Skate Guide
Learn It,Live It, Love It...
180 Pronounced 'one-eighty'. One Hundred and eighty degrees of rotation. Used to describe skateboarding tricks eg. 180 frontside ollie
360 Pronounced 'three-sixty'. Three hundred and sixty degrees of rotation. Used to describe skateboarding tricks eg. 360 shove-it kickflip
411 Video magazine for skateboarders. Usually released every 2 months
5-0 Pronounced 'five-oh'. Type of grind ie. 5-0 grind. Grinding with the axle of the rear truck on the edge of the object
50-50 Pronounced 'fifty-fifty'. Type of grind ie. 50-50 grind. Grinding with the axles of both trucks on the rail or edge of the object.
A
A A measurement for the hardness of skateboard wheels eg. 95A
ACIDDROP Skating off the end of an object or ledge without ollieing or touching the board with your hands
AIR To leave the ground/ramp and jump without ollieing.
AXLE The metal rod running through the hanger, which you screw your wheels onto. Through time they may be known to 'slip'. This causes one wheel to be tight and the other loose. Tapping on the tight side will knock the axle back into place
B
BACKSIDE (B/S) This term originated from surfing, where it's the direction in which you turn if you are traveling up a wave and turn so as you back faces the wave. Used to describe your direction of rotation in skating. The opposite of 'frontside'.
BANK An elevated surface. A common urban form of ramp.
BASEPLATE The flat part of the truck that fixes to the board via four drilled holes for truck bolts. Also has an area to attach a pivot cup and kingpin, ready to attach the rest of the truck.
BEARING The part of the board that bears the friction of movement. There should be two contained within each wheel.
BIGBROTHER A skateboard magazine hailing from CA. Produced by Steve Rocco. With regular pictures of naked things and articles on such things as 'how to commit suicide' it continues to offend certain people (mainly parents).
BIGSPIN A 360 degree shove-it while turning your body 180 degrees in a backside direction.
BLUNT A kind of grind which involves going up over an object and landing with the tail along the edge of the object and the rear two wheels on top of the object. The board should then be pointing in a near vertical position.
BOARD Main platform area of a skateboard. Prone to snapping with incorrect landing of skateboarding tricks. (See 'Deck')
BONED Pushing the board out in front and pointing downwards. Performed in mid-air.
BONELESS Take the front foot off the board and grab the board with your hand. With you back foot still on the board jump up using your front foot. Then place your front foot back on the board and remove your hand before landing.
C
CASPER With the board upside down, place the front foot underneath the board and backfoot on the tail, pointing the board into the sky.
COMP Short for competition.
CONCAVE The contour given to decks. The concave will dip down from the left to right and should be asymmetrical. Provides strength to the board and aids the skater when performing tricks.
COPER Protective covering for your truck that attaches to the hanger. Protects your truck against grinding. Pretty non-existant these days. Usually fell off with too much abuse. Not for the hardcore.
COPING Metal piping running along the top edge of ramps. Provides a longer life to the ramp plus aids to the range of skateboarding tricks by providing a grindable edge.
CURB What coping is to ramps, is what curbs are to streets. One of the most used and abused objects on the street for skating. Painted curbs provide a smooth grindable edge, though most can be made this way by applying common candle wax.
CUSHION (Also known as 'bushings' or 'rubbers') Donut shaped rubber components found on trucks that slot onto the kingpin. They aid steering and act as shock absorbers. Can be bought in a range of colours and hardness's. Two are needed per truck, the one that's slightly cone shaped fits above the other on the kingpin.
DECK Main platform area of a skateboard. DELAM Short for De-laminated. Damage done to a deck through skating as a layer is chipped from the plywood deck. The thin layer removed is called a 'delam' and the name is also given to the mark left where it once resided.
DISASTER Placing the rear wheels on top of an object with the middle of the board resting on the edge. The front two wheels are therefore hanging off the object.
DOCUMENT SKATEBOARD A UK based skateboarding magazine.
DOWNHILL Skating as fast as you can down the steepest of hills for the greatest of adrenaline rushes. Has also developed into a separate area of skateboarding with special boards and techniques.
