The Secrets Revealed
How to Skate Ebook
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1 - Intro- My Story………………………………………………………......…….3
Chapter 2 - Four Pinnacles of Skating.………………………………………………….5
Chapter 3 - Finding Skate Parks…………………………………………………………….6
Chapter 4- Determining the Right Stance……………………………………………..7
Chapter 5 - Learning the Basics of Skateboarding…………………….……..……8
Chapter 6 – Proper Equipments for Skateboarding…………….………………12
Chapter 7 – Skateboarding Terminologies………………………………………….15
Chapter 8 – Motivation………………………………………………………………………16
You made a great choice to sign up for skate lessons! You are going to learn a lot of new tricks
and most importantly have fun. This guide was created to supplement your lessons and help
you learn! Follow the guidelines and techniques, step-by-step, and you are assured to progress
in skateboarding. This document will be your guide for equipment, jargon, and trick advice.
Chapter 1
INTRO-MY BEGINNER FRUSTRATION
It was the summer of 1997, I had never been more bruised in my life. The left-overs of my school
vacation were scabs on my elbows, bruises on my shins, and tired legs. While other kids were at the
beach, building sandcastles and throwing frisbees, I was in my driveway where I was practicing for my
dream of learning how to skateboard.
There was one problem. My friends were better at skating than me. I desperately wanted to keep up
enough to skate with them. I was so embarrassed I avoided the skate park. I feared getting laughed at.
I had a feeling something seperated the park skaters from me. I didn't feel like I could do anything right
on the board. I would fall on turns, ollies, and any attempt of going down a ramp.
My dream to skateboard led to endlessly searching the internet for tips. I ended up buying two
skateboarding trick tip videos, a local video and a video from Thrasher Magazine. I was so excited to
finally get the secrets to skateboarding! I was so motivated that I watched the videos everyday for
over 30 days!
Immediately after watching, I would go outside and practice. I tried everything they said word-for-word.
After over a month of trying everyday for hours, I became frustrated with the lack of progress.
On my ollies (a trick you lift all four wheels with), I could hardly lift the back to wheels off the ground.
My style was sloppy, and I still wasn't ready for the park. At this time, I was practicing 2-3 hours a day,
alone.
One day in the sixth grade, I saw three kids skateboarding fast, grinding curbs, and doing kickflips(full flip
of the board in the air) in front of the school. They were very good. I asked my friend Alex, "These kids
are amazing! They are grinding, and get so much air on their ollies. Who are they?"
"They're sponsored," Alex replied.
"Sponsored? You mean like paid to skateboard by companies."
"Yeah, they ride for a local skateboard shop called, Wheels and Waves. They do competitions and
demos all over the state. They're good man."
"Wow. I've got to be good like that someday." I said.
"You want me to go introduce you?"
I agreed and we walked over. Next thing I know, I was witnessing, 11 inch high heelflips and fakie
kickflips right next to me. Wow! Dan, Josh, and Matt were sponsored and told me they skated
everyday at the skatepark. (The place I had desperately tried to avoid.) They invited me to come and
see their sponsored demonstration at the park that weekend. There was going to be free products
giveways, pros, and lots of sponsored skateboarders to watch.
Astonished by their moves, I agreed and went to the demonstration that weekend. At the demo and
over the next couple weeks, Matt and I grew close and he asked me to go skating with him. I told Matt,
"You know I'm not very good. I skate a lot, but I've never actually skated the park."
"That's okay. My favorite terrain is flatground. I have a flat driveway which is smooth and has a small
jump ramp and rail. My Mom won't be home and there will be no cars around. It's the perfect place to
learn! Do you want to go skate it tomorrow?
Knowing this was at his house, I felt a bit more comfortable. "Sure! That would be great!"
The next day after school, we skated over his house. I got on my board and showed him what I could
do. The first trick up was the ollie. I bent my knees into my chest, held my arms out and popped an ollie
off the tail of the board.
"Nice job, but try lifting your back foot more, sucking it up into your stomach when you jump. Also, the
reason why your ollies are not lifting the back of the board is your shoulders. What you are doing is
dropping your back shoulder. It's a very common problem for beginners. You need to keep you
shoulders level from the set-up to the landing," Advised Matt.
I got back on the board, put my feet into position, bent down, kept my shoulders level and ollied again.
"Wow!" I gasped enthusiastically. "That was my best ollie ever. My wheels were level. Seriously, I have
practiced this for hours and I have never done that before!"
"Yup, that's because you kept your shoulder level. I've actually got another tip for you, because right
now you are ollieing about 4 inches high. If you want to be able to do tricks like the heelflip and the
kickflip, you need to get 6-8 inch ollies," Matt said. "Try putting more delay between your pop and the
slide of the front foot forward. Right now, you are too quick, and it's not giving the board enough time
to go high."
Once again, I following Matt's instructions. It was very difficult to break my mold though. I tried and
tried, but it was difficult due to months of skating incorrectly. After many tries, I finally did it! I put in
the delay Matt instructed. "Wow! " I said. "I have never improved this much so quickly. In just one day,
you have fixed my shoulder positioning and now have double the size of my ollie. This is incredible!"
"It's very simple. Many people think of skateboarding as luck. Unfortunately, they think of us as crazy
kids who get hurt all of the time. The truth is, skateboarding isn't trial and error. It's a science. "
"It's a science?!" I chuckled.
"Yeah man. It is about pressure, timing, foot positioning, and landing. The mastering of all four in
combination can help you master any trick."
Matt continued, " Every flip of the board is triggerred by pressure to an exact point on the board. Every
trick has a precise foot positioning. Like this..." He showed the positioning for a kickflip.
"That's crazy Matt. How come know one knows this?" I said.
"People do know this, but it's mostly the pro's and sponsored skaters. Some of them don't wan't to
teach skaters it because it could threaten their career," Matt explained.
Wow! I thought. Matt had just completely changed my perspective of skating in one day.
Skateboarding is a science and I was determined to now start trying it taking into consideration his four
scientific variables. pressure, foot positioning, balance, and weight distribution.
Over the next few months, I began to progress rapidly. The more I began to skate with Matt, the more i
would learn. I soon picked up pop shuvits, fakie ollies, 180's, and then eventually kickflips and heelflips.
Matt shared advice on many tricks and coached me through all of the intermediate tricks. After three
months, I finally boosted my confidence enough to enter the skate park! Gosh, I had no idea how much
fun I was missing.
Matt and I grew close, and I began going to all of his competitions. For a few months, I watched and
noted how to put together a winning competition run. I noticed that the successful skaters were those
who use most of the park, and put together a flawless run of the most difficult tricks possible.
Towards the end of the season, Matt convinced me to compete in the competition. I was nervous
because I had never been to a skatepark only a few months earlier. I combined my notes about putting
together good contest runs and Matt's tips to get third place in my first competition! It earned my a
spot on the local skate team. I earned my first sponsorship!
I was really living my dream! I was in middle school and most people don't get their dreams until after
college. It was great. I went home after the contest and told my parent all about my latest
accomplishments. They received it with a little bit of congratulations, but unfortunately, they weren't
nearly as enthusiastic. "Do you know that very few people actually make a lot of money in
skateboarding?" my Mom said.
