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Cliff Coleman on Sliding and Safety

 
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Q&A: Cliff Coleman on Sliding and Safety (1159 Posts)
Topic Info
Bones
On 9/1/2005 Aengus wrote in from United Kingdom  (193.113.nnn.nnn)

Hey Cliff, just wondered if you do any excersises to help your joints deal with the stress of skating, do you take any supliments? I'm thinking of the long hall and I though here would be a good place to start gathering some information! Thanks and hope things anre good with you.

 
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Thank You Cliff
On 8/26/2005 Derik wrote in from Germany  (193.7.nnn.nnn)

Hello Cliff,

I just want to thank You and the other guys that answered my questions during the last weeks. This is a great site for a little novice from overseas. Gravity sport is extremly rare here in Hamburg and it lacks of competence, when it comes to longboarding. I learned a lot seeing Your videos, reading articles and asking stupid questions.

Thanks!

 
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Out of Round Wheels
On 8/25/2005 Cliff Coleman wrote in from United States  (68.127.nnn.nnn)

Derik,

Yes wheels can get out of round from sliding. Sliding is both fun and quite safe. it is true however that wheels get worked from sliding!

Post #300,

Cliff Coleman

 
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Do wheels get out of round?
On 8/25/2005 Derik wrote in from Germany  (193.7.nnn.nnn)

Hello from Hamburg,

my wheels make noises like a leaf is sticking on it on tight turns. Is it possible, that the wheels get out of round from sliding? (Than I better use my old wheels for sliding)

Ethan, I recomend pads and gloves. I don‘t wear them when cruising around at low speed, but when it comes to sliding speed and trying new techniques. I'm a novice to this sport and I found out that I can slide better, because I feel protected. I don't think about hurting when my knee is close above the tarmac during a front slide, I just think about sliding. Gets My mind free. And with protective gear I have speed wobbles much later, only at verry high speeds. Cause I found out that speed wobbles also occur when You become a little cramped due to fear. (And when You are to fast with trucks to loose, of course). First I felt stupid wearing protective gear, cause al the cool dudes around don't. But You should see my kneepads. Without them my next vehicle could have been a wheelchair.

Have a nice ride!

 
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Ethan/Pads
On 8/23/2005 Cliff Coleman wrote in from United States  (68.127.nnn.nnn)

Ethan,

Your eyes must be fooling you? Seriously, when I was your age, they didn't have pads. I recommend slider gloves, I use Timeship gloves. Pads, I like Harbinger Pro knee pads. Get their elbow pads too. You are bound to touch an elbow now and then and you will be happy you had pads on. Wear a helmet. I have a helmet from Giro. It is lite and fits well. No matter what you see or hear, I recommend safety gear and safety techniques.

Have fun!
Cliff Coleman

 
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master cliff
On 8/23/2005 Ethan wrote in from United States  (65.60.nnn.nnn)

hey cliff i was just watchen that longboarding/sliding video with the nature boi called flow. u told me to get all the pads and sliding gear before i started sliding but i could swear i saw u haulin ass down a hill sidways with nothing but a red T-shirt on and shorts. ,your anoyying little pal, ethan

 
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COAST LONGBOARDING SLIDE OR DIE CITY WIDE TOUR 2005!!!
On 8/23/2005 STRIKE wrote in from Canada  (24.82.nnn.nnn)

10 SECRET LOCATIONS

s#@!LOAD OF SLIDERS

BUSES

NIGHT TIME

when its dark evil will play. come out and play...

WWW.COASTLONGBOARDING.COM

JUST KEEPIN YOU GUYS UPDATED

 
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ok cliff
On 8/20/2005 ethan wrote in from United States  (65.60.nnn.nnn)

i think all i need are some slidding gloves because in ohio we have hills to get going that fast. but on average how much do they cost???

 
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Ethan
On 8/19/2005 Cliff Coleman wrote in from United States  (68.127.nnn.nnn)

Ethan,

You need pads! Get slider gloves on before you even think of skateboarding. I know you've been looking for speedboarding gear. Don't push anything until you are prepared. Buy full pads, a helmet and Gloves. For speedboarding, buy leathers. If this means you have to get a job before you can buy these items, then that's what you have to do. How long do you want to live? Wouldn't you like to minimize the risk of serious injury? Show how smart you are, not how macho you can be.