DROPIN As the name suggests. Place your tail on the platform of a ramp with your wheels hanging over the edge ready to drop into the ramp. With your weight on the tail, gradually move you weight forward till you end up riding down the ramp.
E
EMB Embarcadero, SF, America. Once the greatest urban Mecca for skateboarding. Nowadays you'll more likely end up with a fine than a good days skate.
F
FAKIE Traveling backwards. If you where driving a car and put it into reverse, you would be in effect of going fakie.
FAT Meaning high or far. Used to express a skateboarding trick that is performed over a long distance or to a great height. Also spelt Phat.
FLIP Developed from freestyle skating. It involves making your board turn upside down a variation of combinations. A flip is generally when it completely flips over to land back on the wheels. Flip is also a skateboard company owned by Jeremy Fox born from a British company called Death Box.
FOCUS Snapping the deck into two pieces. It was once 'fashionable' to do this when you became frustrated, said to be conjured up by a part of the industry who wanted people to buy more boards by making people think it was cool to focus the board you where riding.
FREESTYLE An area of skating that has now become part of street and vert skating. Used to be performed on low riding skinny boards. Tricks consisted of numerous balancing tricks, flips and shove-its.
FRONTSIDE Originated from surfing, the direction in which you turn if you are traveling up a wave and turn so as you front faces the wave. Used to describe your direction of rotation in skating. The opposite of 'backside'.
FUNBOX Usually the highlight of an artificial street course. A platform object with banked sides plus handrail if your lucky
G
GOOFY You skate goofy if you skate with your right foot forward. The opposite of regular.
GRAB Using your hand to 'grab' onto your board.
GRAPHICS The art work on the bottom of a deck. It helps in telling one deck from another and usually incorporates the signature of the pro skater it is modeled for.
GRIND Moving along the edge or on top of an object with the axles of both trucks, Variations include 50-50, 5-0, Tail, Nose, K-Grind, Smith, Sausage, Feeble and Slappy.
GRIPTAPE A sticky back sandpaper material. Usually black but can be bought in a range of colours, even clear. It is used to cover the top of the deck (then trimmed) to enable friction and therefore aid the skater
H
HANDPLANT A form of handstand where your board is held in the air either by a hand or feet.
HANDRAIL Common urban feature, used for holding onto while traveling up and down stairs, though used by skaters for a whole range of tricks.
HANGER Part of the truck. This is the part that gets most abuse. When you grind, you are grinding along the top of the hanger. Contained inside the hanger is the axle.
HEELFLIP Flipping the board with your heel. Your front foot should move up and across the board flipping it in the opposite direction of a kickflip.
HELMET Protective equipment for your head. Nearly always used in vert skateboarding.
HIP When two ramps are placed together so that one is at a slight angle to the other, the part at which the ramps join is called the hip.
I
IMPOSSIBLE Freestyle trick invented by Rodney Mullen. Consists of spinning the board around either foot.
INDYGRAB Grabbing the board in front of you with the rear hand.
J
JAM Getting a load of skaters together for a skateboard session.
K
K-GRIND Stands for 'Crooked Grind'. Grinding along on the leading truck without having the board over the object.
KICKFLIP Flipping the board by using the same method as you would if you were trying to kick something.
KICKTURN Rotating on the rear wheels of the board with the front wheels raised from the surface. Usually executed on half/quarter pipes.
KINGPIN The bolt that holds the hanger, cushions and baseplate together of your truck. Probably the most likely part of a skateboard to snap. Very cheap to buy and even cheaper if you get one from a hardware store
KINK Used to describe handrails. A kink is the changing of the handrails angle. Meaning that a handrail that runs down a set of steps then goes horizontal is a two kink rail.
L
LAUNCH RAMP A ramp made for skaters to launch from, hence the name. A portable street ramp. Transitioned without any vert.
LIP The top edge of a ramp.
LIPSLIDE Sliding along on the rails of the board with the rear wheels going over the object.
M
MANUAL What people commonly call a wheelie. This is traveling along of your board balancing on the two rear wheels.
MCTWIST 540 degree backside air with a mute grab. Invented by Mike McGill.
MELLONCOLLIE An ollie and ,while in midair, grabbing the board behind you with the leading hand.
