Grinds

In Ireland, grinds are private tuition; a major industry in Ireland, particularly at secondary school level.

"Grinds" is a Hiberno-English term which is used variously to refer to both the lesson ("I'd a maths grind last night") and the teacher ("My maths grind came over last night"), although the latter usage is less common. It is generally used in the plural ("I do maths grinds").

Origins

Ireland was traditionally an agricultural and farming community so perhaps this is where the word ‘grind’ started. Grinding stones were used to produce flour by hand in ancient agriculture and evolved along with the development of different kinds of mills. From hand quern mills to grist mills powered by water, wind or steam, grinding stones remained an essential tool until the end of the 19th century, when roller mills using metal rolls to grind grain were developed. The term ‘keep your nose to the grindstone’ was commonly used to mean ‘apply yourself conscientiously to your work’.‘To grind’ in education generally means to ‘instill or teach by persistent repetition’. Charles Dickens referred to Mr Gradgrind in his novel Hard Times.

Aggressive inline skating

Aggressive inline is a form of inline skating executed on specially designed inline skates with focus on grinding and spins. Participants refer to the activity as rollerblading, "blading," "skating," or "rolling."

Aggressive skating can take place on found street obstacles or at skateparks. Street skating primarily consists of performing grinds on ledges and rails, as well as jumping tall heights known as "gaps." Park skating recreates these obstacles with the additions of bowls and ramps on which "vert" skating can be performed.

Since 1994, the sport has been chronicled in various skating films and "edits."

History

Grinds (skating)

Grinds are any sliding stances held across surfaces with the assistance of inline skates. Grinds in inline skating are based on the ability to balance on one or two legs while sliding across the obstacle or surface with the leg(s) facing perpendicular and/or parallel to the direction of motion. When a skater correctly places his or her feet on the obstacle in the desired position that skater is said to be 'locked-in'. The ability to lock and hold various combinations of perpendicular/parallel, right foot/left foot form the basic level from which more advanced grinds and combinations of grinds can be executed. The use of single row skates or inline skates enable the skater to grind on the outer and inner sole on each skate; The 'soul', or positive soul and the 'negative' spaces respectively. When the grinding leg is bent such that the frame is sliding nearly sideways on top of the obstacle, this is known as the 'topside' variations of soul-based grinds. Thus more possible stances are at the disposal of the blader when inline skates are used for aggressive skating, leaving more room for expression. It is mainly a stunt technique employed in the aggressive skating discipline and many niche inline skate brands focus innovation around this concept together with traditional durability, comfort, and speed design principles that go into making skate products as adopted by the inline skating industry. While the foot position of a grind is standard, the visual aesthetic of a grind varies from skater to skater depending on skill, experience, flexibility, and personal expression. Also known as style in the aggressive skating community, this plays an important role in judging during professional aggressive skating competitions such as the IMYTA (I match your trick association), World Rolling Series sanctioned competitions and competitions hosted by Action sport events such as the Gravity Games and X Games.