Skateboard Tricks To Learn
Recreation and Sports - Sport
Written by Ben Sheffer   
Tuesday, 23 September 2008 07:41
The Ollie is the most important trick in skateboarding today. Once you have mastered it, the potential of skateboarding really opens up and almost anything becomes possible. Here are the basic steps you need to learn how to Ollie.
by BenSheffer


The Ollie is the most important trick in skateboarding today. Once you have mastered it, the potential of skateboarding really opens up and almost anything becomes possible. Here are the basic steps you need to learn how to Ollie.

One) foot placement is crucial for the Ollie. Place the back foot on the edge of the tail and your front foot just behind your front truck.

Two) with the weight over the back foot and both knees bent, the skateboarder smacks the tail of the board down hard on the back foot.

Three) as soon as the tail pops off the ground jump up into the air. This crucial moment in the Ollie will take a lot of practice. As you lift up angle your front foot and scrape it up the board stopping at the nose.

Four) now lift your back foot, while levelling the board out by shifting your weight over your front foot. You must get the board as level as possible before landing with your knees bent.

One of the most satisfying tricks you can learn is a kick flip. Begin with your feet in the Ollie position, you will need to angle your front foot slightly with your heel off the edge and your toes pointing to the nose. As you Ollie slide your front foot forwards and flick it out and down off the side of the board. This will cause the board to flip, as the board completes one full rotation catch the grip tape with both feet over the truck bolts. Concentrate on landing with all four wheels on the ground and roll away.

Another really fun trick involves sliding the board on the handrail, or a kerb. These tricks are called slides or grinds, and there are four main types: the Tailslide is a slide on the back part of the board behind the wheels the noseslide is the opposite slide you use the front part of the board ahead of the wheels the board slide involves sliding on the piece of deck between the wheels and grinding is where you slide on the trucks instead of the deck.

If you have found a suitable surface for a slide or grind move towards it at a reasonable speed pop an Ollie, and land on the part of the board that you wish to slide with.

Many obstacles on the street can be dangerous, when skating on the street, skaters need to obey all traffic rules and lookout for cars and pedestrians. They also need to look out for hidden dangers such as manholes, cracks in the concrete or rocks that can jam their wheels.

When skating on a half pipe or at a skate park, skaters need to look out for and try to avoid running into each other. There should only be one skater on a particular apparatus at a time. Skaters also need to clear the area of any litter or stones. These may get caught in a skaters wheels and cause a dangerous fall at high speed.

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