MINIRAMP A ramp (two transitioned banks facing each other with flat bottom and platforms) that does not have any vert. Usually around 6 feet in height.
MM Millimeters. The standard measurement for the diameter of skateboard wheels.
N
NOCOMPLY Old school street skating trick. There are many variations but the basic is to travel along with rear foot on the tail, then place the front foot on the ground and pop the board into the air.
NOLLIE Follows the same concepts as an ollie. While traveling along place the front foot on the nose and pop up into the air using the nose (rather than the tail in an ollie). The exact same as a switch-stance fakie ollie.
NOSE The part of the deck in front of the front truck. Opposite end to the 'tail'.
NOSEGRAB Grabbing the front of the board (nose) with the leading hand.
NOSEGRIND Grinding on the leading truck only.
NOSESLIDE Sliding along an object using the underside of the nose.
O
OLLIE Invented on ramps by Ollie Gelfand and brought to the streets by Rodney Mullen. A air without using your hands. The basis for most skateboarding tricks and the one that should be learnt first.
P
PADS Protective equipment for the kness and elbows. These are mainly used by vert skaters or for competitions with insurance worries. See Rector.
PIVOTCUP A plastic cup that fits into the baseplate and stops the metal hanger from coming into contact with the metal baseplate.
PLATFORM An elevated flat surface.
PLAZA A skatepark designed around objects you would find in the street.
PLY Short for plywood. The most commonly used material for the deck. Usually seven layer ply.
POPSHOVEIT A shoveit mixed with an ollie. Enables shoveits to be performed higher.
PRO A professional. Someone who gets paid by a company to skateboard. Often has his/her own signature model deck of which he/she has a percentage of all sales.
Q
QUARTERPIPE Basically one side of a mini-ramp or vert ramp, yet usually with less width and found on street area's at skateparks. Often used for gaining speed on a street course or practising ramp tricks.
R
RAILS On the underside of the board. The edges on the deck running along either side of the board between the trucks. 'Rails' used to be long thin plastic objects that where fixed to the underside of the board but are now redundant.
RAILSLIDE Sliding along an object on the part of your deck between the trucks. Also known as a boardslide.
RECTOR Makers of pads, essential for vert skating...probably the best money can buy.
REGULAR Nothing to do with how often you go to the toilet. You skate regular if you skate with your left foot forward. The opposite of goofy.
REVERT Finishing a trick coming out forwards, then quickly sliding round 180 to come out backwards.
RIPGRIP Thin sticky back sponge material. To be stuck onto the bottom of boards to give your fingers some grip when grabbing. A lot like dinosaurs ie. you don't see them about these days.
RISER Usually made from plastic or rubber. Fits between the deck and baseplate of the truck. Helps absorb stress on the deck and truck. Two are needed per board.
ROCCO,STEVE Was famous for being good at freestyle skating and the first to have a signature wheel. Owner of World Industries, Big Brother, etc.
ROCKANDROLL Ramp Trick. Go up to the lip and push the front truck over it. Stall, then turn 180 back down the ramp.
ROLLIN To skate along the platform of a ramp, over the lip and down onto the transitions. The part of a ramp that curves onto the platform is also called a roll-in, because of the purpose it serves.
RUBBER Another name for bushing. Also, the substance that makes your wheels.
S
SADPLANT A variation of a handplant where your grab the inside rail and straighten your front leg.
SANTACRUZ One of the original skateboard companies. Creators of the 'slick' decks. Also a place in the US where the company is situated.
SAUSAGE GRIND Grab your tail while doing a smith grind on your front truck.
SESSION The act of skateboarding ie. you can session a ramp, have a street session, etc. Often abbreviated to 'sesh'.
SHOEGOO Liquid rubber that comes in tubes. Buy it then put it over the holes in your shoes and watch it harden.
SHOVE-IT Turning the board without turning your body so as the board spins round under your feet.
SIDEWALK SURFER UK based skateboard magazine. Developed from RaD magazine.
SKATEPARK A place dedicated to skateboarding of artificial means.
SKETCHY Just about landing tricks. Someone who lands a trick, wobbles about and generally just about lands the trick is sketchy.
