Westbound Boarder

Well that’s a wrap and what a skate week it has been here at Westbound. I am off to the grand ole state of Utah this morning to make my rounds with the ladies and gents of Arkade Magazine (oh and attend an old friends wedding ) These guys rock as they are all about promoting a snowboarding culture and you can find their mag all throughout local pizza, coffee and snowboard shops all throughout the NW – but more about Arkade next week. Be sure to check em out!

This week has been cram packed with all kinds of skate resources, so if you missed any of it be sure to check out our recap.

• Want to learn to skate, but need to invest in your very own board first? Check out our article on How to Buy a Skateboard for the First Time! to find out exactly what you should be looking for in your new skate.
• Westbound Fav Sk8 Shops. WARNING! These shops are super sick, based in Portland and they even sell their goods online!
• Have a skateboard, but don’t know how to use it? That’s OK, freshen up on my skater-tips for beginners.
• Practice really does make perfect and before you know it, you will have already perfected the most basic (albeit, stylish and impressive) skate tricks. Read on for Westbound’s tips on how to improve your skate resume!
• Whether you live in the Golden State where skateboarding was born or in the Beaver State where there are more skate parks than trees, check out the respective local skate park hot spots. Westbound has the skate park recommendations for both the greater Los Angeles and Portland areas.

Until next week, let your new skateboard roll!

Thanks to Skate Week, Westbound is your online skate resource for any kind of skate related questions you may have. We have already told you what to look for in your new skate, where to buy it and how to ride it. Now it is time to learn how to master those tricks on it. Just remember to be patient with yourself as perfecting these tricks takes time. So don’t forget, practice is what really makes perfect.

(1) Ollie: The ollie really is the mother of all of the skateboard tricks as it is the basis of nearly every skate trick in the book. With that said, it can also be one of the harder tricks for people to get the hang of. SO don’t be discouraged if you have trouble getting airborne on your ollie! When you are learning to Ollie, try it out next to a curb, or in the grass while you are stationary (which will keep you from rolling away while you are focusing on trying to first learn the trick). To ollie, you put your back foot on the tail of the board and your front foot in the middle of the board. Push down on the tail then push your front foot up the board to your front trucks. Do the same with your back foot so that it goes towards the back trucks. The board should then be in the air. Land on the board with your knees bent. Next Step: when you are ready, do the ollie when you are moving on your skate and eventually ollie over an object or a curb.

(2) Manual: This can be an easier trick for some people as it just takes balance and some practice (plus, it adds great variety to your skating resume). A manual is when you balance on your back wheels while rolling along (like a wheelie). To try a manual you will be rolling forward on your board and the front wheels of the skateboard are lifted off the ground, but the tail does not touch the ground. Keep your back foot over the tail of the skateboard and bend your front knee. Be sure not to lean back, or you will fall backwards. Next Step: As manuals are slow and hard to maintain, it is very difficult manualing a long distance. So impress a crowd, and yourself, by manualing a long distance (once you have got the hang of it, of course).

(3) Kick turn: A kick turn  is when you balance on your back wheels for a moment and then swing the front of your board around in a new direction (notice the picture to the right) Work you way to a full 180 degree kick turn by starting with a 90 degree kick turn. This can be a simple trick, although it takes some balance and practice. Next Step: Once you have a kick turn down comfortably in one direction, and can go 180 degrees, work on doing it the other direction (ultimately work on both frontside and backside kick turns).

Once you have mastered these tricks, don’t stop here! The book of skate tricks is never ending and there are always more challenging tricks to perfect. Need some tips? Lets us know exactly what trick you want to learn and we will tell you how! Now get on out to the Skate Jam tonight and get your skate tricks on!