Skateboard Trick

Posted by on 8th April , 2009

A skateboarding trick, or simply a trick is a maneuver performed on a skateboard generally while moving. Learning and perfecting new tricks is the main goal of many skateboarders, and most of a skateboarders time is spent learning these tricks.

Basic Freestyle skateboard tricks involve balancing on some other part of the board than all four wheels, such as two wheels or one wheel, the tail of the board, or the edges on either side. It includes flipping and manipulating the skateboard in and out of these stances which were invented in the earliest years of skateboarding, this forms the basis of freestyle or flat ground skateboarding.

Aerial skateboard tricks involve floating in the air while using a hand to hold the board on his or her feet or by keeping constant and careful pressure on the board with the feet to keep it from floating away.

This class of tricks was first popular when Tony Alva became well known for his front side airs in empty swimming pools in the late 1970s and has expanded to include the bulk of skateboarding tricks to this day, including the Ollie and all of its variations.

Flip tricks are a subset of aerials which is based on the Ollie. The first such trick was the kick flip, which involves spinning the board around many different axes. It also includes combining several rotations in to one trick. These tricks are arguably most popular among street skateboarding purists, although skaters with other styles perform them as well.

Lip tricks are performed on the coping of a pool or skateboard ramp. Most grinds can be made on the coping of a ramp or pool as well, but there are some coping tricks which require momentum and vertical altitude that can only be attained on a transitioned riding surface. Those include Inverts and their variations as well as some dedicated air-to-lip combination.

Skateboarders can combine many types of basic, easy and complicated tricks together and find many new combination of skateboarding tricks which helps it keep it appeal amongst skateboarder followers.

The people who invented those basic, early tricks named that trick whatever they wanted. And most of the time it reflects what that person is thinking about the trick at that particular time. The earliest tricks were often named after the person who invented it. For e.g. Andrecht after Dave Andrecht; Ollie after Alan “Ollie” Gelfand; Elguerial after Eddie Elguera.

Sometimes a trick got more than one name as several people invented the trick independently around the same time or the original name was lost and it was given a new name.

Most of new tricks are invented through combining existing tricks together rather than creating something distinctly new, and the name reflects that. For example Danny Way was the first to do a Kickflip into an Indy, so he simply called it a kickflip indy.

Do you want to learn how to skateboard like a pro? Well then there is one important thing you need to know.

Learn How to Skateboard

Posted by on 8th April , 2009

Skateboarding is one of the favorite sports of extreme sport lovers. It is a sport or pastime of riding a skateboard. Skateboard is a wheeled board for riding or a short narrow board to which a set of small wheels is fitted on the underside, used to move rapidly or to perform jumps and stunts. They say that it can be a good alternative for surfing.

Next thing we will discuss are the things you should use or you will need before learning how to skateboard. First and the most important is of course the skateboard, the others will simply be for your safety like those protection gears for your elbows and knees, and of course you have the helmet for your head. As much as possible you should also be wearing your proper attire for the activity. There are things to consider when choosing the right skateboard that will fit you, may it be in size or in style.

Check out the following Gears:
(1) Length and width of the deck (deck is the actual board), it should have a space big enough so that when you step on it, your feet can relax on both sides, and according to studies 7.5’ deck is better
(2) concave or the slope of the board
(3) wheel size
(4) hardness,
(5) truck height and
(6) skate shoes just to name some. Skate shoes will help you a lot so that it will not be that hard for you to land on the side of your foot and eventually injure your ankle. And for your protective gears, you should look for those that will be more comfortable for you especially when you are already skateboarding and doing some tricks.

Let’s get started, learning how to skate especially for beginners is really difficult and challenging but when you get into the habit, it is very fulfilling. Because of the sudden skateboard outbreak, there are a lot of tips and advices not to mention formal education that other people give just to teach other aspiring skateboarders so as to widen their present population.

After making sure that you already have all the necessary paraphernalia with you and that you are already dressed up with the proper protection gears that you need, the next thing you have do is to follow the following instructions. But first, keep in mind that you are still starting to learn and you should start from the basic.

ABC’s of Skateboarding
So now let us do the ABC’s of skateboarding and learn how to skateboard.

First, is you have to have a good camaraderie with your skateboard, you should be at ease with it, the length, the width and so on, feel your skateboard and be comfortable in doing your basics like standing on it or even jumping.

Second, is choosing a position that suits your style, in some studies it says that there are 3 kinds of stance you can choose from and for some only 2. Those are:
(1) Regular or skating with your left foot forward,
(2) Goofy or skating with your right foot forward.
(3)And for others they have mongo foot pusher.
There are a lot of ways to know the best position for you, but the best way to find it is by knowing if you are right-handed or left-handed.

Third, is pushing. Beginners are having some trouble in doing this, because the tendency is that the skateboard gets away when they try to push the skateboard away. The proper way to do it is imagine that you are just walking, you are just making a step forward and the foot stepping forward is the foot pushing in front of the skateboard. Another trick is that you have to make a powerful push and not a lot of less-powerful pushes.

Fourth, is stopping. There are several ways or techniques in stopping a skateboard, there is

(1) foot breaking, this is the easiest way because you will just take off your back foot and drag it on the ground,

(2) heel drag, skateboarders who has been skating for a while is the ones who usually do this. You have to step down on your heel but you have to make sure that the front half of your foot is still on the board, your heel should drag a short ways and you should stop.

