12
Always on
the edge Pro
of DEATH.
THRASHER
SKATEBOARD MAGAZINE
DEATH BOX
or money order to THRASHER SKATEBOARD
MAGAZINE. PO Box 24582. San Francisco, CA 94124
I WANT-12 Action packed issues for only $10.00 so I can
save myset $5.00 off of the newisland price ($20.00 foreign)
I WANT A THRASHER T-shirt, size S M L (circle one) so I
can display my THRASHER mentality. $6.95 +1.50 postage.
handling.
I WANT-The first nine BIG issues, rip roaring and ACTION
PACKED for only $15.00 (Vol 1 #1 thru Vol. 1 #9).
I WANT-The coolest sticker button offer in the world, for
only a buck. (One sticker, one button for one dollar)
Name
Address
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Total enclosed $.
Please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.
O.K., I know all you hot shredders out
there are saying, "Come on, Del, how to
skateboard?" This is not intended for you
but for the person who has never stepped
on a board in his or her life. I sell a lot of
boards to people like this and they always
ask me if there is a book they can get or
where they can take a lesson or two to
get them started. There used to be a book
by Tom Cuthberson entitled, Anybody's
Skateboard Book but it is extremely hard
to find and is rather outdated. Assuming
you cannot find it and do want some
advice, here goes.
1. Equipment
I've divided the beginner status into
categories. Small and large, with small.
being 5'6". The length of your board
should be around 28 inches, the width 8%
to 9 inches, if you're in the "small" category.
Thirty inches long by 9" wide is perfect for
you larger types. Wheels should be of the
"street" variety, say 80 to 88 durometer to
give you a smooth ride and cushion from
bumps and cracks on the riding surface.
Choose a truck that will allow your wheel
to protude about 1/4" beyond the edge of
the board. (For a nine inch wide board, a
130mm truck achieves this task.) Make
sure your board is adequately grip-taped
as you're going to need all the traction
you can get, and nose guard and skid
plate are recommended to protect your
new purchase as your board is going to
be taking a beating in its early stages of
life.
Now that you have your board, there
are a few items you must have to protect
yourself. Wrist guards and knee pads are
mandatory. You are definitely going to fall
many times in the early going and these
will prevent injury, and give you a little
more confidence to keep trying rather
than break your wrist in the first five
minutes and give up. You might want to
get a helmet, too. They are expensive but
like I always say, they're cheaper than an
X-ray.
O.K., we have our board and our safety
gear is on and we're ready to skate. First
you must find out if you are regular foot or
"goofy foot. Regular foot is standing on
the board with your left foot forward.
Goofy foot is obviously the opposite with
your right in front. It is called goofy foot
because most skaters (and surfers for
that matter) tend to be regular foot. To
have your right foot in front is unusual or
"goofy." It's easy to find out which you are
by simply standing on your board both
ways and deciding which way feels more
comfortable. You might want to do this on
a carpet as the board won't roll away.
Once you decide which stance is most
comfortable, you're ready to begin. I'm
going to explain this for regular footers so
if you're a goofy, simply reverse everything.
Again, on the carpet, place your left foot
on the board about an inch behind the
front wheels at a 45° angle to the center
line of the deck. Your rear or right foot is
placed out on the tail of the board at a 90°
angle. Both feet should be centered on
the deck so you can tilt the board left or
DEL *13, SKATE MECHANIC
TALKIN'SHOP
#010 How To Skateboard, Part One
right easily and comfortably without
having to shift your weight around. Keep
your weight centered over the middle of
the board with your knees slightly bent
and your arms extended to assist in
balancing. Tilt the board left and right to
get the feel of it. You might want to hold
on to a chair or wall at first. Once you feel
comfortable with this, you're ready to go
outside and start rolling.
Find a nice wide open flat piece of
cement that's smooth and has no obsta-
cles. A tennis court is perfect for this.
Again, place your left foot on the board,
but this time in line with the center of the
board. Bend your leg a little and use your
right foot for pushing. At first just push
yourself along and don't even try to put
your rear foot on yet. Push about 50 feet
then stop, turn the board around and push
back to where you started from. This will
give you the feeling of rolling without
actually riding the board.
Once you feel comfortable with this,
take one easy push and lift your right foot
up and on to the tail. Make sure you keep
your weight centered over the board. If
you lean too far back, the board will fly out
from under you and down you'll go. Go
slowly and don't even try to turn. Just get
the feel of rolling and keeping your ba-
lance. Once you can take a push and roll
along for a ways without falling, you're
ready to try turning. Take a push, put your
rear foot on and now turn your front foot
to the 45° position we talked about earlier.
Now gently lean to the right. This will tilt
the deck and cause it to turn right than
left. To turn left your weight must center
on your backside. This feels awkward at
first, as you feel like you're going to fall
over backwards, but do it slowly and don't
lean too much. Once you can take a
couple of pushes and turn back and forth,
or right to left, and feel comfortable doing
it, you're ready to move on.
Try to find a parking lot or a street with
a very slight incline. Start at the top and
get on your board, going down the slope
turning back and forth in big, wide turns.
Caution: If you think you're starting to go
too fast, don't hesitate to jump off before
it's too late. You can also take your rear
foot off and drag it to slow you down, but
this is rather hard on your shoes, so just
jump off. Whatever you do, don't get
going so fast that you can't jump off. A
nasty encounter with pavement in an
uncontrolled fall is the last thing you need
in the beginning stages of learning how to
skateboard.
Keep doing these turns until you feel
real comfortable. Gradually build up your
speed and shorten your turns. Once you
can successfully negotiate your practice
slope you are ready to move on to some
more advanced maneuvers like kick
turning, power slides, nose wheelies and
other street oriented moves. Also by this
time you should be experiencing what I
call "Skate Stoke." Skate Stoke is a state
of mind and body known only to skate-
boarders. You'll begin to notice that when
you are not riding your board, riding is all
that you can think about. You start doing it
as much as you can until you are totally
absorbed in it. You take pride in showing
someone a gnarly scab or gash that you
got while skating and while they think
you're crazy, you secretly take pride in
knowing that you got your wound doing
what few people realize is the most
happening sport around. You soon start
dressing like a "skater" and feel cool when
you turn heads as you're cruising down
the sidewalk, or simply carrying your stick
through the supermarket. Next month, I'll
be discussing some more street maneuv-
ers and will preview an area where all
skaters eventually wind up, "The Vertical
Arena. Till next month, keep skating and
keep stoked.
Del "13 S.M.