What we know today as a skateboard, first emerged in the swinging sixties, when a few bored Californian surfers messed around with roller skate wheels and plank of wood, in an effort to try and surf on the ground. Little progress was made regarding development; indeed, it was just a bit of fun for the surfers during flat-wave times, then a few of the surfing shops hit upon the idea of making miniature surfboards, as a way of promoting their boards.

The Early Years

The two collaborated and the first basic skateboards were born, and in the early seventies, polyurethane wheels were introduced, which gave great grip and traction, and with a nice width, the boards became much faster.

More Tech

Then came the swivel brackets that allowed the rider to tilt the board, giving them much more fine control and direction involved a controlled lean, much like surfing, and as the boards got better, so did the riders and by the 1980s, skateboarding was firmly in trend across the US.

The 1980s

This era saw the board makers controlled by the skateboard pros, with vertical ramp skateboarding the main form; then came street boarding and in a short time, kids everywhere were seen on their skateboards. Europe really picked up the ball in this decade, with Dutch boarders who were very much into board development and towards the end of the eighties, skateboarding was a global thing.

The Nineties

Boards became lighter, the polyurethane wheels were harder, and the shapes of boards began to take tricks and aerodynamics into account. Street skateboarding had, by this time, reached all corners of the world, and with specially designed skate parks, riders were able to create new tricks and hone their skills. If you would like to get into skateboarding and would like to browse a great selection of the best skateboards, check out the quality stuff at https://www.skateconnection.com.au/ who are one of Australia’s top supplier of skateboards, scooters and accessories and is the place to go when you want a good skateboard.

To the Present

Skateboarding is now a very competitive sport, with major competitions around the world, with the US still ahead in terms of popularity, and with skate parks everywhere, people can enjoy exploring and developing their skills, Anyone who wants to take up skateboarding can buy a basic skateboard, along with all the accessories, from the online retailer, who stocks all the top names, plus they have blog pages, full of interesting articles about technique, board reviews and latest venues for competition.

Kids as young as 5 get on skateboards and there’s no doubt that in a decade or so, we are going to see a whole new breed of skateboarders, who will take advantage of emerging technology and push the sport even closer to its limits. As for the benefits, it really does develop balance, spatial awareness and co-ordination, and with the right protective gear, skate boarding is relatively safe, aside from the obvious scrapes and bruises at the start.