Soon after, some surfers began to ride on skateboards. The first true skateboards, with clay wheels, were commercially made and sold in the 1950s.

Skateboarding is now a popular sport in countries throughout the world. Competitions attracting hundreds of professional and amateur competitors, of both sexes, are held in countries around the world. Skate parks have been built in cities and towns everywhere. Skateboard design is improving all the time. Special shoes and clothing have been designed and made for skateboarders. Extreme sports (X games) featuring skateboarding draw huge crowds.

There are two types of skateboarding: Street and ramp.
Street skateboarding is done anywhere but on a ramp. Tricks are performed on streets and roads, in car parks and school grounds, wherever the surface is flat and safe.

Skate parks are an ideal venue for all kinds of skateboarding. They have super smooth surfaces as well as ramps, steers, kerbs, and fun boxes. Street skateboarders jump, flip, and grind over and on all kinds of surfaces and objects. Street skateboarding also includes skateboard racing.

Skateboard racing involves riders pushing off from a starting position, then racing one another down a winding and sloping piece of roadway. They stand or kneel on the fast-moving skateboard, and can reach speeds of over 65 km an hour.

Ramp skating is carried out on either vert ramps or on mini ramps. The main difference between these two types of ramps is their size. Vert ramps are giant U-shaped ramps which are over 4 m long and have a vertical portion at the upper end of each side. Mini ramps are smaller than vert ramps and do not have any vertical part in the transition. They are generally easier to ride on and is where most skaters practise their tracks before moving on to bigger ramps.

Skateboarding can be dangerous. Skateboarders should follow the following basic rules to keep themselves and others safe and injury free:
1) choose flat, safe ground on which to learn the basic skills
2) skate in control at all times
3) wear protective gear, including helmets, wrist guards, and knee and elbow pads
4) skate with friends, in case of accidents
5) keep your board and protective gear in good working order

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• Wearing safety gear: A protective gear comprises of skateboarding helmet, skateboarding gloves, pads, ankle braces and well fitted skateboard apparel. It is advised to wear a proper safety gear before you go out for skateboarding because it protects you from minor injuries caused by falling.

• Examining the place: Knowing the place where you plan to skateboard helps. Skateboarding in a skateboard park is safer than skating in the streets. Examining the place before skateboarding is also essential. Ensure that the surface is smooth, free from holes, bumps, rocks and materials like iron nails or glass as it might lead to a serious injury.

• Appropriate time to go skateboarding: Do take care that you always go for skateboarding during daytime because doing it in dark or poorly lit surroundings increases the risk of falls and injuries due to poor vision. Also, avoid going out skateboarding in extremely hot or cold weather conditions because you might get a heat stroke or frost bite. Remember to keep hydrated by drinking water at regular intervals while skateboarding in hot weather. Water not only prevents dehydration and muscle cramps, you also perform better when you are hydrated.

• Proper training: You need to practice regularly and undergo proper training to become a good skateboarder. It is essential that beginners know their limitations and do not try to imitate the expert skateboarders as it might lead to serious injuries. Learning the basics is essential to perform difficult skateboarding tricks. Not only do you need to learn to how to skate properly, it is also essential to know how to protect yourself in case of fall. You can start learning from a qualified instructor to make sure that your fundamentals are strong.

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Skateboarding definitely has its roots in surfing. Surfers wanted to see if they could do on land what they did in the water “surf on land”. Skaters would simply stick a piece of board on wheels and start practising. In the 60’s, the sport became popular when companies started making and selling skateboards - now everyone could try, not just the surfers who created their own skateboards. The “fad” of skateboarding wore off, but interest renewed once new tricks were created.

Fast forward to today and this is a serious sport. Tournaments and competitions pay out huge prize money; big name sponsors stuff pro skater’s pockets with cash for wearing/promoting their products. Movies, video games and clothing have been created around the popular pastime. Skateboarding is more than a sport; it’s a way of life, a true culture.

