Street Vs Park Skateboarding: Find Out What Suits You Best
Are you looking forward to participating in the Olympics in the skateboarding category? You may not know which style of skateboarding to learn for the Olympics, as there are quite a few styles.
For instance, freestyle skateboarding, vert skateboarding, street skateboarding, park skateboarding, downhill skateboarding, cruising, etc. Among them, only two primary skateboarding styles are also seen in the Olympics: street skateboarding and park skateboarding.
Street vs park skateboarding require proper discipline and setup of your board. Without that, the enjoyment of skateboarding will be lacking. We must learn about the individual styles and their setups before we hit the street. Let’s check them out.
What Does Street Mean In Skateboarding?
From the name street skateboarding, you can assume that the street skateboarding place will be similar to a street or the street itself. In street skateboarding, you skate and perform stunts and tricks on street hurdles.
The hurdles to street skateboarding are:
- Rails
- Stairs
- Staircases
- Fun boxes
- Benches
- Banks
- Curbs
You could slide on the mentioned hurdles. For instance, you are sliding down a railing or on a bench. Grinding the metals around the wheels on surfaces like rails and curbs is also an intricate trick by skaters.
As the hurdles involved are seen daily on the streets, the originality and creativity of your stunts are valued here. You can do the tricks on an actual street, but you have to be careful not to get into accidents.
Rather than gaining speed and momentum, you perform ollies and ollie variations when descending staircases or grinding on rails and ledges.
Occasionally, street riding may feature skating transitions, but this is primarily to maintain speed during a run. In street skating, transitions are solely used to maintain momentum. So street sections are still designed with quarter pipes at both ends of the track.
In the competitions, you get two rounds of a 45-second run to gain points and perform singular tricks. You can attempt singular tricks five times to prove your skills.
Setup of Street Skateboarding
The necessary setup steps for your skateboard when doing street skateboarding are:
- A narrower deck of 7.75-8.25″ in width.
- Trucks match the width of the deck.
- 50-52mm smaller wheels complement a softer durometer with a 90-99a range.
- Abec-7 bearings are needed.
Advantages
Here are some of the advantages particular to street skateboarding.
- Easy to Find Place
Street skateboarding style requires you to master performing tricks on hurdles found around the streets. Thus, you can practice on unoccupied streets where not many people gather.
- Various hurdles
You can practice on various hurdles such as handrails, staircases, benches, etc.
Disadvantages
Here are some of the disadvantages, mainly of street skateboarding.
- High Skill Level
As the hurdles of street skateboarding are high and require precise control of your skateboard, it is hard for beginners to perform.
- Distraction
Although you can find streets to practice, you might feel distracted if there are people around.
- Risky to Practice
In street skateboarding, accidents are more likely to occur than in park skateboarding.
- Less Time to Gain Points
In street skateboarding competitions, you only get two 45 seconds round to stack points. So, in street skateboarding, you have less time to stack points.
What Does Park Mean In Skateboarding?
Park skateboarding is a style in which skaters compete in a hollowed-out concrete bowl with smaller curves and ramps. Park skating is any skating that involves skating lines and flowing through various park sections at a skatepark. Even if it includes flatland tricks like ollies and flips, still considered park skateboarding if it contains transitions and vert.
The major platforms in park skateboarding are:
- Vert walls
- Quarter pipes
- Bowls
- Spines
- Pools
- Snake runs
- Mini ramps
The sides of the bowl rise steeply, forming a vertical (or nearly vertical, depending on the course) wall from which skateboarders launch themselves into the air. Hoping to gain enough height and momentum to perform mid-air tricks.
See also: Skateboard Truck Buying Guide: How to Choose the Best for You!
Skateboarders’ performance is judged on the difficulty of their tricks performed. The more complex the trick, the more points you stack up. Also, showing original tricks can help them get massive points. Skateboarders do tricks like grabbing the board’s deck, flipping or rotating it mid-air, or turning their bodies mid-air. They can also do tricks like grinds and slides on the board’s lip.
In the competitions, you get three rounds of a 45-second run to gain points and perform tricks for park skateboarding.
Setup of Park Skateboarding
The necessary setup for your skateboard when doing park skateboarding:
- A wider deck with 8.25 to 9” width.
