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Skateboarding => Skate Questions => Topic started by: SlapMcKracken on January 27, 2022, 03:00:39 PM
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Stupid generalizing question, but still what do you guys think after how many years pros really skate on pro levels and peak and when do most stop making progress or even lose skills?
Lots of factors of course.
I thought about this, cause today I saw some locals skating that I didn’t see skating for ten years and somehow I was disappointed that they didn’t improve that much since back then, cause I thought they were really talented. (Not pros btw. Sponsored, but not pros)
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I think there's a Phelps quote something like "skaters either get good in two years or they eat chowder" I kinda get this I've been skating for twenty years pretty much and there's definatly a point where people stop progressing. Different point for everyone but.
Also during lockdown I got bored and watched tons of old videos and 411s and looked thru all my old magazines and whatever old ones were online and for every skater like Koston or Reynolds that has a long career there must be at least 30 who just disappear after 5ish years.
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On the Tim O'Connor Show him and a guest mentioned that the typical point guys got noticed was a high school graduate age of 16-18, then it really depends on the kind of obstacles your skating.
For Example, a Skater like Milton probably wont be skating far past 25-30, but a skater that's not throwing themselves down massive handrails/stair sets all the time will have a longer period of "Peak" skating before they start to fall off.
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I think there's a Phelps quote something like "skaters either get good in two years or they eat chowder" I kinda get this I've been skating for twenty years pretty much and there's definatly a point where people stop progressing. Different point for everyone but.
Also during lockdown I got bored and watched tons of old videos and 411s and looked thru all my old magazines and whatever old ones were online and for every skater like Koston or Reynolds that has a long career there must be at least 30 who just disappear after 5ish years.
To that quote: the question is what is good ? When are you good at skating ?
Some locals here skate a little over two years.
They can tre flip, kickflip; and all basic flips. Grinds and manuals suck.
Now are they good?
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It's subjective. It's probably just whenever they release their best footage which varies for people.
I think if you watch the recent am scramble vid interview all those dudes have been skating for 5 years minimum.
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It's subjective. It's probably just whenever they release their best footage which varies for people.
I think if you watch the recent am scramble vid interview all those dudes have been skating for 5 years minimum.
Yeah, completely agree.
Difficult to put a hard and fast number on career duration or longevity.
It's subjective and affected by a lot of factors:
- general type of skating they do (low versus high impact)
- luck of the draw with respect to injuries
- how well they take care of themselves (diet, rest, strengthening)
- how much support they have (industry/financial - related to health, etc.)
- intrinsic passion for skating
- do they kook themselves into oblivion/burn bridges...the list goes on.
Also, to the OP, do you mean peak WRT coverage/industry shine or peak WRT physical/technical ability?
Some have seemingly fallen off only to enjoy a resurgence in coverage or a personal second wind.
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At least six. Maybe twelve.
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Expand Quote
It's subjective. It's probably just whenever they release their best footage which varies for people.
I think if you watch the recent am scramble vid interview all those dudes have been skating for 5 years minimum.
Yeah, completely agree.
Difficult to put a hard and fast number on career duration or longevity.
It's subjective and affected by a lot of factors:
- general type of skating they do (low versus high impact)
- luck of the draw with respect to injuries
- how well they take care of themselves (diet, rest, strengthening)
- how much support they have (industry/financial - related to health, etc.)
- intrinsic passion for skating
- do they kook themselves into oblivion/burn bridges...the list goes on.
Also, to the OP, do you mean peak WRT coverage/industry shine or peak WRT physical/technical ability?
Some have seemingly fallen off only to enjoy a resurgence in coverage or a personal second wind.
Those are all good points. The peak of a skater's career has gotta be trending upwards pretty hard with the acceptance on health and wellbeing. The fact that you have a lot of skaters pushing physical fitness (Neen, Brandon Turner), Reynolds is sober and emphasis on recovery and physiotherapy now for skaters only prolongs the rise to a 'peak'. Same goes for mental wellbeing with the loss of Ben Raemers and Henry Gartland.
When Phelps stated it, it's probably referencing his era of skating, where it was skate fast eat ass and fitness was strictly for jocks.
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Expand Quote
Expand Quote
It's subjective. It's probably just whenever they release their best footage which varies for people.
I think if you watch the recent am scramble vid interview all those dudes have been skating for 5 years minimum.
Yeah, completely agree.
Difficult to put a hard and fast number on career duration or longevity.
It's subjective and affected by a lot of factors:
- general type of skating they do (low versus high impact)
- luck of the draw with respect to injuries
- how well they take care of themselves (diet, rest, strengthening)
- how much support they have (industry/financial - related to health, etc.)
- intrinsic passion for skating
- do they kook themselves into oblivion/burn bridges...the list goes on.
Also, to the OP, do you mean peak WRT coverage/industry shine or peak WRT physical/technical ability?
Some have seemingly fallen off only to enjoy a resurgence in coverage or a personal second wind.
Those are all good points. The peak of a skater's career has gotta be trending upwards pretty hard with the acceptance on health and wellbeing. The fact that you have a lot of skaters pushing physical fitness (Neen, Brandon Turner), Reynolds is sober and emphasis on recovery and physiotherapy now for skaters only prolongs the rise to a 'peak'. Same goes for mental wellbeing with the loss of Ben Raemers and Henry Gartland.
When Phelps stated it, it's probably referencing his era of skating, where it was skate fast eat ass and fitness was strictly for jocks.
If you mean the Phelps quote I said (skaters get good on two years or they eat chowder) I don't think he meant they last for two years. I kinda see it (and have witnessed it) as you basically get a burst of unlocking and understanding different parts of skating, but I don't necessarily think it has to be your first years or you only get one burst(but like you said it didn't used to be as common for people to keep skating for long periods of time).
I've known people who were really good and it's like they just got it. They could understand what doing a flip trick down a gap was so they could almost always figure it out no matter what flip and what gap. Then others who skated for five years and never even landed a kickflip on flat. It just became obvious they were never ever going to get "it" and thats the same for manuals, ledges, rails park skating whatever.
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There is no timebomb.
Dudes get hurt and it's the worst so just try your hardest. Getting hurt on something below your limits or not even associated with the act of skateboarding is the biggest insult.
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There is no timebomb.
Dudes get hurt and it's the worst so just try your hardest. Getting hurt on something below your limits or not even associated with the act of skateboarding is the biggest insult.
man, I was about 5 months back into skating after a 10 year break and feeling fine when I was jogging in the rain, slipped off a curb (ya, I can't grind for shit but like to balance on curbs when running) and got the worst ankle injury I've ever had. but I'm not a pro, I'm just a bum for whom nothing is below my limits, so it doesn't count ::)
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I turned myself pro to enter a vert contest once. It was free entry.
I got to get into 3 different warped tour locations in FL with a plus 1.
Good news is I didn't have to even skate the vert contest. 'last minute injury'.
I retired after that. I was pro for a magazine I made up.
Later on I made a zine with the name. Who the hell has a magazine sponsor? lmao. I'm an idiot.