The Skateboarding Field Manual

by Ryan Stutt

Overview

An illustrated guide to skateboarding skills and techniques.

Skateboarding is more than a sport; it is a passion and way of life driven by those who love to push the limits of gravity and inertia while bending the notions of social acceptability. The Skateboarding Field Manual addresses both the intricacies of the sport and the intangibles of its culture. Skateboard enthusiast and journalist Ryan Stutt provides outstanding advice, which ranges from how to stand on your board and how to fall without causing injuries to how to perform grinds, slides and flips.

This comprehensive reference is simply the very best manual on the sport of skateboarding. There are 33 maneuvers and tricks for beginners to intermediates, all illustrated with over 350 custom color photographs by skateboarding photographer Harry Gils.

Other features include:

A 12-page primer on skate culture, including history, deck art, skateboarding in the media and the importance of homemade skate videos and photos.

A beginner's guide to parts, safety equipment and skatepark etiquette.

Instructions on the basic techniques of pushing, turning, dropping-in, ollies and nollies.

Advice on flips, grinds and slides for rails, ramps and ledges, including the varial flip, the nose grind and the board slide.

The Skateboarding Field Manual is the essential guide for anyone looking to master the art of skateboarding and to understand its unique culture.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781554073627
Publisher:	Firefly Books, Limited
Publication date:	02/01/2009
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	1,097,073
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	12 Years

About the Author

Ryan Stutt was an editor at SBC Skateboard magazine. He lives in Toronto and invites you to his website, www.ryanstutt.com.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Skateboarding 101

• Hard Goods
• Soft Goods
• Putting Your Board Together
• The Evolution of Four Wheels on Wood
• Skate Media Primer
• Spots and Obstacles
• Skate Park Etiquette
• Skateboarding Hierarchy
• Welcome to Skateboarding

Flat Ground Basics

• Stance
• Pushing
• Stopping
• Kicking the Board Up
• Falling
• Tic Tac
• Turning
• Ollie
• Nollie
• Manual

Transition Basics

• Dropping In
• Pumping
• Kick Turn on Transition
• Nose and Tail Stalls
• Axle Stall
• Rock 'n Rolls
• Tricks on Transition

Flip Tricks

• Kick Flip
• Heel Flip
• Pop Shove-It
• Varial Flip
• 360 Flip

Grinds

• 50-50 Grind
• 5-0 Grind
• Nose Grind
• Smith Grind
• Feeble Grind
• Crooked Grind

Slides

• Boardslide
• Lipslide
• Tailslide
• Noseslide

Glossary
Credits
Index

Preface

Introduction

I am by no means the best skateboard in the world. In fact, I'm probably among the worst in the world. People who know me will probably laugh themselves stupid when they hear I wrote a book containing skateboarding instruction.

But hey, just because you're a pro at something doesn't necessarily mean you can teach it. Imparting instruction isn't about doing, thankfully; it is about getting the right information and explaining it simply enough that people can figure it out for themselves.

And since I'm nowhere near being a professional skateboarder, I hit up my friends when putting this book together. A lot of them. I consulted skateboarders of every stripe and skill level I could - and each lent their expertise to this thing. The end result is the culmination of a lot of experiences, not just mine.

That said, I think you'll find that these skateboarding instructions are the most straightforward out there, bar none. Trust me, I checked.

Now, there's hundreds upon hundreds of tricks and variations of tricks in skateboarding, so there's no way I could possibly cram every single one into this book - I'd need waaaaay more space than I've got here, believe me. So this guide is a primer of sorts - the basic tricks to give you a foundation to build on.

Instruction aside, I also wanted to give you a taste of what skateboarding's really about - not just the mechanics of it, but what the subculture is about.

I'm going to give you an overview of the skate world (its history, industry, etc) so you don't spend your first year saying dumb things and annoying those around you. Consider this book as you would your big brother - someone who's going to make sure you're off to a good start and not totally embarrassing yourself.

Why? Because skateboarders look out for one another - you'll learn that lesson pretty quick - there's something about skating that binds people together once they've spent a couple years pushing themselves around on a piece of wood. It's like a fraternity, but without the stupid sweaters and secret handshakes.

In 10 years, maybe you won't skate anymore. But one this is for certain, once a skateboarder, always a skateboarder.

-Ryan Stutt

Editorial Reviews

This is an excellent resource for any student who wants information on the sport of skateboarding. The reader learns the rules of the sport, basics for the moves and lots more. Includes a glossary and index. Full of action photos and clear instructions.

INFOLINK - Jean Wipf

Former SBC Skateboard magazine managing editor Ryan Stutt has put together an attractive and information-stuffed book for young skaters. Stutt offers a "Skateboarding 101" that not only outlines all the equipment and gives a short history of the sport, but provides a "Skate Park Etiquette," and a "Note to Parents." The rest of the book is filled out with tricks, moves, advice that is thoroughly no-nonsense, and lots and lots of photographs.

Quill & Quire

Stutt's appealing title is rife with the glossy glamour that should win nods of approval from even proficient shredders.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Winner, Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers: 2010

Young Adult Library Services Association

Stutt's appealing title is rife with the glossy glamour that should win nods of approval from even proficient shredders.

University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Stutt's appealing title is rife with the glossy glamour that should win nods of approval from even proficient shredders.

Unive Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

An excellent resource... full of action photos and clear instructions.
— Jean Wipf

INFOLINK

Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers: 2010

Booklist

Gr 7 Up

This is an extensive guide covering the history of the sport as well as instructions for building boards. Stutt goes right to the nuts and bolts and discusses how to attach the trucks, types of wheels, grip tape, and the different types of ball bearings. However, the focus of the book is the description of basic tricks, as well as the more complex flip tricks, grinds, and slides. Breathtaking action photographs aid the visualization of the step-by-step instructions. The text font is tiny but allows space for these full-page, full-color illustrations of skateboarders in their element. Readers probably will ignore Stutt's admonition not to download skateboarding videos online for free or such cautions as, "You should not be skating anything over one to two feet tall in the foreseeable future." However, they will relate well to the author's flippant attitude and language as he outlines each trick. Adults will cringe at the book's too-brief mention of wearing protective equipment only to view almost all the skateboarders in the photographs performing without helmets or pads. Libraries that own magazines such as Thrasher or TransWorld Skateboarding can expect the same tone and writing style here.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA

School Library Journal