滑板運動是沖浪運動在陸地上的延伸。前者受地理和氣候條件的限制，而後者則有更大的自由度。陽光明媚的南加州海灘社區的居民們很快制出了世界上第壹塊滑板。
在今天看來，那是相當古樸的壹項發明:壹塊50*50CM的木板固定在輪滑的鐵輪子上.即使這樣壹個簡單的運動器械，因為它能提供沖浪給人帶來的同樣心理感受，也引起了人們的足夠興趣。
但是，這種第壹代滑板由於其本身的落後性（板太笨重，無彈性，轉向機構不靈敏，輪子太滑等），滑板運動並未得到像今天這樣的普及，這種最早的滑板可以在滑板錄像節目《禁止》(Ban This)中看到。
第2代的滑板誕生於1962年。這是由橡木多層板壓制而成的15*60厘米的板面、輪滑轉向橋和塑料輪子組成的。和第壹代滑板相比，這種滑板無疑是技術上的壹個飛躍。但是，這種滑板的塑料輪的性能依然很不理想。他的過小的附著摩擦力使滑板急轉彎時失控；而他的低彈性則是滑板遇到即使微小的障礙物也會嘎然而止，把滑手摔下來。同時，他的耐磨性也太差。盡管如此,這種滑板仍然受到滑手們的普遍歡迎。畢竟，和前壹代滑板相比，它已經有了很大程度的進化，相對寬大的板面使滑手們更容易站立和操縱。中國國內現在銷售的滑板大多數屬於這種第二代產品。
1973年，壹個叫弗蘭克·納斯沃西的滑板愛好者第壹次把聚氨酯輪子安上他的滑板並取得意想不到的效果。他隨即開始把這種叫“卡迪拉克”牌的輪子賣給他的滑板朋友們。這種柔韌的輪子不僅耐磨，而且可以使滑板安全穩當的急轉彎，輕而易舉的碾過地上的小障礙物。第三代滑板就這樣發明了。由於滑板從沖浪衍生的原因，七十年代初的滑板文化基本上是帶有沖浪印記的文化。滑板愛好者和滑板公園的建設者們壹開始建造了不少模擬沖浪的地形。後來，他們終於意識到，由於滑板比沖浪板的阻力小，重量輕，可以建立不同於沖浪而更適合滑板的地形以取得更大的速度、機動性和自我表現能力。
加州Santa Monica 的“West wind”滑板隊把廢棄的鑰匙孔型泳池作為練習垂直表面滑板的場地，壹時間在加州形成了尋找泳池熱。從這時起，滑板運動與沖浪運動不僅是從器材、場地，也從人員上，徹底分離出來，成為突起的壹支異軍。這支新軍不涉足沖浪，壹心鉆研滑板，並開始形成自己的語言、技巧、衣飾風格和音樂愛好。形成了新生的、以城市為主導的滑板次生文化。
七十年代中期是第三代滑板飛速發展的時期。預感到壹種新型的體育運動就要應運而生，無數個由滑板和沖浪愛好者建立的小型滑板公司如雨後春筍般出現，開始在技術質量上展開全面的競爭。聚氨酯輪子的潛力被充分挖掘出來。不斷改進的聚氨酯輪子使滑板附著摩擦力加強，速度增加，甚至可以滑上垂直表面。
此外，對滑板材料的研究開發也達到了窮及壹切的地步。硬塑、鋁合金、玻璃纖維，甚至高科技的碳素復合材料都被用來試制滑板。最終，抗沖擊性能好，重量輕的加拿大糖楓擔負起了新壹代滑板材料的歷史使命。
另外，由Powell公司發明的跨越大障礙物的聚氨酯輪子和斯蒂文森專利的凹型滑板尾部使第三代滑板更上壹層樓。
80年代末，由於滑板運動本身的發展和滑手們對滑板技巧要求的提高，以及為了適應U型池（vert ramp）雙向滑行的需要，壹種與前三代滑板形狀完全不同的兩頭翹起、形狀對稱的滑板出現了，這就是第四代滑板。目前只有滑手們使用的都是第四的滑板。第四代滑板改用硬巖楓重量更輕，彈性更好.滑板輪硬度高,彈性好,更適合高速滑行.由於重量平衡,第四代滑板更適合各種翻轉動作。
九十年代初，滑板運動走入了壹個低谷時期。由於正處於滑板換代的時期，滑板從壹頭改為兩頭，因而出現了許多前壹代滑板不可能完成的動作。這個時期是滑板運動的技巧性動作（technical tricks)時代。滑手們發明了很多新的動作。同時為了使滑板更容易翻轉，滑板板面變得很窄，輪子變得很小。這個時期壹塊典型的滑板寬度只有7英寸，而輪子直徑只有39mm左右。這樣的滑板雖然更易於做出復雜的動作，但是較小的輪子卻妨礙了它的滑行性能。
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Fifty years in the late nineteenth century, on the other side of the Pacific, at the Edison inventions were the descendants of ancient China to a greater or lesser extent people's fantasies become a reality. The beginning of the fifties the U.S. West Coast is a major test of beach-goers have a place to test their abilities. They use the high cost of ordinary wood and light wood surfboard into waves in the air to find the fun. To the mid-fifties, molded polyurethane foam and fiberglass replaced the wooden surfboard. These new surfboard flexibility and durability make surfing much in popularity at the end of the fifties.
