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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Lebensstil
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
A beginner's guide to skating for fun, fitness, and self-expression Skateboarding For Dummies teaches you the basics of the fun and popular sport of skateboarding, so you can start shredding. Author Daewon Song has been a pro skateboarder for 30 years and is considered to be the most technically gifted skateboarder of all time. He is passionate about the sport and shares his enthusiasm and experience in this easy-to-read guide. Skateboarding is a fun, challenging, and inclusive sport that can also be a powerful outlet for self-expression. With this book, you'll learn cool tricks, safe skating, and skatepark etiquette. Plus, you'll discover how skateboarding can bring positivity to your life, building your confidence and self-esteem. * Shop for your first skateboard and essential accessories * Learn the basics of riding a skateboard at a skatepark * Get step-by-step instructions for performing classic tricks * Discover the history of skateboarding Skateboarding is for everyone, regardless of age or background, and Skateboarding For Dummies is for anyone who wants to give this sport a try.
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Skateboarding For Dummies®
To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Skateboarding For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box.
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Introduction
About This Book
Foolish Assumptions
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Part 1: Getting Ready to Shred
Chapter 1: Living Large: Adopting a Skateboarder’s Mindset and Lifestyle
Recognizing the Positive Impact Skateboarding Can Have on Your Life
Being Part of a Diverse Community
Tapping into the Soul of Skateboarding
Speaking the Language: Skate Slang
Chapter 2: Gearing Up to Get Down
Knowing Your Way Around a Skateboard
Choosing a Skateboard, Part by Part
Some Assembly Required: Building Your Own Skateboard
Maintaining Your Skateboard
Kicks, Clothes, and Safety Gear
Chapter 3: Choosing Your Steeze: Skateboarding Styles
Checking Out Skateboarding Styles
Discovering Your Style within a Style
Getting Up to Speed on Common Tricks
Brushing Up on Skateboarding Etiquette
Part 2: Get Moving: Riding and Performing Basic Tricks
Chapter 4: Riding Your Board: The Bare Bones Basics
Choosing a Place to Practice
Getting on Your Feet: Stances and Footing
Keeping Your Balance
Riding Your Skateboard: Pushing, Carving, Stopping, and More
Chapter 5: Cranking It Up a Notch with Basic Skate Tricks
Doing Kickturns for Quick Turns
Trying a Hippie Jump
Slide Shuvit: Rotating Your Board 180 Degrees
Performing Your First Ollie
Flipping Out: Kickflips and Heelflips
Getting to Know a Nollie
Executing a Frontside or Backside 180-Degree Ollie on a Leveled Surface
Doing It All in Reverse
Chapter 6: Expanding Your Skill Set with More Basic Tricks
Popping Wheelies (Manuals)
Going Off-Wheel with Slides and Grinds
Letting It Slide: Boardslides, Noseslides, and Tailslides
Grinding (on Your Trucks)
Sliding on Your Wheels: Power Slides
Part 3: Skateboarding for the Mind, Body, and Soul
Chapter 7: Skating to Soothe and Improve the Mind
Finding Salvation in Skateboarding
Becoming Part of a Tightly Woven Community
Blowing Your Mind: How Skateboard Enhances Brain Health and Function
Shifting Your Focus to Progression
Chapter 8: Enhancing Your Physical and Mental Health to Skate Your Best
Exercising without Overdoing It
Eating a Healthier Diet
Getting Enough Quality Sleep
Destressing Your Life
Preventing and Healing from Injuries
Part 4: Going for It: Living the Dream
Chapter 9: Getting Sponsored
Exploring the World of Sponsorships
Recording Your Action Footage
Posting Your Skate Videos Online
Being Playful and Keeping It Fun
Chapter 10: Get a Job: Making a Living in the World of Skateboarding
Exploring Your Career Options
Becoming a Professional Skateboarder
Building a Genuine Presence in the Community
Chapter 11: Skateboarding with Personality and Pizazz
Understanding Why Personality Is So Important in Skateboarding
Getting Creative on the Board
Taking Style and Fashion Tips from Marketing and Advertising
Letting the Legends Influence Your Style
Allowing Your Style to Come into Its Own
Chapter 12: Joining the World’s Obsession with Skateboarding
Tracing the History and Development of Skateboarding: The Four Major Eras
Shredding on Celluloid: Skateboarding in Mainstream Movies and TV
Competing on the World Stage
Immersing Yourself in Skate Media 24/7
Part 5: The Part of Tens
Chapter 13: Daewon’s Top Ten Skate Videos
Wheels of Fire (1987)
Shackle Me Not (1988)
The Search for Animal Chin (1987)
Rubbish Heap (1989)
Video Days (1991)
Useless Wooden Toys (1991)
Questionable (1992)
Mouse (1996)
Menikmati (2000)
Cheese and Crackers (2006)
Chapter 14: Daewon’s Childhood Top Ten Pros
Matt Hensley
Ron Allen
Christian Hosoi
Mark Gonzales
Sean Sheffey
Elissa Steamer
John Cardiel
Natas Kaupas
Steve Caballero
Rodney Mullen
Index
About the Author
Connect with Dummies
End User License Agreement
List of Tables
Chapter 2
TABLE 2-1 Comparing Board Sizes
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1-1: Skate or die … maybe more like skate
and
die.
FIGURE 1-2: Mall grab.
Chapter 2
FIGURE 2-1: Parts of a skateboard.
FIGURE 2-2: Truck anatomy.
FIGURE 2-3: Deck types for different riding styles.
FIGURE 2-4: Wheels come in different shapes and widths.
FIGURE 2-5: An all-in-one skateboarding tool.
