Skateboarding Glossary
Anatomy of a Skateboard
deck : the flat standing surface of a skateboard, usually laminated maple.
grip tape: sandpaper affixed to the top of the deck with adhesive, used to increase the friction between the deck and the skater’s feet.
nose : the front of the skateboard, from the front truck bolts to the end.
rail : the edge of the skateboard, also, plastic strips attached to the board’s underside.
tail : the rear of the skateboard, from the back truck bolts to the end
trucks : the front and rear axle assemblies that connect the wheels to the deck and provide the turning capabilities for the board.
wheels : usually made of polyurethane and sized between 39 and 66 millimeters in diameter; their hardness is measured by durometer, a number ranging from 0 to 100—soft wheels have a durometer of about 85, hard wheels have a durometer of 97 or higher
wheelbase : the distance between the front and back wheels, measured between the two sets of innermost truck holes.
Skateboarding Tricks
air
: riding with all four
wheels off the ground; short for aerial
backside
: when a trick or turn is executed with the skater’s
back facing the ramp or obstacle.
Caballerial
: a 360-degree turn performed
on a ramp while riding fakie (backwards), named after skater Steve Caballero
carve
: to skate in a long, curving arc
fakie
: skating backwards—the skater is standing in his or
her normal stance, but the board is moving backward (not to be confused
with "switch stance")
frontside
: when a trick or turn is executed
with the front of the skater’s body facing the ramp or obstacle
goofyfoot
: riding with the right foot forward, the opposite of
"regular foot"
grind
: scraping one or both axles on a curb,
railing, or other surface, such as:
crooked grind
:
grinding on only the front truck while sliding
50-50 grind
:
grinding on both trucks equally
50-50
grind by Diego Bucchieri (QuickTime)
nosegrind
: grinding
on only the front truck
5-0 grind
: grinding
on only the back truck
kickflip
: a variation on the ollie in which the skater kicks the
board into a spin before landing back on it
Kickflip by the Exploratorium's Steve Gennrich
Kickflip
by Tony Trujillo (QuickTime)
McTwist
: a 540-degree turn performed on a
ramp, named after Mike McGill
mongo-foot
: a style of pushing where the back foot is kept on the
board and pushing is done with the front foot
nollie
: an ollie performed by tapping the nose of the board instead
of the tail
Nollie by Matt
Fields (QuickTime)
noseslide
: sliding the underside of the nose end of a board on
a ledge or lip
ollie
: a jump performed by tapping the tail
of the board on the ground; the basis of most skating tricks
railslide
: a trick in which the skater slides the underside of the
deck along an object, such as a curb or handrail
regular foot
: riding with the left foot forward, the opposite of
"goofyfoot"
shove-it: a trick performed by spinning the board 180 degrees beneath
the feet while traveling forward
switch stance
: riding the board with the opposite footing than
usual, i.e., "goofyfoot" instead of "regular foot"
tailslide
: sliding the underside of the tail end of a board on
a ledge or lip
Types of Skateboarding
street skating: skating on streets, curbs, benches, handrails and other elements of urban and suburban landscapes.
vert skating: skating on ramps and other vertical structures specifically designed for skating.
half
pipe
:
a U-shaped ramp of any size, usually with a flat section in the middle
vert ramp
: a half-pipe, usually at least 8 feet tall, with steep sides
that are perfectly vertical near the top.
Physics Glossary
centripetal force : a force that keeps a body moving in a circular pathrotational inertia : a measure of an object’s resistance to being turned, depending on both the mass of the object and how that mass is distributed
work : force applied over a distance—for example, you do work when you push a box across the floor, but not when you push on a locked door; work done on an object or system results in an increase in the energy of that system