A skateboard looks very much uncomplicated and safe when you take a quick glance. In layman’s terms, a skateboard deck is no more than a piece of wood with some wheels attached to its bottom. Although, as with just about everything in life, upon closer assessment, you’ll almost immediately understand that there’s a great deal more to a skateboard than meets the eye. Skateboards are, as a matter of fact, at the same time, complicated and delicate - which lets skateboarders the choice to be in action in any surroundings with precision, velocity, robustness, and, when needed, the means to defy gravity and grind down rails. At the same time, skilled riders and fanatics are besides capable of performing astonishing leaps, jumps and other amazing tricks.

That’s extremely remarkable for something which, at its core, is only a piece of wood with wheels attached to its bottom. So, what makes a skateboard a skateboard? What goes into its production and development which lets expert and sophisticated skateboarders the capability to push, jump, spin, twist and do all those other amazing things? And even though a skateboard would be pretty much worthless without someone activating and using it, the design of the actual deck, from its trucks to its grip tape and the whole thing in between, besides has something to do with it as well.

With that being said, there are certain elements and aspects which are nothing but absolutely critical to a skateboard. Without these components, a skateboard would literally be - as has been mentioned previously - just a piece of wood with wheels stuck to it. However, certain modifications and additions transform that ordinary wheeled piece of wood into a rolling, flying, grinding machine that has caught on in popularity like wildfire. So, when trying to distinguish a world-class skateboard from a simple piece of wood with wheels, try to keep an eye out for some of these vital pieces:

Deck: This is the piece of wood that’s more than a piece of wood. Skateboard decks like ZOO TEAM OWEN SERIES DECK usually are rectangular or oval in shape, and feature raised back-ends (sometimes called kick tails) and sloped front ends. And while yes, sometimes skateboard decks are made of wood, they can also be made from other materials such as plastic, fiberglass and even kevlar.

Grip Tape: Applied to the top surface of the skateboard deck like a sticker, grip tape is what keeps a skateboarder’s feet from slipping and sliding all over the place while they’re using the board. Grip tape has a harsh, grinding feel to it, much like sandpaper does. While usually seen in black, grip tape does certainly come in a lot of different colors and styles.

Trucks: Skateboard trucks are fixed directly to the base of the skateboard deck. Somewhat shaped like a capital letter T, the wheels of the skateboard are joined to either end of the truck. There are two trucks per skateboard, and each truck holds two wheels, thus giving the skateboard four wheels in totality.

Wheels: Without wheels, it would be very difficult, and very well near impossible, to truly be in motion on your skateboard deck. While skateboard wheels are normally made from polyurethane, the actual size and diameter of the wheels can be different as well. There are no standard guidelines as to how big skateboard wheels can be, on the other hand, wheel sizes does depend on how you intend on using your skateboard.

Wheel Bearings: Without wheel bearings, the wheels which are attached to the board wouldn’t turn much, if at all. Bearings for a skateboard usually are manufactured in the standard 608 bearing size and are usually made from steel. However, that being said, other compounds, like silicon nitrade, can also be found in skateboard wheel bearings.