FIGURE 2-6: Use a razor blade to trim the grip tape.
FIGURE 2-7: Shove the wheel down over the bearing.
FIGURE 2-8: Rails and tail bones protect the underside of your board.
FIGURE 2-9: Use the axle to pry the bearing out of the axle.
FIGURE 2-10: Use a pin or other sharp object to pry the shield off the bearing.
FIGURE 2-11: The difference between vulcanized sole and cup sole shoes.
FIGURE 2-12: Knee slides on different inclines.
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3-1: Freestyle is technical, flat-ground skating.
FIGURE 3-2: Street skating happens on (you guessed it) the streets.
FIGURE 3-3: A typical skateboard park.
FIGURE 3-4: Rock to fakie.
FIGURE 3-5: Tail stall.
FIGURE 3-6: Kicker.
FIGURE 3-7: Launch ramp.
FIGURE 3-8: Full pipe, half-pipe, and quarter-pipe.
FIGURE 3-9: Mini ramp.
FIGURE 3-10: Spine.
FIGURE 3-11: Pyramid.
FIGURE 3-12: Vert ramp.
FIGURE 3-13: Mega ramp.
FIGURE 3-14: An empty in-ground swimming pool may be perfect for transition ska...
FIGURE 3-15: Skateboarding in bowls.
FIGURE 3-16: Cruising.
FIGURE 3-17: Practicing downhill skateboarding.
FIGURE 3-18: An offroad skateboard.
FIGURE 3-19: The hippie jump.
FIGURE 3-20: A standard manual.
FIGURE 3-21: A kickturn.
FIGURE 3-22: Tic-tac.
FIGURE 3-23: Tail stall at the top of a quarter-pipe.
FIGURE 3-24: Ollie up!
FIGURE 3-25: Preparing for a nollie.
FIGURE 3-26: Kickflip with your toes.
FIGURE 3-27: Heelflip.
FIGURE 3-28: A standard boardslide.
FIGURE 3-29: Grind the trucks across a narrow surface.
FIGURE 3-30: Powerslide.
FIGURE 3-31: Shuvit.
FIGURE 3-32: Perform a grab to keep the skateboard where you want it.
Chapter 4
FIGURE 4-1: The nose and the tail of the board.
FIGURE 4-2: Regular and goofy stance.
FIGURE 4-3: Stand sideways on the board when it’s rolling.
FIGURE 4-4: Face forward when pushing.
FIGURE 4-5: Normal stance versus switch stance.
FIGURE 4-6: Normal stance versus fakie.
FIGURE 4-7: Normal versus nollie.
FIGURE 4-8: Keep your center of gravity over the center of the board.
FIGURE 4-9: Foot position for pushing your board forward.
FIGURE 4-10: Tighten or loosen the kingpin or change the bushings.
FIGURE 4-11: Wheel bite.
FIGURE 4-12: Walk your board.
FIGURE 4-13: Stand on the board with one foot while pushing with the other.
FIGURE 4-14: Dropping in.
FIGURE 4-15: Shift your weight in the direction you want to turn.
FIGURE 4-16: Use your rear foot as a brake.
FIGURE 4-17: For a quick stop, drive the tail of your board into the ground.
FIGURE 4-18: Manual up a curb.
FIGURE 4-19: Throw down your board.
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5-1: Performing a kickturn on flat ground.
FIGURE 5-2: Frontside kickturn.
FIGURE 5-3: Backside kickturn.
FIGURE 5-4: Hippie jump over obstacles that your board can ride under.
FIGURE 5-5: The slide shuvit.
FIGURE 5-6: Position your front foot a little farther back than usual to set up...
FIGURE 5-7: Practice popping the tail while standing to the side of your board.
FIGURE 5-8: Squat, jump, and pop the tail.
FIGURE 5-9: Brush the top of your board with the side of your front foot.
FIGURE 5-10: Jump and pop the tail.
FIGURE 5-11: Use your front foot to level out the board.
FIGURE 5-12: Flick the side edge of the board with the tip of your shoe.
FIGURE 5-13: Doing a heelflip.
FIGURE 5-14: Squat, jump, and pop the nose.
FIGURE 5-15: Level the tail with the side of your rear foot (wiping off crumbs)...
FIGURE 5-16: Crouch down and prepare for launch.
FIGURE 5-17: Rotate your shoulders, arms, and torso in the direction you want t...
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6-1: Performing a manual.
FIGURE 6-2: How to hold onto a rail or ledge to keep from falling.
FIGURE 6-3: Boardsliding.
FIGURE 6-4: Grinding.
FIGURE 6-5: If you’re sliding between both trucks, the surface must be narrow.
FIGURE 6-6: Plastic rails protect your board and provide a smoother surface for...
FIGURE 6-7: A parking block is ideal for your first boardslides.
FIGURE 6-8: Approach the obstacle parallel or at a slight angle to it.
FIGURE 6-9: Maintain your balance.
FIGURE 6-10: Prepare for landing at the end of an obstacle.
FIGURE 6-11: Exiting a boardslide on a low object.
FIGURE 6-12: Performing a 90-degree ollie.
FIGURE 6-13: Transfer your weight to the tail when you’re ready to exit.
FIGURE 6-14: Jump up to a higher surface by using only one leg to launch and la...
FIGURE 6-15: Shift nearly all your weight to the tail.
FIGURE 6-16: Gently swipe the tail off the ledge with your rear foot.
FIGURE 6-17: In a 50-50 grind, the trucks grind the top edge; the wheels slide ...
FIGURE 6-18: A 5-0 grind.
FIGURE 6-19: A feeble grind.
FIGURE 6-20: Frontside (a) and backside (b) power slides.
