How Skateboarding Has Progressed Over Time

Skateboarding has been around for a long, long time and over the years it has progressed and the boards themselves have been upgraded. People decide to skateboard for different reasons but whatever reasons you choose to skate, if you have been doing it for a while you will know that the boards have changed an awful lot.

A Little History of Skateboarding

True skateboarding fans will know that in the 1950's the first ever skateboard was introduced. It was a homemade type of board and it was made of simple wooden planks which were connected to roller skate wheels and trucks. It was closely connected to surfing and most early skaters used similar moves to surfers on the boards. The term 'skateboarding' was not yet developed and it was instead known as 'sidewalk surfing'.

In the 1960's skateboarding hit an all time high and it continued right until 1966 when for no apparent reason, people lost interest. Sales dropped and magazines that had been started were also dropped as the demand was no longer there. It was not until the early 1970's came that skateboarding actually picked up again.

How Skateboarding Changed From 1970

It was the early 1970's when a new skateboard was introduced. This newer board featured an improvement in traction and performance and once again skateboarding became increasingly popular. This was down to a new wheel improvement where the wheels were made out of polyurethane.

As skateboards once again became popular, more and more companies decided to get involved and they eventually started redesigning the boards themselves. They became wider and they were available in a large number of colors. Eventually the most common skateboards were formed out of maple wood, though there were some companies who explored by creating aluminium and fibreglass boards. Due to these improvements, skateboarders were now able to start learning more tricks and vert skating was created.

Skateboarding Today

Skateboarding is still extremely popular today and street skating is particular common. Wheels are still made from polyurethane and the durometers are extremely high so that there is reduced drag on hard surfaces.

The boards today tend to be a lot lighter than they were and smaller wheels are said to be the cause of this. This means that skaters can now do more tricks and they can also go a lot faster too. Boards can come in an extremely large amount of colors and styles to suit all tastes, so no matter what type of board you are after, you are bound to find one to suit you.

Overall skateboarding has come a long way and thousands of people enjoy taking part in the sport each year.