Skateboard Bails

Falling off your skateboard may not be so much fun for you, but spectators seem to love a good mishap as much as a successful execution. Much like auto racing, where the crashes get more replay time than the crossing of checkered flags, skateboard bails have become a bizarrely enjoyable form of entertainment that combines the best intentions with the worst outcomes.

While entertaining the crowd is not usually the intention or preoccupation of the unfortunate skater who loses touch with the board, some spectators are wholly satisfied by the resulting wipeout. As slick and effortless as grinds, pivots and ollies often look, the necessary combination of luck and timing sometimes fail to make it to the show. The resulting slam can be a great deal of fun for everyone else, although it often leaves the skater wishing he’d stayed home that day and played a video game instead.

Eating dirt is not always a bad thing for a skater's career. Pro skateboarder Jamie Thomas knows this better than anyone. While he fractured both of his legs attempting an 18-foot jump known as the “Leap of Faith”, his heroic attempt made the annals of legend. Despite the jump being a technical failure, watching the painful footage of his impact has proven quite popular.

Something deep in human psychology is attracted to disaster. We turn our heads at the ugly scene of road collisions and we stop to watch houses burning. We laugh at comedians’ pratfalls and laugh harder when similar falling is done by an amateur. Somehow, few accidents carry this attraction as strongly as a boldly attempted skateboard maneuver gone horribly wrong.

When something goes awry on a skateboard, a great deal more than pride can be injured. You’d never know it by watching the reactions of most skaters though, as they are typically stoic in accepting their pain. They tend to display a disregard for the throbbing ache of body parts flung at high speeds against concrete or crushed against metal rails. Concealing suffering is an art form in and of itself, as well as a consequence of the high levels of adrenaline which most performing skaters experience. The real pain from a skateboard bail will usually set in the next day.

The skater ethic is to walk it off without complaining. Bruises are considered good for the soul, and while only posers wear their scars like a badge, anyone who mounts a board is expected to bear some injuries as part of the price of such an extreme sport. Therefore, it may be best to take your early bails in private, on surfaces softer than concrete. A premature public premiere of a tough trick can be not only embarrassing, but dangerous.

Skateboarding bails are part of the sport. For newbies and pros alike, the skateboard is a flexible enough instrument to allow for error, but it's not a magic carpet. The same versatility which makes amazing stunts possible makes errors inevitable. Learning how to fall, adapting to rapidly changing surfaces, and getting out of the way of your plummeting board can all help ensure that your next slam is not your last.

Inside the Skateboard

Although skateboard trucks vary in style and design, they share certain universal characteristics. The truck is the T-shaped metal assembly that connects the wheels to the deck. Trucks are composed of many highly specialized parts, including the baseplate, which is bolted to the underside of the deck with the king pin, and used to hold the hangar in place.

The king pin runs through the center of the truck. Adjusting the axle nut on the end of the king pin can help add control to your steering; tightening it will keep your board on the straight and narrow for downhill skating, whereas loosening the nut lets you nudge into your turns without leaning so far. The kingpin runs through rubber rings called bushings, which provide the flexibility to the truck’s mount. Without the bushings, navigating the board would be nearly impossible.

Because skateboarding is the most widespread of all sports which function in the absence of a regulatory body governing the specifications of the primary equipment, many of the parts can be a formed from a highly varied combination of tolerances and materials.

Your skateboard truck and wheel bearing deck parts support all of your weight and keep your deck connected to your wheels. Any time you grind, you are wearing down your trucks a little bit. Whether you buy the pre-assembled complete skateboards from your local sport supply store, or go to great lengths to obtain special parts for your individual style of trick skating, you will need to maintain your trucks. At some point, you will need to replace them.

High intensity grinders may find themselves replacing their truck on a nearly monthly basis. The hangar is the large metal semi-triangular piece which fixes the axle in place. Your hanger must be the same brand as your baseplate, as these parts are nonstandard and therefore not inter compatible.

Your command and control of the board, especially during turns and tricks, will rely heavily on the quality, durability and flexibility of your truck parts. There are a few subtle but important differences to consider when selecting your skateboard’s truck and wheel bearing deck parts. Typically, you want your trucks to nearly span the width of your board, ending about a quarter inch from the sides of your deck. The height of your trucks is also important. If your wheels are too tall in comparison to your trucks, you run the risk of wheelbite. Wheelbite occurs when your wheel jams up against the underside of your deck during lands or sharp turns and typically results in painful face plants, something you definitely want to avoid.

