The History Of The Skateboard

By Alexander Stone

A skate board is a specially designed wooden board, usually maple, with a quad wheel and dual truck wheel system that is bolted on a board that is typically 7 to 10 inches wide and from 28 to 33 inches long. The modern skateboard originated in California in the late 1970's. By the mid 1980's they were produced in droves as they became popular

Operating a skate board is very simple, put one foot on the board and push with the other of course it takes a little practice to do it right. Riders can do stunts with them with specially made equipments like the half pipe and inside empty swimming pools. Skate boards are also popular with slalom riders that is riding down hill and weaving around obstacles.

There is no regulatory body which decides what qualifies as a skate board and what does not. Generally the skate board follows contemporary trends and the design of the board is based on that. There is another type of skateboard called a long board and it is as the name suggests a longer version of the skate board designed for down hill riders.

There is no exact origin of the skate board. Some people see it as an offshoot of "soapbox" carts the kids in 1930's and 40's would make out of boxes. That was depression era improvisation for kids who had little or no toys to play with and had to make do with anything they had.

But later on in the 1950's surfing became popular and some people wanted to recreate the same experience on land and created the long board, which was basically a skate board that was longer. This was in a way the direct ancestor of the skateboard. Then more recently in late 90's skaters wanted a board that combined the long boards stability with the skate boards handling, hence the mini long board was born. - 31502

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Learn How To Skateboard Today

By Louise Servage

Skateboarding started off as a somewhat obsolete sport but has now become one of the most popular sports in the world. No longer thought of nothing more than a fun hobby, skateboarding is now considered as being a legit sport and there are professional athletes who make their living off skating. Anyone who's interested in getting started in the sport is going to need to take the time to learn how to skateboard. Anyone can get started in the sport, learn how to skateboard and become a skilled skater, if they learn a few basic moves.

The very first thing you need to learn is how to place your feet on the board the front foot must be between the middle of your board and the front bolt heads while your rear foot must rest on the tail. The ball of your rear foot should be in the middle of the board so that when you push down the force is exerted by the ball of the foot. Your front foot should be placed as nearly horizontal across the board as possible. Start practicing maintaining this position on a still board first and then on a moving one.

For an Ollie you place your front foot in the middle and back foot at the end of the skateboard. Get your balance and then push down hard on the back end of the board, while slowly moving your opposite foot more to the front as the board starts to lift at that end. Push down even harder with your front foot and this will get you air, so you can basically jump with the board onto rails, stairs, or just give yourself some lift for another trick. Make sure to keep your feet close to the board at all times so you don't fall off when making your landing.

To actually do an ollie reach a moderate speed and press down so hard on the tail so that it hits the ground and jump up using your rear leg and simultaneously lift your front leg so the knees moves towards the chest. Now drag your front foot along the board as you jump this will make it appear as if the board is sticking to your feet while it is airborne.

As you get more comfortable with this you can build up your speed and the heights to which you can jump. The secret of how to do an ollie on a skateboard lies in remembering that there are three actions that have to be done at the same time pressing the tail down, jumping up and drawing the front knee to the chest. Timing is everything and all these three actions have to be done at the same time. - 31502

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5 Reasons Why Mountainboarding Is Worth Trying

By Tony Briggs

The extreme sport called mountainboarding has hardly any limits. It is not like skateboarding or snowboarding where you can only do it on one type of terrain or surface, hard or snow. With one of these you can ride on more than just pavement, and the season doesn't end when the snow melts!

Why should you try the exciting sport of mountainboarding? Let me give you some reasons.

If you want to get exercise, try this sport out. The ride down is exhilarating, and will get your heart pumping. The walk up is great exercise because you have to carry the board up while walking uphill. It sure beats running on a treadmill, or using an exercise bike and going nowhere! Why stay caged up in a gym when you could go outside and enjoy some fresh air while getting a good workout? Working out doesn't have to be boring, with mountainboarding you can have fun while you burn calories!

