5 Things To Look For When Buying New Skate Shoes
By Geoff Wheeler
1) FIT :You want to get the very best fit possible when buying yourself a new pair of skate shoes.The best time for shoe shopping is at night because your feet actually swell during the day (or after a good skate session)due to heat.For size you need about 1/2 inch between the big toe and the end of the shoe.Also make sure the heel of your foot rests comfortably at the back of the shoe.
2) GRIP :A pattered sole give you a sure grip on your board.Brands like DC and Vans have excellent grip on their soles.The last thing any skater wants is slippery feet when skating.So make sure whatever shoe you go with it has an excellent grip and pattered sole.
3) FLEX :You need a durable shoe that is also lightweight and provides a really great flex.Brands like Adio have special "Flex grooves" which give you maximum flexibility while maintaining total comfort.Flex is very important.Who wants to feel like they are wearing ridged hard shoes when skating? Not us.
4)DURABILITY :If you spend alot of time skating then you are going to need a tough skate shoe.One that will stand up to punishment from your board and from the street!Look for leather sides for good wear and tear,a rubber toe and even lace protectors.All will add to the life of your shoes.Some shoes now feature internal "lace hiders" which keep them totally out of the way.Nobody wants to deal with unruly laces while skating.Also look for a thick and durable sole.
5)STYLE :You gotta love them if you're going to skate in them every day!So be sure to grab something that you think looks cool and fits your style.At the end of the day functionality is important but if you don't love how they look on you then chances are they will see more dust then skate parks.With such a mind blowing selection of skate shoes out today finding something to meet your skating and style needs has never been easier.Follow our tips and you will do just fine.
Geoff Wheeler has been involved in skateboarding for the past 20 years and enjoys writing about skate shoes including adio shoes and DC shoes
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Geoff_Wheeler
Ripstik Safety
Ripstik Safety
By Derek Cladek
The most important thing about riding your Ripstik is having fun. If you did not have fun on your board you would not tell your friends about it and the Ripstik would go out of business. The second most important thing about riding is safety. The only thing riding safe does for you on the Ripstik is keeps you riding. If you were to fall off your Ripstik and hit your head without a helmet the damage could be so great that you may not be able to ride for a long time. If you have a helmet on you may have a head ache but you are back riding your board, if not the same day, the very next day.
The extreme sport movement has set a good standard showing every professional athlete at say a popular event like the X-Games wearing helmets. Helmets are not nerdy or dumb to wear, it is smart. Just look at the pros, they all wear one and I bet each one of them have their own stories of the time they hit their head, but thankfully had a helmet on. How much more damage would have been done without a helmet. Helmets come in all sorts of designs and shapes and sizes. Find one that fits you right and looks good. Put it on and ride smart.
Safety involves more then just helmets though. Riding safe is just as important. Most of the time there is someone better then you that have more difficult and more dangerous tricks. Chances are they have also been riding longer too. Riding safe means not trying something so far out of your skill level that you may get hurt. Do not jump right to the most difficult trick on your first day. Work your way up. Start with tricks that are easier and build upon all the tricks you already know. You will eventually be able to do the difficult tricks, but if you hurt yourself trying them when you should not be you may never get to try them.
There are also other pads that you can wear such as elbow pads, knee pads and wrist pads. These pads are not as important as a helmet but can often give you the confidence to learn something new. It can never hurt to throw all the pads on if you are trying to learn a difficult trick. You will minimize your injury if you fall so you can jump back up and try it again. Knee pads are usually always a good idea because if you need to bail off a trick then a safe place to fall is usually onto your knees with pads on. This is especially true if you are trying to ride on ramps. Wearing these pads can also give you confidence to take your riding to the next level.
Put on your helmet and pads, ride safe and ride confident. We ride the Ripstik because it is a blast; we put on the pads and helmet to minimize injury so we can continue to ride. Chances are you are going to fall and get hurt. If you have pads on you jump back up, if you are riding unsafe you may not get up off the pavement and onto your board for a long time. Ride safe, ride smart, but most importantly have fun.
Ride safe with the Ripstik. It will keep you riding longer and have more fun. Check it out... often called the Ripstick, Ripstik or Rip Stick. Made by Razor the maker of the Razor Scooter
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derek_Cladek
By Derek Cladek
The most important thing about riding your Ripstik is having fun. If you did not have fun on your board you would not tell your friends about it and the Ripstik would go out of business. The second most important thing about riding is safety. The only thing riding safe does for you on the Ripstik is keeps you riding. If you were to fall off your Ripstik and hit your head without a helmet the damage could be so great that you may not be able to ride for a long time. If you have a helmet on you may have a head ache but you are back riding your board, if not the same day, the very next day.