"No Mom. My friend Matt skateboards and makes over $600 a month! He's only thirteen. And Tony
Hawk is a millionaire. The point is skateboarding is like any other sport that kids are doing like football,
soccer, or baseball. Plus, those kids aren't having as much fun and aren't getting paid." I responded.
"Skateboarding is great because you don't have to rely on the performance of your teammates. You can
practice whenever you want. You don't have those freedoms in team sports."
"Okay, i am proud of you, just don't get your hopes up to much in this," said my Mom.
-----After this point, I could not get enough of skateboarding. I kept skating every day. I was in love with the
science of skateboarding. In 2006, I opened my first skate school and began teaching other kids. A few
years later, I started the first nationwide school for skateboarding.
In the following pages, I am going to share some of the most powerful tips I have learned.
-------
Taking 180 Tries to Land a Trick
Jim Greco, one of Reynold’s teammates, is documented in interviews talking about the number of tries
and run-ups he does before landing a trick. He had video documents with several hard tricks he has
attempted to land with at least 130-180 tries prior to landing it. Greco accounts his persistence to his
success but also the vision he holds in his mind of himself landing that trick.
Speaking about persistence, this remind me of a story about a California Gold Miner. This man bought a
plot of land to mine gold. After several weeks, he was disappointed by that he was no longer finding
gold. He dug a little further and still found nothing. He proclaimed to his friends the land was a waste
and had no more gold in it. Eventually, he gave up! The miner sold his equipment to a junkman for
only $2000 (much less than the actual value).
The junkman had no idea about gold so he hired a specialist to tell him about gold before ditching the
equipment. The specialist told him the gold runs in veins and that the miner poked through a vein. The
specialist explained, “If you go back and dig three feet from where the miner dug, you will find gold.”
Sure enough, the junkman found gold, lots of it! He found millions of dollars of gold and become one of
the richest men in California! The purpose is this story is the importance of not giving up! Don’t give up
on the 129th try. You may be three feet from gold! Seek the advice of a professional and strike it rich!
CHAPTER 2
THE FOUR PINNACLES OF SKATEBOARDING
Earlier we talked about four scientific aspects of skating are foot placement, pressure, timing, and
landing. When learning any new trick, there are a lot of techniques to learn and to practice. One way we
have consistently expedited the trick-learning process is by breaking the process into four parts. There
are four sectors of every trick (the kickflip, Ollie, pop shuvit, even the 900) We call them the four
pinnacles of skate tricks. In order the four pinnacles are
The Four Pinnacles:
-Foot placement
-Pressure
-Timing
-Landing
Foot placement must be right before doing anything else.
Foot placement makes sure that prior to the trick your feet are in the correct spots to add pressure. The
is one complication to foot placement- Grip tape. Varying brands of griptape and vary levels of
stickiness. If the trick you are doing require sliding your foot, you will need to make the adjustment. For
example with sticky grip, you want to start your foot positioning closer to the pressure point. With less
sticky grip, you want to start further away from the pressure point.
The difference in foot placement is usually little (less than one inch) however if you change grip tapes
and don't make the small adjustment, you will fall more. When buying new grip, it is best to stick with
the same brand of grip tape. Your feet and mind are already familiar with it.
Proper pressure will determine how high your board will pop.
Pressure refers to how hard you push on the board. Pressure applies to your front and back feet.
Usually with tricks like the ollie and kickflip, your back foot initiates pressure in the tail of the board. The
"pop" is when the tail of the board hits the ground.
The second part of pressure is the weight you place into the front foot. The front foot is more often
used to tell the board what to do. Depending on the pressure point, the front foot can make the board,
pop shuvit, kickflip, heelflip, or ollie all while the back foot should remain in the same place. I will refer
to these parts as pressure points. A pressure point is a target where you want to aim your front foot in
order to do a trick. For example with an ollie, the pressure point is exactly in the center of the nose of
the board. When the pressure point is hit, the most powerful and perfect ollies are executed.
With an ollie and kickflip, the pressure points are both on the nose of the skateboard. The pressure
point for the kickflip, is slightly behind the pressure point for the ollie by 25%.
Here is a diagram to clarify:
We will cover more pressure point later as we go trick by trick.
Timing controls overflipping or underflipping your tricks.
Timing means how quickly between actions your feet move. Most skate tricks require two actions. The
first action is your back foot and the second action is your front foot. The timing between these two
actions is critical.
Let me give you an example, let's say I am going to do a kickflip. My first action is to briskly push into
the tail with my backfoot. My second action is a kick of the front foor to the kickflip pressure point. If I
make the kick to the pressure point to quickly after the first action, the board will either not flip all of
the way, or not give me enough height or control to land.
If I stretch the timing out too long, the board will end up over flipping and possibly doing a flip and a half
or more. There is a sweet spot for timing in each trick. The exact timing depends on how hard your
pop is. This is often the hardest thing for beginners to understand.
Starting out, give the timing some practice. Try adjusting the timing slower and quicker. NOTE: Timing
should only be experimented with after foot positioning and pressure points are perfected.
-------------All four pinnacles are equally important. No skater will become great by only know three of the
pinnacles. Foot placement will affect pressure. Pressure will effect timing, and timing will affect the
landing. It is a chain of events so you want to make sure you have mastered the first pinnacles before
continuing.
The four pinnacles are so accurate that they work every time. When a skater has mastered all four,
he/she is no longer needs to experiment with anything, but has arrived at a certain technique that works
every time. If you are landing kickflips, three out of every ten tries, you have not mastered the four
pinnacles. You have only mastered the four pinnacles when you are executing the trick at least every
nine out of ten tries.
In the Expert skaters, after years of practice, will get the four pinnacles in their subconscious; Thereby,
enabling them to do many tricks without looking or without falling. The further you are able to engrave
these four principles on your subconscious, the better of a skater, you will become.
The Importance of Peers and Practice
Paul Rodriguez, a paid professional skater since he was 13 years old, has been asked how he became so
talented so quickly. In explaining, Paul attributed his success to the people who he surrounded himself
with. Before and after school, Paul would skate his fun box in his driveway. Paul became connected
to some of the top skateboarders in the San Fernando Valley (like Jerome Wilson and eventually Kareem
Campbell). He would skate with these skaters who were much better than him everyday, 30-40 hours in
a week.
Shaun White grew up in Encinitas, California and took his first lessons from Go Skate. After lessons
Shaun says, “From growing up, I knew all the vert skaters like Bob Burnquist, Kevin Staab and Bucky
Lasek.”
The help and encouragement of those peers helped excel Shaun into the X-Games fame.
Not everyone had the ability to skate with pro’s growing up. PJ Ladd, a professional skater for Plan B, is
the son of an auto-mechanic in Boston, Massachusetts. Ladd, virtually unknown until a video released
called PJ Ladd’s Wonderful Horrible Life, has now had parts in eS Footwear and Flip Skateboards videos.
PJ is known for his technical and smooth tricks. Growing up in the cold Massachusetts winters did not
seem to affect Ladd. He converted his Dad’s garage called, Ladd’s Auto Repair into a place to skate. PJ
took advantage of the garage and built a box to skate. He practiced several hours every day and night
with his friends. In a Transworld Interview, PJ attributed much of his success to his practice in the
Garage.
