Aerials (skateboarding)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aerials (or more commonly airs) are a type of skateboarding trick usually performed on half-pipes, pools or quarter pipes where there is a vertical wall with a transition (curved surface linking wall and ground) available. Aerials usually combine rotation with different grabs. Most of the different types of grabs were originally aerial tricks that were performed on vert ramps before flatground aerials became common. Aerials can be executed by ollieing just as the front wheels reach the lip of a ramp, or can be executed simply by lifting the front wheels over the coping (or lip). The former is preferable on shallower ramps where the skateboarder has less speed to lift them above the ramp.
[edit] Aerial tricks
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A note to all editors:
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360 Varial McTwist
- A 360 Varial McTwist is similar to McTwist but the while doing it skater on the same does a 360 Varial.Invented by Tony Hawk
- 540
- A 540 is an aerial where skater and board spin one and a half rotations in midair. They're usually done on vert, but a few skaters have managed to pull them on box jumps and pyramids as well. In the early 80s, Billy Ruff invented the Unit, the precursor to the modern 540. He'd early-grab the front rail and twist frontside, briefly putting his other hand down on the transition in order to push off the wall, which made it easier to get the whole spin. Because he had to put his hand down, the Unit was always done below the coping. In 1983 Tony Hawk took it to the next level when he invented the Frontside 540 (now commonly known as a "Rodeo Flip"). But soon after, for some reason he lost the trick, and it didn't gain any sort of popularity until much later. In 1985, Mike McGill, then a pro skater for Powell, invented the McTwist, which is easily the most popular 540 variation ever (see below).
- 720/McHawk
- The 720, two full mid-air rotations, is one of the rarest tricks in skateboarding. It was first done by Tony Hawk in 1985, and it took him a whole hour to learn. It wasn't something he planned to do. He accidently over-rotated a Gay Twist and Lance Mountain suggested that he might be able to spin twice. After a dozen or so more tries, he landed it and has done it consistently ever since. Though it seemed to come easy to Tony, it's still one of the hardest vert tricks. Even today, more than twenty years later, probably fewer than a dozen skaters in any given professional contest circuit can do one.
- 900
- The rider spins 900 degrees backside in the air, usually while grabbing Mute. It is arguably the most widely covered trick in the history of skateboarding, as Tony Hawk landed it for the first time at the 1999 X-Games following the best trick competition. The celebration on the ramp quickly snowballed in to newspaper and television coverage which helped make Tony Hawk a household name. Five years later, Georgio Zattoni and Sandro Dias both landed their first 900s within a week of each other.
- Airwalk
- This trick is very similar to a judo, but instead of the back foot staying on the board, it is kicked backwards behind the skater. This was invented by Rodney Mullen. To describe it further, it is a nose grab with the front foot kicking out and the back foot kicking back before getting both feet back on the board. There is also a fingerflip airwalk.
- Benihana
- A one-footed tail grab, taking the back foot off and kicking straight down or sideways in a backwards direction. The idea is to take the back foot off and use the front foot to kick the board out ahead of you, and then catch the board by the tail and put it back under your feet. Invented by Christian Hosoi.
- Body Jar
- A backside nose grab air to tail. A varial Body Jar is called a Body Bag.
- Caballerial
- A 360 backside ollie from fakie. Invented by Steve Caballero.
- Christ air
- An air where the board is grabbed in one hand, and the body is in a "crucifix"-like position. Usually performed backside (as invented by Christian Hosoi), but occasionally done frontside (as by Monty Nolder).
- Finger Flip Air
- Another Tony Hawk trick. Generally a backside air grabbing on the nose, and spinning the board in the heelflip direction with the front hand. Sometimes stopped by an Indy grab.
Flying Squirrel
- An air where the rider grabs the backside of the board with both hands behind the feet and bends his back.
- Gay Twist
- Similar to a Caballerial; the difference being that the board is grabbed, whereas the Caballeria is performed without touching the board with the hands. Invented by Lance Mountain and Neil Blender, supposedly because they couldn't do Caballerials.
- Gnar Jar
- A 540 degree spin with a bodyjar (tail tap) when re-entering the vert ramp. Variations include: judo Gnar Jar, Double Judo Gnar Jar, Anti-Judo Gnar Jar, Christ Air Gnar Jar (all invented by Sandro Dias), and the Frontside Gnar Jar (invented by Bob Burnquist).
- Helipop
- Thile this is more of a freestyle or street skating trick than most other aerials. It is essentially the same thing as a caballerial, but instead of doing a 360 fakie, it is a 360 nollie (skateboarding trick). This was invented by Rodney Mullen and has been done both backside or frontside.
- Judo Air
- During a Judo Air, the skateboarder performs a nose grab, takes his/her front foot off the board and kicks it forward and pulls the board backwards while the back foot is still on the board. The name of the trick stems from the skateboarder looking like to be doing a Judo kick in mid air. This trick was invented by Tony Hawk. An Anti-Judo Air is where the front leg is kicked out twice: first in front, then behind, then back on the board.
- Lien Air
- Another of the basic airs. It's a frontside air grabbing the nose or heel edge with your front hand (leading hand). Neil Blender invented the Lien Air, and the name is Neil spelled backwards.
- Madonna
- A one-footed lien to tail, where the front foot is taken off and kicked out straight down (behind the board), invented by Tony Hawk.
- McTwist
- The McTwist is an inverted aerial where the rider performs a backside 540 while grabbing Mute (front hand grabbing the toe side of the board). Invented by Mike McGill, who first performed it in public in 1984 at a Del-Mar Skatepark contest.
- Samba Flip
- A kickflip that is grabbed on the toe-side then flipped again downward where the skateboarder grabs it in an indy grab, invented by Bob Burnquist. [1]
- Sean Penn
- The Sean Penn is similar to a Madonna lien to tail except the skateboarder kicks the front foot up and over the board (like a judo air) before finishing the lien to tail. It was named because Sean Penn was married to Madonna for a while, and thus was the opposite of Madonna. Possibly invented by Mark Rogowski, who popularized the trick.
- Stalefish
- The skateboarder reaches behind the back leg with the back hand and grabs the backside of the board right in front of the back foot. The Stalefish can be done going frontside or backside. Invented by Tony Hawk.
- Rocket Air
- During a rocket air the skateboarder grabs the nose of the skateboard with both hands and at the same time places both feet on the tail. Invented by Christian Hosoi.
- Method Air
- The Method Air is when a skateboarder gets air and grabs the backside edge of the board between the feet while pushing outward. It looks like one is kneeling on air.
Crail Grab
- The Crail is basicaly a nose grab but with the back hand, where as a normal nosegrab is done with the front hand.
Melon
- A Melon is executed by grabbing the heel edge of the board with the front hand, right behind the front foot.
Indy
- The Indy is done by grabbing the toe-side rail with your back hand while doing a backside air.
Double Kickflip Varial Indy
- Flip your board twicely back (Double Kickflip) and pop it to 90°, then with your hand spin it for 90° and then move it under your hands.
Tre Flip 360 shove it with a kickflip
[edit] References
- ^ http://expn.go.com/x /sxg/viii/s/best_trick.html
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