(3) Power slide, this is the advanced way to halt and since it is for advanced it will be better if we will not discuss it yet,

(4) lastly is, when you don’t have any other choice but to jump off and just buy a new skateboard.

LASTLY, after knowing the basics, and being familiar with all of them then I guess making your own style and having some exhibitions is just appropriate. Good luck!

Snowboard Fitness

Posted by on 8th April , 2009

Snowboard fitness is important for all level of snowboarders. The biggest difference it will make on a beginner snowboarder is not getting injured. Most injuries happen on the last run of the day because peoples muscles are tired. A snowboard workout will strengthen the muscles so that you can ride all day every day. When you do fall, because falling is part of snowboarding, having a good foundation of muscles will help absorb impacts better and help keep your spine and bones better in place.

For intermediate and advanced snowboarders a good snowboard workout would help them learn new tricks faster. By having stronger muscles they can ride longer and harder, which allows them to get more practice in and everyone knows practice makes perfect. Plus stronger muscles will also make doing snowboarding tricks that much easier. It will start to feel effortlessly. Getting your snowboarding to be effortless is the ultimate goal.

Snowboard fitness is all about building your core muscles. They are your obliques, abdomen, lower back, & glutes. When snowboarding you use your core muscles for most movements. They give you balance, help keep you protected when you wipe out, and help make snowboarding effortless. The most basic core developing exercises are push-ups, crunches, lounges.

Developing your leg muscles are also very important to an ultimate snowboarding workout. One of the biggest reasons why people have to take breaks and/or get injured is because they get tired and most of the time that tiredness comes from their legs. Doing some simple squats, just going up and down can help strengthen your legs. Also stand with your legs slightly more than shoulder width apart and bend at the knees, as if you were snowboarding. Try and hold the posture for as long as you can. Take a rest and then do it again and see if you can hold it even longer. I use this training technique a lot during the summer months to help keep my legs in snowboarding shape.

I’m not an expert on fitness, I just know what works for snowboarding. I’ve spent a lot of time and money on wasted workout plans and gym memberships. I finally found a system that works great for me. No weights required, workout anywhere, and I get the best results ever.Click here for a review of the ultimate snowboarding workout.

Want to keep your muscles full of energy so they can stay strong all day, you need to take your snowboarding vitamins. Click here for the list of important vitamins to take for snowboarding.

Snowboarding versus Surfing

Posted by on 8th April , 2009

Those who have fallen in love completely with one of these sports may wonder what might happen to them if they could never do it again. It’s because both snowboarding and surfing are likely to cause addiction. I remember when I first tried to keep my balance on the snowboard, I kept falling on my back and besides that it was pretty fun. But when you manage to “master” the board and you feel those unique sensations of speed, freedom, going down on an immaculate, white slope, with beautiful fir woods around and the great blue sky above, you can’t help thanking God you’re alive and able to enjoy those moments. After the first time I could keep myself on the snowboard, without falling down and actually doing that great sport, I know I was completely dumbstruck, speechless. You have to try that feeling and you’ll know what I’m talking about.

The only catastrophe such a passionate snowboarder may encounter, besides a terrible accident that can kill if not him/her, his/her hope of ever getting back “on board”, would be some strange change of climate that will stop the snow from ever falling down again on those gorgeous peaks. Or, to put it in a more realistic way, that person would have to move to a country where it never snows. Where there is only water, let’s say ocean.

Would a snowboarder manage to learn surfing? Or vice versa? Which one is more dangerous? Which of them is easier to learn? Answering all these may be rather tricky.

According to those who’ve tried them both, the art of turning differs completely. Because of that, when you first try snowboarding or surfing, you are very likely to lose balance plenty of times. Then if we are to consider the aspect of choosing the right wave, this might be the most difficult thing for any sport lover. In snowboarding, in order to evaluate the area properly, you have to think about the weather conditions, the visibility and the quality of light, etc. It is highly recommended to have someone who’s good at that sport when you first get on a snowboard or a surfboard. Otherwise you might be looking for trouble.

In this respect, surfing seems safer because there are many beaches with plenty of people and lifeguards, compared to the immensity temptation of deserts of snow waiting to be explored by a brave snowboarder. Nonetheless, a seemingly dangerous temptation is awaiting those who have already mastered the footsteps of surfing. They might want to try some incredible waves, which can unfortunately slam them against rocks or corals. This can still be prevented by asking good advice from the elders of surfing, those who are familiar with the best zones to surf and with those zones that are to be avoided by novices.

So each of these sports has its own advantages and disadvantages. For those who manage to ride the waves, it’s a great deal less expensive than snowboarding, because you don’t have to pay to use the waves. And lift tickets in alpine resorts are not so cheap. As far as the equipment is concerned, surfing is again more cost effective. All you need is a surfboard, whereas for snowboarding you need special clothes, bindings, boots, and not to forget the snowboard. As for the rest, nature takes care of you. It depends on what you prefer-good tan, or fresh, cool mountain air.

And yes, you can take your I-pod while snowboarding, to enjoy some of your tunes and have a soundtrack for your sportive activity. Although one cannot say for sure which of them is more boyish or more girlish, apparently there is a somewhat better balance of males and females doing snowboarding than surfing. So which of them is better? Which of them is more fun, safer or more advisable to try? The answer is quite “relative”, like Einstein would probably say if he were inquired on this issue. Either way, the idea is to be ready to have an amazing, unforgettable time, to take up risks and remember how great and miraculous it is to be alive. And of course, to do what’s available in the area you’re in at that particular moment.