Skateboard Safety Equipment

Helmets

• Helmets need to be worn by all skaters, at all ability levels, at all times to prevent head injuries
• The helmet must fit securely and be buckled or fastened
• Do not buy a helmet that moves on the head when the head moves
• The front of the helmet should come down to just a finger's width above the eyebrows
• Bike-style helmets, made from expanded polystyrene, offer the most protection on impact, but must be replaced after every impact

Knee pads

• All skaters, and especially beginners, should wear knee pads to prevent knee injuries and scrapes
• Pads need to be fastened securely around the leg
• Pads are usually sized small, medium and large according to body size

Elbow pads

• Elbow pads are also highly recommended for beginners as well as all aggressive skaters
• Elbow pads are sized small, medium and large according to body size

Wrist guards and gloves

• Hand protection is recommended to be worn at all times
• Some guards and gloves are manufactured with a hard plastic splint. These offer the maximum protection against injury.
• They are sized small, medium and large according to body size

*click on the pictures to enlarge

Putrajaya SkatePark

Putra Jaya Extreme Skatepark Overview:

This 25,000 square foot park has three distinct characteristics.

• A street plaza with an assortment of stairs and ledges with variations in size and style.
• There are four bowls: two five foot deep bowls with a spine and two nine foot deep bowls.
• The remainder of the park is a flat bank drain ditch style snake run, maunal pad, wall ride and banked street combinations of wide open features.

Some of the more prominent features are a ten stair with ledges and rail, another rail with 20 staris and a banked bench ledge. This park is large and comfortable to ride with fourty or more skaters in action. You can drop in and skate everything in one run if you choose. You may need a cool drink after that, but the lines throughout the park are continuous.

Directions to the Putra Jaya Skatepark: "If you fly into Kuala Lumpur International Airport and want to go to the skate park, take the taxi to Denkill a small town near the airport. Tell the driver that the Skate park is near the graveyard and take the first left. This will only cost you RM 10 or if you are an experienced traveler.
	Skate Park Features:
	Square Feet:	25,000
	Percentages:	33% Street 33% Banks & Ledges 33% Bowls
		Ability Levels:All *click on the pictures to enlarge

How to Kickflip

The most important thing about kickflipping, like ollying is to remember to jump! You must concentrate on jumping high and forwards, even more so than with the ollie.

1. Foot positioning helps. It's easier to flip the board if the heel of your leading foot is hanging off the edge, leaving just the front half of your shoe on the skateboard. Like with an ollie, you must crouch. The lower you crouch the more force you can generate when you come to jump.

2. JUMP! Jump forwards and up off your back foot. It is imperative that you stay above the board by jumping forwards and up if you want to land a kickflip. If you do not stay above the board, it will shoot forwards, sideways, everywhich way except staying in place, because of the extra flick you will give it with your leading foot.

3. That flick comes now, and is a variation on the foot slide in the normal ollie. It is more powerful and more extensive than the usual foot slide you will get with an ollie. Really try and flick your toes outwards to get the board to spin as fast as possible. The flick should be aimed slightly to the side, though this may well come automatically if you position your foot as stated in step 1.

One thing you must not do is kick downwards. Lots of people will tell you to do this because it's easier to flip the board by kicking downwards - this is true, however it's bad technique and will only get you in all sorts of trouble. For a start, if you kick downwards your foot is now underneath the board - how are you planning on landing on it now?

4. I cannot stress how important it is to stay above the board. That flick with your front foot will send the skateboard out of your reach every time if you do not hover above the board. This means you have to have the guts to commit to the trick. Note - I haven't hurt myself once doing kickflips except when I didn't commit to them - if you commit, your chances of an awkward landing are much lower.

5. As with the ollie, remember to pull your back foot up out of the way so the board has room to rise. Watch the board spin beneath your feet and as it comes round bring your feet back onto the deck to stop it spinning. This is known as 'catching' the skateboard.

6. That's it! Once you've caught the skateboard it's just like stomping down an ollie - all the difficulty is in getting the first part of the kickflip nice and smooth.

*click on the images to enlarge