FIGURE 6-21: Flat spots can cause a rough ride.
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9-1: Fish-eye angle.
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11-1: Rodney performing an iconic trick.
FIGURE 11-2: Bush gap bounce.
FIGURE 11-3: Daewon in 1991 as a pro.
FIGURE 11-4: Second-generation Z-boys.
FIGURE 11-5: Hesh versus fresh skating fashion.
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Begin Reading
Index
About the Author
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Skateboarding For Dummies®
Published by: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774, www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2024 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Media and software compilation copyright © 2024 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published simultaneously in Canada
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2024936485
ISBN 978-1-119-98992-9 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-394-15001-4 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-394-15000-7 (ebk)
Introduction
Something drew your interest to skateboarding. Maybe you noticed kids in your neighborhood weaving through the streets, launching themselves and their boards over trash cans or picnic tables, or gliding down 20-foot handrails and having a blast doing it. Maybe you watched some amazing young skater in the Summer Olympics doing aerial acrobatics on a board, and you dream of doing that yourself someday. Maybe you saw a video of incredible skateboard moves online or in a film. Perhaps you’re just looking for a fun physical activity that’ll give you washboard abs and help you build balance, confidence, and grace.
Whether you’ve never set foot on a skateboard, you just need some tips on how to progress and maybe even pursue a career as a professional skateboarder, or you’re fascinated with the history and culture of skateboarding, you’ve come to the right place.
From the first time you step foot on a skateboard throughout your progression, you’re on a journey of discovery. For me, that journey started when I received my first board at the age of 13, and it continues to this day. It has engaged me in an ongoing process of self-discovery and self-development, taken me around the world, enabled me to forge lifelong friendships, given me a fun and rewarding career, and enriched my life in more ways than I ever could’ve imagined in my youth. Along the way, I’ve been amazed to discover what’s physically possible on a skateboard, and I continue to be astonished watching each subsequent generation of talented skaters raise the bar.
I’m grateful for my journey and for everything skateboarding has brought into my life. Now that journey has led me here to accompany you on the first steps of what I hope becomes your own thrilling adventure. In this book, I serve as your guide as you enter the wonderful world of skateboarding.
About This Book
Skateboarding For Dummies is your insider’s guide to everything about skateboarding, including the growing global industry it has built and the vibrant subculture that surrounds it. Here, you gain insight into the lifestyle and its rich history and culture while developing fundamental skills and discovering what it takes to go pro.
In this book, I share the knowledge and insight I’ve gained over the course of my 30-plus years in skateboarding. I cover everything from riding a skateboard and performing basic tricks to the different styles of skateboarding to the culture and lifestyle surrounding it. I explain skateboard anatomy and lead you through the process of building your own board from scratch. And I offer sage advice on how to go pro, including how to get sponsored and not screw up the golden opportunities that may come your way. As a bonus, I share my top ten skate videos of all time and ten of my skateboard heroes — the people I aspired to skate like when I was just getting started. (I had a hard time whittling down my list to only ten!)
I’ve written this book so you can read it from cover-to-cover, and I hope you do. However, I present the information in a way that allows you to skip around and read whatever interests you on-demand and at your own pace. Feel free to skip the sidebars (anything in a shaded box) and paragraphs marked with a Technical Stuff icon; although they may contain information that’s too fascinating to ignore, this material isn’t required reading.
Foolish Assumptions
As a skateboarder, I’m accustomed to making foolish assumptions, such as grinding down a handrail assuming that I’ll land safely at the end. In writing this book, I’ve made the following foolish assumptions about you:
You’re patient and persistent, or at least willing to improve in those areas.
Riding a skateboard is a continuous process of trying, failing, and getting back on your board to try again. The good news is that if you can stick with it, skateboarding can help you build patience and persistence over time.
You have some degree of risk tolerance.
Skateboarding is risky. You will get hurt. You don’t need to be an adrenaline junkie, but you do need to be willing to risk injury to do something that’s a whole lot of fun. (Of course, you can mitigate the risk with safety gear and proper techniques, which I cover in this book.)
You’re open-minded.
Skateboarding has a culture that’s open to everyone except close-minded, intolerant people (that is, jerks). It’s one of the few popular sports that has no rules, and that aspect carries over to the culture.
Things I haven’t assumed about you: your skateboarding experience level, your age, your gender, your socioeconomic background — doesn’t matter; nobody cares. All that matters is your interest in skateboarding and your willingness to find out more about it and have fun doing it.
Icons Used in This Book
Throughout this book, icons in the margins highlight certain types of valuable information that call out for some special attention. Here are the icons I use and a brief description of each.
I want you to remember everything you read in this book, but if you can’t quite do that, then remember the important points flagged with this icon.
Sometimes, I add a bit more info than you really need to know, but it’s still interesting or helpful in some way. If you want to skip these paragraphs, though, you’ll be just fine.
Tips are tidbits of information and insight that I’ve gathered from my many years of skateboarding and distilled to save you time and effort.
“Whoa!” Before you take another step, read these warnings. I provide this cautionary content to help you avoid the common pitfalls that are otherwise likely to trip you up and may get you seriously injured … or worse.
Beyond the Book
If you’re looking for some bonus content, check out this book’s online Cheat Sheet. This Cheat Sheet includes a handy list of tips for beginners, ways to adjust the trucks on your skateboard, how to stop a runaway skateboard, steps to getting sponsored and going pro, and skateboarding terms complete with definitions! To access this Cheat Sheet, go to dummies.com and type Skateboarding For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the search box.
