Skateboarding: Relatively safe step for children in street sports

by Joost Nusselder Updated on: October 24, 2023

Skateboarding is a sport in which the participant tries to perform with a skateboard on a hard surface (usually asphalt) what he has in his mind at the time of the performance.  

The invention of the skateboard originated from the surfboard where the owner of the surfboard tried to "surf" in a different way on a hard surface.

Skateboarding was therefore not invented by one person, but originated from surfing on a hard surface.

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How the skateboard was invented

The birth of the skateboard

The 50s were an era of creativity and innovation. Surfers who wanted to replicate the waves on land had a brilliant idea: They took their wooden surfboards and added roller skate wheels to them. These surfers were nicknamed 'asphalt surfers'.

The skateboard is becoming popular

Skateboarding became more and more popular and more people started it. Toy manufacturers started learning about wheeled surfboards and in the late 50's Roller Derby came out with the first official skateboard!

The first skateboard

The first skateboard was a straight and heavy board that you couldn't get off the ground easily. The tricks you could do with it were quite limited. But that didn't stop the asphalt surfers from experimenting and coming up with new tricks.

The skateboard of today

Today skateboards are much lighter and more flexible than the first skateboards. The tricks you can do with it are much more varied and there are many different types of skateboards. There are even special skate parks where you can skate with your skateboard.

Jumping, Grinding and Fliptricks: Skateboarders' Street Style Tricks

Springen

Skateboarders have developed a number of tricks to make their board jump through the air. The most famous is the pops: here you push the tail of your board down with your back foot and slide the nose forward with your front foot. This can be done while stationary or while driving.

Grind

Grinding is another popular trick where you slide your board over an object. You do this with your trucks. When you slide the nose, tail or middle of your board over the rail, we call that 'sliding'. Another variant is the nosegrind, where the tail points out 20 to 60 degrees.

Freak out

Flipping is a trick where you grab the skateboard with your hands and fly through the air. A kickflip is an ollie where you make the board turn horizontally on its axis by sliding your foot to the outside. Rodney Mullen came up with this trick.

Manuals and Wheelies

Manuals and wheelies are two tricks where you balance on the two back wheels by leaning back. With a manual, the nose may not touch the ground, while with a wheelie (also known as One-Wheel Manual) you only ride on one wheel. Both tricks can also be done on the front of the board.

Other tricks

There are many more tricks that skateboarders perform. A pop shove-it with a kickflip, a backside heelflip and a 360 without flip are some examples. A darkslide, where you slide with the wheels up and the grip tape down over a rail or ledge, is also a popular trick.

Hurdles and disciplines in skateboarding

old school

When you talk about old-school skateboarding, you're talking about high and low snake runs, benches, surfing and freestyle. High and low snake runs are like half pipes that you can use to grind or slide. Benches are like banisters that you can grind on. Surfing is a style where you use your skateboard to glide over the ground. Freestyle is a style where you perform different tricks on a skateboard.

Freestyle

When you talk about freestyle skateboarding, you are talking about hubbas, rails, funboxes, curbs, manual or wheelie boxes, launchers, kickers, drives, spines and hip transfers. Hubbas are a very wide banister that you can grind on. Rails are metal pipes that you can grind on. Funboxes are usually wooden obstacles that you can do tricks on. Curbs are edges that you can grind or slide on. Manual or wheelie boxes are blocks on which you can do wheelie or manual tricks. Launchers are ramps with a bulge that you can jump over. Kickers are ramps without a bulge. Drives are two ramps with a center section that you can jump over. Spines are two quarters in a row that differ in height. Hip transfers are two ramps or quarter pipes placed side by side at a 90 degree angle.

Street style

Street style skateboarding is always done on flat ground with no ramps. You can do high jump, long jump and slalom. High jump and long jump are done on flat surfaces such as asphalt, concrete or marble. You do slalom on gentle and steep slopes and on flat terrain with a slope for the initial speed.

Cruising

Cruising is a style of skateboarding where you use your skateboard to glide on asphalt streets, especially those with steep inclines. You can enjoy the wind in your hair and the sun on your face.