Whether you are just getting started or you are a veteran skateboarder, knowledge of the four pinnacles
of skateboarding will help you. Remember the importance of visualization, persistency, peers and
practice. May you excel greatly in skateboarding. If you want to learn the four pinnacles of every trick
that you try, let a Certified Go Skate Instructor give you a hands-on lesson at your local skatepark. That
is the quickest way to success!
CHAPTER 3
SKATE PARKS
History
The world's first skate park was built in 1976. The construction of parks was slow through the
rest of the 80's. However since 1990, the amount of skateboard parks in the U.S. has more
than quadrupled to over 2,500 throughout the United States with about 500 in Canada. A
majority of these parks are public facilities without supervision while less than 15 % are private.
Since 2006, skateboarding has seen a rise in so-called, skate plazas. Skate plazas are places to
skate which are replicas of real-life streets, plazas, with stairs, and hand rails. Often there are
no bowls or half pipes at skate plazas.
The plazas have been a hit with the youngest generation of skateboarders who did not grow up
skating pools but in the streets. It is favored by "street skaters" of all ages
What you must know about private parks.
By a rule of thumb, if a park is indoors, it is generally private. At private skateparks, there is
generally supervision and stricter enforcement of pad and helmet rules. At many of these
parks, you will be required to sign a liability waiver. When planning to skate at a private skate
park, be sure to check their website first for session times. Most private skateparks have
session of 2-3 hours long and charge $8-15 per session.
Unfortunately, there is high turnover rate to private parks. Even some of the most well-known
private skate parks have had to close their doors as the amount of public parks increases. In
2006, the famous, Skater Island, in Middletown Rhode Island, closed it's doors when nearby
towns which opened free skate parks. The park found it difficult to keep their doors open
during the warm summer months. Kids not only liked being able to skate outside, but some
favores that the public parks didn't cost money, or require safety gear.
How to Find a Skate Park
Finding skate parks can sometimes be difficult. Using a search engine, like Google, to find skate
parks around you can sometimes be inaccurate and or difficult. However, there are several
sites which you can find the most updated and detailed descriptions as well as photos of local
skate parks. ConcreteDisciples.com is the most complete database on the internet for parks.
They have more photos and details than any other site. Unfortunately, they do not always have
all parks listed. Goskate.com has a database of over 2,000 local skateparks with maps. Another
great site is Skateboardpark.com. They have a large listing of parks but with seemingly less
photos than ConcreteDisciples.com.
Before visiting a park, be sure to call the town recreation department or skate park office to
check the most recent hours and rules. Some parks have rules requiring pads and helmet.
Unless you live in California where state skatepark law is enforced by heavy fines. Often the
skate park websites do not display the most current hours or rules.
.
Notable Skate Parks:
Kona Skate Park, Jacksonville, FL - The Oldest Private Skate Park in the US
Drydek Skate Plaza, Kettering, OH - The First Skate Plaza in History
Playstation Skate Park, London UK - One the Oldest and Largest Parks in UK
Louisville Skate Park, Louisville KY - The Largest Public Skate Park with a Full Pipe
Vans Skate Parks, malls throughout the US - Some of the Largest Private Facilities
Carlsbad Skate Park, Carlsbad, CA - Oldest Public Skate Park in the World
Skatepark Websites:
Skateboardpark.com - One of the largest directories of parks.
Concretedisciples.com - The most photos of skate nationwide skate parks.
Goby.com - Sort parks by zip code proximity
WHERE ELSE TO SKATEBOARD?
As a beginner, try to find open and quiet areas of concrete or pavement at a park, driveway,
cul-de-sac, or school. Look for areas with new pavement or concrete as it is often smoother.
Be careful; the bearings on a skateboard can be loud on rough pavement and make it hard to
hear nearby cars.
If you are just riding your board for transportation people nearby will be accepting of you riding
the board. Often, if you are hanging out in one area for a period of time and making noise they
will usually ask you to leave. Most cities have an ordinance outlawing the use of skateboards
for transportation and tricks. The level of enforcement depends on the city. If you have
questions, you should contact your local police department. Most city police departments will
respond only to complaints about noise or trespassing.
Skate Spot Finding Websites:
Skateboardspots.com - The most skate spot listings of any site
Skatespots.net - A huge zoomable map with worldwide skatespots
SKATEBOARD VIDEOS AND MUSIC
Videos are a cornerstone to skateboarding. As the Super Bowl is anticipated by football fans,
skate video releases are anticipated by skaters. When new videos are released, it thrills skaters
to see the latest accomplishments of the favorite skaters. Skate videos are a culmination of
talent. arts, and music.
Over history, skateboarding videos have changed dramatically. In the 70's skateboarding was
still close to it's Southern California surfing roots. It was iconic of punk rock and alternative
rock music through the late 80's and 90's. Bands like Pennywise, Bad Religion, MXPX, and NoFX
were representative of a large part of the skate scene. This sparked the founding of the
popular music and extreme sports event, The Warped Tour. An event which travels to over 20
cities throughout the city and has skateboarders and punk music.
Although The Warped Tour still exists, punk music has faded. Punk has replaced with a mixture
of hip hop, classic rock, and alternative. Perhaps one of the most famous recent skater bands is
CKY. A band made famous by skateboarder and MTV Jackass star, Bam Margera.
Notable Skate Videos
Dogtown and Z Boys-The most comprehensive film on skateboarding's early days
Mouse, Girl Skateboards - The beginner of hand rail skating
Dying to Live, Zero Skateboards - Jamie Thomas skates some of the largest spots.
The End, Birdhouse Skateboards- Tony Hawk's company video which includes a fire
skateboarding section.
Yeah Right, Girl Skateboards - A medley of skate parts from some of the most recognized
names.
411VM - The most well-known video magazine, published quarterly.
Chapter 4
DETERMINING THE RIGHT STANCE
The first thing you need to determine before you begin skating is your stance. By choosing the
correct stance and sticking to it, it will help you pick up skating.
Step 1: Determine your stance
If your left foot is forward you are regular.
If your right foot is forward you are goofy.
Walk up to your skateboard and stand with one foot in the middle and the other foot on the
tail. Which foot is in front? Goofy stance means the right foot is in front and the left foot is the
back foot (or pushing foot) . Regular stance mean the left foot is in the front of the board, and
the right foot is used for pushing. Regular stance is the most common stance (about 70% of
skaters are regular stance).
Stance is entirely up to you. Try what feels most comfortable to you.
Surfing USA?
If you have ever surfed or snowboarded before, your stance would be the same as in these
sports. If you have ever played soccer, the foot you feel more comfortable kicking with is
usually the back foot. If you are left-handed you are more likely to be goofy. No pun intended!
Where you put your feet makes all the difference.
Before you ride a skateboard, you need to know where to put your feet on the board! There
are exact locations on the board your feet need to be! Riding a skateboard is not like riding a
scooter where your feet can be put anywhere. An inch of bad placement can make you fall!
With proper placement, you will allow you to do almost any trick you would like!
Skateboard Map
First, we need to show you how to find the front and back of the skateboard! Believe it or not,
each skateboard is uniquely designed with a steeper nose than tail. The easiest way to find the
front is to look at the graphics. The alignment of text and graphics will usually show you which
end is the front. Some skateboarders, prefer to make a mark on their grip tape so that they won’t have
to flip the board over every time they step on the board. Other skaters, write on their griptape in
marker.
