Element Skateboards 2012

Skateboarding Instructional Guide: Rocket Flip

2012-01-24T12:20:00.000-08:00

Skateboarding Instructional Guide: Rocket Flip

Serious skaters looking for unusual and innovative tricks will find them in this skateboarding instructional guide. The tricks run the gamut from classic old school to modern with an emphasis on diversification, creativity, and originality. Included are riding basics and tips for controlling fear, visualising, and focusing. Sequential shots detail every move needed to successfully re-create the various skateboarding tricks. The mechanics of the sport are also covered, including types of boards available, and the various wheels, bearings, and skateboarding surfaces.

Get Skateboarding: Book of Tricks (Start-Up Sports) right now!

Kickflip Underflip Tricks

2012-01-24T12:07:00.000-08:00

Kickflip Underflip Tricks

With sequential photos and step-by-step instructions, this guide to a performance cornerstone—the flip trick—benefits skateboarders of all skill levels. Often combined with curb tricks and applied to such obstacles as handrails and ramps, flip tricks are commonly used as the final touch on a more complex maneuver, and, with this guidebook, readers learn the basics of such tricks while progressing toward veteran moves. A section devoted to the history of skateboarding is included with an in-depth look at the individuals responsible for the creation of flip tricks and how they came to invent this aspect unique to skateboarding.

Get Street Skateboarding: Flip Tricks right now!

How to Kickflipe? Tricks for Flatland, Ledges Rails Ramps and Bowls and more

2012-01-24T11:57:00.000-08:00

How to Kickflipe? Tricks for Flatland, Ledges Rails Ramps and Bowls and more

Ever watched pro skaters and wished you knew how they were able to pull off the tricks that you see? If so, then Mastering Skateboarding is the resource for you!

Two-time world champion skateboarder Per Welinder teams up with longtime skateboard advocate Peter Whitley to bring you the techniques and tricks used by the pros. But the information doesn’t stop there. Welinder and Whitley also provide in-depth coverage of skateboarding equipment, including how to select the components that work best for you and how to build and tune a board that fits your individual riding style. Packed with 88 tricks, this full-color guide is the only resource you’ll need to pull off all the moves you’ve dreamed of doing.

Whether you ride street or vert, competitive or recreational, Mastering Skateboarding has you covered. Add this one-of-a-kind resource to your collection and you’ll soon be ready to put your new skills on display!

Now get Mastering Skateboarding right now!

Easy Skateboarding Tricks

2012-01-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

Easy Skateboarding Tricks

Skateboarding Instructional DVD

Skateboarding Explained: The Instructional Video

Skateboarding. Such as sports and lifestyle develop. Every year skateboarders growing populous. Is it possible to vibration, or perhaps sheer technical and accessibility of sports? for any reason, Skateboarding is an activity interesting to do. For me, drowning me in Skateboarding large active outlet in high school. I also find music and video art through a variety of gliding. The only problem for me, and many others who decided to take on the challenge of skateboarding is the level of difficulty. I remember when learning to ride a board I want to learn how to ollie, and follow the rough ugly picture and a brief sentence instructions on how to do tricks on the website. I slowly better but my friends are growing much faster than me. I even got Tony Hawk Trick Tips (1.2 and 3) They help a little but I really do not see a huge increase in capability or feel my skateboard.

Here I am a college student, I decided to go back where I left off in class 9 on skating. I guess it helps that I am much older now, but I started taking my old tricks better and I've got more style and ease on the board. I must really want to increase again. I was surfing through youtube when I found someone recommend this video as a good instructional videos, so I watched the sample clip 360 flip and I was impressed how quickly understand how to actually try the trick. I decided to order the video is based on a variety of testimonials, thinking it could not hurt my skating.

After I received the video, I was really impressed. I looked through the basic instructions on how to ollie and just watch the video I understand how I could actually lift me high ollie into a few extra inches. And MacFarlane, creator and instructor in this video really simplify any particular trick and explains it in a style that is very easy to follow every age. Any tricks he teaches (from Ollie, Pop Shove Its (BS / FS), Kickflips, heelflips, 360 Flips, Slides Council) he emphasized the important key points every time. Watching him do the trick in slow-mo, Its easy to copy and apply them on your skateboard. I did not experience the ease of learning and applying instructional skateboard watch other videos.

