[ QUOTE ]
Anyone with a bit of coordination can do it without picking it up.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yeah, but that takes a bunch of smaller dribbles to to get it going, where the skateboarders don't have to do that. Skateboarders don't only use the inertia created by their own weight, which is exactly what's implied with the basketball analogy. Skateboarders use gripping tape to help
pull the board up with them. Before gripping tape was around, you'd typically see riders using one hand to "grip and pull the board up."
Here's an example of how the board's upward mobility is being assisted by the rider's front foot held in place by gripping tape: (notice how the foot is rolled over on it's side for a better grip)