How to put your front foot so that you don't fall
•
Look at the eight bolts on top of the skateboard. There are four on each side. These
bolts will be your foot’s best friend! Your front foot should cover 3 of the 4 bolts. This
means your foot will be at a slight angle. The only bolt left uncovered will be the upper
bolt which is closest to your heel.
Make sure your entire foot is on the flat part of the board. If a small part of your shoe is on the
nose, it could spell disaster when you try to push! Lastly, pretend there is a line down the
center of the board… Is half of you foot in front of that line and half behind? If your toes are
hanging over the front, but heel is not over the back you are too far forward! The middle of
your feet need to stay in the middle of the board.
One of the most common problems for beginners is the ANGLE OF THE FRONT FOOT! If it feels
awkward to push, or you lose balance pushing, you will need to increase the angle! If your foot
is only covering two bolts, you do not have ENOUGH of an angle!
Chapter 5
LEARNING THE BASICS OF SKATEBOARDING
PUSHING
Pushing should be done with the back foot. Pushing from the front the front is less efficient, a
safety concern, and just looks plain awkward! I know plenty of good skaters who have learned
to push the skateboard with their front foot and they will tell you it is a VERY HARD habit to
break. DO NOT attempt to push with the front foot at any time. This is called “pushing
mongo.”
If you feel natural pushing as described above, you need to reevaluate your stance (regular vs
goofy).
Keep your weight over your front foot
The most important thing to remember is to keep your weight balanced over your front foot!
Your body needs to be committed to the skateboard.
If you take your balance off of your front foot, YOU WILL FALL, and you will not feel comfortable
on the board. THE MOST COMMON BEGINNER PROBLEM: shifting the weight from the front
foot to the back foot when pushing.
During the pushing, your whole back foot will quickly touch the ground. HOWEVER, the
momentum is gained by push off of the balls of the feet. You may push once or 25 times (ITS
UP TO YOU) . Going up hills, you will be pushing more. When heading down slopes, sometime
you will not need to push at all! When you have finished pushing, quickly place your back foot
back on the board.
The Best Ways to Stop
Jumping off of the skateboard is NOT the recommended way to stop.
The Dragging Method
Move you back foot so that it is touching the side of the board (where the griptape ends). Slide
the toes of your foot all the way to the ground. While moving, and keeping your weight
committed to the board, you want to drag the inside of your back foot on the ground. If you
are doing it correctly, the outside of your biggest toe should be the area touching the ground.
The Non-Dragging Method or "The Backwards Push"
A more difficult stopping method used by more advanced skaters. It involves briefly putting
your back foot on the ground several times heel-first at the front of the board like a boardslowing push.
How to Turn Easily
For a small change in direction, lean.
For a small change in direction, lean on either your toes or heels. However, for a larger change
in direction, a turn will be needed. Turning the board is done by moving the front two wheels
of the skateboard. This is done by putting light pressure on the tail of the skateboard. To turn
to in front of you (called a backside turn –yes it’s called backside even though it’s in front!), put
weight on the toes of your back foot in the front half of the tail. To turn behind you, (called a
front side turn) put your weight on the heel and press down on the back half of the tail.
The front two wheels do not have to be lifted very high. In fact, some skaters even drag their
wheels when turning (never leaving contact with the ground).
Chapter 6
HOW TO’S: SKATEBOARDING TRICKS
Before we get into skateboarding tricks, I am going to tell you
something that is going to surprise you.
Ready?
A majority of skateboarders problems are in their upper body.
Yes, a lot of skaters think that the problem with their skating is in their board,
feet, or legs. Actually, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In the following
trick tips, I am going to explain the positioning of your shoulders, arms, and
upper body weight for each trick.
TIC TACKING
Tic tacking is a just as important as learning to turn. Tic tacks will help you get your wheels over
obstacles, propel the board up curbs, and prevent you from falling. Tic tacking is essential for
everyday transportation.
•
Your stance should be spread wide for a tic tack. Your feet should be half on the both
the nose and tail. Proper speed is essential for the tick tack. It is a trick that is all about
planning and timing!
•
Press straight down on the tail of the board. Lift the front wheels to clear an obstacle
(like a sidewalk crack)
•
Then, quickly, just as the front two wheels clear the crack, place them down.
•
As soon as the front two wheels touch the ground, press down on the nose to lift the
back two wheels enough to clear the object. Then bring the wheels back down. If you
are having trouble with this trick, try it stationary. Once mastered, try it moving, and
experiment with different speeds to get down the correct timing!
GOING OFF SMALL, CURB-SIZE DROPS
Drops are easy from most people to learn after the tick tack, because it only involves lifting the
front of the board. Drops, like tic tacks, are ALL ABOUT TIMING!
•
Approach a curb drop off, with enough speed to make your front wheels and back
wheels be airborne then touch the ground at the same time. To do this, place your back
foot half on the tail (where the board goes up).
•
Just before the front two wheels go off the curb, press your weight down slightly on
the tail so that for a split second you will be balancing on only your back two wheels
(easier done). Keep your weight centered over your back foot. Do not let your front
wheels touch the ground as you back wheels are still on the curb. DO NOT put your
weight over the forward foot. That will lead you to falling!
Tip: Do not ride your board after a rain or snow storm. It will rust the bearings and
cause your wheels to hesitate or stop rolling.
OLLIE
The History
In 1976, Alan Gelfand, nicknamed "Ollie", while skateboarding in pools and bowls learned to
perform no-handed aerials using a gentle raising of the nose and scooping motion to keep the
board with the feet.
In 1982, while competing in the Rusty Harris contest in Whittier, California, Rodney Mullen
debuted an ollie on flat ground, which he had adapted from Gelfand's vertical version by
combing the motions of some of his existing tricks. Notably, Mullen used a "see-saw" motion,
striking the tail of the board on the ground to lift the nose, and using the front foot to level the
board in mid-air. While Mullen was not initially impressed with his flat ground ollie, and did not
formally name it, he realized it opened up a second, elevated plane on which to perform tricks.
Mullen's flat ground ollie is now considered to have transformed the practice of skateboarding.
Rodney won the Rusty Harris con prop test, was afterwards asked by many riders to demonstrate
the trick, and later in the year it would appear with the name "Ollie- pop" as a "trick tip" in the
skateboarding magazine Thrasher.
Did you know? The Ollie was invented the same year that the world’s first
skate park was built in Carlsbad, CA in 1976.
Why is the Ollie so Important?
The flat ground ollie technique is strongly associated with street skateboarding; mini ramp and
vert riders can also use this technique to gain air and horizontal distance from the coping, but
half-pipe riders typically rely more on the board's upward momentum to keep it with the rider,
more similar to Gelfand's original technique.
One of the most exciting parts of learning how to skate is getting the board into the air. When
pushing and turning have been mastered, the next step is learning some tricks. The ollie is the
base root of over 100 tricks in skateboarding.
Before you start
You should feel comfortable with the transportation basics of skateboarding. It is also essential
that you learn how to tic tac effectively.
Pre-Ollie Exercise
Press down on the tail of the board, bringing the front up. Rest on the tail, stay balanced, and
come back down.
