The Kickflip is a very basic flip trick. Many people struggle with the Kickflip because they cannot get the simultaneous motion of the drop-slide kick…and the hang time in the air while the board flips.

Kickflip

There are 3 main steps in perfecting the perfect kickflip.

1: Place your front foot right behind the second set of bolts right next to the bump in the design of your board. Have your back foot on the tail ready to ollie.

2: Be on the balls of your feet in the beginning of the kickflip. Drop your backfoot just like an ollie. The second your tail hits the ground, FLICK your front foot off to the side of the board depending on your stance. I say flick near the Bump in your board because that small bump has always helped me maintain a good grip when I flick with my foot.

3: The Motion is all in one. Drop your back foot, back foot hits flick your board with your front foot, and this is the HARDEST part for everyone learning this….STAY on TOP of your board at all times! It’s tough at first. Many people kickflip and their board flys all different directions lol. Stay on top of your board when you flick..and wait until you see a full 360 rotation then STICK it!

The BEST way to practice the kickflip is to find a sidewalk, and place the back set of wheels in the crack of the sidewalk. This way you have Ultimate balance and your board is not moving vs on the street you have the potential to roll a little. Once you master the kickflip, this trick leads to every other tech trick out there and you can take this trick to many different levels once mastered.

My K2 skates have 8-mm, TwinCam, ABEC-1, double-shielded bearings with the following inscribed on the casings:

TwinCam

ABEC-1

608 ZZ

Normally, the manufacturer or brand doesn’t make a lot of difference within the three categories of shielded, serviceable bearings, shielded, serviceable bearings with pop-up caps, and sealed, non-serviceable bearings. A bearing size of 8mm and the 608 designation are fine for recreational, inline skaters. The ABEC rating is another story!

ABEC Bearing

ABEC-1, 3, and 5 are the most common bearings that come with inline skates, as well as the newer ABEC-7s, which are gaining in popularity. Whether a skater can go faster with ABEC-5 bearings versus ABEC-1 bearings has never been proven, scientifically or otherwise.

Furthermore, the higher precision may not make a significant difference for the recreational skater who travels in the 10 to 20 mph range. The average skater doesn’t require a higher-rated bearing because the difference in performance is so minimal that it would only become apparent at speeds an inline skater never attains.

In addition, the higher precision eventually deteriorates down to ABEC-3 or 1 due to dust, dirt, and regular wear and tear. To increase your skating speed, you’d be better off to improve your technique and learn how to cut down on wind resistance. These are proven ways to make you a faster and more efficient skater.

Inline skate bearings usually come in sets of four to eight. Before you head out to your favorite sporting goods store, write down the information that’s shown on the outer shields of your bearings. Don’t forget to flip the bearing over and include the text that’s inscribed on the other side.

Skateboard Bearing

If you’re happy with the original bearings that came with your skates or the last set you installed, by all means buy the same bearings. If you have serviceable bearings like TwinCams or YAKs and you don’t mind doing your own cleaning and lubrication than you may want to stick with the double-shielded type, especially if they are the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that your skate manufacturer recommends.

On the other hand, if you have non-serviceable or sealed bearings and are squeamish about doing your own cleaning and lubrication, even periodically, you may want to stick with this type of bearing and just replace them when they need to be changed.

In addition, if you have shielded bearings with pop-out caps, like Powell Swiss or Black Hole brands, and like them for their ease of maintenance, it’s probably best to go with this kind of bearing again.

If you think you need new bearings for your inline skates, it’s best to check your bearings for wear using the tests provided in this article. Your bearings are at the core of your wheels and reduce friction so you can skate smoothly and efficiently. Hence, they need to be maintained properly from season to season.

Skateboard Bearing

Checking for Wear

The following are indications of major, bearing wear from a no-load, finger-flick, spin test:

• One or more of your wheels stick(s) periodically
• One or more of your wheels (is) are seized
• One or more or your wheels require(s) a lot of force to spin
• One or more of your wheels spin(s) freely for only a second or two

In addition, the following are signs of major, bearing wear from a spin test with the skater as the load:

• While out skating you hear a loud, grinding noise from your bearings
• It takes a lot of effort to pick up and maintain speed when you skate
• Your bearings are hot to the touch after a roll

You may also want to replace your inline skate bearings if you decide to switch to a different type of bearing. You may want to change from shielded bearings to sealed or racing bearings.