The ultimate way to learn skateboarding

Why skateboard?

Skateboarding is a great way to spend your time. Not only is it fun to do, but it's also a great way to keep fit. You can also learn new tricks and improve your technique. If you've never skateboarded before, it's a good idea to take a few lessons before you start.

Why private skate lessons?

Private skate lessons are a great way to improve your skateboarding techniques. You will receive personal attention from an experienced skate coach, allowing you to improve your skills much faster. You can also choose which style you want to learn and which tricks you want to learn.

Where can you find private skate lessons?

If you're looking for private skate lessons, Superprof is the perfect place to start. Here you can find a list of experienced skate coaches in your area. You can contact a coach and schedule a first lesson. This first lesson is usually free, so you can see if the coach is right for you.

The benefits of private skate lessons

There are many benefits to taking private skating lessons. Here are a few:

• You can choose when you take the lessons.
• You can choose which styles and tricks you want to learn.
• You get personal attention from an experienced skate coach.
• You can improve your skating skills much faster.

Why wait?

If you're looking for a fun way to pass your time, skateboarding is a great option. By taking private skate lessons, you can improve your skills much faster. Superprof is the perfect place to find an experienced skate coach in your area. So why are you still waiting? Start improving your skating skills today!

How skateboarding has grown into a professional sport

The invention of the skateboard

Skateboarding started with the invention of the skateboard. This invention was created by California surfers who were looking for a way to surf when there were no waves. They came up with the idea of ​​making a board with wheels underneath, and the skateboard was born!

How the sport grew

The skateboard trend started on the east and west coast of the United States. In the 60s and 70s the sport grew from just cruising to a sport where you could hold effective competitions. The first disciplines were slalom and freestyle, where skaters could show off their skills.

How skateboarding came to Europe

In the mid-70s, American soldiers came to Germany and brought their skateboards. Munich thus became the first German city where the skateboard trend became known. Nowadays you can find a skate park in almost every city where you can learn how to skate.

Developments in sports

As the sport became known worldwide, there were more and more developments in the equipment and more and more organizations related to skateboarding were founded. Biggest skateboarding events were staged and broadcast on live television, with prizes of $200.000. This made the sport eventually seen as a professional sport.

Discover the 5 different Skate disciplines

Street skating

Street skating is one of the most popular styles of skateboarding. This style came about after skaters realized they didn't need ramps. With the invention of the ollie, more and more street skaters came up with their own variations on this trick. These skaters also looked for places that weren't designed for skateboarding, such as stairs, railings and more.

Vert skateboarding

Vert skateboarding was born when surfers in California discovered during a period of drought that skateboarding in an empty swimming pool gave them the same feeling as surfing real waves. Over time, they made more and more pool-shaped disasters, eventually leading to a Vert disaster.

Freestyle skateboarding

Freestyle skateboarding is one of the oldest forms of competitive skateboarding. The freestyle skaters came up with new tricks in the most creative way possible, such as wheelies, spins and handstands on a skateboard. The biggest point of Freestyle skateboarding is the smooth transition of the different tricks and being able to perform these tricks to music.

longboarding

Longboarding is one of the most popular skateboard shapes and styles today. A longboard skateboard is longer than 84cm and quite low to the ground. These boards are made to achieve high speeds and are often used as a means of transport.

Downhill slides

Downhill slides are an extreme form of skating mainly practiced by professional skateboarders who push their skateboard to the limits. These skaters use their longboards on big mountains and often have to turn to avoid going out of control. They use special materials that allow them to place their hands on the ground at 70 km per hour for extra strength and balance.

What other skateboard variants are there?

Waveboarding

Waveboarding is a form of skateboarding in which you ride a specially designed skateboard, also called a “waveboard”. The wave board has two separate decks connected by a flexible pivot point in the middle. This allows wave boarders make a wavy movement by moving their body back and forth, similar to surfing on land.

Waveboarding is a fun and challenging activity that requires balance, coordination and muscle strength. It is popular with children and adults as a recreational outdoor activity.