After watching the video already had it for a week and a half, I've improved my ollie higher, I encourage the increase of pop and get a clean frontside 180 ollies and kickflips come under greater and varial flip down .. His tips in the way of the mini is too big.

And not only provides great tips tricks (emphasizing pre-requisite prior to trick each) He also teach the basics of skateboarding. How to encourage, how to find out where the attitude of a beginner is, how to change correctly. These tips will help any beginner to successfuly join the club. He teaches you how NOT to skate (Mongo) is important because as many skateboarders, skaters I see disgust as many around me pushing Mongo. After basic troubleshooting, it gives you 8 fundamentals that you can apply to the level of experience in skateboarding. I feel that these tips really help any skater and is something that makes video and more prominent.

I recommend this video for all beginners, intermediate and pro skaters, it will make you slide off the best ever. I can not wait until the next installment.

Basic Tricks on Skating

2012-01-18T13:00:00.000-08:00

Basic Tricks on Skating

Skateboarding Explained

Skateboarding Explained: The Instructional DVD

In the Skateboarding Explained: The Skate Instructional DVD , skating instructor Dan MacFarlane guides you through an instructional program, packed with all the basics as well as tips for doing tricks. It contains fully illustrated segments on street and ramp skating, boardslides, pop shoves, ollies, nollies, frontside flips, noseslides, varial kickflips, heelflips, backside flips, and more.

Noseslide: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T13:57:00.000-07:00

Noseslide: sliding the underside of the nose end of a board on a ledge or lip.

Video Attraction: How to Frontside noseslide

Nollie: Skateboard tricks

2009-09-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

Nollie is a variation of the ollie, where the skateboarder uses the front foot to pop the nose down and the back foot to scrape backwards to achieve lift off of the ground, as opposed to an ollie where the rider uses the back foot on the tail to pop and the front foot to scrape forwards. It is similar to a switch ollie riding backwards.

It is not to be confused with a Fakie ollie (which is an ollie where the rider uses his/her original foot position but riding backwards). (wikipedia)

Skateboard Trick Tips Video: Nollie 360 Flip

Mike McGill

2009-09-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

Mike McGill (born 1964) is an American skateboarder. He is best known for inventing the McTwist, an inverted 540 degree mute grabbed aerial which he first performed on a wooden half-pipe in Sweden in 1984 and then at the Del Mar Skate Ranch in a concrete bowl when he returned to the US. He was inspired by Fred Blood, who had performed a 540 on roller skates. It was a groundbreaking trick that dominated skateboarding for many years afterwards. Only a handful of pros were able to learn it at the time. The trick was named by fellow teammate Rodney Mullen, and is derived from "Mc" in McGill's last name combined with Twist, which had already been coined by Lance Mountain and Neil Blender with their invention of the Gay Twist – a Mute grabbed fakie 360 degree aerial. Fellow teammate Tony Hawk, inspired by the McTwist, went on to invent a 720 degree aerial, (essentially a double Gay Twist), and as a homage to McGill, named it the McHawk.

McGill was also a member of the Bones Brigade, an elite team of skateboarders sponsored by Powell Peralta who dominated much of professional skateboarding (both in contests and in popularity), for much of the 1980s. McGill mainly skated vertical, and when street skating began to dominate the industry, McGill turned to the business side of skating. He started his own skateboard company, "Chapter Seven" (which is now defunct), and opened his own skate park. Today he owns a skate shop in Encinitas, California, as well as marketing a line of beginners' skateboards, safety equipment and portable skate ramps, rails, and Air Speed skate shoes through Wal-Mart. In 2006 McGill was featured in a commercial for the Discovery Channel as the inventor of the McTwist. McGill has also teamed up with Powell Peralta and reissued his signature boards from the 1980s. He continues to skateboard. (wikipedia)

Mike McGill's McTwist Video!

Mongo Foot

2009-09-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

Mongo foot in skateboarding refers to using one's front foot for pushing. Normally a skateboarder feels more comfortable using their back foot to push, while their front foot remains on the board.

In the minority case of mongo footed skateboarders, the opposite is true. Some consider mongo footedness to be a faux pas in skateboarding,[1] as a skateboarder requires more time to prepare for a trick, and some simply find it aesthetically displeasing. Also, due to the fact that the back foot is usually positioned behind the rear wheels, taking the front foot off the board can cause the tail to drag on the ground if care is not taken to move the rear foot forward slightly when pushing.

