Ride through the glide of Skimboarding

     As the smooth waves reach the shore of Nasugbu, 19-year-old Karl, with his teardrop-shaped board, stands waiting a few feet away from the sea. And as the sand patters to the ocean, he lets loose of his board, steps on it and runs in anticipation towards the shore — gliding through the small waves at the edge of the sea.

Boards up!

     From a mere lifeguard’s drill used to cross over beaches in California, Skimboarding has greatly established itself today as a visually thrilling and fun water sport worldwide. In the Philippines, the sport has been rocking the country’s coastline since 2000, starting along the shores of Tanauan, Leyte.

    In less than a decade, more people from neighboring towns and provinces were drawn to the sport, and what used to be a form of recreation soon evolved into a series of friendly competitions. In fact, a three-day sports festival called ‘Skimfest’ is annually held in Nasugbu, Batangas wherein Skimboarders compete and party all night.

     “Skimboarding is one way on how I can release my stress. Masaya s’yang laruin lalo na kung marami kang kasama,” expressed Karl Dale dela Rosa, a second year Brahman AutoCad student who has been into skimboarding for a year now.

Conquer the waves

     Most people know Skimboarding as ‘the-thing-you-do-in-the-sand’, and while this is true, Skimboarding has evolved to something more than that.

     To start with this groovy sport, you must stand about 20 feet away from the ocean with the skimboard on hand. Once you see a wave, hold your boards up then drop it on the wet sand. The hardest part though is when you try to ride the board.

     “Medyo mahirap magsimula kasi ang tendency ng iba ay tumalon sa board, pero mali ‘yun, kasi mas malaki ang chance na mahulog sila,” explained Karl.

     Moreover, if you know now how to ride the board, the next step to do is to remain stable on it. You will then need to glide into the sand towards the  coming wave, bank off of it, and ride back onto the shore. There are many possibilities for riding the waves and that is where skimboarding gets really interesting. If you already mastered the basics, then you can try making tricks like Ollie and shuvit.

Surf and scratch

     Not everyone may love water sports. But remember, trying something new isn’t bad at all. Afraid of breath-taking water sports? Then, Skimboarding is definitely a great sport you can start with — cheaper, refreshing and definitely safer.

     So will you just be at one corner of the beach doing sand castles? Come on! You know what to play now.

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Back to the Basics: One-on-One tutorial with the Batangan Skatelords

     It was a sunny Sunday afternoon, and nothing extraordinary chanced. But purposeful in searching a beat not in doldrums, my feet sent me to Batangas Provincial Capitol grounds. The day seemed so cooperative as I spotted there my preys — the ‘skatelords’. And soon after the catch, food chain began. A sure hit to jackpot, they rendered me their meat— a one-on-one tutorial on skateboarding tricks. Big burps!

     Fired up about it? Unleash the excitement with the Batangas Brothahood Skatecrew as I bring out the skateboarder in you.

The Ollie

     Basically, Ollie is the art of popping the board into the air with your feet stuck on it. To begin with this trick, kick the tail of your board and when it pops up, use your front foot to control it back to the ground. However, do not use too much force in kicking the tail. Exert just enough to the point that you can still withstand the board. Or else, you may end up running for it.

      This trick will surely take a lot of practice to reach mastery. It may take you a week or two before you get used to doing so. But once learned, it opens the door for more complicated tricks.

Brothahood tip: If you are not in haste of learning such trick, you may first practice popping the board. And if you are already comfortable doing so, you may practice popping it higher.

50-50 grind

     Comfortable doing Ollies? Then it’s time to bring it to the next level. Check your sense of balance and try the 50-50 grind.

     The 50-50 grind is done by grinding the middle of the board’s two trucks on the edge of a rail or a ramp. In order to do the trick, you must first be parallel with the obstacle where you will grind. When you are ready, get rolling with an acclerating speed. To do the trick completely, perform the Ollie then land the middle of your board’s trucks on the edge of the rail. Once you have managed to do so, keep skating until the end.

     This trick will surely make you look cool but more time will be needed to execute it properly. You may find yourself mastering the trick for two or three weeks; that is, if you are really determined.

Brothahood tip: If you want to learn this trick, you can first practice grinding in the platform. Don't get too hasty on doing it on a rail for you might end up spraining your feet. 

Kickflip

     Now, if you are so sure that you can bring your skateboarding to an even greater height, then let’s do kickflip.

     Kickflip is the art of flicking the board with your foot to make it flip underneath you while you are suspended in air. Sounds cool, right? In learning this trick, you must be in the basic Ollie position. However, half of your front foot should be hanging while the toe-part is on the board. This position will help you flip the board easier. First, you must perform the Ollie. When you are already in the air, flip the board by kicking upward with your front foot. Then to have a perfect landing, you must return your back foot fast guided by your front foot.

     Many of you would probably think that you should kick the board downward to make it flip, but here’s the real deal: kicking your board downward would not result to a complete flip and might just end up spraining your feet.

     This may really seem hard to do, but after a month or two of practice, combined with the desire and eagerness to learn, performing this trick is far from impossible.

Brothahood tip: Master doing your Ollies first before trying this. If  you are already comfortable and confident in doing your Ollies. Then try this.

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