Maintaining skateboards does not only entail cleaning them or changing their parts. It also calls for the appropriate ways of using and carrying them from point to point.
However, there is a recurring issue among skateboarders about mall grabbing, a bad way of transporting skateboards. So, why is mall grabbing bad? And what makes it a topic of debate?
Keep reading this article as we discuss why mall grabbing is problematic and what we can do about it.
Table of Contents
Reasons Why Mall Grabbing is Bad
Perhaps, you’ve seen someone hold their Enjoi mall grab skateboard or any brand, really, while walking around. If you don’t know what mall grab slang is, just look at the photo below and notice how the person carries his board.
Doesn’t look that bad, right? That said, there are reasons why people don’t view mall grabbing favorably. Check them out below.
1. It makes you look like a poser.
Most poseurs, as many call them, will mall grab, and these are often people still learning how to skateboard. These individuals believe they look stylish when they hold their skateboards on the front of truck.
Unfortunately, skateboards aren’t accessories. They are not even designed for fashion purposes. And people who hold a skateboard by the trucks give off the impression that they don’t know how to skate.
2. Mall grabbing skateboard damages your pants.
Mall grabbing a skateboard means its grippy side grinds against your pants, or worse, your leg skin. So besides dealing with the opinions people have about mall grabbing, you might have to spend more on new pants.
Some would feel safe wearing shorts when skateboarding and holding the board by a mall grab. Unfortunately, this may result in skin irritation.
3. You’ll have greasy and dirty hands.
It’s not only the wheels that deal with dirt and gunk. Some of these particles stick to the skateboard’s trucks.
So, imagine holding skateboard by trucks with the grease and dirt coming from where you’ve been riding the whole day. What’s worse is rubbing your messy hands against your shirt accidentally.
4. The board feels awkward to throw down.
Imagine releasing your skateboard to the ground by its front truck, not its nose. It looks awkward, right?
Instead of burdening yourself, it’s better to hold the skateboard comfortably and allow yourself to put it down conveniently.
What is Mall Grabbing?
If you can think of ways to hold a skateboard other than by its trucks, you’ll understand why mall grabbing is undesirable. So what is the mall grab meaning in the first place?
Mall grabbing is an unorthodox way of skateboard grabs, in which the board is held through their front trucks, leaving the other side hanging down.
It causes the grip tape side of the board to face the skater, leaving scratch marks against the pants or other parts of the body.
This method of bringing skateboards is also a custom for many posers who treat their boards as accessories without knowing how to ride them.
What is the Right Way to Hold a Skateboard?
If you don’t have a skateboard bag or holder, the ideal way to bring a skateboard is through its deck. Hold the deck from its middle, so its length is perpendicular to your body, and, of course, the trucks should face out.
Other skateboarders on Reddit will advise you to do whatever makes you feel most comfortable, and they’re also right.
Nonetheless, we’re not spending on skateboards only to hold them most of the time. If you have the chance to ride it, do it as you will improve more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it bad to hang a skateboard by the trucks?
Of the many ways to store a skateboard, hanging it by its trucks has downsides.
If we hang a skateboard on its truck, there is a chance that the axles will get damaged. Especially for slightly heavy boards, the weight can put too much pressure on the trucks and might cause them to break.
Despite this drawback, skaters who insist on this method invest in quality hangers that would not compromise the truck.
When was mall grabbing invented?
Professional skateboarders claim that mall grabbing became known when longboard brands told skateboard models to hold their boards on the truck.
Such events happened in the early 2000s when there was friction between longboarders and skateboarders.
When did mall grabbing become a thing?
Mall grabbing was mainstream during the late 90s and early 2000s. These include the years when the sport was under refinement.
Years later, this method of carrying boards was still popular, but it had already left a negative impression on many skaters. Non-mall-grabbing users branded others who mall-grabbed as posers or people who did not know how to skateboard.
And since then, mall grabbing has become a ‘questionable’ act for many.
Conclusion
As many skateboarders say, how you treat and carry your skateboard represents you. Mall grabbing was a norm in the past that eventually acquired negative connotations.
Why is mall grabbing bad? Most responses we’d get are: because the trucks are messy, the grip tape damages the pants, and it’s unlike the behavior of a real skateboarder.
But whatever the reason is, what’s much more significant is that we care for our boards correctly and become better skaters. So, do what makes you most comfortable and helps you grow.
Hi, I am Charles Harris. I opened this site to write as much as I can about my biggest passion – skateboarding!
I started as a clumsy yet passionate rookie 10 years ago to now a still passionate yet much better skateboarder! But I have to tell you, the whole journey has always been fun and rewarding, indeed not without hardship.