When it comes to skateboarding, reading gets you only so far, which isn’t far at all. You need to do it. Build, buy, or borrow a skateboard, and follow my instructions to starting riding and performing basic tricks. (I would tell you to steal a skateboard if you have to, but my first skateboard was stolen from me, and I’d hate for that to happen to anyone else.)
This book covers only the basics, and although I include plenty of photos to illustrate techniques, they’re no substitute for video or in-person instruction. I encourage you to watch skateboarding videos. You can find free skateboarding videos online on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. Some provide detailed instructions, while others demonstrate maneuvers and tricks. Some are more for entertainment purposes but are still educational to some degree. They can all help accelerate your progression and fuel your passion for skateboarding.
Beyond videos, visit skate parks near you and watch local skaters. Attend skateboarding competitions. Follow the skaters you like best. Maybe you’ll get a chance to meet them or, even more amazing, skate with them!
Where to Go from Here
This book introduces you to everything you need to know about skateboarding, but that doesn’t mean you need to know it all at once. For example, if you’re eager to start skating, flip through Parts 1 and 2 first. If you’re already a superstar and are eager to go pro, skip the basics and check out Chapters 9 through 11 to read more about your options. Use the table of contents and index to help you find the topics you’re most interested in.
Wherever you decide to go from here, do it with gusto and keep it fun!
Part 1
Getting Ready to Shred
IN THIS PART …
Go behind the scenes to discover everything that makes skateboarding such an awesome sport and makes life as a skateboarder so enjoyable and fulfilling.
Get up to speed on the parts of a skateboard, from the deck and the trucks to the wheels and bearings. Choose (or build) a skateboard that’s right for you based not only on your age, height, and weight but also on your preferred style of skating and how you feel on it.
Familiarize yourself with different styles of skateboarding.
Chapter 1
Living Large: Adopting a Skateboarder’s Mindset and Lifestyle
IN THIS CHAPTER
Getting up to speed on the benefits of skateboarding
Preparing to become a member of diverse community
Understanding the less conventional parts of skateboarding culture
Picking up some skateboard-ese
Skateboarding is more than a mode of transportation, a recreational activity, a competitive sport, and a multibillion-dollar global market. It’s a mindset and a way of life. I believe it’s the best life. It’s fun, healthy (mentally and physically), and affordable. It can even be profitable, if that’s one of the things you’re looking to get out of it. It stimulates the mind, nurtures creativity, and can be a catalyst to bring people together and build community. It kept me out of trouble when I was growing up, provided me with a constructive emotional outlet, and set me on a path to a rewarding and fulfilling career.
As you enter the world of skateboarding, I encourage you to explore and experience everything it has to offer. As you progress, I hope you start to adopt a skateboarder’s mindset and lifestyle. In this chapter, I bring you up to speed on the benefits of skateboarding and increase your awareness and understanding of the culture and spirit of skateboarding.
Recognizing the Positive Impact Skateboarding Can Have on Your Life
Skateboarding can be physically, mentally, and emotionally transformational. I know because of the positive impact it has had on my life. The experiences I’ve had, what I’ve gained, and what I’ve learned to let go of to move forward have all contributed to providing me with a much richer and more fulfilling life than I believe I would’ve had without it.
Skateboarding got me out of a small gang and activities that would probably have led me down a different (likely self-destructive) path. Skateboarding boosted my self-esteem. The more I practiced and accomplished on my board, the more confident I became in many areas of my life. With each goal I met, milestone I reached, person I met, and new experience I had, I became more of the person I was becoming and grew more comfortable with myself.
In the following sections, I explore the aspects of skateboarding that I think have had the greatest impact on my life and may also have an impact on yours. I owe a lot to the industry and the supportive community of skaters for giving me an opportunity to make a living out of skateboarding. Without these brands; communities; committees; skate shops; and many dedicated, generous individuals, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Reaping the physical and psychological benefits of skateboarding
Everyone knows that physical activity benefits both body and mind, regardless of age. Of course, skateboarding can be risky, but inactivity is certain to result in muscle loss and cognitive decline. Many people find that skateboarding is so much fun that they don’t even realize the many ways skateboarding is improving their health and well-being, such as the following:
Builds strength, balance, and awareness of your surroundings:
All these factors can reduce your risk of falls and injuries and help you maintain independence as you age. (Of course, being on a skateboard exposes you to a greater risk of falling than when you’re just walking across a room or sitting in a chair, but how much fun is that?)
May increase energy and reduce fatigue:
At least that’s the effect it has on me.
Improves sleep:
This point is especially true if you’re riding enough to wear yourself out.
Reduces stress and anxiety:
It also improves your mood, especially when you reach a milestone or just have a good skate day.
Helps you maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of excessive weight gain.
Improves or preserves cognitive function:
Skateboarding forces your mind to shift quickly and often between performing a task and making split-second decisions.
Provides a constructive outlet for socializing:
Many studies show the benefits of maintaining an active social life. When you’re skateboarding with others, you’re all motivating and inspiring one another and sharing smiles, laughs, frustrations, and accomplishments, which brings everyone closer every session.
Builds self-esteem, especially if you take time to celebrate your accomplishments:
Skateboarding empowers you to feel more confident and in control of your own destiny. Achievement awards, trophies, sponsorships, viral videos and social media posts, and praise from your peers and the entire world of skateboarding all nurture self-respect.
Enriches your life with new friends, new experiences, and the life lessons you learn on and off the board.
Gives you membership in a community (a skate army) and culture:
You speak a language that only skateboarders understand and clown around while communicating intuitively through tricks, movements, and eye contact.
Cultivates persistence and patience: Building balance and skills is a process of learning by trial and error. Repeating this process over and over again with every trick you learn and every obstacle you land builds persistence and patience.