Surfing skateboarding is an extension of the land. The former by the geographical and climatic conditions, while the latter have greater flexibility. Sunny beaches of Southern California residents in the community quickly produced a piece of the world's first skateboard.
It seems today, it is a very simple invention: a piece of wood 50 * 50CM iron fixed in the roller wheels. Even such a simple sports equipment, because it can offer the same Surf bring psychological feelings, but also aroused sufficient interest.
However, this first generation of skateboards as a result of the backwardness of their own (too heavy plate, inflexibility, insensitivity steering, wheels too slippery, etc.) have not been as skateboarding's popularity today, the first slide board skateboarding video in the "prohibited" (Ban This) see.
No. 2 on behalf of the skateboard was born in 1962. This is made from oak to suppress MLB 15 * 60 cm board, roller bridge and plastic wheels turn composed of. And the first generation of skateboarding, this skateboard is a leap in technology. However, this skateboards-round performance of the plastic is still much to be desired. His force is too small to make the attachment a sharp turn when the out-of-control slide; and his flexibility is low, even if small skateboard obstacles encountered also to hand down to slide. At the same time, he is also poor wear resistance. Nevertheless, this is still slippery slide their hands in general. After all, compared to the previous generation of skateboards, which have a high degree of evolution, a relatively large surface of the plate so that the hands were slippery to stand up and manipulated more easily. China's domestic sales are now the majority of skateboard products this is the second generation.
In 1973, a man named Frank skateboard enthusiasts納斯沃西the first time he installed polyurethane skateboard wheels and achieve an unexpected effect. He then began to call this "Cadillac" brand of skateboard wheels sold to his friends. This flexibility not only the wear resistance of the wheels, and skateboarding safety could turn secure, easy to run over small obstacles on the ground. In this way the third generation skateboard invented. As a result of surfing skateboarding derived from reason, the beginning of the seventies skateboard culture is imprinted with the culture of surfing. Skateboard park, skateboard enthusiasts and builders have begun the construction of a simulated surfing a lot of terrain. Later, they finally realized that, because of the surfboards skateboards resistance than the small, light weight, can create different from the surf and the terrain more suitable for skateboards in order to achieve greater speed, mobility and ability to self-expression.
Santa Monica, California's "West wind" skateboard team abandoned the key to pass the swimming pool as a practice venue skateboard vertical surface, a time to find form in the California heat swimming pools. From that time on, skateboarding and surfing, not only from the equipment, the venue, but also from the staff, the completely separate process to become a new horizon. The new army is not involved in surfing, skateboarding one study, and began to take shape in their own language, skills, clothing and music-loving style. The formation of a new life to city-led secondary skateboard culture.
The third generation of the mid-seventies was a period of rapid development of skateboarding. A feeling that will be a new type of sports came into being, numerous skateboarding and surfing enthusiasts from the establishment of a small skateboard company like mushrooms appear in the technical quality of the competition to carry out comprehensive. The potential of polyurethane wheels are fully excavated. Continuous improvement to make the polyurethane skateboard wheels attached to enhance the friction, the speed increase, or even slip on a vertical surface.
In addition, materials research and development of skateboarding has reached the point where the poor and all. Hard plastic, aluminum, fiberglass, and even high-tech carbon composite materials have been used to skateboard trial. Ultimately, good shock resistance, light weight maple sugar in Canada take on a new generation of mission skateboards materials.
In addition, the company invented by Powell big barrier across the Stevenson patent polyurethane wheels and the rear of the concave so that the third generation skateboard skateboard the next level.
The late 80's, due to the development of skateboarding itself and sliding on the skateboard in hand skills required, as well as in order to meet the U-Chi (vert ramp) needs two-way slide, a slide with the three generations of two completely different shape tilt, the shape of a symmetrical skateboards, skateboard This is the fourth generation. At present, only slippery hands are used by the Fourth of skateboarding. Slide switch to the fourth generation of hard rock maple lighter weight, better flexibility. Skateboarding round of high hardness, good elasticity, more suitable for high-speed taxiway. Because of the weight balance, the fourth generation is more suitable for a variety of flip skateboard action.
The early nineties, skateboarder into a low period. As the new generation is in a period of skateboards, skateboards changed from a 2, resulting in a lot of skateboards can not be completed before the generation of action. That period was a skateboarder and action skills (technical tricks) era. Waterloo hands were invented many new moves. At the same time in order to more easily flip skateboards, skateboarding has become a very narrow face plate, the wheel has become very small. This time the width of a typical skateboard, only 7 inches, and wheels about the diameter of only 39mm. Although this kind of skateboard to make it easier for complex movements, but has smaller wheels glide hamper its performance.