Enrique G. Cubillo
New York, NY, USA
This paper proposes the first formal classification of switch-kick locomotion—bilateral alternating propulsion on wheeled platforms—as a distinct locomotor class. To the author’s knowledge, no existing biomechanical, sports science, or physical literacy literature has formally defined bilateral alternating propulsion on wheeled platforms as a distinct locomotor class with necessary and sufficient constraints. The paper defines five such constraints: a wheeled platform not fixed to the feet, propulsion by intermittent ground contact of a free limb, bilateral alternation of propulsion roles across movement cycles, glide phases supported by rolling contact rather than continuous thrust, and no continuous crank, blade, or edge engagement. By these criteria, three activities constitute the switch-kick locomotor family: scootering, skateboarding, and SpikeBoarding skiing.
The paper documents what appears to be no systematic or formalized switch-kick instruction in global skateboarding pedagogy. Skateboard instruction, where it exists, focuses on trick execution, park riding, or basic balance skills. The refined bilateral propulsion technique that enables distance skating and commuter use has no established curriculum, no pedagogical tradition, and virtually no instructional materials. The paper suggests that much of the existing literature may have characterized novice unilateral propulsion rather than refined bilateral alternation—analyzing the phenomenon without reference to expert technique.
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ENRIQUE G. CUBILLO, NYU Tisch ’86, arrived in NYC in 1984 and later raced bicycles at elite pro-am level with the New York City School of Cycling. In 1997 he founded his Theory of Transport Sports, testing it across the Lower Hudson Valley for 20 years. In 2010 he invented the SkateBoard Spike and coined SpikeBoarding. His peer-indexed paper “SpikeBoarding is Skiing” appeared on idrottsforum.org in 2026. ORCID: 0009-0003-1357-7992.
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