Movies

Hundreds of movies and documentaries have been made about skateboarding. The most well known is probably Dogtown and Z-Boys. If you want to really immerse yourself in skateboard culture, we recommend that you add these movies to your Netflix queue - or do it the “old way” and go down to your local video store: Lords of Dogtown, Grind, Stoked, Tony Hawk’s Trick Tip Series (for learning), The End, and for a few laughs: Jackass The Movie (Bam Margera), MVP 2 (Most Vertical Primate), and CKY2K.

If you don’t feel like renting a movie, look no further than the internet for videos and clips of sk8 tricks, web documentaries, competition coverage and more.

Video Games

Video and computer games are very popular. People who have never been on a skateboard in their life enjoy playing skateboarding games. The most popular game is the Tony Hawk series. To date, there are over ten games that bear the Tony Hawk name. Nearly every modern gaming system: Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, Sony PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PC, Mac, Cell Phones - Tony is everywhere.

Tony isn’t the only game in town though. Other video games like Skate, Backyard Skateboarding, Simpson’s Skateboarding, Skatepark Tycoon, and ESPN X Games Skateboarding are popular too.

An emerging trend is online games; most are free to play. Favorites are GMax, Downhill Jam by Etnies, Street Sesh (also by Etnies), and Skateboard Jam from Miniclip.

Clothing

You don’t have to be a skateboarder to look like one. Popular clothing styles for skateboarders are hoodies, thick shoes, tight or baggy jeans, hats or “beanies”, chain wallets and t shirts. You’ll likely find stores in the mall that sell these types of clothes, but if you want to shop online, seek out these brands for the most popular selections: Vans, Etnies, Airwalks, Element, Zoo York, DC Shoes, Bilabong, Volcom.

Sometimes, paging through one of the many magazines can inspire your skater fashion. Checkout mags like Thrasher, Skateboarding Magazine, Transworld, and Skateboarder Magazine.

You don’t have to be a professional skateboarder to appreciate the culture. You don’t even have to be a skater at all! As long as you love the sport, you’re a part of the culture.

Jimmy Racks make the original steel skateboard rack for hanging your skateboards on the wall.

Moment of Zen before you try any new skateboarding trick I have always found its a great idea to visualize it clearly in your mind how the trick will look. Do this before you do the heel flip and even during it. Maybe imagine a heel flip from one of your favorite skate videos or one of your favorite pros pulling it off. This visualization really really works. So much like a kick flip uses the toe and kicks off at a slightly less then 180 degree angle, the heel flip is the same but you use your heel and you are kicking in the opposite direction. Do not kick straight out to the side and do not kick right out in front…make it in between the two. Get rolling with a little speed and give your board a good pop. When kicking your front foot out make sure to twist your foot and ankle to the side a bit…similar to how you slide your foot up the board somewhat sideways for an ollie the same is done for a heel flip. Only you kick out at an angle and completely off the board.

Airwalk it! Most people are paying so much attention to what their front foot is doing during this tricks they pretty much don’t think about the back. Well here’s another tried and true secret I’ve found when doing these. Kick your back foot out the opposite direction to the front foot. So essentially you are doing almost a scissor kick in the air or an “airwalk” visualize your legs doing this as you begin to kick. Don’t just jump straight up and kick…that wont do it. You need to kick your back leg somewhat in the opposite direction.You don’t have to over do it or kick out big time like with the front foot…just a little movement with the back foot will do it.This method has always worked for me and keeps my heel flips looking big, clean and stylish.

Ride away clean Catch your board in the air and land solid. OK the ending sounds too simple but, if you follow the above tips it is that simple.

In conclusion be sure to think about how awesome the trick will look in your mind and really see yourself pulling it off. Slide your front foot off the board at an angle while popping off the ground and kick your back foot in the opposite direction slightly.

I hope this helps you and happy skating!

Geoff Wheeler has been involved in skateboarding for the past 20 years and writes about skate shoes including Ipath skate shoes and Globe shoes.