Skateboarding equipment - as with other extreme sports equipment - has entire vocabulary lists of terms and definitions regarding its uses. Skateboarding is an underground sport comprised mostly of young, hip youth who developed an entirely unique language for their sport.

You can impress your customers by knowing the terms and lingo they use without their having to explain anything. Also, knowing the right names of the skateboard components will make choosing a skateboard distributor for your supplies all the easier. To widen your knowledge regarding skateboarding equipment key terms, consider the following:

1. Learn basic skating terms and get up to par with the pros

2. Know about the different types of skating equipment, particularly skateboard decks

3. Help your customers protect themselves with knowledge about safety equipment

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get your feet wet in the skate scene with basic knowledge of skateboarding equipment key terms

The extreme sports business has an entire language of its own. Those with little knowledge of skateboarding should begin by learning the parts of the skateboard, such as the deck and tape. Also knowing the difference between street and vert skaters - skating in an urban environment versus tricks performed on a ramp - will help you better accommodate the specific needs of your customers.

I recommend: Learn about all the terms and lingo of skateboarding from Exploratorium. Double-check your findings with a second reference from SkateWood.com or a Dayton Daily News article from Cox Ohio Publishing.

Understand the differences between the components of skateboard equipment

Skateboards are more than just a board on wheels - they use a diverse range of interchangeable parts which determine their stability, speed and turning. The main parts of a skateboard are the deck, trucks, and wheels. The deck is the wood board; its shape and grip tape determine rider stability. Skateboard wheels determine speed and come in a range of sizes; larger wheels make a faster board. The trucks hold the wheels to the board and their looseness is instrumental in turning ability.

I recommend: Learn the anatomy of a typical skateboard deck with visuals from Skate Warehouse. Theclickwworldwide.com's "Skater School" will familiarize you with the parts of a skateboard and how to assemble them.

Learn about the types of skate decks offered from skate deck manufacturers

The skateboard deck comes in all shapes and sizes. When choosing a skateboard deck manufacturer to supply your business, consider the three main types of decks: old school, hybrid and wide new school. An old school board has a distinguishable nose and tail shape, whereas the new school has concave ends and is more suitable for technical applications. A hybrid board has the nose of the old school and the concave tail of new school.

I recommend: Read more about old school boards at Eastbilt.com, wide new school models at Unheard Skateboard Supply, and hybrids from Santa Cruz Skateboards.

Better your knowledge of skateboard safety equipment to help your customers protect themselves

Help your customers help themselves by knowing about the types of skateboarding safety equipment available to them. Some basics include helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads; advanced skateboarding equipment for safety also includes slides gloves and hip protectors.

I recommend: Further your safety knowledge with the variety of information on skateboarding safety equipment available from NDCSA. Visit LifeTips for safety tips and skateboarding equipment information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Encourage young, novice skaters who patronize your shop to purchase skateboarding safety equipment by displaying safety posters, ideally with endorsements from local amateur or pro skaters.

Peruse the wide array of skateboard equipment available today. Whether you're setting up a few ramps for the novice skateboarder or you want to create the best skate park in the area, you can find sources for all of your skateboard equipment.

Work with a skateboard deck manufacturer or a skateboard distributor so you can not only build up a quality working relationship but also save money. Long-term quality customers are often able to negotiate discounts and other preferential treatment from suppliers.

1. Investigate extreme sports equipment.

2. Stock plenty of skateboarding safety equipment.

3. Look at skate deck manufacturers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Locate skateboarding equipment information for ramps and half pipes

Whether you want to pick up a little gear for your personal enjoyment or you want to build a back yard skate park to rival the pros, you can find a variety of skateboarding equipment like ramps and pipes in all shapes and sizes. Consider how the various equipment works together and the ease of portability and storage when making your selections.

I recommend: SteelSun has enough skateboarding equipment for you to set up your own skate park including quarter pipes, half pipes, ramps and grinding bars. American Ramp Company will help you create the best skateboard park your city has seen.

Make skateboarding safety equipment mandatory

The extreme sports business has come a long way in the promotion of the regular use of safety equipment. Helmets that are properly fitted, along with safety pads, provide a valuable service in keeping you safe during those inevitable spills. Make safety equipment mandatory for everyone on your skateboarding ramps.

I recommend: Dick's Sporting Goods not only sells you high quality skateboard safety equipment but they also help you choose the best safety equipment for your personal needs. The House has a variety of safety helmets and protective pads to keep you safe.

Build your dream deck by contacting skate deck manufacturers

Take advantage of the process to either find the perfect skateboard for you or to build your dream deck including the wheels of your choice. You can do more than simply choose your design, you can literally build your skateboard the same way you can build your dream vehicle including the options you want like off-road wheels or a shorter or longer deck board.

I recommend: Skate America can provide you with everything you need to build your dream deck from scratch or help you purchase the perfect board. Warehouse Skateboards is a skateboard distributor that allows you to build your own skateboard much as car dealerships let you choose each option to create your dream car.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Don't be afraid to find your skateboarding equipment online. Doing your research online allows you to peruse selections and prices with no pressure and gives you an idea of what to expect when you're ready to make a purchase.

