Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Goofy or Regular Stance?

Skateboarding has two stances: The Goofy stance and the Regular stance.

It is important to know which one to use in order to get maximum comfort whenever you go skateboarding. To figure out which stance is comfortable for you, try some of these tips.

First of all, the goofy stance is where you place your right foot in the front. Regular stance is where you place your left foot forward and right foot at the back. Try some of these tips in order to know which stance you will be most comfortable with.

The first method is by getting a ball. Whichever foot you are comfortable kicking it with will likely be your back foot. You have to remember that the balancing foot should be on front and the kicking foot should be at the back of the board.

Next, try going up a staircase and observe which foot you use on your first step. Whichever foot you use will be your back foot on the skateboard. This means that if you use your right foot to go up the stairs first, you will likely be comfortable using the regular stance.

Another way to find out which stance you use is by getting someone to push you while you are standing still. This will get you off balance and whichever foot you use to catch yourself will be your back foot.

Like most people who are right handed, most skateboarders use the regular stance. This is why regular stance is called regular as it is used by most skateboarders.

There is really no right way to know what kind of stance you want to use. Try skateboarding using both stances. Whatever is more comfortable is the one that you should use. Whether it is regular or goofy stance, you will see that skateboarding is a lot of fun.

Remember these tips and you will be able to know which stance you will want to use. Although it doesn't necessarily mean that you should go and use regular stance if you kicked the ball with your right foot, it just basically means that it is a good way to find out what kind of stance you will most likely be comfortable with.

Whichever stance you use, always remember to be safe. Always use safety gear and you will see that skateboarding will be a lot more fun.

Friday, January 9, 2009

How to Do the Kickflip

As a skateboarding enthusiast, you know that doing tricks is the best way to impress your fellow skateboarders. Learning how to do skateboard tricks is easy once you get your balance and are comfortable riding the board.

One trick is called the Kickflip. This trick is a variation of the Ollie and it is also considered to be one of the most difficult and popular beginner skateboarding tricks known.

With the Kickflip, you will start with an Ollie. Then you flick the board with your foot to make the board spin underneath while you are in the air. After the you get the board to spin once under your feet, get back on board, land and continue riding.

To do the Kickflip, you need to start with the most basic trick in skateboarding, which is the Ollie. If you don't know how to do the Ollie, then you will need to learn it first as the Kickflip is a variation of the Ollie.

It is also important that you know how to ride your skateboard comfortably in order to get used to your board and know how to balance it well.

Before you attempt the Kickflip trick, be sure that you are wearing all the necessary safety equipment, such as knee padding, elbow padding and a helmet.

The stance is basically the same when you do the Ollie. You need to get your back foot on the tail of the board and your front foot on the middle of the board or just behind the front trucks. You may want to try this trick when you are stationary by placing it on grass or carpet, which will prevent the board from sliding off as you are practicing. Or, you can also attempt to learn this trick while you are rolling at a comfortable speed.

Now, when you are ready, try to Ollie as high as you can. While in the air, flick the board with your front foot. This will be like flicking something with you hand like you would with a fly buzzing around your food but do it with your front foot and with the skateboard. Try kicking your front foot towards the heel side of the skateboard and use your toes to flick the board. It is important that the motion of your foot should be out and a little down. Do not kick the skateboard down, just flick it.

After flicking the board, get your feet out of the way in order for the board to make a complete spin. This happens so quickly so try to practice getting your feet out of the way.

While the board is flipping under you, try to keep your body level to the ground. This will help you maintain balance and also help you achieve a good landing.

After the board has done a complete spin, bout your back foot on it to catch it and prepare for landing by getting your knees bent. After catching the board with your back foot, you will want to put your front foot on the board too.

Remember that this trick takes time to master. So, try practicing over and over again. It may take time for you to get the board to do a complete spin, but after a few tries, you will be able to get it right.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Learning How to Do This Impressive Skateboard Maneuver

Knowing how to go back and forth on a skateboard is one thing. However, you also have to remember that there is more to skateboarding than just riding it forward, stopping, and then riding back to where you came from.

If you know how to ride the skateboard comfortably, then it is time for you to learn about the different basic maneuvers that you can do with your skateboard.

One basic skateboarding skill is Kickturning. This particular skill can be easy to look at but it is rather complicated or confusing to do it. In this skill, you will need to have good balance on your skateboard.

Kickturning is basically where you will balance your back wheels for movement and swinging the front of the board to go in a new direction. This takes some practice to master and a lot of balance.

