Skateboarding Games

It’s good to see these old skateboards recycled…

This skateboard bench is at the Skate Park in North Port, Florida.

As you keep watching these Tony Hawk skateboarding games the graphics just keep getting better and better!

There are some Tony Hawk skateboard games missing from this video like Tony Hawk Down Hill Jam, Tony Hawks Underground 2 Remix (but it is essentially the same as the PS2 version), Tony Hawks Ride.

Also, just because the graphics get better doesn’t automatically mean the game is better than the previous one.

Skating venues accommodate the exciting range of skateboarding ramps that come in different sizes for the ultimate experience. Stunts that push the skateboarder high into the air, require much larger inclines to perform radical stunts, while smaller slopes prove very useful to beginners and those who are mastering tricks on their boards. The fun and creative side of skateboarding comes alive, when you make your own small portable ramp, good enough to take to skating arenas. A dreary park can become any skaters dream, when curved gradients are used in the design.

Each ramp is designed with a specific use in mind and the type of tricks that can be performed are often limited by its size. A ramp is made up of a frame, which can be thought of its skeleton, a sub-surface which creates its characteristic curves, a high-speed surface, and an optional rail at the top edge called a coping.

The frame forms the skeleton of the ramp. The sub-surface is usually constructed with quality two-by-four and two-by-six lumber and plywood. Screws are preferred for this construction to assure that the connections are secure and that no heads are protruding. A skate-friendly surface is then laid on top of the sub-surface.

The great assortment of small scale slopes are normally not higher than six feet in length. These smaller size slopes are just as much fun for designing around obstacles, which make jumping over objects a feat of skill. A grind box has gentle slopes on either side and are flat in the center with either a grind pole or ledge to slide on.

Large inclines like pipes and verts are the most iconic pieces in skate parks. Pipes have flat bottoms which lead to concaves and come in various heights. Verts are almost always higher than six feet and is a half-pipe with its side built up so that they reach vertical for several feet before the top. The vertical section allows skateboarders to perform tricks that are not possible on the quarter-pipe or half-pipe.

The launch ramp is the easiest ramp to build and consists of an incline with two side supports. This is a great ramp for novices to roll up, perform a trick and then roll down. More experienced skaters can approach the ramp at speed and pop the board into the air while flipping or grabbing the board.

Great care is taken when building curved gradients by professionals, making exact measurements and joints with quality craftsmanship, allowing for the safest experience for each skater. Durability becomes a necessity for outdoor slopes with either sheet metal or waterproofed wood. Woods such as Masonite, Skatelite and birchwood are typically used for making indoor slopes.

Skateboarding ramps allow skaters to perform various tricks on their surface, or can be used to launch the rider into the air to execute the most awesome stunts. Small inclines are easy to build and are great for those who want to practice their tricks at home. Plans to build your own ramp can be found online or at a reputable skateboard store.

Go on skater kid…. I dare you…

Both amateur and seasoned professional skateboarders alike will tell you that there are literally hundreds of skateboarding tricks that can be executed which all fall into five general categories. Fancy footwork is required to perform flips, slides, and grinds and can all be performed on either the ground or off an edge, like a ramp or a rail. Manoeuvres like aerials, that boost you nearly into the stratosphere, as well as handplants can be performed on ramps or in pools. And, for the creatively expressive, there are freestyle and old school tricks which can all be adapted to enhance the adrenaline rush.

It either takes a good understanding of the laws of mechanics or to have a natural affinity to bend them in order for skateboarders to perform the seemingly endless variety of stunts that never cease to amaze spectators. Most feats are performed in the safety of a skate park which may be equipped with a number of ramps of varying sizes, rails, a bowl as well as various other obstacles which will provide the skater with a variety of options for them to express their individuality.

A tremendous amount of practice and skill is required to successfully execute most stunts. Injury is common and safety should always be the first consideration. Anywhere that a skateboard can negotiate is an open invitation for a trick.

The ollie, which is a jumping technique that allows the skater to jump over obstacles, is one of the most famous trick and forms the basis for most other stunts. A variety of combinations are possible and can include flips, and spins. It can also be performed with only one foot, or landed on only the front or rear wheels.

Slides, grinds, and stalls are performed on a coping or a rail and can use any part of the board, most often the tail, a truck, or the nose. When a spin or an ollie is added to the routine, it’s possible to perform something really interesting like the backside boardside. Adding handplants or footplants will gain a favorable reaction from the crowd.

When a skater drops in from either a ramp or bowl, they will usually use a technique called “pumping” in order to gain sufficient speed which will allow them to launch themselves into the air for long enough so that they can perform some of the most amazing stunts. When spins, various acrobatic leg placement, and ways of holding the board are combined, then feats like the highly acclaimed 900 degree, airwalking, and the backflip can be achieved.

Manoeuvres on the lip often include an ollie with a 180 degree spin as well as grinding and can also land on the nose. Sliding, or stalling, can be done on either the tail or the nose and can also include landing on a foot, called a footplant. A basic lip trick is the invert, where the rider plants a hand on the coping so that they are balancing upside down on the lip of the ramp with a number of variations of how the board is grabbed as well as leg placement.

Most of the thrills of skateboarding tricks comes from the enjoyment of practicing, rather than successfully executing stunts. Old school tricks, like 360 degree spins and the impossible, have produced many variations because of the pleasure of performing them. It can be asked who has more fun, the thrilled spectator or the adrenaline junkie rider?