Pace yourself to perfection. Although wanting to progress quickly is normal, especially when you’re young, remember that everyone progresses at a different pace. Letting it happen naturally is best. Whenever you’re trying to do something new on your board, let your mind and body develop organically together to figure out the methods and movements to make it happen.
MY JOURNEY IN SKATEBOARDING
My mom bought me my first board in 1988. I was 13 years old. Within two weeks, that board was stolen from a donut shop I frequented at the time, and my parents were done buying boards. Getting my next board required more effort and creativity. I begged people for their old equipment and then had to raise money to buy the remaining parts I needed. I picked flowers from an undisclosed location and sold them door-to-door. I starved myself to save every penny. And I cobbled together a board that served its purpose well.
In late 1989, I picked up a small shop sponsor and started getting discounts on blank boards — standard boards (decks) without graphics, $19 each with grip tape (which gives you better traction on the board and improves your control). These discounts were huge for me at the time. I was running out of flowers to sell and was about to resort to more drastic measures.
Fortunately, my hero, Rodney Mullen, watched me skate for a while one day and said he wanted to send me free product! Wow!
Soon after, I was getting free stuff — huge boxes delivered to my house packed with decks, stickers, T-shirts, and so much more. Going pro in 1991 was even better. At the age of 16, I was traveling the world, meeting amazing people, and skateboarding with the most awesome skaters on the planet. I was filming one video project after another, year after year, and was being acknowledged by the community I loved and admired for all the fun and hard work I put into those videos. My first company video part, which was my introduction to the world, was in Love Child in 1991. Over time, Rodney became my mentor and gave me some amazing guidance. We traveled the country and the world together. I wouldn’t be anywhere if it wasn’t for him taking a chance with me.
I can’t express in words how grateful I feel to skateboarding and all the people and places and experiences it has brought into my life. Over the years, I was showered with even more blessings, including the following:
2004 TransWorld SKATEboarding magazine’s Street Skater of the Year2005 TransWorld SKATEboarding magazine’s Video Part of the Year2006 Thrasher magazine’s Skater of the Year2014 The Berrics Populist AwardX Games Bronze 2014 Real StreetOver 250 pro model decksNumerous sponsors and more than 30 company video parts2017 Hall of Fame inductee2019 TransWorld SKATEboarding magazine’s Legend AwardNone of this was planned. It just happened. And skateboarding made it happen. It shaped the person I am today. It’s been a very therapeutic exercise; it really helped me escape the painful side of my mind in a healthy, positive, and creative way.
Appreciating the universal appeal of skateboarding
Since its birth, skateboarding’s popularity has waxed and waned. As I write this, it seems to be trending up, especially among teenagers but also among older and younger generations. I don’t fully understand why skateboarding appeals to such a broad demographic, but I think it has something to do with the fact that you don’t have to be an athlete to get started and that there’s always room for improvement. Even the best can get better.
Changing popular perception
Skateboarding wasn’t always popular, or even acceptable. Many considered it antisocial. As they saw it, skateboarders were swerving and disturbing the peace on streets and sidewalks with little regard for people’s space. Skateboarders scared some pedestrians and made the jobs of police and security guards, who were pressured to keep skateboarders off the property, harder.
Fortunately, most people have come around. Society still has its haters, but much of the world accepts and even embraces skateboarding. I’m encouraged to see more communities passing friendlier legislation and funding new skate parks and organizations raising money to support young skateboarders. More and more people and communities are treating skateboarding with the same respect they feel for other legitimate sports.
Supporting the subculture
Skateboarding has always had a subculture of its own, but it’s spread more widely now. Punk rock and fashion have made it one of the more popular subcultures; at one point, it dwarfed the surf culture from which it was born.
People seem to love the lifestyle, the look, the attitude, and the freedom, and many people outside the culture are starting to embrace it, even when they don’t fully understand or appreciate its cultural heritage. Now big-name celebrities commonly dress like skateboarders or wear clothing with the logos of popular skateboarding brands.
Some in the skateboarding world interpret this behavior as a form of cultural appropriation and see it as a threat to skateboarding’s subculture. Many in the skateboarding community have an emotional connection to the past and to specific brands, and some get upset when they see people who don’t skateboard take a brand or a reissued graphic for granted because it looks cool or is trending.
For example, some people in the skateboarding community became very upset to see non-skating celebrities wearing a sweater with a Thrasher magazine logo on it. They didn’t consider those people worthy of representing the culture wearing such an iconic brand. But who was it bad for? Not Thrasher. It sent those sweaters flying off the shelves!
I don’t see that kind of behavior as disrespectful. I’ve worn a Harley Davidson shirt even though I don’t have a deep and authentic connection with the biker culture. I think people need to realize that you can like something without being a culture vulture.
Welcoming everyone
Fortunately, the skateboarding culture as a whole is very tolerant, especially the new generation of skateboarders; they’re very open minded and appreciate the openness and support. Skateboarding provides a safe haven, and a large majority of skaters demonstrate the genuine love they feel. As for the minority — some of the older skaters who tend to be grumpy and about seeing their beloved subculture becoming more mainstream — the skateboarding community needs them, too. Having conflicting perspectives can keep things interesting.
Skateboarding is an open campus! Come in and enjoy. No one is here for your opinion or your politics! They’re here to be inspired, to progress, and to be part of something bigger. The culture has always been, and I believe will always be, centered on a commitment to no rules, including any rules intended to make skateboarding exclusive. Skateboarding is always evolving. It’s a community that accepts beginners of all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, interests, and skill levels, no membership required.
