take it from me, the only way is to keep trying. Go find your own "perfect Rail" which is in my opinion, defined by a long rail with smooth and level ground on each side, at a slight angle. This will be your practice rail. Never practice going up on high rails on stuff like stairs (where if you fall your foot could land wrong) or ones with ledges or other objsticales on a side you coudl fall into. Next, once you find your rail, just keep trying. Really it's almost all mental. I was afraid too before I just did it, and once I did i found out it wasn't bad.

My hints for landing, depending on your vert (i have a rather large vertical jump), you want to land almost straight. Meaning try to land so you are in an up and down position. The other way of course would be to hit the rail at an angle like \. or ./ and try to balance ur way to ! but this doesn't work.

Run near Parrallel with the rail, at a small angle and do a big jump and land straight on the rail. keep your feet shoulder width, and until you get handle doing this i would wait on busting out tricks. It's all mind games.

For me, i haven't taken a major bail yet, just bruised up my left shin about 5 times (it's like permanently bruised), hit my wrist on cement, scraped myself up, that stuff. If you are worried, WEAR SAFETY GEAR. At least until you are comfertable, it's better to wear a bunch of stuff and look dorky but to improve with SOAP than to look nice but be to scared to hit the rail.

Now, as for your friend, the main reason people get a rail between the leg is they did'nt bring their front or back foot far enough up and that foot missed. Tell him if he's scared for his family jewels, have him wear a cup or something.

Just remember, whatever injury you get, get it either on tape or pics, cuz those are your battle scars, wear them with pride lol. I don't think any soaper here who is serious and has been doing it for a while can boast they never got injured. It's a dangerous sport, but so are other things.

So to sum it up, find your perfect rail (it took me 5 hours to find mine), get some gear (helmet, elbow pads, knee pads, and if you keep on busting ur shin, maybe a shin gaurd, and a cup if you feel the need), approach the rail near parallel and make a good jump so you land straight on it. Once you do it a couple times, you should feel more and more comfertable with it.

Hope this rather lengthy post helps.

If its a relatively straight rail but high im fine for me its just angles, that scare me still, ever since I first started and I litterally flew off a rail horizontally after just landing on my back foot, it was a sweet fall but still scared of a repeat need to get over that.

My balance is fucking great lol, but i can't get right up to hip hieght rails :( I don't get over it but I'll take your advice and hopefully I'll make it soon.

SPSR, it's personal preference, although if you land back foot first you get more speed, front foot first you get more control, or that is what seems to be. I do front foot first.

Slidey, try this. Find a ledge that's hip height, and just practice jumping onto the ledge (no soaping, just jumping). Once you get confident enough that you can jump up onto them, Then try onto the rail. For me, i know my jumping ability, i can jump up to a ledge htat's at about the bottom of my rib cage heigh without hands, i have good leg muscles. Maybe even try working out, lift some weights and do leg exercises. Jumping up on rails is really the key ability, doing ground stuff doesn't compare much on vid to high railing. You can do it though!

SapAuthor, I can jump pretty high and i think it's more of how i get on the rail, now. as when i use my practice rail i set up in my yard i can jump about to where the middle of my ribb cage (im 5'11). but a rail about the same high or lower just tends to seem harder to jump on when it's not the practice rail in my yard.

hmm i just got back in its about 12 am right now and I felt like grinding tonight my fear didnt get me as much, dont know what it is well see tomorrow if we try and grind some stuff man... did this sweet rail by my old place, really long by that dentists office I showed you and my confidence is back, hopefully it will stay that way throughout school tommorow.

heh maybe we should hitup chris's school and have a distance contest like we used to do, no help involved, I hit 2 skyway rails today and my balance is pretty much back felt great, and I hit that big wooden round block by the jewelers in the skyway got yelled at by some old hag but whatever, lets get some grinding done.