In the worlds of inline and board skating, you will find many areas of much debate. However, one of the most contested areas you will encounter is that of skate bearings. German? Swiss? Ceramic? Stainless Steel? ABEC rating? So many choices, and so many opinions on what is better and what is not. When I was in grade school and into skateboarding, most boards had one of 2 types of bearings: cheap, crappy “American” bearings universally known by their shape which could be described as either mushroom, or T shaped like the Tetris piece, or “German” bearings, which were flat in that profile.

Needless to say, “German” bearings were the bees’ knees. They rolled smoother, longer, and generally faster. They were of much higher quality through and through, while the “American” bearings had cheap shields, generally a press fit cap style. They were sloppy and wore out quickly, as well as being slow in general. If you were rich, you could buy a pack of Bones “Swiss” high precision ceramic bearings, and you would get all the notoriety that came with it, provided you could skate worth a darn. One of the terms tossed around with the “German” bearings was “German Industrial Grade 3” bearings. Those, per all of my skateboarding buddies, were the best, bar none. They made you roll faster, ollie higher, kick flip more accurately, and anything else that could be attributed to such mythically awesome bearings.

If only us kids knew then what can be known now, we would have saved ourselves and our friends some cash, which we could then have spent on more important things like Garbage Pail Kids, marbles, skate shop stickers, and M.U.S.C.L.E. men, among other things. But I digress. Today’s ABEC ratings share a lot of similarities with the bearings of old that I and my friends knew, especially when it comes to sales pitches. Most notable of all being that a higher number equates to a better bearing. Now this is not entirely a lie. In certain industries, a higher number is indeed better. But this would be for reasons that pretty much mean jack for inline skaters and skateboarders alike.

You see, ABEC ratings cover a whole load of tolerance requirements for a bearing, but not much in regards to component quality, lubricant types, or any of that. So basically, ABEC ratings mean next to nothing for skaters at all. The tolerances and precisions that ABEC ratings deal with get mangled in the first few minutes of the bearings life by the simple act of getting on and riding down the sidewalk.

What am I talking about exactly? Well, let us just use the facts: ABEC ratings only specify the eccentricity of the bearings inner ring, or rather, its out of roundness. ABEC 1, the lowest grade, the max allowed out of roundness is .0075mm. As you can see, that’s pretty darn precise already. ABEC 3 is .005mm, ABEC 5 is .0035mm, ABEC 7 is .0025mm, and ABEC 9 is .0012mm.

Continued in part 2.

Photo Credits: Josh [unemployed IT dude]

Originally posted 2009-09-21 03:15:01. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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If you ask anybody why they decide to surf, they are going to give you their own very unique answer in response. It might be because they find it to be fun, or cool, or a nice distraction from the hectic tolls of every day life. Some people surf because it is their entire life and some people surf because they simply enjoy the water and the thrill of the sport. Everyone has their own unique answer to this question. To some, surfing is their entire life, and to others, it is simply something that they can do when they want to have a week spent in the sun during the summer months. There is nothing quite life surfing out there. Surfing is one of very few sports out there that utilizes the power of the earth and nature so directly. There is nothing mechanic in surfing, it is all purely nature, and there is something really incredible about that.

Once you have a solid reason for why you want to surf, all that is left for you is to start.

The best way to start surfing is to start early and to practice often. There are a wide variety of different ways, in reality, that you can be introduced to the sport of surfing. The most important thing is that you enter into the water with a true willingness to learn, and a real passion for the sport. You have to be serious about surfing if you really want to benefit from everything that this sport has to offer.

How you begin to learn how to surf is going to be unique for everyone. One of the best ways to begin surfing is to have friends that are interested so that you can all go out together and enjoy the waves while you enjoy your friends. It doesn’t really matter whether or not your friends are good at surfing, as what really matters is simply having fun because that is what surfing is really all about. Becoming a proficient surfer is going to take a lot of time and a lot of practice – So rather than starting seriously, why not start out with some fun and see where it leads you?

