Grabs (skateboarding)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grabs in skateboarding are different ways to hold the skateboard during an aerial trick. Grabs usually combine aerials with rotation as the skateboarder grabs and holds the board.
[edit] Grab tricks
 |
A note to all editors:
|
- Airwalk grab
- The skateboarder grabs the nose of the skateboard and kick the front foot in front of the board and the back foot back of the board, resulting in a split kick while holding the nose. Good skateboarders can kick it the other way while in the same aerial and make a walking motion. This trick was invented in 1983 by Tony Hawk, who performed it on ramps and half-pipes. In 1986, Rodney Mullen invented the Ollie Airwalk, a flatground version of the Airwalk. The name Ollie Airwalk is often mistaken by the Ollie Airwalk trick in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. In the version in the game, the skateboarder only kicks his/her legs off the board and doesn't grab the nose. This is not considered a "real" airwalk.
- Backside grab
- Any grab with the either hand on the back rail of the board between the heels. Variations include: Melon, Method, Mosquito.
- Benihana grab
- A grab where your legs are split with one leg stretched out across the board while the hand opposite the leg holds the tail of the board.
- Cannonball grab
- The skateboarder ollies, then grabs both ends of the board (nose and tail) and holds them. This makes the skater crouch and appear small and round in shape, like a cannonball, hence the name. This trick can also be done as an early grab, in which case it is commonly called a smallie, a smurf, or a bunnyhop.
- Crail Grab
- For a Crail Grab, the skater grabs the toeside nose with the back hand brought in front of the body.
- Christ Air
- An air trick made popular by Christian Hosoi where the skater grabs the board out from under their feet and forms a "T" shape with their body as if on a cross with the board outstreched in either hand.
- Early grab
- The early grab is not so much the name of a particular grab, but rather a way of performing grabs. It was widely used when vert skateboarding started out. In fact, everybody used the early grab, until Alan "Ollie" Gelfand invented the ollie. The Early Grab is a very basic trick and can be carried out in the following way:
- Ride up a ramp or to a ledge (using a small ledge to start with) at a comfortable pace to catch a little air.
- Before you get to the top of the ramp or to the edge of the ledge, crouch down and grab your board any way you see fit.
- Ride off the ramp or ledge. (Remember to keep the board under you.)
- Let go of the board and stand up to get ready for impact.
- Land.
- Given sufficient air (e.g. from a ramp), it is actually possible to perform virtually any grab as an early grab. It is also possible to early grab into grinds instead of ollying into them, as demonstrated by Eric Koston in the credits of the Transworld video Modus Operandi.
- Frontside grab
- Any air where the board is grabbed with the either hand between the toes on the front rail of the board - hence "front" side. Style dictates that the inside of the elbow of the back arm must be wrapped around the knee of the back leg for a "tuck-knee" frontside. The other variation being where the arm is not around the back knee, but rather straight between the legs. This is known as a Stinkbug air or Bob air (supposedly named after Bob Schmeltzer of Back to the Future fame). The frontside air was the first air performed on vert. Although contested as to who did the first fronside air, credit is generally given to Tony Alva.
- Gorilla Grab
- A flatground trick used before the ollie was invented. The barefoot rider would grip the deck with his toes (like a gorilla could) and jump, bringing the deck into the air with him. This became obsolete as the ollie was popularized.
- Indy grab
- An Indy grab is a simple grab in which the rider uses their back hand to grab the toe side of the board while turning backside in the air.
- Japan grab
- With the front hand grabbing toeside between the heels the legs are then bent and folded to the back of the board.
- Judo Air
- The board is grabbed with the front hand on the heel side of the nose. Then the front foot is kicked forward off the board.
- Madonna
- The board is grabbed with the front hand on the heel side of the nose. Then the front foot is kicked down and back off the heel side.
- Melan Grab
- backside air and you grab heelside with your front hand by reaching behind your front leg (reaching between is a roastbeef)
- Method-air
- Contrary to popular belief, this grab did not originate from snowboarding, but was invented by Neil Blender as a "method" to get higher on a backside air. When the board is grabbed the knees are bent so the board is raised backwards and the skater appears to be kneeling in mid-air.
- Mosquito grab
- A backside grab where the legs are tweaked back so that the front knee is folded down and possibly touching the back foot. The mosquito air has the front leg bent to where the front foot is close to the front shoulder, so the board is mostly beside the rider.
- Mute-Air
- Grabbing the board’s toe edge between the bindings with the front hand is a Mute grab. But why ‘Mute’? Well, a deaf skater called Chris Weddle was one of the first skaters to execute this trick and, so legend has it, Alan Losi’s father saw Chris pulling the trick at The Ranch Pro/Am contest in 1981 and called the trick ‘mute’ as Chris was quiet and has speech difficulties due to his deafness. Yeah, perhaps not the most thoughtful thing in the world (Chris was lucky not to have been beaten and napalmed for being different) but nevertheless the name stuck .If it weren't for mute airs the 540 mc twist would never have been landed.
- Nar Jar
- It's a Nosegrab while doing a 540.
- Nose grab
- For a nose grab one grabs hold of the board with the front hand. This is one of the easiest grabs to perform.
- Roast Beef
- A complex grab that involves reaching through the legs with the front hand and grabbing the heelside of the board between the feet invented by Jeff Grosso.
- Rocket Air
- Similar to a nose grab. Except both hands grab the nose, and both feet move to the tail.
- Seatbelt grab
- In this grab the front hand is brought across the front of the body to grab the toeside tail of the board.
- Slob-air
- A frontside aerial variation, invented by Blair Watson, where-in the leading hand grabs the deck between the feet, on the toe side, while launching into the air on a vert.
- Sloth Air
- A type of double grab in which the skateboarder grabs indy and grabs a roastbeef with the front hand. Invented by Nathan Shellhorn. Usually done in vert.
- Stalefish grab
- Named by Tony Hawk, in honour of the quality of food at the Swedish Skate Camp where it was invented (although this is disputed, as many credit Mark Gonzales with inventing the grab). The back hand grabs the heel side of the board behind the back leg. This results in a bending of both legs which can be emphasised to create more style. When this is done on a trick it is called a 'tweak'.
- Tail grab
- A tail grab is where the back hand grabs the tail of the board. This is one of the harder uncomplicated grabs to perform.
- Tucknee
- Much like a Japan, but the board isn't tweaked. The rider reaches between his feet with his trailing hand but must wrap his traling arm around his trailing knee.
| Skateboarding |
|---|
| Skateboard |
| Tricks |
| Ollie | Flip tricks | Kickflip | Aerials | Grabs | Grinds | Slides | Lip tricks | Freestyle |
| Categories:
Spots | Companies | Skateboarders | Media | Stubs |