Another safety precaution that you hardcore thrashers and jump-artists need to keep in mind when assembling your skateboard truck’s wheel bearing parts is the strength and condition of the axles. After hard-core use, the end of the axle can get bent or begin to slip. This causes you to ride off balance stressing your wheels. If the axle slips to the side, your wheel on that side will loosen and the opposing wheel will tighten up.

Skateboard Pictures

How many times have you seen that impossible 360° kickflip or hair-raising rail grind flawlessly executed before your wide eyes and gaping jaw, with the magic moment lost to the sands of time. It seems that evidence of the perfect crime is lost all too often. Every skater has borne witness to the miracle of defying gravity, but such ephemeral achievements are lost in the next round of tricks, unless someone was smart enough to bring a camera to the party.

In every gang of talented skaters, the potential for a mind-blowing slide show is present in each afternoon practice session. Just as groups of drunks are well-advised to assign a designated driver, it’s a good idea to dedicate the quick reflexes of one memeber of your circle to the task of archiving the experience for posterity.

The first step in chronicling your local skate phenomenon is choosing a camera. Digital models are improving on a daily basis, and have the advantage of instant development and deployment online. Nevertheless, to capture the split-second intensity of skateboarding, nothing beats the old-fashioned 35mm. Pro skate photographers recommend such dependable standby models as the Nikon F5, but the degree of technical sophistication and investment you bring into your skateboard pictures is strictly up to you.

Once you have a camera, you’ll need to learn how to capture skateboard action, something which even many professional photographers find to be challenging. Many skaters resent being photographed and find being under the zoom lens distracting, so you’re best off finding a place where you won't be noticed. Be sure to stay far enough from the action that your shutter noise and flash don’t become the cause of your next slam shot.

Think of yourself as being on an urban safari, stalking the skittish wildlife in the hopes of catching a rare specimen doing something spectacular. It's very important not to disturb the natural environment of the airborne skater. The quest for perfect skateboard pictures will test your patience more than anything. Don’t expect skaters to risk their health just to so you can get your ideal shot. Your job is to remain at constant attention, with your trigger finger poised, waiting for the rare moment when everything comes together for skater and photographer alike.

Always check with your subject and get permission before posting your skateboard pictures on the internet or sending them to a magazine for publication. While verbal consent is probably enough to ensure that you aren’t violating someone’s right to privacy, if you have any aspirations of using your photos for commercial purposes, the best practice is to have a few copies of the standard release form for photographers in your pocket. Taking a moment to get it in writing could keep you out of court, and for magazine sales proper paperwork is mandatory.

You should never use anyone’s image without their permission, for both legal and ethical reasons. In the unlikely event that permission is refused, walk it off and forget it ever happened. For the most part, skaters hound for the glory and you’re likely to find an open, friendly attitude, and possibly even a new friend.

Skateboard History

The skateboard is a relatively recent phenomenon, bursting into public awareness during the late 1950’s as a secondary consequence of the surfing boom emerging along coastal regions at the time. Handmade board stands began popping up along the urban sidewalks of California and England, adapting roller skate wheels for the purpose and often featuring gigantic longboards handcrafted by riders of the waves.

The evolution of skateboard history owes a great deal to engineering triumphs prior to that time, including soapbox racers, automobile designers, and of course roller skates. In a very real way the history of the skateboard goes back to the very invention of the wheel, in Mesopotamia, around 6,000 years ago.

The introduction of the automobile created a craze for all types of rolling transportation. The newly paved roads and concrete sidewalks were tailor made for wheels. Bicycles and motorcycles became popular, with the latter quickly assuming the bad-boy, rebellious connotations it still has today.

In the early 1900's enterprising youngsters often built vehicles similar to a skateboard by nailing roller skate wheels to a 2x4. This was part of the craze in soapbox racing, when literally anyone with a hammer and nails could become a racing maven. Some of these early boards also featured milk crates nailed to the front with handle bars sticking out. This provided a limited amount of steering control as well as a hard surface to slam your teeth on when crashing.