If you do not have any friends that are interested in surfing, don’t worry. There are other ways that you can learn how to surf, just make sure that you do not go through this alone. Surfing alone when you’re out of practice or new to the sport is dangerous. Surf with a surfing class, with an instructor, or with other surfers at a surfing holiday if you want to enjoy the sport but have no friends with which to do it. Who knows, you may end up making new friends in people that are interested in surfing.

Photo Credits: bobster855

Originally posted 2009-09-17 03:00:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Have you ever wondered what kinds of foods would be best before or after you go surfing? Keep in mind that you are going to need something that is jam packed full of good energy. Something that is healthy and recommended by a sporting science institute is generally a good way to go, right? There is actually a different way to go with snacks for surfing, and we are going to talk about this:

The two most popular types of snacks that are used for pre surfing and post surfing are actually polar opposites when you think about it. This is not much of a surprise really. The top snack is the banana, because it is an excellent source of protein and carbohydrates and it is an excellent snack for energy, and it can even help to ward off swimming cramps and other aches and pains. The other surprising snack for surfing is tea, believe it or not.

There are a really wide range of different preferences when it comes to surfing snacks. What it really boils down to in a lot of situations is personal taste, so think about that when it comes to choosing the right snacks for your needs.

Different surfers are going to have completely unique tastes when it comes to what foods are best for providing protein, carbs and good energy before a surfing workout and after. Here are some of the top foods that surfers have claimed to favor for their surfing workouts.

• Bananas
• Tea, including regular tea, green tea
• Chocolate, high energy snacks containing chocolate
• Burritos
• Dried Fruit
• Salty Chips
• Isotonic Drinks
• Breakfast foods, especially those that are rich in protein like eggs
• Hot dogs
• Various types of coffee
• Homemade sandwiches with plenty of vegetables

There isn’t a lot of information out there on what surfers should be eating, but surfers tend to have plenty to say about what they like to eat. When considering a specific food item as a surfing snack, what you should ask yourself is:

• How will this food benefit me?
• What vitamins and minerals will I be provided with?
• Will this food make me feel heavy or weighted down?
• Will this food anger my digestive system while I am surfing?
• Should I save this snack until after I surf?

If you plan on eating something heavy like burritos or sandwiches, you should absolutely make sure that you wait a short while before you go surfing so that you can begin the digestive process. When people go surfing or swimming to soon after they eat, they can cause unwanted stomach cramps and cramps in other parts of the body as well, which can cause accidents on the water.

Photo Credits: bucklava

Originally posted 2009-09-14 03:53:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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… Continued from part 1.

If you want to understand the wakeboarding sport better, then there are a few different wakeboard glossary terms that you are going to need to be aware of. Here are some of the more important terms that you are going to want to know when it comes to effectively wakeboarding.

Lip – The top of the wake that you are riding on as a wake boarder is known as the “lip” of the wake, or the wake’s lip.

Face Plant - The face plant is a specific type of fall. The way that a face plant fall occurs is that you fall, catching your toe-side edge, and this ultimately results in you falling very quickly face forward until you go into the water face first or head first. This is generally not a good way to fall, and should be avoided because it can be extremely uncomfortable.

Bail - Upon realizing that you will be unable to complete a trick, the act of bailing has to do with giving up on the trick rather than attempting to execute it. There are definitely going to be times where a trick is not going to end up the way that you had assumed it would, or that you wanted it to happen. You may fail at a trick because you took too much air, for example, or you may fail at your trick because you lost control. Either way, sometimes bailing out of the trick becomes necessary just to make sure that you do not end up face planting.

Fakie - The term Fakie is used in order to describe a wakeboarding situation, where you are wakeboarding off of the boat in the standard riding position, but you are traveling in the opposite direction instead. This is not commonly done, simply because what is requires is that you make a change in the position of your foot. The fakie term has also been popularly replaced by another term, which is Switch stance. The switch stance term is essentially referring to a situation where the person is riding the wakeboard with their opposite foot in the forward position.

White Wash - This is the turbulent water that is found to be present in the dead center of two converging wakes. The wake itself is capable of containing whitewash, making it difficult for the wake to have hit.