Learning the ABEC Scale

Bearings are rated on the Annular Bearing Engineering Council (ABEC) scale. Ratings are numbered 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 on the ABEC scale. The higher the number is, the greater the manufactured precision of the bearing.

However, there are no required materials to meet the ABEC specifications. The bearings only have to be made to a certain precision. That’s all!

So you have learned the basics of skateboarding, shove its and ollies are getting boring, board slides are a yawn and you have been really wanting to learn some crazy new flip tricks like a 360 flip or say an inside heel flip. Well before you can learn any of this stuff its best to mater the straight forward kick flip first. Now at first they may seem hard to pull off but with these few tips and a little practice you will be doing them in no time flat!

How To Kickflip

Just follow these tips:

1) The Kick, the first thing you need to do is to learn how to flip your board with your front foot. Hit down on the tail like you would an ollie and kick your front foot off the board at a angle thats between 90 degrees and straight out in front of you. Make sure you give it a good kick and jump straight up. Chances are the board will simply flip in front of you…now time to add the other elements to make you land the trick.

2) Your body position, make sure you are directly over your board while jumping. Don’t lean too far back or you will just land on the tail…too far forward and it wont be pretty…just don’t do it.

3) Speed, aloft of people try to learn this trick on grass or with the board stationary, that’s fine and all but if you add in a little bit of speed you will find you are able to land the trick much quicker and with far better flow and style.

So to put this all together into a kickflip even Mike Carrol would be proud of , start with a little speed, pop your tail and really kick your front foot out a slight angle, keep your weight over your board and land with a smile on your face.

Another Article :

Skateboard Tricks,Skateboard Stance,Skateboard Ramp Tricks,Skateboard Ollie,360 Flip Trick,

Kickflip Skateboard, Kickflip Skate Guide

You need to consider the fact that skateboarding is a painful sport to learn and more pain will come as soon as you try out different tricks on your skateboard.

Skateboarding Tricks

If you are going skateboarding and are comfortable riding your skateboard, then it may be time for you to start learning different tricks that will surely impress anyone who sees you.

One trick for beginners that you will definitely want to learn is the Manual. You will ride the skateboard with only the back wheels rolling and the front wheels on the air.

The Manual is a great trick to learn and every skateboard enthusiast should learn how to do this trick.

Basically, this trick is very different from flip tricks which are more technical. If you are new to skateboarding, it is recommended that you get comfortable riding your board first and perfect your balance. To properly execute this trick, proper foot placement is important. To do the Manual, you need to place your back foot at the tail of the skateboard and your front foot just behind the front trucks.

You need to remember that there is no right or wrong way to skateboard. A skate park or long stretches of flat sidewalk are great places to practice. You need speed to perform the Manual. If you gained enough speed, then you better get ready to do the trick.

To manual, just put most of your weight slowly to the back foot. Never lean backwards as this will result in falling. All you need is balance and good speed.

By Wawan

Grip Tape For Skateboard

Grip tape is placed on the top of the deck to provide traction (or grip). You can buy grip tape in several different colors to match your deck and/or trucks. Try not to buy the cheapest grip tape, a few dollars more will provide you with tape that sticks to your deck without peeling up.

Grip tape is another great accessory to have. You can add it to give your skateboard the stability and control you need for the types of maneuvers you do with it. You can go with some great colors too including neon colors, green, blue, or a yellow and black mix. That is a great way to change the overall appearance or your skateboard. Since grip tape is a necessity for your skateboard you may as well get the color you enjoy.

Design of Grip Tape

There are many people out there that enjoy skateboarding and that can make you feel part of a large group. Yet you may want your own identity with your skateboard as well. There are plenty of accessories you can choose from in order to make it very unique to your own personal style. You will want to take your time to explore the possibilities though before you rush to make any changes to it. You don’t want to wish later on that you had chosen some different types of accessories instead.

When it comes to accessorizing your skateboard, you should be able to have a great time doing it. You want to make sure you buy good quality products though that will last on it. You don’t want to have them messed up or peeling off soon after you put them in place. You want the overall appearance of your skateboard to look great no matter if you just got it or if you have had it for a while.

By Wawan

Skateboarding has two stances: The Goofy stance and the Regular stance.

Goofy or Reguler Stance

It is important to know which one to use in order to get maximum comfort whenever you go skateboarding. To figure out which stance is comfortable for you, try some of these tips.

