How to Make a Pole Jam

You should always wear protective equipment when skateboarding, unlike this rider.

A lot of skateboarders have been using pole jams off which to do simple tricks since the 1990s. A pole jam is any metal pipe at an angle running from ground level to a few feet in the air. To use a pole jam, a skateboarder ollies -- when both skateboard and rider go into the air due to the skateboarder pushing off of the ground with the end of the skateboard, jumping and causing the board to go into the air as well -- and then grinds up the pole jam to get a bit more air.

Things You'll Need

• Metal pipe 3 inches in diameter and 5 to 6 feet long
• Shovel

Instructions

1. Take your metal pole and find a place to put it in the ground. In order to use it to do tricks off of on concrete, you will want to place it in the ground right next to some concrete. A great place would be at the corner of a 90-degree angle of sidewalk, with concrete on three sides of the angle.

2. Dig into the ground at the 90-degree angle of sidewalk and dig a hole, down at least two to three feet. Take your pipe and stick it down at an angle in the hole you have created. Make sure it's an angle of about 45 degrees to the ground.

3. Fill in the dirt around your pipe to make it secure and rigid in place. You now have a pole jam on which to grind and off of which to do tricks. When you are done using it, dig out your pole and take it with you.

Tips & Warnings

• There are many ways to make a pole jam and this is just one of them. If you know how to weld, you may try making a portable pole jam, using two other pieces of metal to weld a triangle you can set on the ground with the metal pipe connected to one piece flat on the ground and the other piece perpendicular to support the pole jam set at an angle from ground level.

• You may see suggestions to back a van or truck into an erect metal pipe in a parking lot, causing it to bend at an angle to create a pole jam. You should stay way from doing this, however, as it can be dangerous and get you in legal trouble.

• Take your pole jam with you after you are done skateboarding so nobody gets hurt tripping on it if you leave it where you made it.

References

• Skate Warehouse: Element Drop Spot Pole Jam by Freshpark
• ESPN Action Sports: Photo Gallery