Electric skateboards

Electric skateboards differ from regular skateboards in that they have an electric drive with a motor and battery. They can reach higher speeds, have a longer range and are operated with a remote control. Regular skateboards require more physical effort and are ideal for traditional skateboarding, while electric skateboards (the best reviewed here) be more convenient for short distance transportation with less effort.

Boardless skateboards

Boardless skateboards differ from regular skateboards in that they do not have a physical deck on which you stand. They are powered by built-in electric motors and gyroscopes, allowing you to keep your balance and move forward.

They do not have spinning wheels like traditional skateboards, but instead use lateral movements to steer and move forward. Boardless skateboards (some good brands here) provide a unique form of personal transportation and have become popular for their ease of use and balance control, but they have a different feel and riding style than regular skateboards, where you physically stand on a deck.

What is Skateboarding?

The Basics

Skateboarding is an active sport that you can do with a skateboard, a small board with wheels on the bottom. It's a fun way to spend your free time and you can perform many different tricks with it. Below is a glossary of skateboarding basics:

Glossary

• Bail – the decision not to complete a trick.
• Bowl/Pool – a deflated pool or (nowadays) a pool-shaped skateboarding track.
• Canyon – insertion piece of a bowl or pipe.
• Coping - the edge of a court, where most tricks are made.
• Cruising – riding on the street in a surfy style.
• Curbs – curbs (also artificial).
• Downhill – driving down a long, sloping slope as fast as possible, usually with curves.
• Flatland – doing tricks on a flat terrain.
• Grip tape – tape that is non-slip on one side, so that the feet have a grip on the skateboard.
• Goofy-foot - the right foot is the front foot, the push-off is with the left foot.
• Grinding (pronounced grainden) - doing a trick where the trucks of the skateboard rub against the coping/rail/curb making a grinding noise. Very occasionally even sparks can be seen.
• Handrail – the (usually metal) handrail of a staircase.
• Halfpipe- a skateboarding track consisting of half a tube with a flat spacer; also called two quarter pipes facing each other with a vertical section.
• Bearings – part of a skateboard wheel that uses small balls to allow the wheel to rotate on its axis.
• Miniramp – a skateboard ramp consisting of a half tube with a flat spacer; also called two quarterpipes facing each other.
• Nosepad – see Tailpad, but on the nose of the board.
• Pumping – a way of gaining speed on a miniramp, halfpipe or bowl/pool; bend his knees at the right time and shift his weight so that speed is gained without stepping.
• Quarterpipe - ¼ section of a pipe that skateboarders can ride up and down and then perform tricks.
• Ramp (pronounced remp) - a small half pipe, but bigger than a mini ramp.
• Regular-foot – the left foot is the front foot, the push-off is with the right foot.
• Slalom – riding a skateboard as fast as possible between gates (cones, cans).
• Slider bar – (1) a plastic bar that attaches to a street or vert board to prevent damage to the board; (2) a usually metal and sometimes slanted edge on which the skateboarder can perform tricks, such as slides.
• Snakerun – a concrete or asphalt track in the shape of a snake, with the sides up. “Straight” snake runs also exist.
• Stepping – like a step, push off with one foot and stay on the board with the other foot.
• Street skating – doing tricks on the street and/or using artificial or non-artificial street furniture.
• Tailpad or brake block - wooden or plastic block that is sometimes attached to the bottom / back of a board.
• Transition – the curved portion of a ramp.
• Vert – (1) vertical or the half-pipe discipline. Since the eighties it can also be taken literally: driving up walls, with or without the help of a disaster; (2) the vertical part of a pipe.

The different types of skateboard tricks

Tricks on the edge

If you are looking for a challenge, the tricks on the edge are a good option. From balancing on the edge to grinding and sliding, there are many opportunities to improve your skills. And if you practice these tricks often enough, you might even be able to perform an airwalk!

Lean air, lean air

When performing a frontside air, you can bend your knees extremely to point the wheels down. We call this a lean air or lien air. It is one of the most famous tricks, but also one of the most difficult.