Embracing the “Skate or die” mentality
“Skate or die” is a saying that’s emblematic of the skateboarder mindset. It’s about being so focused on landing a trick that you lose your sense of self. I used to love jumping from one building to the next or hopping gaps between shipping containers (see Figure 1-1). It made me feel bold and daring. Skate or die!
Photo by Seu Trinh
FIGURE 1-1: Skate or die … maybe more like skate and die.
You risk it all sometimes for the pure satisfaction of rolling away on the other side! I see skateboarders now who fly off 20 stairs easy and grind 30-stair rails — a death-defying feat — just to roll away and say they did it. (Well, usually it’s to capture themselves doing it on video so they can share their clip.) Skaters do get a huge satisfaction from building up the nerves to try something that may kill them. But skateboarding gives you that confidence and connection to want to do it just for yourself regardless of the consequences.
“Skate or die” can be supportive or derogatory depending on the context. If you scream it out your car window at a skater in passing, they’re probably going to take it as mockery. It’s like throwing up a shaka (a “hang loose” hand gesture) at a surfer and saying “surf’s up, dude!” However, saying “skate or die” when you’re leaving a skate park or spot is like saying “see ya later” or “have a good day” in the cheesiest way possible.
So I say to you, “Skate or die!” And I’m not shouting it at you through a car window. I sincerely mean it in the most supportive and affectionate tone possible.
Staying committed
To reap the full benefits of skateboarding, stay committed to it. That’s usually easy if you love skating and are passionate about it, but even then, a person’s level of commitment can fluctuate. A lot of commitment issues can revolve around your enjoyment or level of involvement and the opportunities and benefits you may be getting.
External:
For some people, the opportunities and benefits are
extrinsic
(external) — money, sponsorships, followers on social media platforms, validation, emotional support. Competing in events and pursuing sponsorships can keep them motivated and committed to a goal.
Internal:
For others, the benefits are more
intrinsic
(internal) — fun, pleasure, satisfaction. For these people, skateboarding is a reward in and of itself.
I recommend starting with the intrinsic benefits of skateboarding. Make sure you’re enjoying it and having fun first and foremost. You’ll skate better when you’re having fun at it, and you’ll want to keep that party going. If you’re not having fun, that’ll come out in the quality of your skating and make you struggle with your level of commitment. If opportunities arise to get more involved in the skate world and pursue potential extrinsic opportunities, go for it. If they don’t, no big deal; you still got something valuable from it.
One of the most effective extrinsic benefits of skateboarding is social support. Encouragement from others can have a tremendous positive impact on your mind and soul. It can really boost your ego.
A couple of caveats about extrinsic benefits:
Don’t invest your time, energy, effort, and money into skateboarding with the mindset that it entitles you to getting something back in return — that you’re owed something in exchange.
It’ll pay off in some way, but maybe not in the ways you expect.
Don’t let the expectations of others limit who you are or how you express yourself.
If you eventually get sponsored, turn pro, or become your hometown hero, you may start to feel obligated to your sponsors, fans, or even your friends. These feelings are natural, but don’t let them limit your creativity and commitment to what you’re striving to be and to accomplish.
Staying committed applies to the relationships you build along the way. Whenever you’re in the presence of someone you want to get to know better, your commitment to get their attention is high — often high enough to force you out of your shell just to get noticed. After you’ve achieved that goal and you hit it off, maintaining that level of commitment often requires even more effort. Take the same approach when you get an opportunity to represent a sponsor. Your mutual commitment to one another will keep you both happy and grow into a productive, fulfilling relationship that can last a lifetime.
PARENTS, DON’T LET YOUR KIDS GROW UP TO BE SKATERS
Have you ever heard the song “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to Be Cowboys”? Historically, the same advice has applied to raising skateboarders, although the reasons are different.
In the movies and on TV, skaters are often depicted as deadbeats, criminals, and vandals who paint graffiti on buildings and harass shoppers in strip malls. These depictions are based on an element of truth, but they’re exaggerated into stereotypes, and, to some extent, the antisocial behaviors are manufactured by the people most upset by them. If you prohibit healthy outlets, youth will rebel.The risk of injuries can also scare off parents, but gradual progression, skating in safer places, and using proper safety equipment can significantly mitigate the risk.Every sport has some raw personalities with bad attitudes that parents don’t want influencing their children, but I’ve seen a huge change in skateboarding since the 2010s as much of the world has chosen to embrace it. More communities have skate parks or are at least more permissive, and high-profile contests, events, and sponsors have popularized and legitimized skateboarding. Kids these days don’t have as many restrictions and overbearing authority figures to push against. It didn’t change overnight, and it wasn’t easy. It took a lot of work and positive role models such as Tony Hawk and Rodney Mullen to open the eyes of millions about all that’s positive in skateboarding and the culture that permeates it.
Being Part of a Diverse Community
As you enter the world of skateboarding, be prepared for the diversity you encounter. Skateboarding crosses all boundaries: geographic, demographic, you name it. In this section, I shine the spotlight on a couple areas that are emblematic of the growing diversity in skateboarding.
Shredding barriers: Girls in skate
Skateboarding has been a male-dominated activity since its inception. In the early days, women did have a much tougher time than men breaking into it. Getting motivated is tough when you feel intimidated and uncomfortable. Some iconic woman skaters through the years include Patti McGee, who graced the cover of LIFE magazine in 1965, and Elissa Steamer, who shocked the skate world with a solid street part for Toy Machine in 1996 and made many realize that women in skating weren’t going anywhere but up! Fast forward to Momiji Nishiya winning the women’s street gold medal at skateboarding’s debut in the 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
The growing acceptance of women in skateboarding has paid dividends. According to at least one study, 40 percent of new skateboarders are women. The world can now witness girls as young as nine flying off ramps and across gaps doing flip tricks, grabs, and huge kickflips, plus sliding massive street and skate park rails. Meanwhile, grown men (including me) watch from the stands wishing they had just a tiny bit of the control these young women are bringing.