Lube - This is any substance that is slippery, but when it comes to wakeboarding, lube is used to assist you in getting your feet into your bindings. There are lubes that are specifically made for this purpose, but some people simply use materials such as soap, shaving cream and Vaseline to serve as alternative lubes.

Photo Credits: Coreyu

Originally posted 2009-09-11 03:50:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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If you want to understand the wakeboarding sport better, then there are a few different wakeboard glossary terms that you are going to need to be aware of. Wakeboarding is a truly specialized sport, and the terms that are attached to this sport are also quite specialized. If you are not already aware of the terms that matter the most in wakeboarding, then you could find yourself facing trouble in the future. Try to get yourself familiar with these popular wakeboarding terms as soon as you possibly can, because this is going to help you out immensely when it comes to communicating your needs, your capabilities and your desires while participating in this unique and exciting sport. These terms are going to be regularly used in the process of wakeboarding, and if you do not have the proper knowledge then you are going to be unable to properly convey your messages when communicating with other wake boarders. Why participate in a sport if you are not willing to learn the language?

Here are some of the more important terms that you are going to want to know when it comes to effectively wakeboarding.

Double Up - Sometimes the boat that is pulling the wakeboard is capable of circling around and then crossing back over the wake that it just finished creating. This occurs at approximately 90 degrees, and it causes the wakes to come together or converge, which in turn results in wakes that are double their normal size. What this is known as is a double up. If the rider has the right timing when this is happening, then he or she will be able to get much more air during a double up situation than in any other situation on the water.

Ballast - When extra weight is added to the boat pulling the wakeboard, then this is known as ballast. Fitting large and heavy sacks or adding additional people to the boat is naturally going to make the boat much heavier, and this is known as a ballast. The purpose for this particular action is to help the boat be capable of causing more wakes, or causing more intense wakes. There are some boats that are specifically retrofitted with ballast systems, which are designed to fill with water, making the boat naturally heavier rather than artificially heavier, in order to create a better wake boarding experience.

Butt Check – The butt check is a specific type of position used in wakeboarding. In order for this particular position to be carried out, the wakeboard rider will lean back so that his or her bottom is touching the water, with feet out in front and arms held out straight. The purpose of this position is to keep the wakeboard rider from crashing.

Continued in part 2 …

Photo Credits: Derek Purdy

Originally posted 2009-09-08 03:45:09. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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One of the most popular questions that is asked by people learning how to roller skate has to do with the mechanics involved in roller skating. Many brand new roller skaters find themselves wondering how they can achieve acceleration in a forward motion while they are skating on a surface that is flat. Some new roller skaters believe that skating occurs when the weight of the body is shifted forward, back and forth or side to side in order to create a forward acceleration, but this is not quite the truth. So what is the truth about the mechanics behind the art of roller skating?

When you are skating on a surface that is flat using quad skates or inline skates, the safest and the most efficient way for you to achieve forward motion is for you to utilize side push in conjunction with only a minimal amount of body movement.

If you treat each skating foot as if it were an individual scooter, then the forward motion would come from keeping your body weight over only one skate at a time, the employed skate, while you are pushing to the side and then back using the other skate, which is the free skate. The more control that a skater has while keeping the feet close for the purpose of transferring feet, and the more that the skater is able to keep his or her body over the supporting skate or employed skater, the faster the skater will go and the safer he or she will be.

Skating occurs when a number of different right foot and left foot pushes are completed in a sequence, maintaining the concept of using each foot as if it were an individual scooter in order to generate the right amount of momentum. The only body movement that is required is a very slight shift of the skater’s weight in order to keep the main weight behind the head, the chest and the hips situated above the skate that is rolling.

Rollerblading or inline skating techniques are not difficult to learn, but it does take some practice to perfect moves like these in order to get the most out of the basic mechanics behind the sport. If you are not roller skating in this manner, then you are probably utilizing more energy than you should need to, making your inline skating inefficient. If you want to get the most out of your inline skating habit, you have to make sure that you are getting the most out of the mechanics behind the use of roller skates. When you perfect the art of the basic momentum and mechanics of inline skating, that is when you can effectively graduate into tricks and other skating endeavors to get the most out of what your skates are capable of.

