Skateboarding

Skateboarding Is a Versatile Action Sport

Skateboarding is an action sport, in which various tricks are performed by using a skateboard. Even though the sport focuses heavily on different tricks, jumps, and grinds, skateboarding has also become a popular way of getting around urban areas.

Skateboarding is known for three main styles: park, vert, and street skateboarding. Park skateboarding is performed mainly in skate parks with various special-made obstacles. Vert skateboarding involves vertical riding on ramps or vert bowls, and it requires more speed than the other styles. Street skateboarding uses everyday urban obstacles such as rails and stairs in performing tricks.

You can find more information on the different types of skateboarding in our guide Buying Skateboards for Intermediates.

Why Skateboarding Is Good for You

Riding a skateboard has many benefits. It improves your body coordination since you need to constantly modify your body positions to land tricks accurately. It also has a positive impact on your balance, and it’s also worth mentioning that it is a fun full-body workout at its best.

Skateboarding is also a great way to meet new people who share similar interests. It is easy to be social at skate parks because people tend to greet each other and start conversations about their favorite tricks and skateboard brands. The sport is also a great way to boost your confidence, since nothing feels better than to nail a trick right for the first time.

The History of Skateboarding

The history of skateboarding as we know it today began in the 1940s on the West Coast of the US. Around that time surfers started to mount wheels on plates, planks, and other things they could use as decks when they could not surf. Originally, skateboarding was called “sidewalk surfing” due to the heavy influence of surfing.

Over the next decades, the sport continued to develop. In the 1960s, the first shops started to sell skateboards, and in the 70s ceramic and metal wheels were replaced with polyurethane wheels. The 1980s was the start of skateboarding’s golden age, and a great number of skateboard companies run by skateboarders emerged. Throughout this decade, several movies about skateboarding culture were released, some of which have become cult classics.

Skateboarding is now one of the most popular action sports in the world. It is considered a competitive, serious sport, especially after its first appearance at the Olympics at Tokyo 2020.