Originally Posted by BlindRobert
I just learned to do this in the last month or so - it helps me to not think of it as a series of steps (1. shift forward, 2. hop bike slightly, 3. jerk pedals, etc...) it is all sort of one motion. I had my first successful skip stop on wet pavement it really did help - once you feel it a single time it seems obvious.
From how you described your skidding, this is the recipe for destroying a hub. You definitely want to shift your weight forward. If anything, weight transfer is the key. You should NOT have to "hop" or anything like that, and "jerking" the pedals backwards is gonna strip a cog and/or eventually hurt your knees.
If you get your weight up front, it should be a very simple and smooth motion. You just have to stop pedaling.