Since the 2010s, women have been dominating the skate industry with style and attitude that have been contagious. The Olympics, Street League, and X Games all have women’s divisions, so everyone can watch these amazing girls and women compete and change the course of skateboarding’s history.
Extending skateboarding’s reach
The skateboarding community has always been diverse but relatively small — a subculture distinct and separate from mainstream popular culture — but that’s changing. Skateboarding is extending its reach into and throughout the mainstream and increasing in diversity as a result.
According to some estimates, skateboarding is now the third most popular sport in the United States behind football and basketball. Thanks to the efforts of past generations of high-profile skateboarders and events such as the Olympics and X Games, skateboarding has benefited from a slow and steady acceleration of positive exposure that has extended and deepened its influence, inspiring more and more people to hop on a board and take to the streets.
Riding on the coattails of this huge growth spurt, many big fashion brands are translating the unique way some skateboarders dress into fashion trends. Many advertisements now incorporate skateboarding as a marketing tool to make their products look sassy and sexy. In the process, they attract even more people to skateboarding.
Increasing exposure in advertising is just one sign of skateboarding’s commercial success. Although the skateboarding industry has been through some tough financial times, in 2017 and 2018 it was valued close to $1.9 billion worldwide and is expected to grow into a 2.3-billion-dollar industry by 2025, with teenagers responsible for most of that growth. At one point, teens between the ages of 13 and 18 accounted for 44 percent of the total skateboarding industry revenue.
Of course, not everyone in the skateboarding community is happy about the mainstreaming and commercialization of skateboarding. When skateboarding was scheduled to debut in the Summer Olympics in 2020 in Tokyo, the community was split about halfway down the middle. Some were even upset that it was being classified a sport when to them it’s a lifestyle or culture. (I think it can be both and more.) However, the International Olympic Committee concluded that skateboarding is, in fact, a sport, and it saw it as an opportunity to increase engagement with a younger demographic. When the Tokyo Olympics finally did happen in 2021 (thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic), witnessing its acceptance by the mainstream was a huge milestone!
The increasing popularity of skateboarding has resulted in huge growth in the construction of new skate parks around the world. The problem for me growing up in the ’90s was the lack of places to skate without getting kicked out. In many places, including public areas, skateboarding was prohibited. In the mid-’90s, I’d see maybe one skate park within a 40-mile radius. Now I’m seeing two or more skate parks in almost every city I visit. With more parks than ever, skaters have a place to practice, train, and hang, and that increased access to parks is in turn contributing to the growth of the industry.
However, unlike other popular sports, including football, basketball, soccer, and baseball, skateboarding doesn’t have large, organized programs for youth. The Competitive Amateur Skateboard League (CASL) is working on that. In addition, I’m seeing more people hiring coaches and getting lessons.
Tapping into the Soul of Skateboarding
When you’re getting started in skateboarding, certain behaviors and ways of thinking that are ingrained in the culture may strike you as odd. To prepare you for some of the weirdness you can expect to encounter, in this section I give you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into what you’re observing.
Skater’s view: Finding spots
Over time, you start to acquire an eye for spots (skating locations). I’ve spent up to four hours in a single day scoping out potential spots, looking down every street and checking out every business for a spot I could possibly skate. Finding a great location is like discovering a hidden treasure, and when word gets out about one, everyone wants to skate it. If it’s well publicized, people from all around the world descend like vultures. People from Japan, Brazil, and nearly every country in Europe travel to California to skate famous spots, and many people fly from the United States to other places around the world to skate in amazing settings.
When I was younger, I skated everywhere! I’d skate for hours to a spot, not realizing that I’d have to skate just as far to get back home. What a great and adventurous time in my life. That experience and motivation was phenomenal.
Be prepared to spend a considerable amount of time searching for good skate spots and places where you can record tricks. I’ve traveled the world for tours, contests, and video shoots (not to mention much needed vacations). I’ve skated the streets looking in every nook and cranny, down every street and alley, through business districts and industrial parks, all across the United States looking for new spots to skate. If you get really into it, you’ll put a lot of miles on your car as well, driving back and forth to locations you have to keep revisiting because you failed the last ten times to film a trick and get it just right.
To the uninitiated, skateboarders sizing up a spot appear to be acting weird. When skaters are scoping out spots, they may test the runway and the landing, run up to a rail and stop, turn their back to it, and look at it over their shoulder. They may jump off the top stair and land on the sidewalk at the bottom, using wild arm and hand gestures to mimic how they think they’ll need to move on the way down. And they do all this without a skateboard in sight!
You may also see skateboarders using their shoes or shirts to sweep debris off a surface they want to skate. Some skaters straddle a handrail to see how much damage they’re likely to suffer if they fail in their attempt to get gnarly.
It’s very amusing to watch, but if you act like this for too long in front of a business or near someone’s driveway, someone who doesn’t recognize it as normal skater behavior is likely to call the cops.
Going all in and all out: Skate and destroy
“Skate and destroy” is a motto of the skateboarding community. (It’s also the title of a song by punk rock band the Faction that has become something of an anthem.) The phrase has different meanings for different people. To me, it means that your duty as a skater is to destroy anything that gets in your way, especially any limitations that the establishment or society as a whole tries to impose on you.
The phrase was popularized by Thrasher magazine and has been used as the title of a book and the name of a popular video game. If you see a skateboarder with a lot of tattoos, you can safely bet that one of those tattoos is “Skate and Destroy!” I’m guilty of that myself. Think of the phrase as a long motivational speech boiled down to three words.
