Grind (skateboarding)

Grinds are a form of skateboarding trick where the skateboarder slides on the hangers of the trucks. Grinds are performed on any object that may fit between the space between the wheels where the truck meets.

The move likely originated in backyard pools, as the early skaters gained in skill and confidence with their high speed carves around the top of the pool walls and one day went that little bit too high. The trucks of the time, often being merely 'borrowed' rollerskate trucks, didn't allow much contact due to their inherent narrowness, but as skateboarding gained its own truck manufacturers who widened the hanger design, the possibilities for exploration became apparent, and all sorts of moves started popping up. Nowadays they are commonly performed on handrails or on the lips of objects such as benches, but any suitably hard, smooth edge will do.

Grind tricks

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

50-50 Grind

The 50-50 grind is where both trucks are on the edge.This move evolved from the horizontal-stance carve grind in pools and was taken up ontop of the lip by such skaters as Jay Adams, Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta.

Backside 50-50 by Jakarta Reno - Indonesia.

5-0 Grind

Pronounced "Five-Oh". In this maneuver, the back truck grinds the rail/edge, while the front truck is suspended directly above the rail/edge. This move is similar to the manual, although the tail may be scraped against the obstacle as well as the back truck, which is not considered proper on a manual.

Bluntslide

A bluntslide is when you pop onto the rail 90 degrees and clear your front and back truck and land on a tailside type slide on the other side. It is usually slid quite vertically on ledges, however on rails it is more horizontal as there is usually little for the wheels to rest against. The original, non sliding version, the ollie-blunt, was invented on vert by Aaron Dieter in 1989, although as often happens, another skater gained the first published picture (and therefore the credit), in this case Danny Way.

Boardslide

A slide when a skater ollies up, turns the board 90 degrees, and lands the board on the rail or ledge. The part of a board that grinds is the middle, or between the trucks.

Crail Slide

A crail slide is when a skater ollies and turns 0 degrees and lands on the tail, just like a tailslide, except that the skater grabs the nose with his back hand, and puts most of his/hers weight on the front section of the board.

Crooked Grind

Also called Crooks, or the K-grind after the man to whom the trick is most commonly accredited, Eric Koston. It is like a nosegrind, but the tail of the board is angled away from the rail/ledge on which the trick is performed, causing the edge of the deck's nose to also rub. Invented by Dan Peterka.

Darkslide

A grind similar to a boardslide, except the board is flipped, grinding on the griptape while the skater's feet are placed one on the nose and the other on the tail. Mark Gonzales first conceived the trick, performing it caveman style (holding the board, then jumping onto it in a rail/ledge) in the 1991 Blind "video days" video. In Plan B's "Virtual Reality" video (1993), Rodney Mullen performed the first ollie darkslide, and is therein most often accredited with the trick's invention.

Feeble Grind

In this maneuver, the back truck grinds a rail while the front truck hangs over rail's far side. Likely invented by Steve Douglas around 1988.

Hurricane

A 180 degree turn into a backwards feeble grind, exiting via a 270 degree return spin. This trick was invented on vert by Neil Blender in 1985; an early proto-version can by witnessed in Powell Peralta's second video, Future Primitive, during Blender's brief cameo appearance on Lance Mountain's backyard ramp. Many of today's pros also do it on street obstacles such as handrails and ledges. This trick is easier to perform backside, but Tony Hawk did introduce the rarer frontside version in 1989.

Layback Grind

This is an archaic variation of the basic frontside or backside grind whereupon the skater leans back ("lays back") and places their trailing hand on or near the lip being ground,ostensibly to help "push" the grind further. Original Bones Brigade member Jay Smith did the earliest and most popular frontside examples, slashing out violently at the lip with his board while placing his hand well down the transition, in a very "surf-style" pose. By 1979 the move was being taken up ontop of the lip (both truck and hand) by Duane Peters, the distinction being noted by the adjustment of the name to "layback roll-out",or occasionally,"layback grind-to-tail". The backside version was introduced by Eddie "El Gato" Elguera later that same year.

Losi Grind

Popularized by Allen Losi. A Losi Grind is the equivalent of a feeble grind on the front truck. Also called "Nosefeeble" or "Willy Grind".

Nosebluntslide

You pop a lipslide but clear your front truck as well over the rail, so you slide in a noseslide. Invented by Andy Howell in 1989.

File:Reno-NoseGrind.jpg

Nose Grind performed at a contest.

Nosegrind

In a nosegrind, the skateboard's front truck grinds a rail or edge, while the back truck is suspended over the rail/edge. It is similar to the nose manual, except performed on a rail, coping, or ledge. Jamie Thomas is one of the few people who can balance a legitimate nosegrind down a lengthy handrail. This move originated on vert, initially in the form of Neil Blender's New Deal (nose pivot to disaster), then by his more advanced progression of said move, the "Newer Deal", which left out the disaster part and just pivoted all the way back in. The "nosepicker" is also a fore-runner of the nosegrind.

Noseslide

The noseslide is when a person ollies and turns the board 90 degrees, and locks the nose on rail or ledge. The front truck is the only truck that should be touching the rail or ledge.

Salad Grind

This is very similar to the 5-0, but the front truck is suspended over the far side of the rail/edge the grind is performed on. Like the "overcrook" grind is like a crooked nosegrind the Salad grind is like a crooked 5-0, or a combo 5-0/bluntslide. This trick has been invented by Eric Dressen, hence the name (dressen, dressing, salad dressing).

Smith Grind

This maneuver entails the back truck grinding an edge or rail, while the front truck hangs over the near side of the object,leaving the edge of the deck to rub the lip/edge. This trick was named after its inventor Mike Smith. It is considered by many to be the most difficult basic grind trick.The backside version was originated by deaf Florida powerhouse Monty Nolder.

Sugarcane

Much the same idea as a Hurricane, except you ollie 270 into a backwards Smith grind instead of feeble grind, so the board is hanging down below the lip, instead of over it. A Sugarcane is to a Lipslide as a Hurricane is to a Boardslide.

A.k.a. Overturn grind. Invented jointly on vert by Chris Miller and Buster Halterman around 1990, although Natas Kaupas can be seen doing something similar in Santa Cruz's video Wheels of Fire, circa 1986.