Before you start, make sure that all you are wearing all of your safety skateboarding equipments are to prevent injuries during falls when practicing.

The first thing you need to learn is how to balance your body and skateboard on two wheels, particularly the back wheel. Try to practice it on the carpet or on the grass outside to prevent it from rolling too much which can send your skateboard flying off and land your bottom on the pavement.

To balance the skateboard on two wheels, you need to get your back foot across the tail and your front foot just behind the front trucks. Try imagining your foot when you are going to attempt an Ollie. This is the same stance that you need to have to attempt Kickturns.

Keep your knees bent and relaxed. Your shoulders should be level to the skateboard deck.

Then shift your weight to your back foot. Just a bit of weight shift is good. Now, lift your front foot just a little. This will make the front of your skateboard pop up. To turn to the direction you want to go to, just rotate your back foot to the left or right along with your body.

Try practicing the duckwalk with kickturns. This will be like shifting the board from left to right with the kick turns. This will improve your balance and enable you to practice your kickturns.

You should also practice the tic tac. This is where you combine the left and right kickturns. Try doing a little kickturn to the left and another to the right. Do this continuously and you will be able to a great skateboard maneuver.

You may fall when attempting to do kickturns on the first few attempts but this is natural. Almost everyone falls when practicing this move. By knowing how to kickturn, you will be well on your way in becoming a good skateboarder.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Executing This Head Turning Skateboard Trick

It is a fact that skateboard enthusiasts want to be like the pros. They want to execute different kinds of tricks and they want to do what their favorite skateboarders do in competitions.

If you want to be like Bam Margera or Tony Hawk, then you have a lot of practicing to do. Sure skateboarding can make heads turn, but if you really want to amaze people, you should learn how to properly execute the different tricks in order to avoid getting a mouth full of dirt and be the laughing stock of the neighborhood.

If you are just starting out skateboarding, you will want to start with the basics first. You have to remember that the ramps or the vert is one of the most difficult and also the most anticipated skateboarding activity.

This action will provide you with big air as well as enable you to perform different kinds of tricks.

If you are just starting out skating on ramps, you might want to start on a mini ramp and not on the real vert ramp. This will help you master the tricks you want to perform on the ramps and it is also the place to skate that will minimize injuries on huge falls.

To start out, you will first want to do the Rock to Fakie trick. This skateboard trick is what most skateboarders learn first on the ramp. It is easy and it is a very good way to start impressing people. This is also a great trick which will be a stepping stone to perform more elaborate tricks further on.

This particular trick is where the skateboarder will go to one side of the ramp and parks for a second on the edge of the ramp which is called the coping. Then, the skateboarder will rock back down the ramp.

The first thing you need to remember is that you should wear the proper safety equipment before you even start attempting this trick or any skateboarding trick.

Now that you are ready and you are now rocking back and forth the ramp, the next thing you need to do is position your feet the same way as you would when you will perform the Ollie. This means that your back foot should be on the tail of the board. The front foot should be a little closer to the nose of the board to perform the rock to fakie trick.

When you are rolling up the ramp, you need to stomp down a bit on the nose of the board just before you hit the coping. This will park your board on the edge of the ramp or the coping. Now, allow gravity to catch up with you and you should pop the trucks of the board back over the coping. This will allow you to ride back down on the ramp.

As you can see, this is a very simple yet very effective trick that you can do on the ramp. Just remember to wear the proper equipment to avoid serious injuries.

Choosing the Best Skateboarding Shoes for a Better Skateboarding Experience

In extreme sports, skateboarding is perhaps the most popular in the United States. If you love skateboarding, and you want to skate like the pros, then you need to understand that the board itself and your skills are not the only things that are important in this sport.

A lot of people think that skateboarding is done by just using regular sports shoes. However, you need to remember the fact that skateboarding will also require you to have a good pair of shoes that are specifically designed for skateboarding. They will be much more comfortable, and they will also be able to minimize injuries.

Although it is true that you can still skate using just about any shoes or even flip flops, you have to remember that when you are skateboarding, you will increase the risk of injuring your ankle.

Skateboarding shoes are designed to provide adequate protection to your ankles. These will be able to protect your ankle and prevent any serious foot injuries whenever you experience falls which is very common.

When choosing a pair of skateboarding shoes, here are some of the things that you need to remember in order to choose the right ones for a better and safer skateboarding experience.

The first important factor is that the skateboarding shoes you choose should be able to withstand a lot of force and should also be flexible enough so that you can execute tricks.

The grip is also an important factor. The skateboard shoes you purchase should be able to grip the skateboard to avoid slipping off from the board and falling.

