Grinds & Slides

Perfect your grinds and slides in Skate 3 to rack up scores and navigate Port Carverton. Master these mechanics for stylish extended combos.

Mastering grinds and slides is fundamental to racking up huge scores and navigating Port Carverton with style. Unlike flips and grabs, grinds and slides keep you connected to the environment, allowing for extended combos and strategic movement. This section will break down the mechanics, offer actionable tips, and highlight prime locations for practice and execution.

Understanding the Difference: Grinds vs. Slides

• Grinds: These tricks involve sliding along an edge or rail on your trucks. The specific grind performed depends on your board's angle relative to the obstacle.
• Slides: Slides utilize the board itself to glide along an obstacle. These often require more precise timing and board control.

Both grinds and slides are initiated by approaching an obstacle and pressing the appropriate stick (usually the right stick for grinds/slides) as you make contact. The direction you flick determines the specific trick.

Basic Grind & Slide Execution

To initiate a grind or slide, approach a rail, ledge, or coping at a moderate speed. As you are about to make contact:

1. Approach: Gain sufficient speed. Too slow, and you'll likely bail; too fast, and control becomes difficult.
2. Ollie/Nollie: Perform an ollie (flick down on the right stick then up) or nollie (flick up on the right stick then down) to get onto the obstacle.
3. Flick for Trick: As your board makes contact, flick the right stick in a specific direction to perform a grind or slide.
   • 50-50 Grind: Flick the right stick straight up. This is your most basic grind, with both trucks on the obstacle.
   • Boardslide: Flick the right stick left or right (perpendicular to the obstacle). Your board will slide sideways.
   • Lipslide: Similar to a Boardslide, but you ollie over the obstacle with your tail first, then flick for the slide.
   • Nosegrind: Flick the right stick diagonally up-left or up-right. Only your front truck grinds.
   • Tailgrind: Flick the right stick diagonally down-left or down-right. Only your back truck grinds.
4. Balance: Once on the obstacle, use the left stick to maintain balance. If you start to wobble, gently nudge the left stick in the opposite direction of the lean.
5. Exit: To exit a grind or slide, simply ollie off the obstacle. You can also perform a flip trick out of a grind for extra points.

Advanced Techniques & Combos

• Grind/Slide Transfers: Look for opportunities to transfer from one grindable object to another. For example, grind a ledge, then ollie across a small gap to another ledge and continue the grind. The Mega Park is excellent for practicing this with its numerous connecting rails and ledges.
• Manuals into Grinds: Land a manual (flick and hold the right stick down for a wheelie, or up for a nose manual) directly into a grind for a significant score multiplier. The long ledges around the Community Center in Downtown are perfect for this.
• Grind to Flip Out: As you near the end of a grind, perform a flip trick (e.g., Kickflip by flicking the left stick left, or Heelflip by flicking the left stick right) as you ollie off for bonus points and style.
• Grind Stalls: On certain obstacles like coping or quarter pipes, you can hold a grind in place for a brief moment before dropping back in. This is great for setting up other tricks or just showing off. The Super-Ultra-Mega-Park has plenty of coping to practice stalls on.

Prime Grind & Slide Locations

Port Carverton is a grind paradise. Here are some top spots:

• Downtown:
  • "The Plaza" Ledges: Directly outside the Community Center, these long, smooth ledges are ideal for practicing various grind and slide combinations, including manual-to-grind transitions.
  • "Financial District" Rails: The numerous stair sets and handrails in the Financial District offer challenging and rewarding grind lines. Try linking multiple rails together.
• Industrial District:
  • "The Docks" Loading Ramps & Rails: The Docks area features a plethora of metal rails and concrete ledges around the shipping containers, perfect for extended grind lines and transfers.
  • "Factory" Conveyor Belts: While not traditional grind rails, the decommissioned conveyor belts inside the Factory provide unique, long slide opportunities.
• University District:
  • "Campus" Benches & Planters: The University offers many low-to-the-ground benches and planter boxes that are excellent for practicing boardslides and lipslides.
  • "Library" Stair Rails: The grand staircase leading to the Library is flanked by long, steep handrails, perfect for high-scoring grind combos.
• Mega Park:
  • Everywhere! The Mega Park is designed for grinds and slides. Experiment with the interconnected rails, ledges, and coping on the massive ramps. The "Monster Rail" is a particularly notorious challenge.

Remember, practice makes perfect. Experiment with different speeds, approach angles, and flick directions. Don't be afraid to bail – it's part of the learning process! Soon you'll be chaining together epic grind and slide combos across all of Port Carverton.