Skateboard

Wednesday 31 August 2011

Origin

Skateboarding isn't very old, but no one knows exactly when the first board (and the concept) appeared. All that is known is the roots it shares with surf. It is said that skateboard was invented when the waves weren't good and the surfers want to keep practicing their moves.

The components

A board has three main components: the Deck ,the trucks and the wheels( wheels plus bearings).
The deck is the wooden board, made of several layers of wood, where the trucks are bound. In the deck is also taped the grip tape above it( that allows the feet to stand without drag ), and there is usual to have some kind of paint job and some special cover(optional), below it.

The trucks are the axis where the wheels are connected (through the bearings) to the deck. It is the trucks that allow the board to turn without lift the board.

Finally we have the wheels and bearings. The wheels are made of rubber and everyone knows what they are for... and the bearings are connected to the wheels allowing them to move.

It is now mentioned, but it is essential to have suitable and comfortable shoes.

The basics

Once you get the board (and the shoes) you need to find out which stance you ride.

Regular- means you have the left foot forward, between the middle of the board and the nose, and the right foot is backwards, and it is also the one which you will use to push.

Goofy- the opposite of regular

Mongo- it is when you use the front foot to push ( which made you to lose control)

Styles

Downhill- is all about speed, the objective is to to run at the highest speed possible and do the lowest time.

Freestyle- it consists in manipulate the board in a flat surface.

Vert skate- is all about gravity, it is practiced in ramps and consists in getting the highest possible and perform some of the most insane( that's positive) tricks. It is practiced in half-pipes, quarter-pipes and bowls( a kind of empty pool made for skateboarding)

Street skateboarding- consists in making use of anything on the environment around us.

Tricks

Ollie- the mother of all flat surface tricks, it consists in lifting the board by kicking it's nose against the floor, driving it through the air and land it.

180- it consists in turn the board 180 degrees with the body to the same side.

Pop shove it- it is the combination of the ollie and the 180, but without the rider to turn his body.

Grind- the rider perform and ollie and then land in the widest part of the trucks sliding on a rail, bench ...

Boardslide- now the deck is used to slide on the objects.

Kickflip- while in the air the rider kicks the side of the board down with the front foot, this made the board to flip on the horizontal axis.

Manual- the skater lift the nose or the tail of the board and and rides on one of the trucks as long as possible.


Links for everything!

Tony Hawk's 900
Manual
Rodney mullen Freestyle
Street/downhill


I Hope all of you have enjoyed!

Miguel Pedro