Article - Extreme Sports - ActivPursuits.com

Skateboarding

Skateboarding is a term that can be used to describe several different and completely unique sports and pastimes, all of them involving the same 4-wheeled piece of equipment. From simply getting around town to doing incredibly complex tricks, skateboarding is by far the most popular

“Alternative” sport in existence. A huge majority of kids own a skateboard, or at least owned one in the past. What exactly is so great about a skateboard, and what are all of those kids doing on them?

You have most likely seen a skateboard before. However, there is more to it than just a small platform with 4 wheels. As technology has progressed, so has skateboard manufacturing to keep up with the times. The “truck” components mount the wheels onto the skateboard, and some of the more high-tech ones are able to absorb shock better, or allow for more efficient turning. There are many other optional accessories that can be added to skateboards, but are generally just added for the preservation of the board rather than any practical usage when riding.

The most basic use of a skateboard is to simply go places. In any neighborhood, you can usually see a few pre-teen kids riding along, on their way to the store or to a friend’s house. This is the most casual and non-competitive use of a skateboard, though there are competitive versions as well. There are some downhill skating competitions in which the participants will see who can get to the bottom of a hill fastest. The winners usually have very expensive boards that have been tweaked and modified to perfection.

Once a skateboarder has become proficient in simply rolling along, he can start to get into some of the more advanced aspects of skateboarding. This usually starts with a jump known as an “ollie”. The skateboarder taps down on one end of the skateboard, forcefully enough to bounce it into the air while he jumps above. It creates the impressive illusion that the skateboard is stuck to the feet of its rider, despite there being no attachments besides a grainy surface. This is usually the first trick that skateboarders try to master, but they grow much more complex.

Once the skateboarder has mastered the art of simply jumping with the skateboard, there is myriad of other tricks and flares that can be learned. These include more ground tricks and variations on the ollie. For example, the skateboarder might jump up and allow the skateboard to rotate or twist in the air before landing back on it. Halfpipes are also frequently enjoyed by skateboarders, who “drop in” on one side and propel themselves up the other side, doing a trick in the air before landing back in the curved pipe.

Other horizontal tricks can be performed. For example, a “grind” is when a skateboarder propels himself up to a ledge, pipe, rail, or ridge and slides along it on the actual board of the skateboard rather than the wheels. Other times, stalls are performed, which just require the skateboarder to tilt the board upwards and balance on only 2, and sometimes just 1, wheel.

Skateboards are contraptions that have a huge variety of possible uses. If you just go to a local skate park and watch the seasoned boarders, you will see that with proper practice, it is possible to learn some truly stunning techniques. So if you want to learn a sport that will get you into shape as well as impress those who see you, perhaps it is time that you pick up skateboarding.