Cliff coleman

 
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who needs pads
On 8/19/2005 ethan wrote in from United States  (65.60.nnn.nnn)

well actually i do need sliding gear like those gloves but right now i dont anything execpt pants when i go sliding. slidings not that dangerous is it???(i hope)

 
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pads
On 8/8/2005 murray wrote in from United Kingdom  (80.4.nnn.nnn)

well i find a lid and knee pads are pretty much staple for me when sliding. having knees means you can get flung off mid-rotation and land on your hands and knees and just slide out, or if you need to run out at all, you just flop onto hands and knees - much easier than trying to run out!!

re leathers, i find they probably are a bit overkill - even if im wearing shorts & tee, the only bits of unexposed skin are the bits between my gloves and elbow pads and my shins between my knee pads and shoes, and its pretty rare for them to hit the deck. with knees, elbows, gloves and a lid, all your main contact points are covered = minimum skin loss and maximum flexibility!

 
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Slide gear
On 8/5/2005 Aengus wrote in from United Kingdom  (193.113.nnn.nnn)

Hey,

Nah, I hardly wear pads when I slide let alone think about wearing leathers. The way i see it is that when I slide if I come off I slide on my hands and feet however I land, if I'm trying hard stuff I might wear elbow pads or knee pads. It would be a real hassle to carry round leathers, its already annoying having to carry pads sometimes. Really the loss of some skin dosent really bother me coz it only happens once in a while and it dont really hurt much (unless its big), also as I get better I stack less and in more controled ways so..

Really pads are for learning and hardcore stuff and leathers is for speedboardin. My mate Rich has been sliding for 5 months now and hasnt lost skin once with no pads, I aint as safe as him tho!

I have considored leather or slide spots on my slide shoes coz they get ruined real quick, I'm waiting for a slide shoe to be made, skate shoe with UMPHMPEWRGIHP patches on it, velcroed for changing. That would be the tits.

 
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Safety Gear
On 8/4/2005 MG wrote in from United States  (216.52.nnn.nnn)

Does anybody ever consider wearing leathers when sliding? I bought a set of leathers for downhill and always wear them for slide sessions. The confidence factor is off the scale and a fall that would normally grind you down hard is like bumping your knee on the coffee table. You can push your limits way more than when just padded up.

 
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Choice
On 8/3/2005 Aengus wrote in from United Kingdom  (193.113.nnn.nnn)

Its about choice at the end of the day, no one can tell you how to skate, not yet anyway. Skate safe, if that means pads so be it, we're all able to make assesments as far as risk goes, its up to you.

Also, its a disproportional comparison to link pro's not usin pads with norms who do. Pro's hardly crash coz they're pro's. The rest of us have to watch things a little carefully.

Really safty is more than pads, more than gloves and more than skill, its a mind set. I feel like I push myself to an acceptable point and I do trade progression for safty in some cases but its always a calculated risk.

I guess at the end of the day its a very complicated situation and no amount of simple explination changes that. While I ride safe, I also allow myself to dodge cars and live on the edge somtimes.

Basically have fun and make sure you can do it the rest of your life, I for one plan to skate forever.

 
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Use your head!
On 8/3/2005 Nick wrote in from United Kingdom  (80.4.nnn.nnn)

How is plastic on your hand going to protect your head?!!?!? just because you have pieces of plastic on your hands is not going to stop your hand caving in as it hits the asphalt at high speeds. I had to go to A and E last monday because me and my friends were messing about in a sloped carpark trying some more tecnical stand up slides and although i was wearing elbow pads/knee pads/slide gloves one slide spun me out so quickly that my legs went above my head and i fell the equivalent of 5ft11 onto my head(It happened so fast and to such a surprise that the automatic reaction of putting my hands out just didn't happen)- because we were just in a carpark and not going very fast i wasn't wearing a helmet- ended up seeing things and being close to vomiting for about 14hrs but luckily nothing more major. If i had been wearing a lid it would have been no problem and the session could have continued. Lesson learned! The point is at speeds of 40mph you are not nearly even in the same situation. True crouched slides are a lot safer than stand up slides and cliff and jim have been doing them for years with no problems- Dont forget they know those hills they skate inside and out. However you can be the best slider in the world but all it takes is a stupid driver you havn't seen, a glove catching (it happens to us all) on a drain cover and if you're not wearing pads or a helmet you WILL be entering a whole world of pain. Its up to you if you chose to wear a helmet but knee pads are essential as lets face it how can you do kneeslides without them!??

