A Look into Professional Skateboarding
Skateboarding has become one of the most popular activities of the youth nowadays. It has evolved from being just a rebellious activity back in its older days to a fully-blown extreme sport that it is today.
According to recent statistics, there are over twelve million skateboarders worldwide and more than 80 percent of these skateboarders are under 18 years old. It has touched the younger markets quite well and has a firm grip on them. Some of these skateboarders skate as a hobby or as a means of transportation, but very few of these skaters go on into the big leagues to become a professional skateboarder.
The industry of skateboarding is a big one. Armed with a huge market, skateboarding has become a multi-billion dollar industry. The mere fact that it is very popular with the young generations and getting into skateboarding is quite easy, there is a lot of money to be made from selling products, advertising and events organizing.
What does being a professional skateboarder exactly mean? Well, as in any other sport, going professional means using the sport as a means to earn money. If you get paid for your skateboarding abilities and skills, then you are a pro skateboarder.
Many of the great skateboarders such as Reese Forbes, Kareem Campbell and Ron Bertino began their careers from humble beginnings. The dynamics of commercialism really gives the much needed financial value to the sport that is skateboarding. But, how does one earn from skateboarding?
One popular way of earning from skateboarding, as many people would see it, is to join and win skateboarding tournaments. Yes, indeed, there is some money to be made from regularly joining these tournaments and these tournaments provide avenues for skateboarders to be recognized, but in reality, the real money in professional skateboarding does not lie in winning tournaments. The bulk of the money comes from deals arising from the endorsements of skateboarding products.
The journey of a professional skateboarder would start in the streets, where he would take endless attempts to do new tricks and perform new stunts. These tricks and stunts are to be displayed in tournaments which the different sponsors are carefully keeping an eye on. If a certain company sees a skateboarder with much talent and has a promising career, they would give him free stuff for him to use. This move is also advantageous for the company since the skateboarder will sort of “endorse” their products. When a skateboarder has become a crowd favorite and catches the attention of everyone, then talks are usually made for endorsement deals, and the money will come in.
Skateboarding shoes and other apparels are the real cash cows in the skateboarding industry and not the skateboards themselves. Actually, other shoe lines have suffered losses because of the rise in popularity of “urban” shoes which cater to the lifestyle of skateboarders.
If you really love the sport that is skateboarding, you’d probably dreaming of being a professional skateboarder someday. There’s no harm in dreaming such things since being a professional skateboarder can really bring in lots of benefits. Going pro can bring things like money and fame into the table, but at the end of the day, what really matters is that you enjoy what you are doing.
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Tuesday, 27 December 2011
Monday, 10 October 2011
SKATER TIPS : HOW TO DO THE OLLIE
SKATER TIPS : HOW TO DO THE OLLIE
How to Ollie
Hi -I'm going to show you how to do an ollie.
What Is an Ollie?
Alright - the ollie is the most fundamental trick in skateboarding. All your tricks that you're going to learn in the future all come from being able to do the ollie.
Ollie Set Up
To do an ollie, what you want to do is have your feet set up on the board in a V-shape with the ball of your foot on the tail - the back of the board - and your other foot kind of pointed outward just behind the front bolts.
What you're going to do is you're going to bend your knees, kick down on the tail with your back foot, and slide your front up simultaneously as you jump. When you come down, you bend your knees, so that way you have more balance so you can ride it out. Bend your knees, kick down, keep your shoulders parallel to the board, and dragging your foot - definitely one of the most important parts because you want to level the board out while it's in the air. That way you land, all four wheels touch the ground at the same time.
How to Practice the Ollie
Ways to practice the ollie: if you're afraid of the board moving at first, try practicing in the grass, holding up against a fence, on the rug in your living room if your parents let you, and eventually just take it out into the street. And once you get it down stationary, just start giving a couple kicks - start moving slow - practice your ollies going slower and just bring up the speed and eventually you'll be doing it in no time.
Common Ollie Mistakes
Common mistakes people make are not bending your knees when you land, because if you land with your knees locked, you're just going to kind of bounce off the board. It's easier to balance if you're come down and bend your knees. So always remember, bend your knees when you start it, and have your knees bent when you end it. And just practice - practice makes perfect.
Tips for Doing an Ollie
Some tips to remember while doing the ollie: keep your feet in a v-shape, always remember - shoulders parallel to the board, bend your knees when you're setting up for it, bend your knees when you land. The closer your front foot to the back of the board, the higher your "pop," or the higher you're going to get up off the ground, but also the more you've got to slide your foot up forward. You've got to be able to account for that, too.
Timing: just remember that as soon as your foot hits the ground, you want to jump up, and have your foot slide up at the same time. And, that's the ollie.
How to Ollie
Hi -I'm going to show you how to do an ollie.
What Is an Ollie?
Alright - the ollie is the most fundamental trick in skateboarding. All your tricks that you're going to learn in the future all come from being able to do the ollie.
Ollie Set Up
To do an ollie, what you want to do is have your feet set up on the board in a V-shape with the ball of your foot on the tail - the back of the board - and your other foot kind of pointed outward just behind the front bolts.
What you're going to do is you're going to bend your knees, kick down on the tail with your back foot, and slide your front up simultaneously as you jump. When you come down, you bend your knees, so that way you have more balance so you can ride it out. Bend your knees, kick down, keep your shoulders parallel to the board, and dragging your foot - definitely one of the most important parts because you want to level the board out while it's in the air. That way you land, all four wheels touch the ground at the same time.
How to Practice the Ollie
Ways to practice the ollie: if you're afraid of the board moving at first, try practicing in the grass, holding up against a fence, on the rug in your living room if your parents let you, and eventually just take it out into the street. And once you get it down stationary, just start giving a couple kicks - start moving slow - practice your ollies going slower and just bring up the speed and eventually you'll be doing it in no time.
Common Ollie Mistakes
Common mistakes people make are not bending your knees when you land, because if you land with your knees locked, you're just going to kind of bounce off the board. It's easier to balance if you're come down and bend your knees. So always remember, bend your knees when you start it, and have your knees bent when you end it. And just practice - practice makes perfect.
Tips for Doing an Ollie
Some tips to remember while doing the ollie: keep your feet in a v-shape, always remember - shoulders parallel to the board, bend your knees when you're setting up for it, bend your knees when you land. The closer your front foot to the back of the board, the higher your "pop," or the higher you're going to get up off the ground, but also the more you've got to slide your foot up forward. You've got to be able to account for that, too.
Timing: just remember that as soon as your foot hits the ground, you want to jump up, and have your foot slide up at the same time. And, that's the ollie.
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