While mongo foot skating has some drawbacks, it offers a variety of advantages, such as comfort for a beginner. Some skateboarders who do not push mongo in their regular stance may still push mongo when riding in switch stance, rather than push with their weaker back foot. Well known skaters who change between mongo and normal are Stevie Williams and Eric Koston. Mongo skating is shown in EA's Skate. (wikipedia)

Mongo-Foot: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

Mongo-foot: a style of pushing where the back foot is kept on the board and pushing is done with the front foot.

McTwist: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T13:05:00.000-07:00

McTwist: is an aerial where the rider performs a backside 540 (usually while grabbing Mute (front hand grabbing the toe side of the board). Invented by Mike McGill, who first performed it in public in 1984 at a Del-Mar Skatepark contest. (wikipedia)

Kickflip: Skatebboard Tricks

2009-09-21T12:56:00.000-07:00

Kickflip: a variation on the ollie in which the skater kicks the board into a spin before landing back on it.

Grind: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

Grind: scraping one or both axles on a curb, railing, or other surface, such as:

Crooked grind: grinding on only the front truck while sliding
50-50 grind: grinding on both trucks equally
50-50 grind by Diego Bucchieri
nosegrind: grinding on only the front truck
5-0 grind: grinding on only the back truck

Goofyfoot: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

Goofyfoot: riding with the right foot forward, the opposite of "regular foot".

Frontside: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Frontside: when a trick or turn is executed with the front of the skater’s body facing the ramp or obstacle.

Fakie: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Fakie: skating backwards—the skater is standing in his or her normal stance, but the board is moving backward (not to be confused with "switch stance")

Crooked Grind: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

Crooked grind: grinding on only the front truck while sliding.

Carve: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T12:45:00.000-07:00

Carve: to skate in a long, curving arc.

Caballerial: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

Caballerial: a 360-degree turn performed on a ramp while riding fakie (backwards), named after skater Steve Caballero.

Backside: Skateboard Tricks

2009-09-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

Backside: when a trick or turn is executed with the skater’s back facing the ramp or obstacle.

Skateboarding Tricks: The San Fransisco Flip

2009-08-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

The San Francisco flip: is a type of truck transfer where the rider enters a no handed 50-50 stand and does a no handed carousel to cross footed no handed 50-50. The trick has been recently made popular by sailor and freestyle skateboarder Mike McCabe. He has also been known to do them blind folded. Gunter mokulys has also been known to do the trick.

Source: wikipedia

Skateboarding Tricks: Sal Flip

2009-08-26T07:45:00.000-07:00

Sal Flip

foto: flicker

Sal flip: it's invented by Salvador Lucas Barbier (Sal Barbier). In motion this trick mimics a Fingerflip and a 360 Pop Shove-It. While riding forward, the rider mildly hits the tail like a Backside Pop Shove-It. At about 45 degrees into the rotation with the leading hand, catch the nose with the palmside of the hand touching the grip tape (thumb underneath) with an elbow motion, flare the board forward and outward for the rest of the rotation (315 degrees) with the feet up and out of the way until the rotation is complete . depending on air time the feet may 'catch' the board in mid air or casing the trick at touchdown. On flat ground this trick may not 'flare' as much and may look similar to a (palmside) Fingerflip that 'pirouettes' vertically using more of a wrist motion as opposed to an elbow motion. The higher the rider goes the more exaggerated the movement can be, IE instead of a wrist or elbow rotation the rider can actually 'flare' the board with a shoulder motion.

Tricks to do Sal Flip on a skate board (Melanie Hammontree)

Ride your skateboard in an Ollie position. This is where you are on the balls of your feet toward the front-side edge (the edge closest to your toes.) Your front foot will be back a little more than usual. Ride the board gaining a little speed so you will have momentum to do the trick.
Pop the board up and put your back foot on the ground. You will catch the board in your left hand with four fingers on top and the thumb on the bottom. You can try practicing popping the board while you are standing still and then turning the board. This can help you when you are moving. If you get the movement down while you are standing, it will be easier to accomplish in movement.
Take two steps while you are turning the board 180 degrees. This will all be done in a fluid motion. After the board pops, you are walking and twisting the board.
Let go of the board and jump on to it as it falls. This will be tricky because you need to make sure the board is completely turned around and it will need to land flat. Jump high enough so that you jump on the board while it is still in the air. You do not want to jump on the board when it lands.
When you land the trick, you will go into a manual and ride the trick out. This is where you will apply a little pressure to the front of the board and the back wheels come off the ground. From here, you can go into your next trick.

