It's difficult to boil down an entire sport (or art, for some) into just five tips that can help you start. However, we understand that between work and binge-watching another season of your favorite show, there's little time left for mundane reading and tutorials about sports! So, we're here to do our best to help you get started with five short tips. With that said, let's get into it!
- Choose the right skateboard
The first step to getting started with skateboarding is choosing a skateboard suitable for your skill level and riding style. Look for a board that is the right size and shape for you, and make sure it is in good condition and properly assembled. One factor people often overlook is the design; it’s not just for the aesthetics! The design significantly affects how your board performs and the kind of ride you’ll have, so choose wisely.
- Wear protective gear
Skateboarding can be a physically demanding activity, so it's important to protect yourself from injury by wearing the appropriate protective gear. This should include a helmet, elbow and knee pads, and wrist guards. Remember, you're not going to be going anywhere with skateboarding if you fall and scrape your knees or, worse, get a head injury.
- Learn the basic skills
Before you start skateboarding, it's important to learn the basic skills and techniques that will help you ride safely and confidently. This can include things like pushing, turning, and stopping, as well as balancing and controlling the skateboard. For me, nothing helped quite as much as just going out to the skate park and riding!
- Practice regularly
It's no secret that learning anything new requires regular practice, ideally every day. To improve your skateboarding skills, you'll need to do the same. This can involve setting aside dedicated time to skate, as well as incorporating skateboarding into your daily routine by using it as a mode of transportation. This last one will help you progress without feeling like you’re even dedicating practice hours to it!
- Join a community
Skateboarding can be a fun and social activity, and joining a community of skateboarders can be a great way to learn from others, find new places to ride, and make friends. You can look for local skateboarding groups, clubs, and events or connect with other skateboarders online. Personally, I met a really nice group of skaters at my local park who noticed I was new and decided to adopt me! Riding and learning with a group, especially an experienced one, can help greatly in the initial stages of skateboarding.
Conclusively, there is one bonus tip that you need to remember through all of this; start slowly and progress gradually. Skateboarding can be challenging to learn, and progress will come gradually, but rest assured that it will come! What we're trying to say with this tip is it isn't advisable to do too much too soon; always rest when you feel like you need to. That wraps up our guide on skateboarding; we hope this was helpful!