What is one thing that you wish you learned sooner in your skate life?

[whatsreallygood]

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20 summers.

And then it's over.

[close]

)':

The existential dread hits hard. I'm only in my mid 20's and I still worry about how much longer I've got left to learn new tricks. Eating right, exercise, and not trashing your body unnecessarily go a long way though.

[givecigstosurfgroms]

just surfing I guess.  But I haven't been surfing lately anyway.   

[Snow in Florida]

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20 summers.

And then it's over.

[close]

)':

[close]

The existential dread hits hard. I'm only in my mid 20's and I still worry about how much longer I've got left to learn new tricks. Eating right, exercise, and not trashing your body unnecessarily go a long way though.

Facts. Even though I got a lot of distractions from skating these days I still try to get out as much as possible and at least push around and skate some flatground every day. I wanna be able to still do tre flips when I'm 50

[j....soy.....]

you can't expect skateboarding to be the same for you forever.....it's up to you to figure out how to enjoy it....it's not that tough....skating is a gift. 

[givecigstosurfgroms]

you can't expect skateboarding to be the same for you forever.....it's up to you to figure out how to enjoy it....it's not that tough....skating is a gift.

   well the concrete still hurts, i can testify that

[pile]

patience and better taste in choosing what influenced me in what i liked to skate. not to say i was any good at skating stairs, i sucked, but i focused on learning two or three tricks to huck down a set instead of ledge/manual tricks for ages.

[GollyIamGully]

That 21 wasnt old...neither was 25....or 30

[Deputy Wendell]

you can't expect skateboarding to be the same for you forever.....it's up to you to figure out how to enjoy it....it's not that tough....skating is a gift.

damn man...amen.

[givecigstosurfgroms]

Phelps never stopped with his bs roll ins into vert.    I still havent done that one (frontside or bs).  Yah dont even need any pop for that one.  Esky pesky.

[nachodaddy]

I wish I knew there was more to skateboarding than where I put my feet. Weight distribution seems to be everything right now. I also wish I knew that skateboarding is what makes you a skater. My young, naive self thought I had to also dress/talk like a “skater” and listen to “skater” music.

[pinkbananastatus]

Great thread.

I'll echo some people's statements about being comfortable skating transition. It feels like something I should be a lot better at than I am, but I'm slowly starting to get out of my comfort zone and learn some new things and feel more comfortable.

I wish I learned about wheelbases earlier. I'm a pretty tall guy (6'4") and finding the right wb for me has been completely game changing. I'm learning flatground tricks so much easier and consistently than I've ever been able to. Since I started skating the same wb with every board, I realized I haven't complained about a single board I've had. It feels good to not have to get used to a new board every time.

[Abyss1]

I wish I would have skated more switch

[Ianizyeah]

How to fall/slam properly.  Tuck that shit in, take the hit.

SKATE TRANY LIKE A GROWN MAN

I wish I would have skated more switch

[A Not At All Naughty Chemist]

-Stand up straight (really)
-Go a bit faster, it's fun
-Grind on rails (I can't do it and I wish I could at least 5050)
-Think about your shoulders. What they're supposed to do, how much they rotate/should/could. Anything front side is easier with your shoulders perpendicular to the board (looking forwards) because your shoulders have to rotate less.
- be respectful to and mindful of pedestrians
-When learning something, think about it first.
-Breathe
- "Don't think, feel. Like a finger pointing to the moon..."
-Keep skating, don't mind the parties and/or drugs. (Knew it already, but many friends have come and gone because of this)
-Pop down. Jump up.
-Have fun. It's not a contest.
-Enjoy these moments

[Hevonen]

Being more patient trying to get the basics more locked in rather than spending insane amount of attempts on technical tricks way out of my league, maybe landing them shitty once and then moving on to the next thing.

Committing and taking slams is much better than spraining ankles and wrists countless times trying to avoid them.