The modern skateboard actually experienced an early incarnation shortly after World War One. When the Scooter Skate was brought out in the 1920’s it became popular to use wheeled boards propelled with poles, much like riverboat rafting or downhill skiing.

The first patented skateboard appeared in 1958, out of a surf shop in North Hollywood, California, which was owned by Bill Richards. Richards arranged with Chicago Roller Skate Company to manufacture the first modern-style skateboard with clay wheels.

Clay wheels were the industry standard until 1973, when Richard Nasworthy introduced the first rubber urethane wheels. The sport experienced the first explosion of ubiquity, as the innovation brought down the skateboard's cost and improved its durability. Thousands bought these rubber-wheeled crafts, calling it Sidewalk Surfing.

In 1971 Larry Stevenson changed skateboard history when he made the first kicktail. Two years later he innovated the first concave boards which made trick skating an option. Allen Gelfand was the first to exploit the infinite possibilities of this feature, when he used a concave board to perform the legendary first Ollie in 1978, impacting skateboard history forever. A world of trick skating emerged from this historic combination of design, engineering, and athletic creativity.

Wheels offer liberty from the plodding pace of walking or the exhausting strain of running. A culture of thrill-seekers has risen around each type of vehicle, be it the greaser street racers with their famous flaming running stripes, the leather-clad Hell’s Angels roaring through the 60’s and beyond, peace loving hippies exploring inner space from the back of a VW van, or today’s hoodie-clad skater making a mockery of sidewalk ordinances.

Games are Going High in Demand!

These days’ people usually look for more convenience, whether it’s all about their daily life requirements or something else. No one really wants to move somewhere in order to get the pleasure that is highly essential for his or her daily life. There are different medium through which you can get a relax environment and can prepare yourself for the next busy day. Even these days’ teens are not too far from the daily life hectic tasks. They ought to move for the school and colleges in order to accomplish their educational career. After the day busy schedule at least they need something to relax. This is the reason why it has been gradually developed as a trend among students to go for different games and sports in order to relax their mind and body. This is exactly a much needed stuff in terms of offering a child proper relax environment after a busy day. It offers them a good media for further concentrating on their studies.

In this regard these days skateboarding games growing in demand among teens and children. This demand is not been restricted with the teens, rather many adult people used to play such games online in order to sooth their mind and body. If you are really looking for cost effective skateboarding games or video games online then there are many sites that can offer you good service in this regard. You may find some of the sites as a great source for providing these games in an affordable manner. They are all online and all you need to contact one for your purpose. The delivery will be at your doorstep with an expenditure of a negligible amount for your next thrilling ride. Some of the skateboarding games are really important for a child. The reason is that it offers a child learning opportunity through several mathematical games, board games, puzzles, building different shapes of blocks, etc. It improves the creativity and learning habits of the children. But you should be cautious at the time of selecting the proper video games and PC games for children as per their interest and age.

Among the entire segment for skateboarding games pc games are gaining good attention to its account. Some of the pc game providers are also offering PC Software, educational PC Software, family tree Software, Disney Software and Branded PC Software with full warranty. You can choose various items among all of these to gift to your loving people. Below you can have a good look at what exactly a pc game provider can offer you these days?

1. Secure shopping with latest version of a certain game.

2. Factory sealed guaranteed branded PC Software and video games at wholesale rates.
3. No hidden fees
4.Easy, free customer and reseller sign-up
5.Huge discounts for resellers

So it’s the right time to go for a skateboarding game for your child. Don’t keep yourself assuming as the stocks are selling out in an immense flow. Those days are the past when people thought these games as a key reason for spoiling a child’s educational career. These days the thoughts are gone and now parents used to purchase pc games for their children in order to offer them a good future.

Zero Skateboards

Usually a skate manufacturer expands into fashion as a natural consequence of branding success. Companies like Elemental and Vans have foundd that their popular logos look as good on the skaters as on the boards, and as such have developed a supporting line of merchandise to supply the demand. The story of Zero Skateboards is a little different; so successful was the original clothing merchandise that the company took a sideways step to become one of the world’s premier producers of skateboard decks and equipment.

In 1996 Anthony Freiberg, a professional skater for the already popular skate company Toy Machine, started Zero clothing company. The past decade has seen the evolution of the brand into a fully functional, well-respected skateboard company, with many designs and products under the umbrella of Black Box Distribution. Zero became a force to be reckoned with when Jamie “The Chief” Thomas, left Toy Machine in order to become Zero’s poster boy.