- Matching truck width with the deck.
- 52-56mm bigger wheels and harder durometers with a 99-101a range. Choose this based on the terrain you will be skating on.
- Abec-7 bearings are needed.
Advantages
Here are some of the advantages particular about park skateboarding.
- Best for Beginners
Park skateboarding is best for beginners as you can practice in skate parks safely.
- No Distractions
Also, there is no distraction from people walking around as in street skateboarding.
- More Time to Gain Points
In the case of park skateboarding, you get three 45-second rounds to stack points and more time than street skateboarding to gain points.
Disadvantages
Here are some of the disadvantages particular to park skateboarding.
- Insecure to Practice
As skateparks are the hub of practicing skateboarding, you might find it hard to practice among skilled skateboarders or veterans.
- Busy Practice Arena
You might find it hard to practice among the busy skate parks filled with skateboarders.
What are The Similarities and Differences between Park Vs Street Skateboarding?
Similarities
The many similarities found between street and park skateboarding are:
| Similarities | Details |
|---|---|
| Olympics Debut | Street and park skateboarding both have had a place in the Olympics since 2020. |
| Community The community prefers both skating disciplines as they are the primary two skateboarding disciplines. | |
| Skill Levels | Both styles require precise skateboarding control and skills. |
| Type of boards | The skateboards needed for both of them are specialized. |
Differences
There are many differences between street and park skateboarding.
| Differences | Details |
|---|---|
| Platform | Park skateboarding is done on bowl-shaped hollow concrete ground, whereas street skateboarding is done on Street hurdles. |
| Skateboards | Skateboards for park skateboarding are heavier than street skateboarding. |
| Speeds | Park skateboarding requires speed more than street skateboarding |
| Balances | Street skateboarding requires more balance than park skateboarding. |
| Competition Styles | In the Olympics, you get three rounds of 45 seconds in park skateboarding, whereas two rounds of 45 seconds in street skateboarding. |
Comparisons of Street Vs Park Skateboarding
Below, a table is shown the necessary setups for skateboards in both styles of skateboarding.
| Components | Street | Park |
|---|---|---|
| Deck | 7.75-8.25″ width | 8.25-9″ width |
| Trucks | 139-144cm | 149-169cm |
| Wheels | 50-52mm | 52 to 56mm |
| Durometer | 90-99a | 99-101a |
| Bearings | Abec-7 | Abec-7 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Here, I answered some of the most asked questions.
Is Tony Hawk a street skater?
Yes, he was a street skater. In the history of skateboarding, Tony Hawk accomplished a lot. During the 1980s and 1990s, Tony Hawk was at the height of his career. He was renowned for his “vert” or vertical skating abilities. From 1984 until 1996, he won 73 titles and was rated the best vert skater every year.
Skateboard Park near me in the USA
There are thousands of skate parks in the USA. But the most used and famous parks near you are_
✔ Burnside skatepark (Portland, OR)
✔ Denver skatepark (Denver, CO)
✔ Vans skatepark (Orange, CA)
Check out the three and see which one suits best with your skating style and the one you can go to regularly.
Is Street or Park skateboarding harder?
In the debate between skateboard parking vs street skating debate, both can be hard at the beginning. But you will find it easier to learn park skating and strengthen your basics at first. Street skateboarding requires more effort as the hurdles in street skating are varied, and the hurdles and transitions are bigger and higher, which makes street skating harder than park skating.
What are the 2 different styles of skateboarding in the Olympics?
As mentioned in the beginning, the two major skateboarding styles in the Olympics are Street skateboarding and Park skateboarding. In 2020 skateboarding made its debut in the Olympics.
Conclusion
Street and park skateboarding, two major disciplines among many other skateboarding styles, are practiced by many people. But the debate between street vs park skateboarding remains as to which one is better for beginners.
As a beginner, starting with park skateboarding and then transitioning to street skateboarding can help you learn both types and become proficient in skating.
Finding the best place for skateboarding should be accessible as many people practice skateboarding. When you get experienced in both styles of skateboarding, I suggest you look into the competitions. Especially the Olympics, as both are now in the Olympics.