The extreme sport movement has set a good standard showing every professional athlete at say a popular event like the X-Games wearing helmets. Helmets are not nerdy or dumb to wear, it is smart. Just look at the pros, they all wear one and I bet each one of them have their own stories of the time they hit their head, but thankfully had a helmet on. How much more damage would have been done without a helmet. Helmets come in all sorts of designs and shapes and sizes. Find one that fits you right and looks good. Put it on and ride smart.
Safety involves more then just helmets though. Riding safe is just as important. Most of the time there is someone better then you that have more difficult and more dangerous tricks. Chances are they have also been riding longer too. Riding safe means not trying something so far out of your skill level that you may get hurt. Do not jump right to the most difficult trick on your first day. Work your way up. Start with tricks that are easier and build upon all the tricks you already know. You will eventually be able to do the difficult tricks, but if you hurt yourself trying them when you should not be you may never get to try them.
There are also other pads that you can wear such as elbow pads, knee pads and wrist pads. These pads are not as important as a helmet but can often give you the confidence to learn something new. It can never hurt to throw all the pads on if you are trying to learn a difficult trick. You will minimize your injury if you fall so you can jump back up and try it again. Knee pads are usually always a good idea because if you need to bail off a trick then a safe place to fall is usually onto your knees with pads on. This is especially true if you are trying to ride on ramps. Wearing these pads can also give you confidence to take your riding to the next level.
Put on your helmet and pads, ride safe and ride confident. We ride the Ripstik because it is a blast; we put on the pads and helmet to minimize injury so we can continue to ride. Chances are you are going to fall and get hurt. If you have pads on you jump back up, if you are riding unsafe you may not get up off the pavement and onto your board for a long time. Ride safe, ride smart, but most importantly have fun.
Ride safe with the Ripstik. It will keep you riding longer and have more fun. Check it out... often called the Ripstick, Ripstik or Rip Stick. Made by Razor the maker of the Razor Scooter
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derek_Cladek
Beginner Ripstik Tricks
Beginner Ripstik Tricks
By Derek Cladek
There are tons of awesome free style tricks you can do on the Ripstik. I am going to talk about some beginner tricks for you to try. Before you try any Ripstik tricks make sure that you are comfortable riding your board. Once you are comfortable and confident you can try out some of these great tricks.
First try a manual. A manual is where you simply lift the front wheel off the ground. The longer you hold the manual the cooler it looks. Try balancing for long distances riding on just your back wheel. That is called a manual. A nose manual is when you do the same thing except that you lift your back wheel off the ground and ride the board balancing on your front wheel.
Another cool beginner trick is the step over. Once you know how to do a manual and nose manual the step over should be a piece of cake. To do the step over lay out an object like a broom stick. Approach the broom stick on your board and when you come up to it lift the front of the board over then immediately lift the back of your board over the stick. That is the step over. To make this trick more difficult use a larger object or try stepping up on to something like a curb.
A hang 9 and hang 10 are tricks that look very flashy and cool, but are not that difficult to do. A hang 9 is when you are riding your board normally and you take your front foot and place it on the back deck and ride for as long as you can. This trick leaves the front of your Ripstik empty and both feet are riding on the back deck. To do this trick put your back foot directly over the back wheel, if you put it to far back when you lift your front foot the front of the board with pop up into the air. Gain some speed and get your balance then quickly pull your front foot back to the back deck. Hold it for as long as you can, then return your foot back to the front deck and continue riding, that is your hang 9. Doing a hang 10 is a little more difficult but looks even cooler. Do the trick with the same technique but instead pull your back foot off the board and ride with both feet on the front deck, then return your back foot to the back deck.
A trick that I do not have a name for but is super fun to ride is simply trying to balance on a curb. The best is to find a curb that has a short drop on one side and grass on the other. A side walk with grass on the side is perfect. Ride up to the curb side and try to ride the length of the curb balancing and not falling off. No other board allows you to do this trick because no other board but the Ripstik has the two wheel design. There are some kids on youtube.com who ride a 137 foot curb without falling off. These are all the tricks I will discuss in this article, so be safe when you attempt new tricks, but mostly just have fun.
Be safe when doing the Ripstick tricks. The Ripstick (ripstik) is made by Razor who makes the very popular Razor Scooter. Try tricks with both.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derek_Cladek
By Derek Cladek
There are tons of awesome free style tricks you can do on the Ripstik. I am going to talk about some beginner tricks for you to try. Before you try any Ripstik tricks make sure that you are comfortable riding your board. Once you are comfortable and confident you can try out some of these great tricks.
First try a manual. A manual is where you simply lift the front wheel off the ground. The longer you hold the manual the cooler it looks. Try balancing for long distances riding on just your back wheel. That is called a manual. A nose manual is when you do the same thing except that you lift your back wheel off the ground and ride the board balancing on your front wheel.