Do this 15 times prior to learning how to Ollie. *See a short video of the Pre-Ollie exercise.
Ready to Ollie
To learn how to ollie, first start in either gravel or grass. This will take the focus off of rolling and
balance and into the formation and process of the trick.
• To start, get used to lifting the front of the board up. This would, essentially be like
doing a short manual. After practicing this several times in the grass, then get used to taking
the board from flat position to all of the weight on the tail. Your front two wheels should be
as high up as the can go. After doing this, continue trying to do this quicker and quicker
while pushing the front foot forward. The key is to roll your front ankle while doing this.
The
grip
tape
should
touch
the
side
of
your
pinky
toe
•
Eventually getting to the point where you are putting effort into quickly bring the board
to Position 1 of the ollie. Position 1 has the front two wheels as high as they can go and
the tail touching the ground.
•
The next step is to take the board into Position 2. Position 2 means the entire board will
be airborne and flat. In this position, nothing should be touching the ground. The
hardest part is learning the transition from Position 1 to position 2. This is all about
timing and rolling the ankle.
•
Position 1 will only be for a fraction of a second. If you are keeping the tail touching the
ground, you are trying to keep it there too long. The tail should simply pop off of the
ground. This will make a popping sound (especially once your are on the pavement).
After hearing, the pop, drag your front foot directly forward to the nose. Keep in mind
to what until the board lifts high enough in the front, prior to doing so.
Help!
I landed on the board with one foot.
When you first get started, one footed landings are common. They are caused by a lack
of confidence in the landing and not getting high enough in the air. Break down the
Ollie into step one and step two. Only work on step one (tapping the tail without regard
for lifting the board off of the ground) until you are confident in it.
My board flies out from under me.
Your weight is off balance. You need to make sure that your weight is equally
distributed between your front and back foot. While balancing, keep your shoulders
level.
Often falling backwards and pushing the board outward means you are dropping your
back shoulder. Adjust your weight properly.
REALITY CHECK: Your first day, you are not going to be able to Ollie 12 inches. It is likely
that your first Ollie will be one or two inches. In order to improve, you will need to build
your confidence with more power and delay. You do this through practicing.
RAMP SKATING
Keep your feet in the green safe zones. Always cover up all four bolts on both sides.
Example of a kid in the danger zone
What is he doing wrong?
-His stance isn't wide enough. He needs to put his feet on the bolts.
-His front shoulder is too high. In preparation for going down the ramp, he needs to drop it
lower than his back shoulder.
-He needs to bend his knees more. If he falls, like this, it will hurt more since he will fall
from a higher point. Also, straight legs can't absorb surface changes as easy as bent knees.
Example of proper technique in a Go Skate student
The above student has his knees bent well and feet positioned in the safe zones. His arms are out
and, most importantly, his front shoulder is dropped lower than his back. Notice how each of his
shoulders are positioned over each foot?
180 SHUVIT
The shuvit is one of the first skateboard tricks. Commonly,
beginners learn it as one of their first tricks. The first shuvit you
do will be difficult. However, once you follow this process and
practice you will be able to land it every nine out of ten tries.
The shuvit types:
-Pop Shuvit Versus Shuvit.
A pop shuvit is when the tail hits the ground on the trick.
A shuvit is when the 180 is done by a scoop and no ground contact.
For beginners, you first want to learn the shuvit (scoop version). It will be
easier to control.
-Frontside Shuvit
-Backside Shuvit
In each shuvit, the board spins 180. In the backside shuvit, the
board spins in front of you while in a frontside shuvit, the rotation
is behind you.
Pre-Pop Shuvit Exercise #1: Leaving your back foot on the
ground, place your backfoot on the tail. Try a scooping motion
(how to scoop in the next line) with that foot in order to do a 180
of the board.
-Press down slightly (but not enough to touch the tail to the
ground) and bring the tail towards you.
-Do not try to land on the board. Focus on learning the amount
or pressure needed to rotate a 180.
-Once you have successfully done 15, Congratulations! You are
ready to try the shuvit.
One of the common problems in the pop shuvits is to stay still as
your board rotates. You will need to trick your mind to overcome.
To do this, practice your shuvits up against a wall or a fence. Hold
on to the wall as you practice the trick which will help by reducing
your body’s rotation.
Help!
I landed on the shuvit with one foot.
You need to commit to the trick. Trying the trick while hold onto a
wall, may boost your confidence and help you. The good news is
you are almost there! Almost everybody has been in your position.
You are very close to learning shuvits.
The board flies out, and I can’t land.
This is a problem caused either by sucking your legs up high enough
or keeping your weight equally distributed over both feet. Make
sure both shoulders are staying level the entire time of execution.
Once you’ve mastered the backside shuvit, try the frontside shuvit.
THE 180 OLLIE
Before you can learn the 180 ollie you should feel comfortable
with the Ollie. For this trick, you are going to need to be able to
Ollie 7-8” high. This height is necessary to get the full 180
degree rotation.
Most skateboarders learn the frontside 180 ollie first. There is
no correct order; although, a few skaters learn the backside 180
first.
Pre-180 Ollie Exercise: To start focus on doing 90 degree ollies.
This will be particularily helpful for those who haven’t solidified
their ollies yet.
Watch this video to see in action
For the 180 you will want your feet in about the same positioning as for
the Ollie. Some people find that it helps with the turning if they angle
their front foot by about 20 degrees.
For the 180 ollie, you want to first get a solid pop off of the ground.
After a quick delay, you will slide your front foot up the board but to
your heel-side.
You will use your head to guide your body in the rotation process. Look
over your front shoulder. This is the most secret tip that many other
so-called “gurus” never mention. As you turn your neck it begins an
upper body turn which helps you rotate. Also, it is crucial to see where
you are landing (in not just the 180 but in any trick). With the head
over the shoulder, it is much easier to spot.
The best form for the 180 ollie
You should reach 90 degrees when you are at the height of your Ollie.
The remaining rotation will come from you momentum of you board
and upper body. As you begin to come down, take your back foot off
of the tail and move it to the bolts.
How to land the 180 ollie perfectly
Just before you touch the ground, you should have both feet on the
bolts. Your shoulders should be level and positioned over your feet. If
you are landing with one side before the other, it means that your
shoulders are not level.
When your wheels touch the ground, you should look in the direction
you are going. You are now going backward (or “switch”).
Congratulations! You just conquered one of the hardest beginner
tricks.
How to take the 180 one step further
After learning the 180 ollie, you should try to do the 180 on a bank
ramp, or try fakie 180 ollies on flat ground.
INTERMEDIATE
KICKFLIP
In order to kickflip, one should already be 100% confident with the Ollie. A big frustration of
beginners is that they cannot kickflip. The actual problem is not their kickflip, but their ollie. In
order to properly do a kickflip, you need to be able to ollie 8-10 inches high.
The reasons you need to be able to ollie this high are: you will need to feel comfortable with
powerful pops and being in the air longer. Keep in mind, you need to give the board enough
time to fully rotate.
Once capable, proceed with this:
•
The starting position as well as first moves are almost identical to the Ollie. This is the
SAME placement of the back foot.
•
The front foot covers two of the four bolts and is at at 55 degree angle.
•
•
The key to the kickflip is the motion of your front foot. In an Ollie, the front foot goes
directly forward while a kickflip is different.