Source: wikipedia, ehow

Varial-Skateboarding

2009-08-26T04:53:00.000-07:00

Originally a Varial was a Frontside Air where the skater reached between the legs and grabbed the board on the heel edge with the back hand (now known as a Roastbeef grab), then turned the board 180 degrees frontside with the hand before putting it back on the feet and landing. Like all Frontside Airs at the time, they were performed without an Ollie (early-grab). This version, however, is not very common anymore. Tony Hawk invented the Backside Varial in the late 80s, adding an Ollie in the process. Before long, 360 Varials, where the skater turns the board 360 degrees backside and grabs it, became commonplace. After the invention of the Kickflip Indy, most professional vert skaters had to be able to perform one to win a contest, and soon they were looking for ways to increase the difficulty. One of the ways was to spin the board 180 degrees during the Kickflip, which ended up being called a Varial Kickflip Indy. Somehow the term filtered back in to street skating and it became common for a Kickflip combined with a Pop Shove it (180 spin of the board) to be called a Varial Kickflip. Some have even gone so far as to drop the "kickflip" from the name altogether, calling a Kickflip Shove-it a "Varial." However, vertical skateboarders still use the term Varial to describe any trick involving spinning the board and grabbing it.

Source: wikipedia

Grinds-Skateboarding-

2009-08-26T04:17:00.000-07:00

Grinds are a form of skateboarding trick where the skateboarder slides on the hangers of the trucks. Grinds are performed on any object that may fit between the space between the wheels where the truck meets. Grind rails are also sold commercially.

The move likely originated in backyard pools, as the early skaters gained in skill and confidence with their high speed carves around the top of the pool walls and one day went that little bit too high. The trucks of the time, often being merely 'borrowed' rollerskate trucks, didn't allow much contact due to their inherent narrowness, but as skateboarding gained its own truck manufacturers who widened the hanger design, the possibilities for exploration became apparent, and all sorts of moves started popping up. Nowadays they are commonly performed on handrails or on the lips of objects such as benches, but any suitably hard, smooth edge will do.

Source: wikipedia

Photo: amazon

Skate Bearings

2009-08-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

Each skateboard wheel is mounted on its axle via two ball bearings. With few exceptions, the bearings are the industrial standard "608" size, with a bore of 8 mm, an outer diameter of 22 mm, and a width of 7 mm. These are usually made of steel, though silicon nitride, a high-tech ceramic, is sometimes used. Many skateboard bearings are graded according to the ABEC scale. The scale starts with ABEC1 as the lowest, 3, 5, 7, 9. It is a common misconception that higher numbers are better for skateboarding, as the ABEC rating only measures tolerances, which do not necessarily apply to skateboards. The ABEC rating does not determine how fast or how durable a bearing used for skateboarding will be. In particular, the ABEC rating says nothing about how well a bearing handles axial (side-to-side) loads, which are severe in most skateboard applications. Many companies do not show the ABEC rating, such as Bones Bearings, which makes bearings specifically for skateboarding. These bearings are usually called Swiss or ceramic and are better for skating.

