Thanks for all the informative and helpful suggestions. I do think my major hurdle is not physical but mental, since right as I'm about to attempt the skip my brain shoots out a panic signal that effectively inhibits anything I try. My hands are resting on the brake hoods, so my brain is constantly telling me "Use hand brakes instead."

Anyway, I may have to come to grips with the expression "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." I had managed to skip a couple times before, but I attribute them to flukes to the natural order of the universe, and not to my ability to control my bike.