Photo Credits: vanlaar

Originally posted 2009-09-04 03:33:50. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Today’s post is by guest blogger, Dakota Roche.

Hey folks, my name is Dakota Roche, I’m a professional BMX rider, but I also enjoy skateboarding quite a bit. I started skating when I was 3 years old and have loved it ever since, in fact, I strongly believe it has helped my BMXing quite a bit and it still does to this day. Actually going out and skating is one thing that I love, but another major part of skateboarding that is motivation in my life are the amazing videos that are produced by skateboard companies and their riders. In my opinion, skateboard videos are some of the most fun to watch, and entertaining videos of all the extreme sports categories (I watch skate, surf, snow and BMX videos). This leads me to what I want to share with everyone today.

So here’s a little insight on skateboard videos for those of you that don’t know. Many actual team videos take as much as 5 years to film and edit but the average are around the 3 year range. Each skater on the team goes out, travels the world in search of great spots to film their hardest tricks in and compile enough footage to produce a video part they’re happy with. Most of the time, the skater then chooses a song(s) in which their footage is edited to and then you have a finished video part. Easier typed than done to say the least! Some problems that skaters encounter during the filming process are: injuries, encounters with the law, getting kicked out of spots, time put into tricks that sometimes never work out and obvious frustration issues… With all that being said and understanding how much work goes into a single project, it’s easy to see how the final production is highly motivating.

I can personally say that there has been days were skating or riding just didn’t sound very fun to do for one reason or another, and those days are completely normal to have. But on those days in particular are when a good skateboard video is going to be your day saver, no doubt. Pop one of those bad boys in and feel the motivation start pumping through your body–it works for me every time. Now, don’t think that skate videos are only meant to be watched on those sluggish days, they’re also a great start to days were motivation isn’t an issue. Watching them helps a lot with understanding certain techniques used by the pros and can ultimately help you learn new tricks.

The moral of the story is that skate videos are quite helpful in a number of ways. My advice to you all is to get on the video watching program before you go out and skate, and see if it doesn’t help your skating, I’m sure it will. Thanks a lot for reading, I hope this information is helpful…. Skate on everyone!

www.dakotaroche.com

Levi’s® BMX – Dakota Roche Bike Check from Dakota Roche on Vimeo.

Photo Credit: Jeff Zielinski

Originally posted 2010-05-02 20:29:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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If you are planning on taking up surfing, or just want to brush up on your surfing techniques and skills, you should start with the following list. This surfing 101 list is meant to be a no nonsense beginner’s guide to getting started on the water. This includes safety for yourself, those around you, using your equipment properly and above all else, knowing what you’re doing. Without further ado, here’s surfing 101:

Do not drink any alcohol while you are surfing or just before surfing. When you are surging under the influence of something like alcohol, you are going to be setting yourself up for failure, accident, injury or worse. Drinking alcohol is going to impair your judgment and may even cause your reaction times to slow down which can put you in serious risk of injury.

Make sure that you are aware of other surfers. You need to be aware of who else is in the water at all times. You also need to be aware of the surfing conditions as well as of the location where you are surfing. You should always make sure that you are not taking somebody else’s wave when you are surfing.

Be aware of your limits as well. You should only ever be surfing in the waves that you are comfortable in rather than surfing in waves that can get you into trouble.

Make sure that you are staying in shape, because physical fitness is definitely important when it comes to your health and well being in the water. If you lose your surfboard while you are out on the water, you are going to need to be physically capable of swimming yourself back to shore and this requires being in shape.

Never go surfing within 45 minutes of having eaten a meal. Your body can do some really unexpected things such as causing cramps when you swim this soon after having eaten a meal.

Make sure that you are surfing smart. You need to be aware of when you should be holding onto your board, just as easily as when you should be getting rid of your board. If you are about to have a serious wipeout, then you need to get rid of your board as this is going to prevent you from sustaining many of the injuries that are sustained when you are still hanging onto your board while you are wiping out.

If you find yourself caught in a rip tide, do not panic. When you should be doing instead is paddling parallel along with the beach until you manage to escape the hold of the rip tide.

Make sure that you are always wearing a good sun block product that is water proof as it will keep you from burning from the blistering sun.