Just like choosing any types of shoes, you have to remember that the skateboarding shoes you choose should be comfortable on your feet. The shoes you choose should feel good when you walk and when you skate, and they should be able to give you stability.

Shoes that are not comfortable will only result in giving you blisters and sores which will force you to give up skateboarding for a certain amount of time because of the pain.

The shoe laces are also important. You have to remember that skateboarding will require you to move your feet a lot and it will also let the shoes take a lot of force. Make sure that you get shoe laces that don't easily rip apart. Get a pair of special skateboarding laces, which are more durable than ordinary laces that will be able to withstand the roughness of the sandpaper like surface on your skateboard.

These are just some of the things that you need to remember about skateboarding. Always remember that the right shoes for skateboarding will make all the difference.

Easy Tips to Do It Properly

If you love skateboarding, then you will definitely want to learn as many tricks as you can. If you can do the Ollie, then you will want to know about the different tricks that are associated with the Ollie. Although they are more difficult to achieve, the results will definitely be fantastic and will awe a lot of people.

One trick that you will want to learn is called the heelflip. This kind of trick is similar to the kickflip but is a little harder to execute.

Heelflip is where the skateboarder does an Ollie to get him or her into the air and flicks the skateboard with his or her heel in order to let it spin in the air along the nose to tail axis. In this trick, the heel edge will come up first while staying parallel to the ground.

The skateboard will spin once and then the skateboarder will land on the skateboard when the wheel is facing the ground again. After landing, the skateboarder will ride away ready to do another trick or two.

It is important that you know how to do the Ollie in order to achieve the heelflip trick. You have to remember that this trick is another variation of the Ollie and is more technical and more difficult to execute.

To start, ride the skateboard with your feet in the Ollie position. However, you will want to have your front foot placed a little forward on the board and let your toes hang a little off the board. This will make the trick a lot easier to execute.

When you are at a considerable speed, do the Ollie but right after you pop the board into the air, you will need to kick the heel of your front foot forward.

After your front foot leaves the skateboard, you will need to point the toes of your front foot up in the air and kick your front foot forward. You will want to flick the edge of the skateboard with your heel, hence the name heelflip.

When the board is spinning, get your feet out of the way. After the board makes a complete spin, you need to catch it again. Keep in mind that the board will spin rapidly so look at the board when it is spinning in order to know when to catch it with your foot again and get ready for the landing.

Once you've caught the board, prepare for landing by bending your knees. This will help you absorb the impact when you land and help you with your balance.

After that, you can just simply ride away or do another trick.

What Should You Wear?

There is more to skateboarding than doing tricks and breaking bones. Seriously, skateboarding has created a whole new culture, a new breed of people, and a different fashion statement. So if you want to look like a genuine skateboarder, then you have to be in style.

Pants. Skateboarders are known to wear baggy pants. Denim jeans are a mainstay. Consider corduroy pants as well. If you want to be authentic, wear the same denim jeans over and over again. Wash them only when you want to. Shorts? Are you kidding me?

There's a reason why you should wear baggy pants and not shorts. Obviously, baggy pants can provide you with the freedom of movement. Shorts, while comfortable, expose your flesh and make your legs vulnerable to deeper cuts and bruises.

T-Shirt. Any t-shirt will do but the most popular are graphic shirts and just plain white and worn out t-shirts. Basketball jerseys are okay too.

Beanies or caps. Any baseball cap or beanie will do but it would be better to wear old ones.

Underwear. Go for bright colored underwear. Now, since you chose to wear baggy pants, you may want to expose your underwear to complete the hip-hop look.

Socks. Optional! But if you want to wear a pair, get ankle-length pair of black socks.

Belts and buckles. A nice quality belt should keep your baggy pants securely fastened to your waist. Wear leather or a web belt with belt buckle design of your choice.

Sweatshirt and Hoodie. If its cold and you need another layer of clothing, then a sweatshirt or hoodie that is street-themed is better than jackets.

Shoes. It is okay to skate on regular shoes but if you are planning to do some serious skateboarding, buy a good pair of skateboarding shoes.

Skateboard fashion resembles urban, hip-hop, or punk style. You can base your attire from any of these.

Skateboarding is all about personal expression. You can wear anything you like. The last thing you want to hear is someone who tells you what to do and what to wear. But what's the use of looking good if you skate badly? If fashion is your main concern, forget about skateboarding and be a model. But if you are serious about skateboarding, then what to wear is secondary. What matters is that you are comfortable with what you wear.