•
If you look at the nose of your board, and divide it in half with a line. On the heel side of
the board, visualise an “X” in the center of that area.
•
This “X” is the secret to the flip. As long as you kick this “X”, you will flip the board,
•
The second important technique is TIMING. It must be a delayed kick, like the Ollie.
•
After the kick, focus on aiming the feet to land directly above the trucks (or on the
bolts).
•
A perfect kickflip should be caught in the air, with shoulders level, and your balance
should be collected.
•
Upon stopping the spin for the skateboard, the first foot to stop the board after turning
should be the back foot. Your front foot is after since it travels further in the kick
motion.
•
When you land you do not want either your toes or heels hanging off of the baord or
onto the noes of the tail.
•
When you land you want to have you balance collected so that you will not need to tic
tac or move the board to catch your balance.
Why are my kickflips not staying underneath me?
There is a problem in either your pressure, timing, or foot placement. For many skaters
the timing comes with confidence over the board. If you are scared to jump high
enough, this will cause either low or uncontrolled flips.
Often beginners fail to understand the importance of a properly angled back foot.
When you push down at an angle, you cause the board to stray.
Make sure the you keep you backfoot at a 90 degree angle. Then push straight down.
This will keep your flips underneath you.
HEELFLIP
360 FLIP
The 360 flip was invented by Rodney Mullen in the 1970’s, the 360 Flip has become one
of the most popular street tricks today. Audiences are stunned by it’s brisk flipping and
spinning.
Fortunately, the 360 flip is not as hard as it seems. Requirements for Learning the 360 Flip
Kickflips and Backside Pop Shove-its are must knows for learning the 360 flip. One very common
misconception is you have to be able to 360 Shove-it or Varial Flip.
In fact, using 360 Shove-its or Varial Flips as templates for the 360 Flip may hinder your learning
of the since they each spin differently. The only real requirement is being comfortable rotating
and flipping the board before attempting 360 Flips.
Foot Positioning
Place your front foot as you would for a Kickflip, but at a sharper angle. The exact positioning of
the front foot is not that important since the front foot only flips the board and guides the
rotation.
The back foot is mainly responsible for the 360 degree rotation of the board. The ball of your
foot should be in the northern edge of the tail, along the curvature. You may even want to hang
your toe off.
The reason you have your foot so far up in the top right corner is that you need a lot of scoop in
order to get the board rotating 360 degrees.
With your back foot, pop hard (get the board as vertical as possible) and pull back with in a
sweeping motion to get the full 360 degree rotation.
This scoop is the most important part of the entire trick. Scoop the heck out of that
board!
You want to scoop in such a way that it feels like the board is spinning behind you. You
do not want the board to spin in front of you.
After popping and scooping immediately lift your back foot up so the board has room to
rotate. Your back foot is what powers this trick- if you have a good amount of scoop you’re all
set.
Flick
With the front foot, just give a gentle forward flick towards the corner where the
concave is to get the board flipping. Do not give a little backside “shove” with the front foot as
you would with the Varial Flip.
The front foot simply “gets in the way” and causes the board to flip. You do not need to
worry much about exactly how to flick; just focus on the back foot scooping
,
The reason you have your foot so far up in the top right corner is that you need a lot of scoop in
order to get the board rotating 360 degrees.
With your back foot, pop hard (get the board as vertical as possible) and pull back with
in a sweeping motion to get the full 360 degree rotation.
This scoop is the most important part of the entire trick. Scoop the hell out of that
board!
You want to scoop in such a way that it feels like the board is spinning behind you. You
do not want the board to spin in front of you.
After popping and scooping immediately lift your back foot up so the board has room to
rotate. Your back foot is what powers this trick- if you have a good amount of scoop you’re all
set.
Flick
With the front foot, just give a gentle forward flick towards the corner where the
concave is to get the board flipping. Do not give a little backside “shove” with the front foot as
you would with the Varial Flip.
The front foot simply “gets in the way” and causes the board to flip. You do not need to worry
much about exactly how to flick; just focus on the back foot s
With your back foot, pop
hard (get the board as vertical as possible) and pull back within a sweeping motion to get the
full 360 degree rotation.
This scoop is the most important part of the entire trick. Scoop the hell out of that
board!
You want to scoop in such a way that it feels like the board is spinning behind you. You
do not want the board to spin in front of you.
After popping and scooping immediately lift your back foot up so the board has room to
rotate. Your back foot is what powers this trick- if you have a good amount of scoop you’re all
set.
Flick
With the front foot, just give a gentle forward flick towards the corner where the
concave is to get the board flipping. Do not give a little backside “shove” with the front foot as
you would with the Varial Flip.
The front foot simply “gets in the way” and causes the board to flip. You do not need to
worry much about exactly how to flick; just focus on the back foot scooping.
With your back foot, pop hard (get the board as vertical as possible) and pull back with
in a sweeping motion to get the full 360 degree rotation.
This scoop is the most important part of the entire trick. Scoop the hell out of that
board!
You want to scoop in such a way that it feels like the board is spinning behind you. You
do not want the board to spin in front of you.
After popping and scooping immediately lift your back foot up so the board has room to
rotate. Your back foot is what powers this trick- if you have a good amount of scoop you’re all
set.
Flick
With the front foot, just give a gentle forward flick towards the corner where the
concave is to get the board flipping. Do not give a little backside “shove” with the front foot as
you would with the Varial Flip.
The front foot simply “gets in the way” and causes the board to flip. You do not need to
worry much about exactly how to flick; just focus on the back foot scooping.
Experiment with the timing of the front foot flick with the back foot scoop until the board flips
and spins smoothly.
Landing
Landing is the most difficult part of the 360 Flip. Everyone lands them differently so you need to
discover your own style of flipping and landing. You’ll want to stay over your board through out
the entire trick, so lean forward a little to keep your board under you.
When first learning these, notice which way the board tends to go and jump in that direction.
For example, if the board lands north and back, you need to jump in that direction in order to
catch the board.
As you catch the board and land, you will most likely have a tendency to fall over forward.
Overcome this by bending your knees and leaning back slightly.
Learning the 360 Flip
Though it is possible to do these stationary, it’s best to learn the moving. Start practicing at a
slow speed until you feel completely comfortable executing the trick while rolling.
At first, the board will land away from you, but just practice jumping with the board and pretty
soon, you’ll get the flip down and can naturally stay over the board. -7Troubleshooting the 360 Flip
Problem: I’m always landing on the nose
Solution: You need to put more power into the spin. Scoop the living daylights out of the board
and make the effort to get the tail to go in front of you. Pop the board harder and try to get it
vertical to get a more powerful spin.
Problem: The board hits my shin
Solution: You need to focus on jumping higher and sucking up after you start the trick. Make
sure to lift you back foot up as soon as you scoop.
Problem: The board lands away from me
Solution: It will be hard to stay completely over your board when you first start learning these.
Your body will soon adjust with practice, but to help you land it quicker, you can do two things:
1.
Give the board more pop before you start the scoop. This means you try to get the
board as vertical as you can with the pop. This motion carries the board into the air along with
you, as opposed to scooping it right away and having it spin away from you.
2.
