How to Skateboard for Beginners (Guide & Tips)

New to skateboarding? It doesn’t matter what your age is, you need to spend an immense amount of time and effort to become an expert at this sport. Although it’s quite fun to cruise over a skateboard and glide over the roads just with the help of your instincts, it could also be quite dangerous if not learned properly.

Before going out on the roads with your skateboard, you need to learn how to balance it, cruise it, and most importantly, fall from it so you can stay secure from road rashes and scratches. For this purpose, here is our detailed guide on how to skateboard for beginners (Guide & Tips). Some of these hacks are even used by the most popular skaters in their initial days of skating so you should give them a shot. Let’s start!

1. Before you begin

Before you start skateboarding, you need to prepare for it. And how could someone prepare himself for skateboarding? Simply by purchasing all the safety gear and getting his hands over the best skateboards for beginners.

Mostly, people think that the safety gears like helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads are only for kids so if you are a fully grown-up adult, you might look hilarious while wearing them. However, it’s not true! If you start skating without these safety gear, you might end up in hospital with serious injuries. Therefore, you should never overlook the importance of these protections and take all the necessary precautions to prevent injuries.

Don’t try to follow in the footsteps of those street skaters who skate without protection since they are experienced enough to handle falls. Besides saving you from injuries, these safety gears will also boost your confidence (a thing you need the most as a beginner). Asides from safety gear, you should also get the best skateboards but remember, a good skateboard should not necessarily be expensive. And you should also not invest your precious wagers on a high-end skateboard, especially when you are in the learning phase!

A good quality beginner-level skateboard can be purchased in a reasonable price range. So, just pay attention to the deck size and built quality. After purchasing the skateboard, inspect it thoroughly and search for the sharp edges, worn-out wheels, loose bolts, and old grip tapes since all these things can cause nasty injuries and accidents.

In addition to a good skateboard, you should also get appropriate skating shoes, having thick soles and flexible, comfortable walls. Again, you don’t need to buy sneakers from a high-end brand since an ordinary sports sneaker will be sufficient to absorb the impact and prevent heel injuries. And don’t forget the socks because even though you won’t walk or move your feet too often while cruising over the skateboard, your muscles are going to tense and chances are, you might sweat a lot. So, wearing a thick pair of socks will help prevent bristles, slippery feet, and rashes.

2. While you learn

So now, after preparing yourself completely, it’s time for you to get over your fears of skateboarding. You might think about what other people would think of you or how your friends would react if you fell in front of them. Or you could be scared of getting injured but remember that, having some concerns while trying a new thing is natural.

To ignore the brutal comments or taunting comments of people, you can practice in a less crowded place, like in your backyard or the park during less busy hours. And if you are scared of pain then remember you’ve worn all the necessary safety gear so even if you fail, the protection will help you prevent hospital-level injuries. Initially, you should start practicing over a softer surface like carpet or grass and once you’d learn how to maintain a proper, balanced stance, you can start practicing on concrete.

Remember that you should never rush towards trying skateboarding tricks unless you learn how to control the board and how to fall over. To try a trick perfectly and with full confidence, you first need to practice it hundreds of times. So, build up the skills slowly, listen to your instincts, and stay away from distractions.

The main reason why experts pay that much attention to practicing tricks and balancing exercises is that these consistent efforts are required to build strong muscle memory. At a point, you might get bored of trying the same thing over and over again but you’ll notice the difference yourself. If you have performed a trick perfectly once, don’t think you have mastered it. Experts say that if a person can’t perform the same trick three to four times in a row, with equal perfection, it means he has not learned it yet.

Other Skateboarding Tips For Beginners

• People who are into other sports might successfully learn how to ride over the skateboard in a day but it happens rarely. So, be patient and remember that it takes months to master even the basics of skateboarding.
• If possible, buddy up with someone who already knows how to skate since he could help you understand things more easily. With help, you don’t have to spend hours to get better at skateboarding instead, practicing for an hour will be sufficient.
• Don’t Overspeed. Mostly the newbies don’t pay much attention to the speed factor and keep going at the same speed everywhere. When you are in skating parks, you can cruise at as high a speed as you want to but while in traffic or crowded places, you should limit your speed.
• You can never balance the board unless you figure out about your front foot. If you are left-handed, don’t think that your front foot must be the left one. Instead, try skating with each foot, as the front foot, and go with the one with which you feel most comfortable.
• If you have a skateboard with large, air-filled wheels, make sure the road is free of sharp-edged objects and glass shards. Similarly, it’s better to avoid skateboarding in the rain since slippery roads can cause fatal injuries.