Basics of Skateboarding
Street, Vert, and Freestyle
There are three types of skateboarding which are street, vert, and freestyle. Street skating is the most common but vert is what most people envision when they picture someone skateboarding.
Street skateboarding is skateboarding done in either the street or paved roads in a city or town or in a street skatepark. The act of street skating requires the rider to make use of the objects that are found in urban settings, like curbs, ledges, handrails, stairs etc. It is the most common types of skateboarding.
Vert skateboarding is when riders use ramps such as halfpipes, quarterpipes,vert ramps, and or bowls. You fly in the air and do flips, spins, grinds or a combination of all of them.
The third type of skateboarding is freestyle. Freestyle or flatland skateboarding is what started it all, it's more of surfing style like slides and basic flatland tricks, choreography and music was often incorporated in the competitions , it died in the 80's when the ollie became more popular and street skateboarding was incentially invented. I still like to do lots of flatland tricks combined with street skating.
Street skateboarding is skateboarding done in either the street or paved roads in a city or town or in a street skatepark. The act of street skating requires the rider to make use of the objects that are found in urban settings, like curbs, ledges, handrails, stairs etc. It is the most common types of skateboarding.
Vert skateboarding is when riders use ramps such as halfpipes, quarterpipes,vert ramps, and or bowls. You fly in the air and do flips, spins, grinds or a combination of all of them.
The third type of skateboarding is freestyle. Freestyle or flatland skateboarding is what started it all, it's more of surfing style like slides and basic flatland tricks, choreography and music was often incorporated in the competitions , it died in the 80's when the ollie became more popular and street skateboarding was incentially invented. I still like to do lots of flatland tricks combined with street skating.
Parts of a Skateboard
Most beginners skateboarders don't really think about the parts of their skateboard. They don't care that some parts will help them skate better. They just want to skate. In actuality the parts of your skateboard are very important. They can be the different between you sucking and shredding it up on your skateboard.
The wooden platform that you stand on is called the deck. The standard size for a deck is 7.75" but they come in many different sizes. You choose a deck on what type of skateboarding you're doing and personal preference. For freestyle or street skating it's better have a smaller board like 7.5-8.0. For vert you need a larger deck like 8.0 and up.To make your feet stick to the board, you need grip tape which you place on the top of your board. It is like medium grade sandpaper and it keeps your feet from just slipping off.
The most important part of the skateboard is the trucks. Trucks are the metal axle that you mount the wheels and deck to. Trucks come in many different shapes, size, and material. Picking the size of your trucks also depends on what kind of skating you're doing and what size board you have. The width of you trucks have to match that of your deck. If you are doing street or freestyle skating it's better to have low trucks because you're lower the ground and it gives you more stability. If you are doing vert it's better to have high trucks because they hold bigger wheels which help with speed.
Skateboard wheels are obviously the part that allows the board to move. They come in a many different sizes (52mm, 54mm, 60mm, etc.), colors, designs, and materials. Some being harder and others softer and more sticky. It's really the skaters preference on what type of wheels they get. To make the wheels spend there are Ball Bearing placed on both sides if each wheel.
The wooden platform that you stand on is called the deck. The standard size for a deck is 7.75" but they come in many different sizes. You choose a deck on what type of skateboarding you're doing and personal preference. For freestyle or street skating it's better have a smaller board like 7.5-8.0. For vert you need a larger deck like 8.0 and up.To make your feet stick to the board, you need grip tape which you place on the top of your board. It is like medium grade sandpaper and it keeps your feet from just slipping off.
The most important part of the skateboard is the trucks. Trucks are the metal axle that you mount the wheels and deck to. Trucks come in many different shapes, size, and material. Picking the size of your trucks also depends on what kind of skating you're doing and what size board you have. The width of you trucks have to match that of your deck. If you are doing street or freestyle skating it's better to have low trucks because you're lower the ground and it gives you more stability. If you are doing vert it's better to have high trucks because they hold bigger wheels which help with speed.
Skateboard wheels are obviously the part that allows the board to move. They come in a many different sizes (52mm, 54mm, 60mm, etc.), colors, designs, and materials. Some being harder and others softer and more sticky. It's really the skaters preference on what type of wheels they get. To make the wheels spend there are Ball Bearing placed on both sides if each wheel.