Skatementery: An elementary guide to one of the most individual, creative and inspiring hobbies.

Skateboarding is an ever evolving trend, that is individually experienced by each skater, but collectively modified by the creativity and impressions of all those that partake. Skateboarding has changed alot in recent years; skaters are going bigger, pushing the technical limits and taking the sport to all whole new level.

In the late 60's and early 70's, skateboarding merged from surf culture, when wave riders took their passion for ripping and applied it to a whole different scenario: the urban landscape. Skateboarding has gone through many developmental phases and particular trends, which have all established its firm root in pop culture. Technological advances, such as the introduction of urethane (a strong rubber variation) wheels on the skateboarding market, allowed for ultimate traction, allowing skateboarders to practically climb walls! Advances such as carbon fiber laminates, powerfully rigid glues and rock hard maple board constructions have allowed the sport to advance to unprecedented proportions. As a reaction to booming skateboarding culture, several thousands of skate parks have been built globally to "feed the need" of millions of skateboarders, young and old.

Skateboarding is a fun and gratifying physical activity. But this doesn't mean that it's easy! Quite the contrary actually; skateboarding, for some people, can be very hard and frustrating. It takes lots of practice to achieve repetive consistency, whether you're trying to do kickflips, one of the most modern and commonly acclaimed maneuvers (where one combines the ollie, a basic skateboarding jump, with a flick from the front foot to make the board "barrel roll" in the air), bomb a hill or skate a mini ramp (a small "half pipe", a common obstacle in many skateparks). Skateboarding, like many things in life, becomes more and more natural with practice. In other words, the more you put in, the more you'll get out of it. There are thousands of maneuvers, or "tricks", one can learn, and many styles of skateboarding that vary between individuals. There are even several different types of skateboards.

Skill on a skateboard is a very personal quality, meaning that it is different for everyone, and has no correlation to age, gender, height or ethnicity. Skateboarding is a very thrilling hobby, and it gives you a satisfaction that cannot be described. The more you do it, the more you will understand what I mean.

Unfortunately, skateboarding can be dangerous. It is most dangerous in the beginning, when one has little familiarity with the board. Falling down is a big part of skateboarding, and can be dangerous when people do not know how to do it correctly. You must always be loose, stretched out and aware of the chances of falling. It is good to learn how to fall correctly: to be able to quickly assess your situation and act accordingly. Its good to warm up wrists and ankles before skating, so when you have to catch yourself or land awkwardly, you have less chance of injury. Protective padding is also a good idea for beginners. People of all ages can have fun skateboarding. It is great exercise. If you are a beginner skate within your limits, wear padding and practice falling. This can really help you progress in skateboarding without getting hurt.

So you got a board and you want to go skate! Awesome! Be sure to stretch out, especially wrists and ankles. Warm your self up with some ollies. To ollie, get that back foot in the concave, or curve, of the tail (back end) of the board. Place your front foot under the front bolts. Now pop that tail down as hard as you can, drag the board level in the air by dragging your front foot forward and jumping as high as you can. Land that ollie and roll away with miles of styles. Now that you can ollie, go have some fun! Cruise around your neighborhood, hit up your local skatepark or try to learn kickflips. The great thing about skateboarding is you can do it almost anywhere. So grab a board and get out there; and remember, it's all about the fun!