Telling a skateboarder to “skate and destroy” or “skate or die” (a phrase I cover earlier in the chapter) is fine. Just don’t tell them to “break a leg.”
Picking yourself back up
Falling and getting back up happens naturally, especially when nobody’s around. It’s just you and your skateboard and, in some cases, the obstacle you’re trying to skate. You try a trick and fail; try again, fail; try, fail; try, fail; try, fail! You keep doing it with a never-give-up commitment, building self-discipline and persistence with every failure. In the back of your mind, you keep repeating to yourself, “You can do this.”
Eventually, the feeling you get from pushing through and ultimately achieving your goal becomes an addictive reward. You don’t get a trophy for it, or money, or cheers from adoring fans. Your only reward is feeling fantastic, and that feeling spurs you on to try something even more complicated. This process is pure progression on every level (mentally and physically), and at the end of it all, the rewards are unexplainable.
MORE THAN A USELESS WOODEN TOY
Useless Wooden Toys is a skateboard video originally released in 1991. It’s one of my favorite videos, and I cover it in Chapter 13. The phrase “useless wooden toys” is in reference to how some parents and much of society as a whole viewed skateboards at the time.
I can understand how outsiders may come to consider the skateboard a useless wooden toy. You may think that anything you can’t control or use for some practical purpose is useless — a car without gas or a watchdog that doesn’t bark — but that’s just a symptom of limited thinking. For a skateboarder getting their first board, even a terrible one is a magical thing that carries the potential of transforming their life. It may seem useless until you start using it to perform magic, express yourself, tone your body, build balance, or cruise in total freedom wherever your imagination leads.
I still love to refer to a skateboard as a useless wooden toy when nobody’s using it, knowing how grateful I am that this useless wooden toy came into my life and became my salvation.
Speaking the Language: Skate Slang
If you spend any time rubbing elbows with members of the skateboarding community, you soon realize that they have a language all their own and start to wonder what the heck they’re talking about. You may even think someone’s insulting you when they tell you that you skate goofy foot.
To help you avoid any awkward misunderstandings, here are some of the stranger terms tossed around by skateboarders:
Banger:
A very, very good trick — the cream of the crop.
Bonk:
A quick tap of the front truck (the metal piece that connects the wheels to the board) on an obstacle.
Carve:
To turn your board gradually by leaning to one side or the other.
Fakie:
Riding backward.
Goofy foot:
Your right foot. Most people ride with their left foot (regular foot) toward the front of the board. If you ride with your right foot forward, you’re said to ride
goofy foot
, but nothing is wrong with riding that way; it’s sort of like throwing or batting lefty in baseball.
Grind:
To slide along a narrow surface on the metal trucks, between the wheels mounted to the trucks.
Hesh:
Gnarly, raw, aggressive.
Mall grab:
To carry your skateboard holding one of the trucks with the top of the board facing you (see
Figure 1-2
). Holding a board this way is slightly frowned upon, but I think you should carry your board however you want.
Mongo:
To push your skateboard forward with your front foot instead of your rear foot. Skating mongo is considered bad form, but in skateboarding, who cares? Rules don’t apply.
Sketchy:
A messy or scary landing. If you perform a trick and you land slightly unstably, the landing can be described as
sketchy.
Also, when you try a trick and it feels scary, almost like how you’d feel taking a bad spill, you may say something like, “Whoa, that felt sketchy!”
Snake:
To cut off another skater or steal their line, meaning you see where they’re going and get there before they do.
Transition:
Any surface that’s not flat and level, such as a ramp.
Trucks:
The metal hardware that connects the board (deck) to the wheels and provides the means to turn.
Wheel bite:
One or more wheels coming into contact with the board, usually when carving or landing a trick. Wheel rotation can slow or stop, throwing you off balance. Wheel bite is more common with loose trucks or hard landings, and it can leave a mark or indentation on the bottom of the board.
FIGURE 1-2: Mall grab.
In addition to those general terms is a long list of unconventional names for tricks. They’re like shorthand, giving skaters a quick, easy way to describe a complex maneuver without having to explain all the ingredients involved. Here’s a small sample:
Benihana:
A grab trick in which the skater performs an ollie, does the splits in midair, and then grabs the tail of the board and pulls it back under their feet for the landing.
Madonna air:
Flying out of a ramp or any transition over the coping
frontside
(facing the
coping,
or lip), you kick your front foot out behind you while grabbing the nose of the board and land back on the coping on the tail while getting your foot back on the board at the same time to go back into the ramp.
McTwist:
An advanced aerial maneuver where the skater turns one and a half times in midair (540 degrees) and uses a frontside grab with the arm in front (grabbing the toe side of the board between the feet) resulting in a facing forward landing on a vert ramp.
Melon grab:
To grab the heel side of your board behind you with your front hand between both feet when your board is airborne.
Ollie:
A trick that involves launching yourself and your board through the air and then landing on your board and rolling away. The ollie is the basis for many tricks.
Saran wrap:
To grab the nose (nose pointing upward) and bring your front leg up and around the top front end of the board, switching hands while doing so to give clearance for your foot to get back on the board.
Shuvit:
A trick that involves shoving the tail of the board behind you while you ease your weight off the board, making it rotate 180 degrees beneath your feet.
Staple gun:
To skate up over the coping so that the board is flat on the platform at the top and your rear foot is on the transition and then drag the board back over the coping to ride down the transition in reverse. This maneuver makes a click-clack sound like a staple gun.
These terms merely scratch the surface; I cover many more throughout the book. When you start hanging around skateparks and skateboarders, you’ll start picking it all up!