Want to have fun? Try this sport out! It is an adrenaline pumping and exhilarating experience. Only a zombie would be able to make it to the bottom of the hill and not smile even a little. I doubt a zombie could make it all the way down a hill without falling off, but that is besides the point.

It isn't easy to do this extreme sport, it's a challenge. If you want a challenge, give it a try! You can always push yourself to do bigger and better things. There's always a new challenge just around the corner.

Like the outdoors? This sport is all about being outside and having fun. It gives you a good excuse to go outside and enjoy the great outdoors or the wonderful weather. With a mountainboard underneath you, the world literally becomes a giant park to ride at.

Snow melts, dirt doesn't. If you are a snowboarder you can pick up this sport in the off season. If you live in a warm climate, it gives you a chance to have fun year round!

There you have it, five great reasons why you need to try the thrilling sport of mountainboarding.

If you want exercise, fun, a challenge, fresh air, and a board sport with little boundaries, this sport may be what you are looking for. - 31502

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Buying an Electric Skateboard For Transportation and Fun

By Troy Baxter

An electric skateboard is a fun method of transportation. It can get you where you want to go faster than walking, and can even help you get up those hills faster.

If you ever run out of juice, most electric skateboards let you kick it to get it going, or kick it when it is dead. If you want to save the juice in the batter for the hills, you can kick along when you dont need it.

Whether you are looking for an electric skateboard to have fun with, use for transportation purposes, or both, there are several brands out there to choose from. There are at least two popular manufacturers that make several models that you can choose from.

E-Glide is in the business of making high performance electric skateboards. At the time of this writing, they offer five different models. Their boards can go 0-20 mph in only four seconds. Beside the smaller and lighter DC-36 model they offer, the rest of their boards can go up to 12-15 miles per charge. The controller for the speed is connected by a cable. They do this because they claim wireless controllers are susceptible to interference.

If you are looking for an electric skateboard that uses a wireless hand held controller, check out Exkate's Altered lineup. The top of the line models made by Exkate can go 19-20 mph in only four to five seconds, and can go 10-12 miles on a charge. The speed and braking of their electric skateboards are controlled by a wireless hand held controller. Exkate also has an electric skateboard for rougher terrain that is complete with knobby tires.

Electric skateboards can be expensive, but they are not at all expensive to charge. When you compare the cost per mile of an electric skateboard versus the cost per mile of a gas burning vehicle, you would be amazed at how much less expensive electricity is!

Whether you are looking for an electric skateboard for transportation, fun, or both, E-Glide and Exkate offer a nice selection, all ranging in deck size and shape, maximum speed, weight, and range. Do your research and pick the right one for you, then hop on and enjoy the ride. - 31502

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The Best Way To Pick The Ideal Skateboards For Sale

By David Boardman

Skateboards for sale are available in assorted lengths, with different depths. For the amateur, they will all look identical. Nevertheless with regard to professional skateboarders, the type of skateboard makes a enormous difference. Due to this, numerous pros design their own skateboards to help optimize their performance.

Skateboards consist of three main parts: the deck, the wheels, plus the truck. The deck is the board on which one stands. The wheels might vary determined by whether or not a longboard or a shortboard is used. The truck is the apparatus on the underside of the deck. Because it can vary widely in shape, size, colour, in addition to style.

The two main kinds of skateboard are long and short. Longboards are used for downhill racing or cruising around town, while shortboards are used for more street style skating, such as ramps and pipes, and for tricks. Shortboards are typically shorter than 33 inches(84cm) , while longboards are usually longer than 35 inches(89cm) , even up to 60 inches!

Longboards utilize larger wheels than shortboards to allow them to simply roll over any obstruction, which fits their purpose for travel. Smaller wheels need to spin faster to maintain the same speed. There are trucks which are specific for longboards as well as downhill racing.

Remember, there are a lot of shapes and depths, for both longboards and shortboards. For tricks with shortboards, the deck needs to be concave, talking about the curvature of your board between the nose and tail. The degree of concavity is dependent upon the choice of the rider, but it ranges from shallow to deep.