First of all, the goofy stance is where you place your right foot in the front. Regular stance is where you place your left foot forward and right foot at the back. Try some of these tips in order to know which stance you will be most comfortable with.

The first method is by getting a ball. Whichever foot you are comfortable kicking it with will likely be your back foot. You have to remember that the balancing foot should be on front and the kicking foot should be at the back of the board.

Next, try going up a staircase and observe which foot you use on your first step. Whichever foot you use will be your back foot on the skateboard. This means that if you use your right foot to go up the stairs first, you will likely be comfortable using the regular stance.

Another way to find out which stance you use is by getting someone to push you while you are standing still. This will get you off balance and whichever foot you use to catch yourself will be your back foot.

Like most people who are right handed, most skateboarders use the regular stance. This is why regular stance is called regular as it is used by most skateboarders.

There is really no right way to know what kind of stance you want to use. Try skateboarding using both stances. Whatever is more comfortable is the one that you should use. Whether it is regular or goofy stance, you will see that skateboarding is a lot of fun.

Remember these tips and you will be able to know which stance you will want to use. Although it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should go and use regular stance if you kicked the ball with your right foot, it just basically means that it is a good way to find out what kind of stance you will most likely be comfortable with.

Whichever stance you use, always remember to be safe. Always use safety gear and you will see that skateboarding will be a lot more fun.

By Wawan 

It is a fact that skateboard enthusiasts want to be like the pros. They want to execute different kinds of tricks and they want to do what their favorite skateboarders do in competitions.

If you want to be like Bam Margera or Tony Hawk, then you have a lot of practicing to do. Sure skateboarding can make heads turn, but if you really want to amaze people, you should learn how to properly execute the different tricks in order to avoid getting a mouth full of dirt and be the laughing stock of the neighborhood.

Skateboard Tricks on The Ramp

If you are just starting out skateboarding, you will want to start with the basics first. You have to remember that the ramps or the vert is one of the most difficult and also the most anticipated skateboarding activity.

This action will provide you with big air as well as enable you to perform different kinds of tricks.

If you are just starting out skating on ramps, you might want to start on a mini ramp and not on the real vert ramp. This will help you master the tricks you want to perform on the ramps and it is also the place to skate that will minimize injuries on huge falls.

To start out, you will first want to do the Rock to Fakie trick. This skateboard trick is what most skateboarders learn first on the ramp. It is easy and it is a very good way to start impressing people. This is also a great trick which will be a stepping stone to perform more elaborate tricks further on.

This particular trick is where the skateboarder will go to one side of the ramp and parks for a second on the edge of the ramp which is called the coping. Then, the skateboarder will rock back down the ramp.

The first thing you need to remember is that you should wear the proper safety equipment before you even start attempting this trick or any skateboarding trick.

Now that you are ready and you are now rocking back and forth the ramp, the next thing you need to do is position your feet the same way as you would when you will perform the Ollie. This means that your back foot should be on the tail of the board. The front foot should be a little closer to the nose of the board to perform the rock to fakie trick.

When you are rolling up the ramp, you need to stomp down a bit on the nose of the board just before you hit the coping. This will park your board on the edge of the ramp or the coping. Now, allow gravity to catch up with you and you should pop the trucks of the board back over the coping. This will allow you to ride back down on the ramp.

As you can see, this is a very simple yet very effective trick that you can do on the ramp. Just remember to wear the proper equipment to avoid serious injuries.

By Wawan

The Electric Skateboard is a large skateboard with a motor attached and a hand-held controller. It most commonly has a lead acid battery in it, though there are expensive models with more modern batteries, such as lithium-polymers and nickel-metal hydrides.

Currently, electric skateboards can travel anywhere from nine to thirty miles an hour. You pay for speed though, with the slowest models beginning at $200 and the fastest costing roughly $700 and up. Most weigh over fifty pounds, though newer technology is allowing these to get lighter all the time.

Advancing technology is also giving the electric skateboard more maneuverability. A fully charged battery on an electric skateboard can get you anywhere from about ten to fifteen miles if you’re of an average weight. Of course you’ll also save money on gas if you’re planning on taking it around town.

If you’re interested in learning to skateboard and to be able to do tricks or you’re looking for a cheap way to get around, then you should stick with a regular skateboard. If you’re looking at an electric skateboard primarily as a mode of transportation and the cost doesn’t deter you, it’s an ideal purchase