Another cool beginner trick is the step over. Once you know how to do a manual and nose manual the step over should be a piece of cake. To do the step over lay out an object like a broom stick. Approach the broom stick on your board and when you come up to it lift the front of the board over then immediately lift the back of your board over the stick. That is the step over. To make this trick more difficult use a larger object or try stepping up on to something like a curb.
A hang 9 and hang 10 are tricks that look very flashy and cool, but are not that difficult to do. A hang 9 is when you are riding your board normally and you take your front foot and place it on the back deck and ride for as long as you can. This trick leaves the front of your Ripstik empty and both feet are riding on the back deck. To do this trick put your back foot directly over the back wheel, if you put it to far back when you lift your front foot the front of the board with pop up into the air. Gain some speed and get your balance then quickly pull your front foot back to the back deck. Hold it for as long as you can, then return your foot back to the front deck and continue riding, that is your hang 9. Doing a hang 10 is a little more difficult but looks even cooler. Do the trick with the same technique but instead pull your back foot off the board and ride with both feet on the front deck, then return your back foot to the back deck.
A trick that I do not have a name for but is super fun to ride is simply trying to balance on a curb. The best is to find a curb that has a short drop on one side and grass on the other. A side walk with grass on the side is perfect. Ride up to the curb side and try to ride the length of the curb balancing and not falling off. No other board allows you to do this trick because no other board but the Ripstik has the two wheel design. There are some kids on youtube.com who ride a 137 foot curb without falling off. These are all the tricks I will discuss in this article, so be safe when you attempt new tricks, but mostly just have fun.
Be safe when doing the Ripstick tricks. The Ripstick (ripstik) is made by Razor who makes the very popular Razor Scooter. Try tricks with both.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derek_Cladek
Skateboarding Tricks - The Ollie
Skateboarding Tricks - The Ollie
By Corey Polomka
Doing skateboard tricks is so cool and gives you such an adrenalin rush. If you are new to skateboarding tricks you will want to learn the 'Ollie' first as it is used by most riders and is the basis for many other tricks.
You will find a lot of information on the internet about skateboarding tricks including the Ollie but most of the sites won't give you the tips that will make it easier to do.
Here are some tips on how you can perform the 'Ollie' just like the pro's.
To perform the Ollie stand on your board and have your back foot on the tail of the board. Your front foot will be around about the middle of the board and you will need to have your knees bent slightly.
When you first start out learning this trick just take it slow and don't go too fast on your board. There is nothing worse than trying to do a trick for the first time and going too fast and stacking it on the concrete.
A big tip to make the Ollie easier is to keep down low, the lower that you are bent down the more air you will get. You will perform much better if your hands are reasonably low and not too far off the ground.
When you are ready then slam your back foot on the tail of the board so that you will jump high into the air. You really need to hit the board as hard as you can with that back foot so that your board will follow when you jump into the air.
It is important to keep your balance so try to remain centered on the board for balance and keep your knees in the bent position to absorb the landing.
With anything the more you practice the better you will get so if you don't succeed straight away don't give up just keep on practicing. Practice and remember these skateboard Ollie tips and you will be the envy of your friends in no time.
Corey Polomka loves skateboarding and is a legend at skateboard tricks. Visit his site at Coreys Cool Club! to grab a free report called "How To Land Flawless 360 Flips".
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Corey_Polomka
By Corey Polomka
Doing skateboard tricks is so cool and gives you such an adrenalin rush. If you are new to skateboarding tricks you will want to learn the 'Ollie' first as it is used by most riders and is the basis for many other tricks.
You will find a lot of information on the internet about skateboarding tricks including the Ollie but most of the sites won't give you the tips that will make it easier to do.
Here are some tips on how you can perform the 'Ollie' just like the pro's.
To perform the Ollie stand on your board and have your back foot on the tail of the board. Your front foot will be around about the middle of the board and you will need to have your knees bent slightly.
When you first start out learning this trick just take it slow and don't go too fast on your board. There is nothing worse than trying to do a trick for the first time and going too fast and stacking it on the concrete.
A big tip to make the Ollie easier is to keep down low, the lower that you are bent down the more air you will get. You will perform much better if your hands are reasonably low and not too far off the ground.
When you are ready then slam your back foot on the tail of the board so that you will jump high into the air. You really need to hit the board as hard as you can with that back foot so that your board will follow when you jump into the air.
It is important to keep your balance so try to remain centered on the board for balance and keep your knees in the bent position to absorb the landing.
With anything the more you practice the better you will get so if you don't succeed straight away don't give up just keep on practicing. Practice and remember these skateboard Ollie tips and you will be the envy of your friends in no time.
Corey Polomka loves skateboarding and is a legend at skateboard tricks. Visit his site at Coreys Cool Club! to grab a free report called "How To Land Flawless 360 Flips".
