Like the person who's making the toast.

CHARLIE: That's weird. KIRBY: Yeah... Hey I'm hungry.

You know anything about baking?

CHARLIE: Nope! You grab a cookbook, I'll start researching some ingredients!

KIRBY: Got it!

CHARLIE: Alright, it looks like we've got another project on our hands today guys.

Thanks so much for coming by!

Stop by again when we discover more things that are weird...

KIRBY: But true! CHARLIE: We'll see you soon!

Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.