With skateboarding equipment, customers associate quality with brands they recognize. As a skateboard distributor or vendor, your business has a variety of equipment for skateboarding manufacturers from which to choose - whether appealing to the mainstream or underground skating crowd. Getting a good skateboarding equipment industry overview will help you reach your target consumer base.

The skateboard equipment industry covers a wide range of products. A top skateboard deck manufacturer differs from the skateboard wheel manufacturer leaders. Accessories such as skateboarding safety equipment, shoes and clothes are in their own categories, as well. Learn more about each of these categories to better serve your customers in the extreme sports equipment industry:

1. Skate decks are the backbone of all skateboarding equipment

2. Skateboard wheels go hand-in-hand with skate decks

3. Accessories such as safety equipment and shoes are necessary and practical for all skaters

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Diversify your customer base by selling products from popular skate deck manufacturers

Provide your customers with a wide selection of equipment for skateboarding decks. Be sure the skate decks you sell are durable and light. Also, consider providing decks for longboards and mountain boards, two popular board sport alternatives in the extreme sports business. Longboards are speedier alternatives to skateboards and mountain boards have extra durable decks and wheels capable of handling downhill, off-road terrain.

I recommend: Element Skateboards is an industry leader in skate decks, selling products for beginners to experts. Longboard leader Dregs Skateboards sells a variety of models proven popular with its customer base, and visit MBS Mountainboards for off-road boarding decks.

Find a skateboard wheel manufacturer that best fits your customers' needs

Before choosing a skateboard wheel manufacturer, you must decide what types of wheels you want to offer your customers. Skateboard wheels have two primary properties: hardness and size. The hardness of a skateboard wheel determines its ability to travel on rough surfaces, and the size of a wheel affects its speed. Sell a variety of wheels to appeal to wide range of customers.

I recommend: Purchase skate and longboard wheels directly from the manufacturer. Yak Research sells wheels which are compatible with advanced skateboarding equipment, such as off-road skateboard wheels for mountain boards. Also check out Seismic Skate Systems.

Protect your customers with the proper skateboard safety equipment

Skateboard safety equipment is necessary for skaters of all calibers. From helmets to elbow pads, be sure to provide equipment for skaters of all skill levels, in all environments.

I recommend: Pro-Tec is a leading manufacturer of helmets and pads for beginners and pros. Find skateboarding equipment online for safety from the Draven Online Store.

Attract more shoppers to your store by selling popular skateboard equipment apparel

Tapping into the market of skating apparel could be a wise move for your business. With the rising popularity of the extreme sports business in the mainstream market, skaters and non-skaters alike don skating apparel, from shoes to shirts to sweatshirts with the company logo they seek. Selling skate apparel may even attract new customers into your shop who never before would have considered purchasing any advanced skateboarding equipment.

I recommend: DC Shoes and Vans are two skate shoe brands popular with both skaters and apparel enthusiasts.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Attract the mainstream market by selling items in your shop such as skateboard video games. The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and the newer Skate series bring in crowds of young people interested in purchasing their own skateboard equipment, just like the pros.

Skateboarding equipment is a big seller in the U.S., and has been for some time. There is a market around selling the kind of skateboarding equipment that comes with the standard board, which carries a price tag of several hundred dollars. A business that wants to deal in skating gear can use the same web sources that an individual buyer might use to do some easy market research to better serve its skating consumer base.

There are a lot of Web sites that will give business planners a heads up on what's happening within the industry. Readers can use skateboarding equipment news and trends resources online to:

1. Start brainstorming a basic or advanced skateboarding equipment inventory for a skate shop on main street, to bring back small business in the places where many of us live.

2. Find tips for adding a new inventory product to a shop that already sells skateboarding and other extreme sports equipment.

3. Carry out any other kind of market research where a business needs to look at who is buying what kind of skateboard equipment, including ramps and products from a skateboard deck manufacturer, board parts or dress items.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Get news on skateboarding equipment from full-scale skateboarding magazines

There are a number of 'fan favorites' out there in terms of established magazines for skateboarding: some have migrated online, and some have not. Either way, niche magazines geared specifically to skateboarding fans are a great source of ongoing info about skating gear, skateboard safety equipment and much more.

I recommend: Get discounts on Transworld Skateboarding Magazine and learn about the latest in skateboarding equipment and events. Get more news on skateboarding equipment at Thrasher Magazine online.

Look for 'insider' sites with skateboarding equipment info

A wide range of sites accommodates reviews and equipment links from those involved in the skating industry. Look around and find what works for a business that is gearing up to sell, buy or trade equipment for skateboarding.

I recommend: Browse the site at Skateboards.Net, where site planners do some of the shopping for consumers, then post links to news on the gear skaters are looking for. Or check out gear reviews from skaters at Skatedork.

Locate more news on skateboarding equipment from blogs and public web venues

Then there are a lot more blog-style or posting sites where users can get more on different kinds of skating gear from wheels, boards and other skateboard distributor offerings. You can also find pics and reviews of personal apparel and skateboarding safety equipment.

I recommend: The Skateboard Equipment Blog lives up to its name, with a slick style, capable writers, and visuals on boards and equipment. Find more at Skateboarding Cheap.