source: wikipedia

Skateboard Wheels

2009-08-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

The wheels of a skateboard, usually made of polyurethane, come in many different sizes and shapes to suit different types of skating. Larger sizes like 65–90 mm roll faster, and also move more easily over cracks in pavement. Smaller sizes like 48–54 mm keep the board closer to the ground, require less force to accelerate and produce a lower center of gravity, but also make for a slower top speed. Wheels also are available in a variety of hardnesses usually measured on the Shore durometer "A" scale. Wheels range from the very soft (about Shore A 75) to the very hard (about Shore A 101). As the A scale stops at 100, any wheels labeled 101A or higher are harder, but do not use the appropriate durometer scale. Some wheel manufacturers now use the "B" or "D" scales, which have a larger and more accurate range of hardness.
Modern street skaters prefer smaller wheels (usually 45–55 mm), as small wheels with lighter trucks can make tricks like kickflips and other flip tricks easier by keeping the center of gravity of the skateboard closer to the deck, thus making the deck easier to spin. Street wheels are often quite hard as this allows the wheels to slide easier on waxed surfaces for bluntslides and nose/tailslides. Vertical ramp or "vert" skating requires larger wheels (usually 55–65 mm), as it involves higher speeds. Vert wheels are also usually very hard, which helps to maintain speed on ramps. Slalom skating requires even larger wheels (60–75 mm) to sustain the highest speeds possible. They also need to be soft and have better grip to make the tight and frequent turns in slalom racing. Even larger wheels are used in longboarding and downhill skateboarding. Sizes range from 65 mm to 100 mm. These extreme sizes of wheels almost always have cores of hard plastic that can be made thinner and lighter than a solid polyurethane wheel. They are often used by skateboard videographers as well, as the large soft wheels allow for smooth and easy movement over any terrain.

Source: wikipedia

Trucks

2009-08-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

Attached to the deck are two metal (usually aluminum alloy) trucks, which connect to the wheels and deck. The trucks are further composed of two parts. The top part of the truck is screwed to the deck and is called the baseplate, and beneath it is the hanger. The axle runs through the hanger. Between the baseplate and the hanger are bushings, also rubbers or grommets, that provide the cushion mechanism for turning the skateboard. The bushings cushion the truck when it turns. The stiffer the bushings, the more resistant the skateboard is to turning. The softer the bushings, the easier it is to turn. A bolt called a kingpin holds these parts together and fits inside the bushings. Thus by tightening or loosening the kingpin nut, the trucks can be adjusted loosely for better turning and tighter for more control.

Longboard specific trucks are a more recent development. A longboard truck has the king pin laid at a more acute angle (usually between 38 and 42 degrees) to the deck, this gives a lesser degree of turning for the same tilt of the deck. This adds stability and allows riders to go much faster while still maintaining stability and control.

Source: wikipedia

Deck

2009-08-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Most decks are constructed with a seven to nine-ply cross-laminated layup of Canadian maple. Other materials used in deck construction, fiberglass, bamboo, resin, Kevlar, carbon fiber, aluminum, and plastic, lighten the board or increase its strength or rigidity. Some decks made from maple ply are dyed to create various different coloured ply. Modern decks vary in size, but most are 7 to 10.5 inches wide. Wider decks can be used for greater stability when transition or ramp skating. Skateboard decks are usually between 28 and 33 inches long. The underside of the deck can be printed with a design by the manufacturer, blank, or decorated by any other means. The longboard, a common variant of the skateboard, has a longer deck. This is mostly ridden down hills or by the beach. This was created by two surfers; Ben Whatson and Jonny Drapper. One of the first deck companies was called "Drapped" taken from Jonny's second name. "Old school" boards (those made in the 1970s–80s or modern boards that mimic their shape) are generally wider and often have only one kicktail. Variants of the 1970s often have little or no concavity, whereas 1980s models have deeper concavities and steeper kicktails.

Grip tape, when applied to the top surface of a skateboard, gives a skater's feet more grip on the deck. It is most often black but can come in a variety of colors including clear, allowing the top of the deck to be decorated. It has an adhesive back and a sandpaper like top.

source: wikipedia

Skateboard

2009-08-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

Skatingboard is the act of riding on or performing tricks with a skateboard. A person who skateboards is referred to as a skateboarder or skater.

A Skateboard is a four wheeled piece of wood used for the activity of skateboarding. The modern skateboard originated in California in the late 1950s. By the mid 1960s they were mass produced and sold throughout the United States.

A skateboard is propelled by pushing with one foot while the other remains on the board, or by pumping in structures such as a pool or half pipe. A skateboard can also be used by simply standing on the deck while on a downward slope and allowing gravity to propel the board and rider.

There is no governing body that declares any regulations on what constitutes a skateboard or the parts from which it is assembled. Longboards are a type of skateboard with a longer wheelbase and larger and softer wheels.

Skateboarding Glossary of "A"

2009-08-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

Air: is riding with all four wheels off the ground; short for aerial.