[Matthew_James]

Squaring your shoulders helps with board control is one thing I wish I didn't have to discover that the hard way. Also, I wish I knew from the jump that the spots in videos were actually way harder to skate than they looked (aside from  some low LA handrails and picnic tables), and that the guys skating these spots were going stupid fast. Sometimes video footage doesn't do a spot justice, and it doesn't do the skater justice since it's moving at the same speed more often than not & it's hard to judge how fast they're really going. Before I went to my first couple of spots that I saw in videos, I thought I was going to go to these places and fucking dominate them. Needless to say that wasn't the case, and I came back with next to nothing clip-wise. The experience gave me a deeper appreciation for all of the skateboard media I consumed up to that point.

[powerhazard]

I wish I’d learned to be more comfortable going backside on ledges early on.

I’d tell myself that going fast and grinding and sliding  is way more fun than trying anything from New Deal’s “Whatever” while barely rolling.

I've always had backside 5-0s on ledges, but nothing else. Lately I've been in the mindset to attempt back lips. Eventually back tails. I feel extremely uncomfortable with my body going that direction though and am working on breaking that mentality. I can barely do back 180s on flat. On transition I can do backside ollies just fine though.

Also wish I would have learned nosegrinds early on instead of attempting to learn it now in my late 20s.

[Dr-Feelgood]

I wish I would have skated more switch

this is a good one, i never even thought about skating switch when i was a teenager, i was to busy trying to learn everything i could regular, now its hard enough skating regular well for me

[Soft Boiled]

Eat right, go to the gym if it's raining, and learn how to recover properly. Unless you've had major injuries and havn't taken care of yourself you should still be able to skate well and still learn new stuff in your 30's .

I hate the gym and I can’t stand Most of the people who hang out there. Gym bro’s and betty’s Are seriously some of the worst people I’m not interested in being the best at exercising, I know when I’m solid, based on my ability to eat shit but pop back up. I’ve always understood the importance of staying loose and limber. Also, just don’t  overeating often.  For instance, I’m 39, but feel capable of achieving any physical goal I’ve done in my younger years

[HugeBodBoyle]

Honestly, the one thing that I look back on and wish I would have thought differently on is being such a straightedge cornball. I was so militant about it in high school that I alienated myself from friends that I grew up skating with which led to other shitty outcomes for me.

[drewbearz]

Great thread.

I'll echo some people's statements about being comfortable skating transition. It feels like something I should be a lot better at than I am, but I'm slowly starting to get out of my comfort zone and learn some new things and feel more comfortable.

I wish I learned about wheelbases earlier. I'm a pretty tall guy (6'4") and finding the right wb for me has been completely game changing. I'm learning flatground tricks so much easier and consistently than I've ever been able to. Since I started skating the same wb with every board, I realized I haven't complained about a single board I've had. It feels good to not have to get used to a new board every time.

What WB do you prefer? We're the same height.

As for me, I've been a pussy my entire skate career. I suck at drop ins. I have an awful time committing to anything that I feel like I might fall to hard on. It's crippling and something I'm trying to get over.

[Paperclip20]

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Great thread.

I'll echo some people's statements about being comfortable skating transition. It feels like something I should be a lot better at than I am, but I'm slowly starting to get out of my comfort zone and learn some new things and feel more comfortable.

I wish I learned about wheelbases earlier. I'm a pretty tall guy (6'4") and finding the right wb for me has been completely game changing. I'm learning flatground tricks so much easier and consistently than I've ever been able to. Since I started skating the same wb with every board, I realized I haven't complained about a single board I've had. It feels good to not have to get used to a new board every time.

[close]

What WB do you prefer? We're the same height.

As for me, I've been a pussy my entire skate career. I suck at drop ins. I have an awful time committing to anything that I feel like I might fall to hard on. It's crippling and something I'm trying to get over.

I'm 6'4 also and found 14.25 works best for me as it's a good middle ground for flip tricks and ledges. I also skate thunders though so that extends the wheelbase a bit more.

[Freight Train]

Stay away from smaller boards. I had a 7.75" Guy Mariano deck in 1998 just like everybody else, wore the huge puffy shoes too and couldn't do shit for years, rolled my ankles way too many times. One day in the mid 2000s I bought a 10" wide Santa Cruz Reissue and some Chuck Hi's and had the time of my life on that stick like it was 1988. Haven't bought a deck smaller than 8.5" since then

[Yesterdays-pop]

just surfing I guess.  But I haven't been surfing lately anyway.

