SKA
"Got any brakes on that thing? This kid
should play on the freeway.
"Nope, no brakes kid. You wish there was
a freeway nearby.
"We'll how do you stop when you have to?
This kid is getting under your skin
Oh I don't know, usually I just spike into
some little kids ankle. It worked, he is gone
but you're still loff with the annoying ques
tion, how do you stop a skateboard? There
are some options.
First on the list are stationary objects like
cars trees, walls, poles and dumpsters
They will stop you really fast, but usually
they'll keep you stopped for quite awhile.
Because it is usually a painful experience
leave this technique for emergencies only.
Other skaters or pedestrians can help you
end a fast moving line, but there is a certain
way to execute this. You want to grab the
person in a body block position and put
them between you and something solid,
like the ground. You should walk away un-
injured but your helper may not. This too is
an emergency technique.
Another way to stop, without risking in-
jury to others, is to scope out a soft place to
TER
land like grass, ivy, or some friendly
bushes. Friendly in the sense that they
have no thoms or stiff branches. Quick
thinking and good eyesight is extremely im-
portant to pick the best type of greenery
but grass is usually your best bet Enter the
lawn sort of leaning back over the tail and
brush off some speed before going into a
real dramatic roll. Make it a good one as
someone may be watching you You may
choose to hill some plant life so you'll want
to take a few good steps before taking the
dive, Again, dramatics are essential
Just outright slamming isn't a technique
that I would endorse, but a lot of skater's
seem to use it. I guess you just sort of let
your body go limp and go with the flow, let-
ting your momentum decide the severity of
injury. This type of stopping could easy go
in the if all else fails" category.
Probably the oldest and most common
stopping technique is the standard run out
Its characteristics are usually pretty amaz
ing, especially at high speeds. Thirty foot,
back slapping, low flying steps are not un-
common and when someone pults off any
thing over 25 mph and is still standing
BRAND.X.
AS VERSATILE ON THE STREET AS ON THE RAMP.
JEFE CROTEAU Photo: Fred Conrad
BRAND-X
BRAND X PRODUCTS
32 W. Anapamu Suite 234
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
805/962-0283
SKATERS SEND $1 FOR
BROCHURE AND DECAL
JASON'S RAMP
Photo John Denman,
JEFF CROTEAU TEAM RIDER
EDGE
applause from innocent bystanders will
usually result. The key here is to quickly
realize if you can pull it off at the speed you
are going and then go for it. It's really a trial
and error sort of thing
The next number is simply called the foot
drag, one that I believe in and that is popu-
lar among downhillers. It takes a strong leg
(on the deck), and a lot of sole (on the
shoe), but it is very effective. Simply apply
light pressure to start and increase this
slowly until you have a good temperature
buildup, then really press hard. Don't do
this in loose grayel or if bare footed. For a
real treat try this in combination with some!
speed wobbles. Pull this one off and again
applause from your audience will result
The next technique, a combination of the
last two, is what I call the foot-slap. You!
stay on the board, but sort of slap your foot
on the ground every ten feet or so and keep
it there for as long as you can slowing
down with each siap. This one's really hard.
on the slapping foot and leg, but it's effec-
tive. It's also a good way to get someone's
attention before you pilo into them
Another conventional way to stop, popu
lar among the younger skate population, is
the tail drag. Simply kick the nose up and
drag that tail into the ground. Mom and Dad
will not understand when you bring the two
day old board home with half a tail, but then
there are things Mom and Dad were never
meant to understand.
I always liked the quieter technique of
carving some nice, wide pressure tums,
but space isn't always available. If you do
have the room, like the whole street, just
slowly turn back and forth, curb to curb,
progressively applying pressure on your
wheels as you turn and slow down. Sort of
like a skier on a hill. Try this one on a
longboard for some real fun.
Now we get to the final technique, a real
man's way to stop, the side slide. Sort of
drop down into a squatting-sittting position,
plant your hand (gloves with plastic on the
palms and fingers are helpful) and power
your board sideways into a smooth slide. It
takes some practice, but I've seen skater's
work a hill I thought was too steep to walk
down. If you're still confused, check out
Thrasher (Vol.2, No. 8) or look at the new
Powell video. Todd, a skater in the video,
really demonstrates this technique well,
along with some of the others mentioned,
including the belly side.
Well then, what do we have? A nice arsenal
of techniques to use in case we need to
stop that skateboard and your body.
"Do you have any brakes on that thing?"
The kid is back.
"Yea kid I sure do, but stay out of my way or
you might be them."
Take care and skate safe.
Bob Denike
KNOW YOUR BEARINGS
I L
FAFNIR
NOW
AVAILABLE TO THE SKATEBOARD INDUSTRY!
CALL THE FAFNIR HOTLINE (213) 862-2161
FAFNIR THE FINEST AMERICAN MADE 8mm BEARINGS
RAILS: Full " Thick Poly
STD. 4-Hole Pattern
New Shape Black or White,
BIO-
RAILS
BACK RAILS:
Standard Shape
STD. 4%" Length
TAILS: Full 2" Thick Poly
STD. 3-Hole Pattern
AND
SURE-CRIP
Tastrnational
Black or White 8.0, 8.5, 8.75
All Shapes Available
TAILS
DEALERS
Call Us Direct
For Mfg'r Prices
SURE GRIP INTERNATIONAL 5519 RAWLINGS SOUTH GATE CA 90280 (213) 923-0724
.
•