All You Need To Know About History Of Skateboarding

Skateboarding is a sport that is popular among the world and young generations. Skateboard is known as a professional sport.

We love to feel the skateboard beneath our feet, and the idea that we can fly in the air is another level of excitement.

If you know how to hold a skateboard, then no one can stop you to enjoy the riding. Take your longboard skateboard travel bag with you to explore the world.

There are very few people in the world who are not familiar with this game. Sometimes skating is not just fun for many of us. Some people take this activity professionally. Skateboard manufacture company making this outstanding product for people of every age.

This game was first invented in the 1950s in California.

Day by day, the popularity of this game increased unbelievably. Many people take this game as a profession. The commercial skateboards first arrived in 1959.

Larry Stevenson opens his Makaha skateboard company in 1963 to produce his surfboard-shaped skateboard design, and he has gained a lot of popularity at that time.

At that time, some skateboard manufacturers such as Makaha and Hobie were busy rising to capitalize on surfing by promoting skateboarding in the 1960s, also known as sidewalk surfing. Side surfing was an alternative diversion when it was difficult to find any rideable waves.

In 1963, Makaha was able to build his own first professional skateboard team. That same year the skateboard competition was publicly held in Hermosa, California.

Skateboarding Gets Popular:

In 1963, all famous skateboard companies like Jack’s, Hobie, and Makaha started their skateboarding competitions in between them when skateboarding popularity was touching the sky.

Torger Johnson, Woody Woodward, and Danny Berer were the best skateboard riders. The amusing news is their skating style is not matched with these days’ styles. Their freestyle skateboarding style will look they are dancing ballet or ice skating with a skateboard.

The First Skateboarders

At an early age, the first skateboards were looks like wooden boxes or boards with roller skate wheels patted on the bottom, and it was dangerous.

As time changed, the skateboard companies start changing the design it and boxes turned into planks. They create decks of pressed layers of wood. Those skateboards designs were similar to these days’ styles.

During this time, the skateboard riders take full advantage of skateboarding doing for fun after surfing.

The First Crash:

Everything falls apart from time to time because, in 1965, the popularity of skateboarding suddenly falls. It feels like the name of skateboarding died out, like the hula hoop.

Many people wanted to skate again, so they used homemade boards for skating.

They used clay wheels which were extremely dangerous, not safe for use, and hard to control.

In the middle of all this, in 1972, Frank Nasworthy shows the light of hope by inventing urethane skateboard wheels.

His company was known as Cadillac Wheels, and his invention was similar to what most skaters use today, and people start skating again.

In the mid-1970s, the skateboards were revived because of the introduction of kicktail shots and the progress of faster and more maneuverable polyurethane wheels.

On the other hand, the raised back end of the board helps to make kick turn-style possible for the riders, and the craze spread worldwide because of it.

The popularity does not stop there, so many skateboard magazines started to promote the sport and all young skateboard riders on their front page of magazines such as the famous Tony Alva and Stacey Peralta.

In 1976, in Florida, the first skate park was built for skating. North and South America, Europe, and Asia also start making various slopes and banked surfaces for sudden turns and stunts.

The riders take full advantage of skating in empty pools, half-pipes, and U-shaped riding surfaces to perform aerial stunts.

In the 1980s, as time passes, the skateboard riders start enjoying their skateboarding the underground following.

Many professional skateboard riders start doing ramps and half-pipes in urban environments. We know this stunt as street style.

The skateboard manufacturers got busy keep changing the design of the boards. They increased board size and improved truck constructions that help the new style thrive impressively.

Punk rock and baggy clohes started getting popular among many young skaters.

People start making a documentary about the daring and individualistic nature of the street, and vert skateboarding, which get massive attention of the audience worldwide.

Many well-known sports like snowboarding and in-line roller skating start taking ideas from skateboarding.

The Second Crash:

A few years later, skateboarding faced its second crash in popularity because many found it a dangerous activity, and the insurance rates got out of control.

But skaters never stop skating and kept doing it their way. Through the 80s, many skateboard riders built their ramps at home. They start skate whatever else they found for it.

Skateboarding began to be an underground movement with riders. The skateboard riders, continuing to ride.

During the 80s, some small skateboard companies owned by skateboarders started cropping up to increase the popularity of skateboards again.

These companies start doing creative movements and do whatever they wanted. They also try to add new skating styles and shapes of boards.

By the early 90s, skateboarding comes differently in front of the audience. Not only that, the skaters had moved nearly to a street sport.

You can say in the 90s, it came with a rawer, edgy, and dangerous attitude to hold its place, and people start to like the new theme.

Interestingly, the angry punk music and the loud and proud theme helped to fuel its popularity.