 
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safety
On 8/2/2005 murray wrote in from United Kingdom  (80.4.nnn.nnn)

well i understand his point - the ability to slide is dead handy and makes it all a lot safer, but it in noooo way distracts from the point that you are flying down a tarmac/concrete hill at high speed. is it not sensible to wear at least a helmet? why take the risk???

 
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npr interview
On 8/2/2005 dan wrote in from United States  (4.22.nnn.nnn)

I enjoyed the NPR interview but am confused by Mark from the UK's comments. Why would Cluggish split his head open at 40 mph if he is using slide gloves? I thought the point of gloves was to prevent crashes, unlike other safety gear that only helps after you lose control. I looked at every picture on CliffSlider.com and did not see any pictures of Cliff wearing pads. Is he to also be admonished for this disregard for safety? Turns out skateboarding is inherently dangerous with or without pads. It's about the rider's ability to ride safely, not some pad's presumed ability to protect the rider after a loss of control. With gloves and some intelligence, crashing can be avoided. I think we have all worn pads that have slipped and failed to protect the body beneath. So in a sense, pads offer a false sense of security which can lead to more injuries than they may prevent. The key is to be in control when on the road, and gloves and intelligence are what lead to control. Gloves and a brain are better than pads for a downhill slider. If crashing cannot be avoided, then by all means pad up. I was in Berkeley skating with Coleman and Cluggish and neither one ever came off their boards.

 
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UK Slide Pics
On 8/2/2005 Alex (FTS) wrote in from United Kingdom  (84.12.nnn.nnn)

Yo yo I have put all the links of all the pictures from the last few UK events together. Just follow this link

http://www.faltownskateboards.com/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=4

 
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npr interview
On 8/2/2005 mark wrote in from United Kingdom  (80.4.nnn.nnn)

nice interview cliff, really gets the point across to people that dont skate. just want to say that jims part about helmet and pads...not cool. lets see how well he cant do radio interviews when he splits his head open at 40mph

 
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Julien
On 8/1/2005 Cliff Coleman wrote in from United States  (68.127.nnn.nnn)

Julien,

I ride a shape I made myself that's 36". It was made for the GS races that I was entering last year. For sliding, I like the same length, with a wheel base from inside truck holes that measures between 17.5" and 18.5". For sliding I like a double kick. My choices for the width of the deck depend on how wide my trucks are. I like the wheels to line up with the rails of the deck.

Cliff Coleman

 
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slide setup
On 8/1/2005 Julien wrote in from United States  (71.132.nnn.nnn)

Hey Cliff,
Just wondering if you could share your current sliding setup with us?
I was thinking of getting the 35" Comet Hands deck and setting it up with some Independents and some 90a+ wheels for sliding, what do you think about this?
Also, how are you liking the reissue Mini-Cubics?
We should hit up some skating in the hills sometime soon. I've been doing a lot of Old Tunnel Road cause a bunch of my friends are just starting but I'm itching to go do Claremont Canyon and some of the berkeley hills stuff. Euclid looks like it would be really fun
Gotta make some new gloves first tho cuz my old ones are MIA

 
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Yo Cliff
On 7/29/2005 Lenny- Downhill Billies wrote in from United States  (69.210.nnn.nnn)

Awesome interview on NPR. I just heard it!!

 
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protos
On 7/29/2005 chewy wrote in from United States  (63.22.nnn.nnn)

i think they are mini cubics 97a
the 2005 reissues are 95a
they need a core...

 
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Bristol slide clinic film
On 7/29/2005 Phil wrote in from United Kingdom  (81.138.nnn.nnn)

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=Parrrp

Film of Dean Lane session from the Bristol 'Put more slider in my jar landlord' session.

film by 'Bob'

CHEERS THEN again to Lush/Faltown/Essence/Darren/Shiners and again especially to you Cliff e Sergio.

Phil ('n'Frank)

 
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NPR
On 7/27/2005 roboto pdx wrote in from United States  (67.166.nnn.nnn)

Cliff was on NPR Tuesday here is a link to the story.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4771489

I want to know what those green prototype wheels are.
Great job bringing exposure to the sport Cliff!

 
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