Jump in the direction the board lands. This technique never fails- just jump with the
board. Your landing may be a little
sloppy, but at least you’re close to landing it. As I mentioned before, over time, you no longer
need to focus on jumping forward as your body will naturally adapt to the trick and keep the
board under you.
Problem: I land primo
Solution: Landing primo means the board is either over flipping or under flipping. If the board is
over flipping, you need to ease off the front foot. The front foot gives a gentle flick- not a
violent kick. If the board under flips, angle it more or move it back so it provides a more
efficient flick.
Also be sure to suck up your legs, giving the board more room to spin and flick, so you manage
to catch the board in the air.
Problem: I can’t get the full 360 degree rotation
Solution: Since the rotation is all in the back foot there is only one way to fix this- scoop harder!
Your front foot may be interfering with the spin- be sure to give nothing more than a gentle kick
forward with the front foot.
Remember: it’s all in the scoop!
GRINDS AND SLIDES
THE BOARD SLIDE
The board slide is one of the first slides
that beginner skaters learn. Perhaps, the
most basic slide of all. The board slide is
possible on ledges but is most common on
rails.
What is the difference between a
boardslide and a lipslide?
How to 50-50 Grind
The 50-50 grind is where both trucks are on the edge. This move
evolved from the horizontal-stance carve grind in pools and was taken
up on top of the lip by such skaters as Jay Adams, Tony Alva and Stacy
Peralta.
The 50-50 grind is the most basic grind in skateboarding. In
order to do any other grinds, one must first be comfortable
with the 50-50.
The best way to learn 50-50’s is to remove the Ollie from it.
Find a ledge or curb that you can ride on to. Once you get the
ride on 50-50, you can learn the approach.
The approach
To prepare for the 50-50, you need to calculate your approach
and foot placement. The approach should be slightly angled to
the ledge.
Get enough speed to be able to Ollie on top of the ledge and be able to grind the entire length of the
surface. If you are not going fast enough, it is going to be very hard to come off the ledge.
The 50-50 Foot positioning
Before you land on the ledge
At the height of your Ollie you want to be looking straight down
at the ledge below you. Your front and back truck should be
positioned over the ledge.
When you grind
As you land on the ledge, keep your back foot on the tail. You
want as much of your trucks on the ledge as possible. This is
for stability. It is very important that you keep your ankles
locked. This will prevent having the board slip off of the ledge.
If you are grinding a rail or curved ledge, it will be more
important to lock your ankles. If you don’t you could slide off
and hit your shins on the rail.
Coming off of the ledge
This is the easy part. Keep your back foot on the tail and apply
pressure to lift the front truck. If you have enough speed, your
board should come right off. Your wheels should land at the
same time.
If you are grinding a ledge which does not have and ending you
will need to pop an Ollie. This is why it is so important to keep
your foot on the tail. This way, you already have the foot
positioning to do the Ollie.
Help!
Only one of my trucks lands on the ledge
You have a problem with alignment. When you approach the
ledge focus only on your Ollie. Pop a powerful and controlled
Ollie. At the apex, compare your Ollie to the ledge you should
be coming straight down onto it. If not, you need to adjust
your pressure points.
To learn how it feels to use the pressure points, start next to
the ledge at a similar angle (15 degrees), but without rolling.
The Next Steps
Try grinding a higher ledge or rail. Then
move onto frontside or backside 5-0 grinds.
THE 5-0 GRIND
The 5-0 grind is the same as a 50-50 grind, but instead of grinding two trucks. You only grind
one.
The approach
The 5-0 approach is the same as the 50-50. A slight
15 degree angle is going to help you get on top. Be
sure to get ample speed so that you will be able
come off of the grind.
The Technique
The 5-0 begins with an Ollie. Pop a large
Ollie and start aiming your feet and hips
over the ledge.
During the Ollie, you want to shift your
weight to your tail. Be sure not to shift your
weight behind your back foot. If you do
this, you’ll fall backwards.
Upon your back truck hitting the ledge,
keep your weight into the tail and try to
keep the front of the board up.
To land, come off of the ledge with speed.
When you exit the ledge, transfer your
weight forward on to your front foot. If the
ledge does not have an ending, you can
turn your board off of the ledge,
Chapter 7
PROPER EQUIPMENT FOR SKATEBOARDING
They must have proper equipments to take the lessons. We do not recommend the
boards bought at Walmart or Target unless they are the Tony Hawk series. The bearings and
wheels do not roll properly.
If you have this board, you will have to use our pro rental boards.
We recommend full pads and a helmet. This means wrist guards, knee pads, and elbow pads.
If you do not have this, a bike helmet will be fine. You should buy a full set of pads. This is
very inexpensive. We advise you go to Target and pick up a full set of knee pads, elbow pads,
and wrist guards for only $13. At a skate shop, they will charge $50-60 for the same thing.
The right or wrong board can greatly impact the learning process. An insufficient board may not
roll well, be too heavy, or awkwardly shaped. A low quality board can be found at low cost and
may be fine for the unserious but not one who wants to pursue skateboarding.
Here are several factors to consider when purchasing a skateboard:
Pick the right wheel size and density according to what you want to skate.
What are you going to be using the skateboard for? Large wheels will help you roll over cracks
for transportation. Small wheels will be less weight and assist in tricks. Larger wheels are
preferred for bowl and ramp skateboarders. Smaller wheels are preferred by technical
skateboarders.
-55mm/56mm are the most common size of wheels bought by skateboarders.
The density of skateboard wheels is an important thing to consider. If you are looking to ride
your board mostly for transportation, you will want a softer wheel to get over rocks. If you are
looking to do a lot of technical tricks, you will want a harder wheel for precision and easier
sliding. Most beginners should request softer wheels.
Why the wrong board size can severly hurt your skating.
Board size is particularily important from novice to advanced. For skaters less than ten years
old, the recommended starting width of the board is 7.5 or smaller. However, someone older
who wants a lighter board for the purpose of doing technical tricks may also choose this size.
For skaters over 10, a board size of 7.5 to 8.25 is common for street skaters. 8.0 is a wider
board for someone who may have bigger feet or may want the board for transportation or
ramp riding.
-If the board is for someone under eight years old, consider a mini-board. This is usually smaller
(28” long) and will help them learn. Termite Skateboards specializes in mini-boards. Element
Skateboards also makes a product they call the "Twig."
Ply me a river.
Skateboard are made of multiple plys. Each ply is a layer of wood which is glued to one or two
other plys. The purpose of plys is to strengthen the board. In case there is a crack, it will
usually only penetrate one of the plys.
Most skateboards are made of 7 ply. However, some beginner boards have 5 plys. The
difference is plys is usually not noticeable. More importantly, one should consider the quality
of the glue. Unfortunately, most board companies do not advertise their glue types. However,
the good news is most companies use the same glue for all of their boards. The key is to pick
the right board company.
Bearings are what help the skateboard roll.
Bearings determine how fast the board will roll. One of the most important parts of the board.
Poor quality bearings will rust, break, or pop out. When bearings rust, the board will not roll.
Abec 3's will not roll well, and are not recommended, because for five or ten more dollars, abec
5's are available. Abec 5's will roll faster and generally give the most value. Abec 7's are like
abec 5's but a bit more expensive. Quality is hard to see in a bearing, but it is important to test
the bearings by spinning the wheels with your hand and seeing how long it stays spinning.
