Skateboarding

Skateboarding: A Multifaceted Action Sport

Skateboarding is a dynamic sport where a range of tricks is executed using a skateboard. While the focus is on various stunts, jumps, and slides, it has also gained popularity as an urban mode of transport.

There are three principal styles in skateboarding: park, vert, and street. Park skateboarding is conducted mainly in skate parks featuring specially designed obstacles. Vert skateboarding involves vertical riding on ramps or vert bowls and necessitates greater speed compared to the other styles. Street skateboarding incorporates everyday urban features such as rails and stairs for executing tricks.

Further information about the different skateboarding styles can be found in our guide Buying Skateboards for Intermediates.

The Advantages of Skateboarding

Using a skateboard offers numerous advantages. It enhances your bodily coordination as you continually adjust your body positions to land tricks precisely. Additionally, it benefits your balance and offers an entertaining full-body workout at its finest.

Skateboarding also provides an excellent opportunity to meet new people with similar interests. Skate parks are naturally social environments, where individuals often greet each other and discuss their favourite tricks and skateboard brands. This activity can significantly boost your confidence, as achieving a trick for the first time is a highly satisfying experience.

The Evolution of Skateboarding

The origins of skateboarding as it's known today trace back to the 1940s on the West Coast of the United States. During this period, surfers began attaching wheels to plates, planks, and other objects to use as decks when unable to surf. Initially, it was referred to as "sidewalk surfing" due to the strong influence of surfing.

Over the following decades, the sport evolved. The first shops began selling skateboards in the 1960s, and in the 1970s, ceramic and metal wheels were replaced by polyurethane ones. The 1980s marked the onset of skateboarding's golden era with numerous skateboard companies founded by skateboarders emerging. Several films exploring skateboarding culture were also released during this decade, some of which have become cult classics.

Today, skateboarding ranks among the most popular action sports globally. It is viewed as a competitive and serious sport, particularly following its inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.