A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used primarily for the sport of skateboarding. It usually consists of a specially designed maplewood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability. Most skateboards are made with 7 plies of this wood.
A skateboard is moved by pushing with one foot while the other remains on the board, or by pumping one's legs in structures such as a bowl or half pipe. A skateboard can also be used by simply standing on the deck while on a downward slope and allowing gravity to propel the board and rider. If the rider's leading foot is their right foot, he/she is said to ride " goofy ;" if the rider's leading foot is their left foot, he/she is said to ride "regular." If the rider is normally regular but chooses to ride goofy, he/she is said to be riding in "switch," and vice versa. A skater is typically more comfortable pushing with their back foot ; choosing to push with the front foot is commonly referred to as riding "mongo", and has negative connotations of style and effectiveness in the skateboarding community.
Recently, electric skateboards have also appeared. These no longer require the propelling of the skateboard by means of the feet ; rather an electric motor propels the board, fed by an electric battery.
There is no governing body that declares any regulations on what constitutes a skateboard or the parts from which it is assembled.
