uglydirtybeastysillyisme

Skateboard glossary
A
ABEC
Annular Bearing Engineers' Committee. This number defines the accuracy of bearings. Notice that the ABEC number does not say anything about the quality of the bearings! This means that ABEC 7 bearings could be worse then ABEC 3 bearings.
Air
Used to describe the height of a jump made by a skateboarder.
B
Backside
When approaching a grindrail with your back facing it, a skateboarder is doing the grind backside. When doing a 180 while seeing all the way behind him, a skateboarder is doing the 180 backside.
Bearing
The metal cilinders in your wheels. They make your wheels turn smooth. There are two bearings in each wheels, one on the inside and one on the outside. A lot of people think that the quality is indicated in ABEC, but the ABEC value is just a standard classification. ABEC-3 bearings can be better than ABEC-5 ones.
Bolts
The screws to attach the trucks to the deck.
Bushings
The rubber parts in your trucks. Soft bushings can absorb more impact, hard bushings give more pop.
C
Concave
As you know, a deck isn't flat. It has a nose, a tail, but also some elevation on the sides of the deck. This elevation is called concave.
Coping
Metal pipe attached to the top of a quarterpipe or halfpipe. Skaters can grind on that rail or do lip tricks on it.
Cushion
Rubber part of skateboard trucks, absorb the impact and make it possible to steer.
D
Deck
The main part of a skateboard, made of wood. A good deck contains a nose, a tail and concave on the sides. The lenght is indicated in inches, for example 7.5".
Downhill
Skateboarding down a hill at high speed.
F
Fakie
Riding backwards.
Flip
A trick in which a skateboarder jumps up with the board while flipping the board in the air.
Freestyle
A skateboard style in which the skateboarder has the freedom to invent tricks himself and make up combo's.
Frontside
When approaching a grindrail facing it, a skateboarder is doing the grind frontside. When doing a 180 while seeing all the way in front of him, a skateboarder is doing the 180 frontside.
Fullpipe
Big pipe-shaped skateboard ramp, made out of wood or cement.
Funbox
An artificial street skateboard platform with banked sides and a ledge or handrail to grind on.
G
Goofy
Skateboarding with your right foot forward and your left foot on the tail of your board.
Grab
Skateboard trick in which a skateboarder grabs his board with one or both hands.
Grind
A trick in which a skateboarder jumps up with the board onto a rail. While grinding, the trucks of the skateboard slide over the grindrail.
Grindrail
A metal rail put at a certain height, used to do grind or slide tricks on.
Grip tape
The rough part on top of your deck that gives you grip on your board.
H
Halfpipe
Half of a fullpipe, but with a flat piece at the bottom. Used in vert skateboard competitions. At both top sides of the ramp, a metal pipe or coping is attached.
Handrail
A steep grindrail next to a set of stairs.
Helmet
Safety equipment used to protect your head when skateboarding.
Hip
Two ramps put next to eachother at a certain angle.
K
Kicker
A wooden plate with one side higher than the other. By riding over a kicker at high speed, skaters gain height for their tricks.
Kickturn
Turning 180 degrees in a ramp while pushing down the tail of your board.
Kingpin
The bolt that holds a skateboard truck together.
Kink
A change of angle in a grindrail.
L
Lip
Balancing on the top edge of a ramp in a certain position.
M
Manual
Riding on a skateboard while balancing on only one or two wheels.
N
Nollie
While doing any skateboard trick, instead of popping the tail of the board, pop the nose.
Nose
The smallest of the two elevations of your skateboard deck. Used to pop the board up in nollie position.
P
Pad
Safety equipment used to protect your knees or elbows.
Pop
Snapping on the tail of your skateboard to make it jump up.
Q
Quarterpipe
Quarter of a fullpipe, used in street skateboarding. A metal piece is put at the bottom to make it smoother. At the top of a quarterpipe, a metal pipe or coping is attached.
R
Ramp
Construction made out of wood or cement, made to skate on.
Regular
Skateboarding with your left foot forward and your right foot on the tail of your board.
Revert
Doing a 180 powerslide right after finishing a trick.
Riser pads
These plastic or rubber pads protect your deck from the impact on your trucks when you land a trick. They also make the ride smoother. Some trucks have built-in riser pads.
S
Shoe goo
Rubber adhesive made to repair holes in shoes.
Skate tool
A skate tool is a combined tool to twist all the screws on your board.
Skatepark
A place filled with ramps, rails and curbs, made for people to skate in.
Slalom
Skateboarding through a serie of cones at high speed.
Slappy
A ride-on grind on a low object, without an ollie.
Slide
A trick in which a skateboarder jumps up with the board onto a rail. While grinding, the board of the skateboard slides over the grindrail.
Snakerun
Downhill path with banked sides.
Spine
A spine can be made by putting two ramps next to eachother with facing back sides.
Street
Skateboard style in which skateboarders do tricks on street objects, such as curbs, kickers and grindrails.
Switch
Skateboarding with your feet the other way you would normally skate. What normally would be your front foot is now on the tail and your usual back foot is now your front foot.
T
Tail
The biggest of the two elevations of your skateboard deck. Used to pop the board up.
Tail skid plate
A plate you attach to your tail. This plate can protect the tail of your deck, but some plates also have a material that causes the plate to make sparks when you drag it over the floor.
Truck
The metal part that attaches your deck with your your wheels, through the bearings. Try to buy trucks with the same width as your deck. Hard trucks weigh more, but last longer.
V
Vert
Skateboard style in which skateboarders do tricks in a big halfpipe.
W
Wallride
Skateboarding on a vertical wall.
Wax
Used to make objects slippery, so they are easy to grind or slide on.
Wheel
The rubber round parts that allow you to move with your skateboard. Hard wheels provide less grip. The width is indicated in milimeter, for example 52mm. Inside the wheel, there are 2 bearings.
Wristguard
Safety equipment used to protect your wrists when skateboarding.