Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk reveals truth behind famous trick

Tony Hawk. Photo / Getty

Tony Hawk has revealed something many of his diehard fans wouldn't even know.

The skateboarding legend, who became a household name because of his exposure at the X-Games and the huge popularity of his video games, lifted the lid on a little-known truth about his sport.

Taking to Instagram on Thursday, the 52-year-old told the real story behind the trick known as the "mute", saying it should have been named something completely different decades ago.

"For nearly 40 years, we've shamelessly referred to this trick as the 'mute' air/grab," Hawk wrote.

"Here is the backstory. Around 1981, a deaf skater and Colton skate park local named Chris Weddle was a prominent amateur on the competition circuit. The 'Indy' air had just been created & named so somebody proposed that grabbing with the front hand should be known as the 'Tracker' air.

"Others countered that Chris was the first to do, so it should be named after him. They referred to him as the 'quiet, mute guy'. So it became known as the mute air, and we all went along with it in our naive youth.

"In recent years a few people have reached out to Chris (who still skates) about this trick and the name it was given. He has been very gracious in his response but it is obvious that a different name would have honoured his legacy, as he is hearing impaired but not lacking speech.

"I asked him last year as I was diving into trick origins and he said he would have rather named it the 'deaf' or 'Weddle' grab if given the choice. His exact quote to me was, 'I am deaf, not mute'."

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 and 2 are being remastered and re-released so to honour Weddle's legacy, Hawk is going to change the name of the trick in his video games.

"So as we embark on the upcoming @tonyhawkthegame demo release, some of you might notice a trick name change: The Weddle Grab," Hawk wrote.

"It's going to be challenging to break the habit of saying the old name but I think Chris deserves the recognition.

"I told Chris recently and his reply was 'I'm so stoked!'."