Jamie Thomas is one of the most recognizable names in skating, known primarily for his death-defying attempt to complete the “Leap of Faith.” Although he broke both of his legs ollying from an 18 foot stairwell at a Southern California high school, the painful footage entered the annals of slam video history and brought Zero Skateboard with it.

The Chief started skating in Dothan, Alabama in 1985, when he was eleven years old. First sponsored by San Francisco based Real Skateboards, he performed regularly and was finally signed as a pro skater for the struggling and underdeveloped Experience Skateboards. His skating skills began to attract large-scale attention when he started skating for Invisible Skateboards, a company that was also pioneering filmed skating at the time. After signing on with Toy Machine, he received mass exposure and the opportunity to combine forces with Anthony Freiberg as Zero Skateboard’s first sponsored skateboard pro.

Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins brought the logo to the world stage, rarely being spotted without a black Zero shirt at the height of the band’s popularity. Millions of Pumpkinheads joined their hero, running out to get matching shirts and hoodies after the band debuted the hit single, Zero, in 1996.

In 2003, Jamie Thomas, along with Adrian Lopez and some of the other skaters for Zero, went on to create Mystery Skateboards, which also fell under Black Box Distribution. Mystery Skateboards has since has since become a channel for a wide variety of urban skate gear, including wheels, decks, and some of the best threads on the scene.

From the beginning, Zero Skateboard has embodied the bad-boy streetlaw ethic, adhering to their loyalists’ preference for finding skate surfaces wherever they can be found and subsequently conquering them.

Known for light and fragile decks, with amazing designs, Zero boards are most popular among street skaters, who can be spotted across the skate park sporting some of the wildest graphics in the industry. Most of Zero’s designs feature a skeleton theme, highlighting their fans’ preference for heavy metal, grunge, and punk music. Recent years have seen a shifting away from the classic black to include psychedelic and Gothic fonts as well.

Five Skateboard Trick Tips For Catching Air

The road from newbie to pro is a tough one. It's full of trial, error, slams, sacks, and bruises. Here are some skateboard trick tips to get you started.

Skateboard Trick Tip #1- The Ollie: One of the most timeless moves on a skateboard is the ollie. Ollie is simply the label for a set of jumping tricks. The goal is to jump as high and far as possible without wiping out. Clearing an obstacle is a nice way to demonstrate your ollie skills. A successful ollie requires proper foot placement. The front foot should be about two thirds of the way up the board. To trigger the ollie, kick down with the rear foot and go into a crouch to streamline.

Skateboard Trick Tip #2

The Frontside Grind: This particular skateboard trick is one best practiced in an empty backyard pool Do a frontside kick turn until you get close to the edge. From there, increase your speed and get your truck on the ledge to make it a grind. Be sure to put your weight on your feet, push, and hug the rim of the pool.

Skateboard Trick Tip #3- The Pivot-Fakie: This trick is similar to a basic pivot, but instead of following through on the landing, you freeze your weight and reverse the motion. Start by perfecting the classic pivot on a mini-ramp or quarter-pipe and then practice the pivot-fakie, letting your lower leg guide the board to offset your weight for balance.

Skateboard Trick Tip #4- The Kick-Flip: The standard parking-lot curb is a great place to practice the flat land kick-flip. This trick is essentially a hard step to the tail of the deck with your back foot, while raising your front foot into the air and positioning it near the nose. You'll use your front foot to guide your board through the full side-spin. You also need to be ready to land back on your front foot once the flip is complete, so keep your rear foot positioned near the back-kick of the deck to maintain your balance during landing.

Skateboard Trick Tip #5- The 360 Kick-Flip: This trick can be done anywhere, but it's best to begin by practicing on flat surfaces. Point your front foot at a 45° angle about halfway down the board, while keeping your back foot hanging off the side of the rear kick. Give a hard step to the rear kick of the board with your back foot for momentum giving a spin scoop to the tail. You will use your front foot as a guide to give the board the proper flip and to keep your body aligned with the board. Move your front foot forward quickly to get it out of the way. Spread your legs wide and hang in the air while your board is rolling over. The key to this skateboard trick is that it doesn’t work unless the board lands on its wheels, and the skater lands on the board.