Abstract Skateboarding
December 28, 2013 4:13 PM   Subscribe

Gou Miyagi does not skateboard how most people skateboard. previously
posted by Tom-B (22 comments total) 71 users marked this as a favorite
 
also in the same vein: Beez
posted by Mach5 at 4:32 PM on December 28, 2013 [2 favorites]


Nice when there's a sense of humor and fun. Wish there was a video of Fred boarding.
posted by sammyo at 4:37 PM on December 28, 2013 [2 favorites]


There's this one from a few years ago, in which things are bad as hell.
posted by Zerowensboring at 4:50 PM on December 28, 2013 [1 favorite]


I love it when skaters and bmxers play with the cultural norms. The tricks are great, have a sense of humor, and are still pretty difficult. There was some funny youtube comments where kids are saying "just do a 360 flip already" because they can't really process how not-normal the tricks he does are.
posted by mathowie at 4:58 PM on December 28, 2013 [2 favorites]


This is the first time I've ever watched skating and thought it was actually cool. Everything else I've seen I can try to appreciate on an athletic level but this seemed to successfully express the attitude that the stereotypes try to embody.
posted by Mizu at 5:19 PM on December 28, 2013 [9 favorites]


Unfortunately, anyone with the name Miyagi will remind me of Pat Morita's character in Karate Kid. He does kinda do a "wax on, wax off" with the board...
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:31 PM on December 28, 2013


I was doing this back before it was cool.
posted by Literaryhero at 5:56 PM on December 28, 2013


Holy mackerel that's neat.
posted by jquinby at 5:58 PM on December 28, 2013 [2 favorites]


This is the first time I've ever watched skating and thought it was actually cool
Yeah, me too. Great how the clip grabbed you from the beginning and drew you in. No shortage of skill or creativity on display, especially the latter quality. Very cool. Definitely worth watching.
posted by vac2003 at 6:04 PM on December 28, 2013


I am slowly (slooooooowly!) getting into skateboarding (it's been a matter of getting the right board/adjusting my board/etc.) but already I've noticed there's a weird machismo to a lot skating culture I find, as a woman, alienating at best and threatening at worst. I know that's not everyone and there's definitely people working hard to make it less so, but it's still a sport full of dudes all the way around.

Most skating videos seem to have this vibe of "Look at all this badass shit I can do! I'm tougher than you!" Gou Miyagi's skating seems to be "Look at how much fun I'm having! I thought it would be cool to go skate on that thing so I did!" There's an incredible amount of joy in it. It's playful and kind of silly. I find that much more appealing and like the kind of skating I want to do.

I mean, I'm a long way from doing any of that, but I decided to take up skating because it seemed like a blast (and exercise/transportation or something). It's nice to see videos expressing that side of it.
posted by darksong at 6:42 PM on December 28, 2013 [8 favorites]


I wonder if he has trained as a dancer? There is a lot of rhythm and flow in his movements.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:09 PM on December 28, 2013 [3 favorites]


dang!

thank you!
posted by jammy at 7:59 PM on December 28, 2013




Oh man, I knew it was Okinawa as soon as I heard the whistling. Awesome video. Tremendously entertaining.
posted by DoctorFedora at 8:28 PM on December 28, 2013 [1 favorite]


This inspires me to take up skatboarding. That's all I will say.
posted by rainy at 8:49 PM on December 28, 2013


Big deal. Any amazingly-skilled board-ninja could do the same thing, while we pedestrians look on in awe. (How the hell did he hop his plank up those steps? Some sort of thrasher TK, I reckon.)
posted by SPrintF at 9:32 PM on December 28, 2013


Love this, so refreshing, also the crew bits. (Reminded me a little of the awesome urban flow & mischievousness of Bill Shannon.)
posted by progosk at 11:25 PM on December 28, 2013


It's like he's inhabiting skateboarding's negative space maaaaaaan...
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 11:57 PM on December 28, 2013 [2 favorites]


darksong don't get discouraged by the guy culture. It's less about guys per se and more about it being such a solitary endeavor. Skaters don't have coaches or fans or local sports reporters showing highlight reels on Friday night. Instead, skaters are about finding skate spots that police ignore, and having your board confiscated at school because it's not considered a valid mode of transport, and being considered a punk and a loser by shopkeepers and parents.

My kids are officially adults now and have been skating since their single-digit ages. They and their skater friends have experienced all of that and more. Even so, skaters have a fantastic culture of taking turns, making room for others, encouraging each other, sharing parts & tools, etc. All with no coaching or encouragement. It's an organic culture, and given their experience, not entirely open to newcomers regardless of gender. If you show up at a skate spot and just start skating, you'll be viewed as a beginning skater & the others will make room for you. If you take a break & sit back to watch a game of SKATE (equivalent to basketball's HORSE), you'll be halfway in. If you then try to mimic one of the tricks you saw in the game, you will probably be offered an impromptu lesson.

There aren't many women skaters but whatever the reason(s) for that, it's not because skaters are against them. As a skatermom I am glad you're taking it up!
posted by headnsouth at 8:24 AM on December 29, 2013 [1 favorite]


This is what skateboarding has been for me. I grew up skating in the shadow of Fisherman's just outside of Baltimore and there was this little kid named Bucky Lasek that ruled there. He went on to become one of the best ever.

Baltimore's skate culture was and continues to be very technical. My group, on the other hand, went about it for pure fun and flow. We entered a lot of contests and to this day we have a ton of 2nd and 3rd place trophies because the judges just didn't know how to score what we were doing. We did a lot of the same weird stuff because it used the terrain better and just felt good. These days I hit the ground and just kind of lay there. I don't bounce like I used to but it is great to see a new generation of transgressive skating. I love it!
posted by extraheavymarcellus at 9:28 AM on December 29, 2013 [2 favorites]


I'd like to think Mark Gonzalez is somewhere watching this right now and smiling
posted by photoslob at 8:07 PM on December 29, 2013


Neato. You can tell he has some serious board control so it's not all gimmicky crap like some people might try to dismiss it as.
posted by ChuckRamone at 8:53 AM on December 30, 2013


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