Different skaters will have a different personal preference. China Reds are one of the oldest
and most reputable bearing companies. They hold up well in the cold weather areas of the
country through sand and dirt. Several other Abec 5 companies, like Speed Demons and Lucky,
have been around for a long time.
How to adjust your trucks for proper balance.
Trucks are the metal that connects the wheels to the board. There is one big bolt on the center
of each truck which determines the easy of turning. It is important not to have the board too
loose in order to balance. It is also important not to have the board too tight in order to turn
the board.
TIP: Buy a skate tool. Carry it with you when you skate. A skate tool costs $8-12 and
has four pre-set wrenches for all adjustments on the board. It will save you time and
frustration.
Do Shoes Matter?
Yes and no. Obviously, you don’t want to skateboard in flip flips, but
the exact brand of shoe does not matter to a beginner. You will want a
shoe with a low sole. Running shoes will not work. Also, you will want
as much padding around the inside as possible. Converse All Stars
won’t cut it. The ankle support will help prevent you from spraining
an ankle.
To start, indoor soccer or even basketball shoes will be perfect.
However, keep in mind, grip tape is a rough surface and will destroy
any material of shoes. At some time, you will want to upgrade to skate
shoes built to withstand the abuse.
• FINDING A SKATE SHOP
Search for a skate shop which is staffed by experienced skateboarders. A reputable shop will
give you good advice. There is no list or source on the internet of these shops. If you need help
finding a reputable shop or selecting equipment, please call Go Skate Support at 800-403-2405.
Chapter 8
SKATEBOARDING TERMINOLOGIES
"Snaked"
When another skateboarder (usually at a skate park) goes before their turn.
Example: "Dude, I think I just got snaked!"
"Hubba"
Ledges (usually concrete) going down over stairs. The term get it's name from the legendary
spot, "Hubba Hideout" in San Francisco.
"Wheel Bite"
The friction that occurs when your wheel hits the wood of your skateboard deck sometimes
stopping you completely. This generally occurs when you have loose trucks.
Example: "Hey man did you ever land that kickflip down Hollywood?"
"Almost! I landed rolled a couple feet, got wheel bite and fell off!"
"Knobbed"
When a skateboard spot (usually on private property) is made unskateable by the property
owner. Frequently this is done by putting knobs or plastic screw-ons on places where
skateboarders grind. Example: "We went to Sylmar High, and it was knobbed!"
"Hesh"
Derieved from the longer version of the word, "heshian." It is reminiscient of a certain style
of skateboarding usually equated to bowl skating, big rails, and non-technical tricks. Heshians
are stereotyped for wearing tight pants. Tony Trujillo is a professional skateboarder who is an
example of a heshian.
"Tech""
The opposite of a heshian. A tech trick, or skater, is known for doing very complex tricks usually
on smaller ledges and stairsets. Tech is short for technical. An example of a technical skater is
Daewon Song.
"VX"
Common 3CCD digital video camera made by sony in 2 models (VX1000 and VX2000) which is
commonly used to film skateboarding. The VX is popular for several reasons (it's quality, sound,
and because it fits on a wide angle "fish eye" lens.
Example: "Hey, I want to film something. Do you have your VX?"
Chapter 9
MOTIVATION
Taking 180 Tries to Land a Trick
Jim Greco, one of Reynold’s teammates, is documented in interviews talking about the number of tries
and run-ups he does before landing a trick. He had video documents with several hard tricks he has
attempted to land with at least 130-180 tries prior to landing it. Greco accounts his persistence to his
success but also the vision he holds in his mind of himself landing that trick.
A California Gold Miner bought a plot of land to mine gold. After several weeks, he was disappointed by
that he was no longer finding gold. He dug a little further and still found nothing. He proclaimed to his
friends the land was a waste and had no more gold in it. Eventually, he gave up! The miner sold his
equipment to a junkman for only $2000 (much less than the actual value).
The junkman had no idea about gold so he hired a specialist to tell him about gold before ditching the
equipment. The specialist told him the gold runs in veins and that the miner poked through a vein. The
specialist explained, “If you go back and dig three feet from where the miner dug, you will find gold.”
Sure enough, the junkman found gold, lots of it! He found millions of dollars of gold and become one of
the richest men in California! The purpose is this story is the importance of not giving up! Don’t give up
on the 129th try. You may be three feet from gold! Seek the advice of a professional and strike it rich!
The Four Pinnacles of Skateboarding
When learning any new trick, there are a lot of techniques to learn and to practice. One way
we have consistently expedited the trick-learning process is by breaking the process into four
parts. There are four sectors of every trick (the kickflip, Ollie, pop shuvit, even the 900) We call
them the four pinnacles of skate tricks. In order, the four pinnacles are:
-Foot placement
-Pressure
-Timing
-Landing
Pressure refers to how hard you push on the board. Timing means how quickly between
actions your feet move.
The four pinnacles are equally important. No skater will become great by only know three of
the pinnacles. Foot placement will affect pressure. Lastly, pressure and timing will affect the
landing.
When a skater has learned and mastered all four principles of a trick, he/she is no longer trying
different methods for a move, but has arrived at a certain technique that works every time.
The four pinnacles are so accurate that they work every time.
In the Expert skaters, after years of practice, will get the four pinnacles in their subconscious;
Thereby, enabling them to do many tricks without looking or without falling. The further you
are able to engrave these four principles on your subconscious, the better of a skater, you will
become.
The Importance of Peers and Practice
Paul Rodriguez, a paid professional skater since he was 13 years old, has been asked how he
became so talented so quickly. In explaining, Paul attributed his success to the people who he
surrounded himself with.
Before and after school, Paul would skate his fun box in his
driveway. Paul became connected to some of the top skateboarders in the San Fernando
Valley (like Jerome Wilson and eventually Kareem Campbell). He would skate with these
skaters who were much better than him everyday, 30-40 hours in a week.
Shaun White grew up in Encinitas, California and took his first lessons from Go Skate. After
lessons Shaun says, “From growing up, I knew all the vert skaters like Bob Burnquist, Kevin
Staab and Bucky Lasek.”
The help and encouragement of those peers helped excel Shaun into the X-Games fame.
Not everyone had the ability to skate with pro’s growing up. PJ Ladd, a professional skater for
Plan B, is the son of an auto-mechanic in Boston, Massachusetts. Ladd, virtually unknown until
a video released called PJ Ladd’s Wonderful Horrible Life, has now had parts in eS Footwear and
Flip Skateboards videos. PJ is known for his technical and smooth tricks. Growing up in the cold
Massachusetts winters did not seem to affect Ladd. He converted his Dad’s garage called,
Ladd’s Auto Repair into a place to skate. PJ took advantage of the garage and built a box to
skate. He practiced several hours every day and night with his friends. In a Transworld
Interview, PJ attributed much of his success to his practice in the Garage.
The importance of practice and surrounding yourself with good skaters is paramount to your
success in skateboarding. Talented skaters found a way to practice in any circumstance. They
put in many hours of practice. They built their confidence on practice and the four pinnacles of
skateboarding. Follow these rules. Find a place to practice. Develop a list of tricks you want to
learn. Follow the guidance of your instructor.
Goskate.com
360 flip