Photo Credits: mikebaird

Originally posted 2009-09-02 03:29:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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There are fins present on the windsurfing board that can be replaced if anything ends up happening to them. Some people believe that these boards need to be placed right off the bat but this is neither always true nor necessary. Generally if you are buying a brand new beginner board, then the fins present on the board are also going to be designated for use by beginners, meaning that you should leave things the way that they are.

The board is going to need a sail, otherwise it isn’t going to do you much good at all. There are a number of different types of materials that can be used for sales, and different qualities can be found from one to the next as well. Monofilm is one of the best choices for sail material. It is a clear material meaning that it provides an excellent amount of visibility, and it is capable of holding its shape, especially in comparison to other commonly used materials for sales.

You also are going to want to check how soft a particular sail material is. Sails that are softer are going to be easier for you to use in general. For beginners, good materials are Mylar materials and Dacron materials. If you are an advanced wind surfer on the other hand, or if you are participating in a competition, then you should be looking for a more rigid sail, which is going to offer a greater level of speed in conjunction with a much greater level of control.

The biggest rule that you need to follow when it comes to sails is that you should absolutely never buy a used sail for your windsurfing endeavor. These sails can easily become stretched out of their usual shape or they can sustain damage that may not be immediately noticeable. You are never going to want to buy a sail that is used and then end up being placed in a potentially hazardous situation because you made a poor decision about the quality of the equipment that you’re using.

While many beginners do not put a lot of thought into it, you really should look into buying a harness. Having a harness for your wind surfing endeavor is going to keep you and your board from becoming separated. If you fall off your board, which is going to happen sooner or later, then you will not have to worry about losing your board. Even if you become more proficient at windsurfing, losing your board is a big deal and is something that you are going to want to avoid. If you get separated from your windsurfing board, you could hit someone or hit something with it, damaging your board or hurting someone, and it would leave you all alone in the water which reduces your ability to get back to shore and leaves you vulnerable. If you do not have a windsurfing harness already, you should certainly consider getting one in order to improve your experience.

Photo Credits: Tushar Pokle

Originally posted 2009-08-31 03:22:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Windsurfing is a truly popular summer sport that many people end up getting into every single year. It is a truly wonderful way to really get out onto the water and if you are looking to have a good time, this is one of the best ways to do it. You can really enjoy getting some great speed and shooting right out over the water’s top without ever having to invest in a boat in order to do so. Windsurfing is definitely a sport that you can learn how to enjoy all by yourself or within a group as well, making it ideal for anyone who loves the water to learn.

Some people are going to pick windsurfing up more quickly than others, but either way that you look at it, it really is not a difficult sport for anyone to get the hang of. The best way for you to get started in this sport is going to be to find a place where you can take lessons or receive some instruction. There is absolutely no substitute for the opportunities that you can receive to watch experts as they go about things the right way. Also, if you know someone that can look at what you’re doing and point out your flaws so that you can improve your skills, that will definitely help as it will allow you to stop making the mistakes that you’re making much sooner and will allow you to perfect things about your performance. Everyone is going to want to know what they are doing incorrectly as quickly as they possibly can so that they can get over their faults and start truly enjoying everything that this unique sport has to offer.

If you are just a beginner to the idea of windsurfing, then it is probably a good idea for you to consider simply renting your equipment. If you have a friend that you can borrow equipment from for a period of a weekend or so, this might possibly work as well. The point here is for you to be sure that you are actually going to use the equipment that you buy if you end up buying anything. There is really not going to be any point in you spending a lot of money buying your own equipment, only to have you discover that you are not interested in the sport as much as you thought that you were going to be.

There is a lot of specialized gear that is involved in the sport of windsurfing. The most obvious piece of specialized gear is going to be the board. The best choice of board when it comes to beginners is a flat windsurfing board because it is designed specifically to offer a lot of stability. You can move onto coarser boards once you have a good grasp over what you are doing on the water. These boards are made to produce speed and so they should only be used if you really have a good feel for what you are doing on the water.

Photo Credits: docman

Originally posted 2009-08-28 03:27:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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