Skate Culture Article #9: The 5-0...

from Wikipedia:
Pronounced "Five-Oh". In this manoeuver, the back truck grinds the rail/edge, while the front truck is suspended directly above the rail/edge. This move is similar to the manual, although the tail may be scraped against the obstacle as well as the back truck, which is not considered proper on a manual.

I love 5-0 grinds. I've only recently learned to get them on larger ramps in the last year or so. It actually took me about 10 years (I've been skating for around 17 odd years) to learn to do them at all. They're a weird combination of speed and balance, the balance being distributed quite finely between the inside and outside of the ramp. They can be done very elegantly but at the same time they are a rather aggressive attack to the edge of the ramp.

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Notes of Skate Culture Articles...
This is part of a series of Skate Culture Articles I've been writing as an insight into the sport of skateboarding for an outsider. You can find the rest of the articles by entering tagged skateculturearticle by tractorfactoryphotos into the BlipSearch.