Seven Most Famous Skateboarding Styles:

Freestyle: Freestyle name is a famous stunt for skateboarding. It developed from its original use as a mode of transportation. In the 1950s, when wave conditions were not suitable for surfers, they do their best to hit skateboard decks. The same techniques they used in the water. The ollies, shove-its, and manual riding tricks gradually turned into some fantastic tricks which you can find in modern skateboarding.
Vert: Vert skateboarding is also known as an aerial style. In this style, you need to skate a transition from a horizontal surface to a vertical one. You can find it also such as in a ramp, half-pipe, bowl, or swimming pool. When in the mid-11970s the surfers who were pool skating to simulate wave-riding on dry land first created the vert skating style. They invent it when they rode up and over the edges, and catching air during skating. From time to time the popularity helps it to move from backyard pools to skateparks.
Park: This skateboarding style uses for purpose-built skateparks. It is a mixture of vert and street skating elements. For Example- half-pipes, quarter pipes, handrails, stairs, pools, bowls, pyramids, and ramps.
Street: The street skateboarding style take place in an urban environment, and the street riders utilizing obstacles like stairs, handrails, benches, and curbs to perform tricks. Street skaters also use these restrictions for their playground and performing grinds.
Downhill: Downhill skateboarding is well-known for its non-competitive style of skating. This style is more often used for longboards to achieve the right control and speed while riding the board. For safe downhill skating, research and practice move like tucking and drafting. Aerodynamics also plays a vital role to improve your downhill skating abilities.
Cruising: If you want to do this cruising style then you can easily ride for long periods of time without stopping the board or performing tricks. Longboards and cruisers come with a wider deck and wheelbase, these two features allow the skaters to travel faster, longer, and give more control.
Off-road: Lastly, the off-road style is also known as mountain boarding, dirt boarding, or all-terrain boarding. If you want to perform off-road skating style, you need to do it on uneven terrains. You can try it in gravel tracks, BMX courses, woodlands, or mountain bike trails.

The Equipment of Skateboards:

When it comes to the skateboard, we know how essential the role its equipment plays for skating. You have to give your whole body weight to give your stunts.

It is easy to find 32 inches or 81 cm long and 9 inches or 23 cm wide skateboard decks because it is the average size.

There are three major parts you will find in a skateboard:

The deck- the board upon which the rider stands,
The trucks- the construction that attaches the wheels to the deck,
The wheels.

There are various kinds of skateboard decks available in the market. The manufacturers use top-grade wood, aluminum, fiberglass, and plastic to produce a high-quality product.

The backside of the deck is bent upward to form the kicktail, and the front nose of the deck is on modern designs.

The truck includes an axle, a hangar- which is known as the house of the axle, and a cushion that can easily absorb shocks and is able to add more flexibility for steering. A high-quality tough polyurethane plastic makes the wheel more powerful.

There are variations of the skateboard used for different moves and purposes.

The Variation of Skateboard Types:

Longboard Skateboards- Longboards come in all shapes and sizes. It is around 33 inches or longer, and you can do twin tip longboards, pintail longboards, swallowtail longboards, drop-through decks, drop decks stunts with it swiftly.
Cruiser or Shorter Skateboards- It is easy to transport around, and the low deck length design allows to make tighter turns. It gives a lot of stability.
Mini Cruiser Skateboards- These are the same as cruisers, but the size is extra smaller. Wood and plastic are the primary material. Same as a cruiser, it is convenient to carry around and a perfect device for young beginners.
Carve Skateboards- Special front trucks design this skateboard. The riders can use it to tilt, doing the front trucks to pivot, and use the wheels to change direction. The riders can generate their speed according to their needs. They need to do pumping the pump forwards and backward to increase the speed and the popularity with surfers.
Double Kick Skateboards- The kicktail style is one of the famous inventions of skateboarding.

Advantages of Skateboarding:

People love skateboarding because it is a cheap hobby, and they do not need to invest a ton of money to purchase a high-quality board.
You can improve your coordination skills by doing skateboarding.
Another advantage is it can give you a boost in confidence.
Skateboarding is not a boring sport and is considered an outstanding game for any age of people.
It will be easier to make friendships with like-minded people.
You can take part in competitions and can earn money from them or make this game your profession.
Skateboarding may help you to become braver and overcome many of your fears.
The best part is there will always be room for improvement.
You can keep yourself fit and healthy so we can say it can improve your fitness level. Also can help to reduce a lot of your stress.

Disadvantages of Skateboarding:

Sometimes skateboarding can be tough to learn for many peoples for the tricky stunts.
This game can be exhausting most of the time and may lead to significant frustration, so you need to keep a lot of patience for it.
You have to perform this game alone because it is not a team sport.
The main disadvantage is sometimes it could be hard to find a skate park in your area.
If you divert your attention a little during skating, serious injuries can happen.
Skateboarding can be time-consuming because you need to give massive time here just for practicing.
Lastly, you will not get a hunk of money compared to other sports.

History of Skateboarding