Kicktails are the upwards bent tips of a
skateboard deck
A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks.
The skateboarder ...
, today considered vital to a skateboard. The front kicktail is usually called the ''nose'' while the back kicktail is referred to as the ''tail''. Kicktails are nowadays key to maneuvering the board, especially in
street skateboarding
Street skateboarding is a skateboarding discipline which focuses on flat-ground tricks, grinds, slides and aerials within urban environments, and public spaces. Street skateboarders meet, skate, and hang out in and around urban areas refe ...
.
History
As the name suggests, kicktails first emerged in the back end of a skateboard only. As street skating progressed, they were made to the front ends of skateboards in an attempt to increase the height of
ollies, succeeding beyond all expectations and pushing the sport even further. Kicktails are also found on some longboards. They are now emerging onto the scene with the ever so popular "indo boards", which are balance trainers. They say the kicktail will help with big tricks, pivots, slides, ollies and much more.
Introduced by
Larry Stevenson
Richard Lawrence "Larry" Stevenson (December 22, 1930 – March 25, 2012) was the inventor of the kicktail, the bent-upwards end of a skateboard, which made most of today's skateboarding tricks possible and essentially revolutionized the s ...
in 1969 U.S. Patent #3,565,454 with the following description:
The rear end section of a skateboard mounts an inclined lever that is sloped upwardly and rearwardly from the skateboard. In order to practice otherwise difficult spinning or pivoting maneuvers such as wheelies with much improved balance and safety, a person places his rear foot upon and depresses the lever to tilt the skateboard upwardly into a position for the desired maneuver.
American inventions
Skateboarding equipment
{{Skateboarding-stub