SLALOM Doing the thing that skiers do, except on hard ground with usually a dedicated skateboard.
SLAM Its basically another word for falling off your board and hurting yourself.
SLAPPY Doing grinds along such things as curbs without ollie-ing onto it.
SLICK Special plastic layer fixed to the bottom of a deck supposed to aid sliding. Created by Santa Cruz skateboards.
SMITHGRIND Grinding with the rear truck, while the front truck does not go over the top of the object but runs along the side of it. The center of the board my also be touching the edge of the object due to the nature of the trick.
SNAKE If your skating an object in which only a limited number of people can skate, a snake (or snaker) is the person that seems to have more goes than anyone by jumping the naturally occurring 'queue'.
SNAKERUN Twisting path with banked sides. Looks like a snake from above, hence the name. Popular 70's skatepark facility.
SPACER A small hollow cylindrical object, usually made from metal, placed between two bearings inside a wheel. Used to give bearings a longer life if used correctly.
SPINE If two ramps are put back to back and do not have a platform at the point of connection, the upside down 'V' shape is called the spine.
STALEFISHGRAB Grabbing the board behind you with the rear hand (round the back of the rear leg).
STAIN Normal deck without a slick bottom
STANCE Either regular of goofy. The way in which you stand on your board. See also the art of 'switchstance'.
STOKED The feeling of doing something well. STREET Most commonly used terrain of skateboarding, this has lead to the banning of skateboarding in certain area's.
SWITCHSTANCE The art of skating the stance that you are did not learn to skate with. This means if you do tricks skating goofy, to skate switchstance you perform tricks with a regular stance and vice-versa.
SURFING Without it, skateboarding may not exist. Skateboards where made by surfers when the waves where too small to practice, and ramps where created to form an artificial wave.
SOLID That's one color, bold. Or that looks good man. Or can be used like, your a pretty solid skater. SICK That's Awesome!
T
TAIL The part of the deck behind the rear truck. Opposite end to the 'nose'.
TAILGRAB Grabbing the rear of the board (tail) with the rear hand.
TAILSAVER A piece of plastic that attaches to the underside of the tail. Designed to prevent wear and tear on the tail from such activities as ollies. Very redundant these days.
TAILSLIDE Sliding with the tail of the board upon the object and the rest of the board hanging off the object, without having gone over it.
TECHNICAL The name given to complex skating ie.freestyle. Involves flipping and shoveit-ing your board in all manners of directions.
THRASHED The wear and tear of an object due to skateboarding.
THRASHER Skateboard magazine that has been running since the start of time. Loads of ads with some music thrown in for good luck.
TOSS Such as 'product toss' or 'sticker toss'. An event usually found at sponsored competitions where products are thrown to the crowd.
TRANSITION Part of a bank/ramp that inclines in an upward direction.
TRANSWORLD Great skateboarding magazine known for amazing photos and quality feel. However these days it seems to be 90% ads!
TRUCK Fixes to the board, and the wheels fit to the truck. Two needed (a pair) per skateboard. A complete truck is made up of a baseplate, hanger, axle, kingpin, cushions, 2 special washers and 2 bolts for the axles. TRUCK BOLTS Four used per truck. Keeps the truck attached to the board.
TWEAK To point the board in a different direction than normal. A skater will often tweak the board while pulling a grab in mid-air to make it look better.
V
VERT Part of an inclined surface that is vertical in gradient.
W
WALLIE Skating onto, up and over a street object.
WALLRIDE The act of skating up a vertical wall.
WAX Rubbed on objects or edges like curbs to make for better grinding. Can be seen as a black residue on objects that have been skated after being waxed.
WHEEL Four of these things are needed per skateboard. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, hardness and colours.
WHEELSLIDE The technique of slowing down without putting your feet down. It is what people may commonly call a skid. Can be done frontside/backside 90/180/360/etc.
WOOD The material used for decks. If someone refers to a deck as being a 'wood' or 'stain', it usually means that there is no 'slick' layer on it.
WRISTGUARD Protective equipment for the wrist. A type of glove containing a plastic/metal splint running along the underside of the wrist onto the palm of the hand.
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