The term “mall grab” is something every skater has heard, and it refers to a particular way of holding a skateboard. Since the early 2000s, it has long been a symbol of a poseur skater who cares more about looking cool than skating hard.

But what exactly is a mall grab, and why do people care so much about it?

Well, the answer might actually surprise you.

What Does It Mean To Mall Grab A Skateboard?

A “mall grab” refers to someone carrying their skateboard by the front truck, wrapping their hand around, and placing the kingpin between their fingers. Anyone carrying a skateboard like this is commonly referred to as a poseur that doesn’t actually skateboard and instead just wants to look cool.

Now, this is the common beef people seem to have with mall grabbing when in reality, there isn’t any proper downside to it.

Mall grabbing is a common way for beginners to hold a skateboard as it feels comfortable and more natural. However, many skaters will begin avoiding grabbing their skateboards like this since you’ll probably get a few jokes tossed your way from a friend.

In general, though, most skaters don’t care about how you hold a skateboard.

With that said, there is a deep history with how the mall grab became so despised in the skate community.

When Did Mall Grabbing Become A Thing?

Mall grabbing has been around since the dawn of skateboarding. The only difference is that it hasn’t always been a questionable way of holding a skateboard until more recently. Although it’s not exactly certain when it began, the term started getting tossed around in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

These years were some of the most formative of street skateboarding and a prime time for this sport’s counter-culture. Street skaters wanted to avoid the association with more mainstream vert skaters and the longboarding scene. Since mall grabbing was something more common in these skateboarding disciplines, it soon became a cardinal sin in the new era of skateboarding.

To street skaters, mall grabbing was done by those who didn’t know how to actually skate. People who were just posing in an attempt to fit in with a popular trend. This is believed to be why the action of mall grabbing became something frowned up in the skate community.

And if you were caught holding your board like that, you were nothing but a poseur.

Is Mall Grabbing Bad?

These days, nobody will make fun of you for mall grabbing your skateboard. I’ve been skating for 15+ years and have never seen someone get called out for it.

Except for maybe some sarcastic remarks between friends.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with mall grabbing, and if you want to hold your board that way, do it. Don’t let the internet and the skaters of the early 2000s tell you otherwise.

With that said, although mall grabbing isn’t inherently wrong, it’s not an ideal way to hold a skateboard.

But let’s break down a couple of reasons why.

1. Your Grip Tape Rubs More Against You

While you’re holding a skateboard, your grip tape can start to be a pain as it rubs against your clothes or even bare skin. With a mall grab, rather than a small section of your grip tape rubbing against you, the entire length of it is resting against your leg.

If you’re wearing pants, you’ll be far more likely to scuff them up.

If you’re wearing shorts, well, you get the idea.

Compared to other ways of holding a skateboard, mall grabbing is probably the worst in terms of how much your grip tape will rub. To me, that’s one of the biggest reasons not to carry your skateboard like this, and instead, you should opt for one of the methods I shared in this guide to holding a skateboard properly.

2. Grabbing Your Trucks Can Leave Your Hand Feeling Waxy

Your trucks spend every session grinding against ledges, rails, curbs, and coping, picking up tons of dirt and wax as you go. Although this isn’t a problem, it doesn’t feel great when you’re holding them. All of this waxy residue and dirt ends up on your hand and can feel pretty gross if you don’t have a place to wash it off.

Although this isn’t the case with all trucks, especially if you’re a beginner who has yet to grind, there are just more clean ways to hold a skateboard. For example, holding it horizontally against your hip limits you to only touching the outer edge. Especially when you’re skating downtown through alleyways, you never know what got flung up onto your trucks and wheels.

So How Should You Hold A Skateboard?

If you’ve decided that mall grabbing is your new way of life, I commend you for your self-assurance. However, for those of you who want a few different options for holding your board (without the fear of getting a look), then this guide will teach you the best ways to do so!

Happy Shredding,

Brendan 🙂