Lip tricks

Lip tricks are one of the most challenging tricks you can do. You are supposed to balance, slide or grind the board on the edge. You can also try to keep the nose of the board as high as possible. If you practice these tricks often enough, you may even be able to perform a hand plant!

Backside skurt slide

The backside skurtslide, also known as the greenslide, is a very tricky trick. It is named after the skateboarding legend Japernell from Spijkenisse. The trick can only be performed in certain locations, because the obstacles must meet some important conditions.

air walk

The air walk is one of the most popular tricks. You are supposed to drive just over the edge, with the rear/lower wheels resting on the coping/edge. Then, with quick footwork, get the board back into the pipe. There are also variations, such as the nose blunt, blunt to fakie, half cab blunt and kickflip blunt.

Fakie 360° ollie

The fakie 360° ollie is a trick first done by Steve Caballero, later done freestyle by Rodney Mullen. The intention is that you let the board rotate around the horizontal (longitudinal) axis.

Christ air

The Christ air is a trick where you keep both legs off the board during a backside air, while the arms (holding the board) are stretched. It resembles a statue of Christ, hence the name.

Hand plant

The hand plant is a trick where you keep one hand on the edge of the court, with the board up against the feet. You can also try stretching the back foot back and the front foot forward with the board.

McTwist

The McTwist is a 540 degree backflip (by Mike McGill). It is one of the most spectacular tricks you can do.

Methodair

The method air is a trick where you bend both knees extremely during a backside air so that the wheels point upwards. This is one of the most famous tricks, but also one of the most difficult.

Pump effect

There's another 'weird' thing about the propulsion of a skateboard, which stunt cyclists also experience: the pump effect. If you drive rhythmically 'moving back and forth in gentle turns', the board appears to gain speed on its own. This is a strange phenomenon, but with a little tailwind you can maintain a decent speed without scooting.

Differences

Skateboard Vs Longboard

Skateboarding and longboarding may seem the same at first glance, but once you take a closer look, you'll see that they really are very different. Longboards are on average longer and wider than skateboard decks, measuring 33-60 inches in length and 8.5-10 inches in width. In addition, there are many different wheelbases. Longboards also come in many different forms beyond the usual skateboard decks. Skateboards, on the other hand, tend to be shorter and narrower, measuring 28-34 inches in length and 7.5-8.5 inches in width. Skateboards also have a shorter wheelbase, which means they are more suitable for doing tricks. There is a lot of debate about which of the two is more fun and which is the best, but it is clear that they both have their own advantages.

Skateboard Vs Roller Skates

Skateboarding and roller skating are two different ways to get around. Skateboarding is a popular sport where you stand on a small board and propel yourself using your feet. Roller skating is another way of getting around where you stand on two wheels and move by skating.

Skateboarding is a popular way to get around, especially among young people. You can move by using your feet and you can also do tricks. Roller skating is also a popular way to get around, but it's more suited to those looking for a quieter way to get around. Roller skating is a good way to improve your fitness and you can also do tricks.

Skateboard vs stunt scooter

In skateboarding, riders use a skateboard, which is a wooden board on wheels. They push off with one foot and place the other foot on the deck to steer and perform tricks. The tricks include moves such as ollies (where the board is raised in the air without hands), kickflips, and grinds where the edges of the deck are used to ride obstacles.

Stunt scootering differs in that it uses a specially designed stunt scooter with smaller wheels, a reinforced deck and a T-shaped handlebar with handles. Stunt scooters use their hands to turn the handlebars and steer, and they perform tricks such as tailwhips (where the scooter is thrown under the rider and caught again), barspins, and flips using the handlebars. It requires a combination of hand and foot movements to maintain balance and control during the stunts.

Is skateboarding a good outdoor game for children?

Skateboarding is a popular sport that has been around for decades. It started as a way for surfers to bring the feeling of surfing waves to land by mounting their wooden surfboards with wheels. Today, skateboarding is a professional sport with several disciplines, including street skateboarding.

Street skateboarding is one of the most popular styles of skateboarding and was invented after skaters realized they didn't need ramps and it's a good way for kids to to play outside and experience extreme sports without too many accidents.

Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.