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Corey_Polomka
Popular Extreme Toys For The Kids
Popular Extreme Toys For The Kids
By Derek Cladek
Not every kid out there finds the skateboard or roller blades to be the most fun for them to ride. Although the popularity of the two sports are growing tremendously and are extremely fun within their own right, this article is about the other types of extremely fun boards out there. The extreme sport era is here and it is here to stay, so many other toys are being created to fulfill the urge to live extreme. First let us talk about the ever popular kick scooter. Scooter riding used to be for the kid who could not skate. Now you can check out kids doing 720's and back flips on scooters at YouTube. The extreme has taken over kick scooters. Even if you cannot do a flip on the scooter they are being built today to be able to do some insane freestyle tricks as well as ride them on ramps. You cannot drive by a local skate park anymore without seeing some kid riding a kick scooter. Not only riding one but a lot of the time they are showing off just like the best skaters are. A kick scooter is a blast to ride and unlike some of the other popular boards you can pretty much open up a scooter jump on and ride. They are very easy to learn but just like anything they take a lot of time and practice to master.
Another hot board on the market right now is the caster board. The two most popular caster boards are the Ripstik and the Wave Board. These boards are designed so that the rider's feet never have to touch the ground. There are only two wheels and the boards completely twist and bend, purposely. Not only that but you can ride these boards at very fast speeds as well as stay balanced going slower then any board or scooter out there. You can make very tight and deliberate turns with the caster board. Riding down a street with people walking, you can just as easily weave through the people on your caster board as you can walk, the balance is amazing. Not only for just riding on the street but on these boards you can ride ramps, and bust out some incredible skateboard style tricks. One draw back is that you can only ride the board in one direction, but that does not stop you from doing kick flips, manuals, ollies, acid drops, hang nines, and tons more awesome tricks. I one time saw someone balance on a 137 foot curb and ride the whole thing. It was awesome. These boards are amazingly versatile, and you will find that you want to bring them wherever you go. It becomes easier to ride a caster board then walk after a while.
These are just a few of the new extreme styles of riding out there for young people. There are always new and inventive toys to look out for. Extremely fun and exciting to ride boards that you may have never tried are right around the corner. Give them a shot because you will probably find that you love them.
For kick scooters it is the Razor Kick Scooter. And particularly the pro model that the kids are really extreme on. For caster boards the Wave Board and the Ripstick are the most popular.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derek_Cladek
By Derek Cladek
Not every kid out there finds the skateboard or roller blades to be the most fun for them to ride. Although the popularity of the two sports are growing tremendously and are extremely fun within their own right, this article is about the other types of extremely fun boards out there. The extreme sport era is here and it is here to stay, so many other toys are being created to fulfill the urge to live extreme. First let us talk about the ever popular kick scooter. Scooter riding used to be for the kid who could not skate. Now you can check out kids doing 720's and back flips on scooters at YouTube. The extreme has taken over kick scooters. Even if you cannot do a flip on the scooter they are being built today to be able to do some insane freestyle tricks as well as ride them on ramps. You cannot drive by a local skate park anymore without seeing some kid riding a kick scooter. Not only riding one but a lot of the time they are showing off just like the best skaters are. A kick scooter is a blast to ride and unlike some of the other popular boards you can pretty much open up a scooter jump on and ride. They are very easy to learn but just like anything they take a lot of time and practice to master.
Another hot board on the market right now is the caster board. The two most popular caster boards are the Ripstik and the Wave Board. These boards are designed so that the rider's feet never have to touch the ground. There are only two wheels and the boards completely twist and bend, purposely. Not only that but you can ride these boards at very fast speeds as well as stay balanced going slower then any board or scooter out there. You can make very tight and deliberate turns with the caster board. Riding down a street with people walking, you can just as easily weave through the people on your caster board as you can walk, the balance is amazing. Not only for just riding on the street but on these boards you can ride ramps, and bust out some incredible skateboard style tricks. One draw back is that you can only ride the board in one direction, but that does not stop you from doing kick flips, manuals, ollies, acid drops, hang nines, and tons more awesome tricks. I one time saw someone balance on a 137 foot curb and ride the whole thing. It was awesome. These boards are amazingly versatile, and you will find that you want to bring them wherever you go. It becomes easier to ride a caster board then walk after a while.
These are just a few of the new extreme styles of riding out there for young people. There are always new and inventive toys to look out for. Extremely fun and exciting to ride boards that you may have never tried are right around the corner. Give them a shot because you will probably find that you love them.
For kick scooters it is the Razor Kick Scooter. And particularly the pro model that the kids are really extreme on. For caster boards the Wave Board and the Ripstick are the most popular.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Derek_Cladek
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