#skateboarding tips

I’m learning how to skateboard so maybe if I can gather some confidence I can make some friends at the skate park and I won’t be so alone this summer. Late winter is always hard for me mentally but I’m pushing through. Summer is my favourite season. I got invited to a picnic that’s in about 2 weeks. I don’t really like anyone who’s going but free food I guess.

Catch you later

I started skating at 6 years old! Honestly my best advice is to look up videos from YouTube. That’s what I did. The first tricks to learn are the Ollie, shuv-it, pop shuv-it, and backside 180.

Welcome to the world of longboard skateboarding! Any beginner longboarder has tons of questions that need answered.  Here are a few tips that will be helpful for beginners.  Once you nail down these basics, you will be cruising around in to time!

Ride a longboard before you buy one. For the beginner on a longboard, it can feel very awkward the first time you set foot on one.  If possible, try out a friend’s longboard to see if you like the way it feels and can see yourself getting into the sport.  You do not want to waste your money on a longboard if  you will end up not liking it.

Buy good quality longboarding gear from a reputable merchant. Many beginner longboarders make the mistake of buying cheap longboarding gear. Good equipment always comes with a higher price tag.  I am not saying to get the most expensive longboard out there.  Do research and read reviews to find out what longboard decks, trucks, wheels, bushings, and bearings are good quality.  Save your money until you can buy good quality gear.  If you get the cheapest gear, it will not be able to perform and will discourage you from continuing with the sport.

Purchase the proper safety equipment. Always wear a helmet while longboarding, especially as a beginner!  Learning to longboard involves fast speeds, concrete, and trial and error.  You do not want your head paying the penalty for your fall.  There are some great helmets out there, so do your research and don’t go longboarding without one! Also look into getting knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards.  Knee and elbow pads will help protect you from those first discouraging scrapes you will get from wiping out.  Wrist guards will help protect you from breaking your wrists if you happen to fall on them.

Learn how to fall. Don’t let this scare you!  With any boarding sport, you are going to get hurt at some point.  You can avoid getting seriously injured by learning how to fall properly.  This involves rolling into your fall to avoid using your arms to catch yourself.  Like anything else, there is a good way and a bad way to fall.

Hey! 

No worries; this is a problem everyone has when they’re first starting off… something to do with the balance of it all, y’know? Anyway, it’s supposed to be scary, so don’t be too hard on yourself for getting anxious. My best advice for you is to practice pushing with your right foot on smooth surfaces; get comfortable with doing that at your own will on a smooth surface. The whole problem with riding on tarmac, bumpy roads, or unsmooth pavements is that beginners often rush so fast into trying to be good at skateboarding that they forget that if you don’t have balance and comfort in just … riding the board, everything else gets harder when we find obstacles like … uneven roads. LOL. 

So, take your time, and focus on your balance and usher yourself to find comfort in your balance at differing speeds; try that all on smooth surfaces first before you move onto uneven surfaces. Also, the whole point of having the correct footing on your skateboard is also to help you leverage your weight; you’ll notice when you’re on uneven surfaces, it’s crucial you help yourself on your board by lifting the board every now and then with your right foot when you’re riding, so that you can kinda … “hop” a little over rough surfaces. That comes a little later, after you’ve gotten comfortable with your balance, but think of leveraging your weight on your board the next time you’re riding! All in all, It really is all about the balance though, and that takes time! So, yeah… it might take you a while, but if you’re invested in learning how to skate properly, it’ll be worth it! 

Hey. What you just stated is correct. If your right foot is dominant, than when you’re moving on your skateboard your left foot should be in front and your right should be in back so that you can pivot the board and give it some direction. It may feel odd at first, because if you’re anything like me I felt like putting my dominant foot in front, but you won’t be able to pivot the board with your left unless you’re doing some goofy foot stuff– which is a bad habit to develop, especially when you wanna start doing tricks.