A deeper curve allows for more precision tricks, and the curvature is usually important for mastering ramps. Beginning skateboarders preferably should start with less concave boards, since they are easier to learn and safer. The deeper the concavity of the board, more often than not the more costly the board is plus the more easily damaged it could be. Longboards may not have any significant concavity, since they are intended for cruising.

Skateboard decks are often made from wood, plastic, fiberglass, or aluminum. Wood is certainly the most common material because it tends to have one of the best responsiveness, although it is also most easily damaged.

Skateboards for sale offer the chance for many assorted activities, and the kind of skateboard is dependent upon the way it shall be used. - 31502

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About Adidas Skate Shoes

By Lee Reid

Adidas Skate Shoes are known as being very hip, cool and in style. Their vision can be seen in their latest collection that is available in stores.

Several companies that are popular for producing great footwear for skateboarding include Vans Skate Shoes and Nike Skate Shoes.

When thinking about the points of price, durability, quality and craftsmanship, I would say that skateboarding shoes by Adidas offer a great value for the price. It's one of the reasons that skateboarding professionals choose them.

The most in demand styles from the brand are the Adidas Campus Vulc, the Adidas Superskate and the Adidas Gazelle.

There are several web shops that offer deals that are usually much better than what you would pay at your local shopping mall. So when you are ready to buy, it is highly recommended that you take a few minutes and do a search on the web first.

Using the net gives you the chance to compare prices quickly and easily, so you can be confident in knowing that you are getting the best bargain for your dollars.

The benefit of web shopping is that you are able to locate those hard-to-find and rare models of Adidas Skate Shoes that are sold out or not available in your area.

Pricing Information For Adidas Skate Shoes

If you want to buy them at your local department store or sporting goods shop, expect to pay between $59 to $135 or more, depending upon the style and model. If you choose to shop on the net, values can be located on the web for up to 60% off of the retail price.

About The Adidas Company:

Adidas is also known the world over as the brand with the three stripes. It was founded by Adolf Dassler in 1924 in the city of Herzogenaurach, Germany. It is a publicly traded company that is most famous for producing footwear. They also offer sportswear, sporting equipment and toiletries that are available in Adidas boutique shops and in major department stores all over the world. - 31502

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It's Not A Skateboard, It's A Dirtsurfer

By Baxter Wells

Want to get noticed? Want to try something different? Want something fun and challenging to ride? The Dirtsurfer is a two wheeled all-terrain board that is built for speed. It isnt anything like your usual skateboard or longboard. The Dirtsurfer is in a class of its own.

The two wheeled design of the Dirtsurfer makes it so you will never fall victim of speed wobble. Longboards and skateboards can get speed wobble when going at fast speeds. A Dirtsurfer is unique in that it will never, ever, get speed wobble. It will actually become more stable the faster it goes.

Flying down a road on a mountainboard or other four wheeled board can be exceptionally dangerous, because when speed wobble sets in, you can loose control and hit the hard pavement, causing bad road rashes and other bad injuries. A Dirtsurfer provides a stable ride at high speeds.

The beauty of a Dirtsurfer is that it doesnt get speed wobble. It will give you a stable ride and turning and carving on it can be done smoothly.

The feel of riding one is, like I said before, completely different than a skateboard, longboard, or mountainboard. For one, you are riding on two large wheels, and not four. When you turn there is no resistance from a truck, shocks or anything like that. Its fluid to carve from side.

Dirturfers are great in that they can be ridden on about any terrain that you want. This opens up a lot of options, and options make it exciting. Dirt trails, BMX tracks, ski resorts, grass hills, and roads, are places you can have fun riding. Some even try riding at skateparks for even more of a challenge.

If you want something fun, exciting, challenging, and a board that gives you lots of options, a Dirtsurfer may be just what you are after. It is fast, stable, and a whole lot of fun to ride. - 31502

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