You should get a cruiser board

[pinkbananastatus]

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Great thread.

I'll echo some people's statements about being comfortable skating transition. It feels like something I should be a lot better at than I am, but I'm slowly starting to get out of my comfort zone and learn some new things and feel more comfortable.

I wish I learned about wheelbases earlier. I'm a pretty tall guy (6'4") and finding the right wb for me has been completely game changing. I'm learning flatground tricks so much easier and consistently than I've ever been able to. Since I started skating the same wb with every board, I realized I haven't complained about a single board I've had. It feels good to not have to get used to a new board every time.

[close]

What WB do you prefer? We're the same height.

As for me, I've been a pussy my entire skate career. I suck at drop ins. I have an awful time committing to anything that I feel like I might fall to hard on. It's crippling and something I'm trying to get over.

[close]

I'm 6'4 also and found 14.25 works best for me as it's a good middle ground for flip tricks and ledges. I also skate thunders though so that extends the wheelbase a bit more.

Maybe our legs are different lengths, because I've been riding 14.75" wb religiously, which I'm fully aware is a really long wb. Plus skating ventures that notoriously push it out even further.

I think you just gotta bite the bullet and try a bunch of different lengths and figure out which works best for you.

[Abyss1]

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I wish I would have skated more switch

[close]

this is a good one, i never even thought about skating switch when i was a teenager, i was to busy trying to learn everything i could regular, now its hard enough skating regular well for me

yea i've realized that you don't really have to try as hard or work for it... it seems harder doing things regular and not making it vs doing it switch and not making it, so it makes sense to have done it both ways

[Paperclip20]

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Great thread.

I'll echo some people's statements about being comfortable skating transition. It feels like something I should be a lot better at than I am, but I'm slowly starting to get out of my comfort zone and learn some new things and feel more comfortable.

I wish I learned about wheelbases earlier. I'm a pretty tall guy (6'4") and finding the right wb for me has been completely game changing. I'm learning flatground tricks so much easier and consistently than I've ever been able to. Since I started skating the same wb with every board, I realized I haven't complained about a single board I've had. It feels good to not have to get used to a new board every time.

[close]

What WB do you prefer? We're the same height.

As for me, I've been a pussy my entire skate career. I suck at drop ins. I have an awful time committing to anything that I feel like I might fall to hard on. It's crippling and something I'm trying to get over.

[close]

I'm 6'4 also and found 14.25 works best for me as it's a good middle ground for flip tricks and ledges. I also skate thunders though so that extends the wheelbase a bit more.

[close]

Maybe our legs are different lengths, because I've been riding 14.75" wb religiously, which I'm fully aware is a really long wb. Plus skating ventures that notoriously push it out even further.

I think you just gotta bite the bullet and try a bunch of different lengths and figure out which works best for you.

I agree with you there, I had to try a whole bunch of different types of boards to find what felt best to me. Maybe I'll try another long WB soon just to see how it works out. I think learning most of my tricks on a shorter WB plays into it also.

[whatsreallygood]

Anyone have anything specific they wish they could tell their mid-twenties selves? Occasionally I get that nice existential dread that I'm no longer improving and that this will all have to stop at some point, even though that's bullshit. I usually just go out and do a few tricks I know I've got to reaffirm that's definitely not the case.

[tranny in the streets]

I guess it really all just boils down to how badly you want to progress. Being willing to eat shit is a huge step. I'm not mid 20s yet but I've recently started skating a lot with a 27 year old buddy and he is pushing it super hard. Mid 20s is not that old yet, sure you get sore faster and you can't skate as much as when you were a little energetic skate bunny but you can definitely still take slams. We all just have one life and I guess we decide what we do with it, when you go to the skatepark are you gonna spend all your time doing tricks you normally do (like I did before I started skating with this guy) or are you just gonna say 'fuck it,' and send it?

There are definitely comfort zones in skateboarding, and it's so easy to stay in them because it feels fun and easy doing tricks we already know how to do. But that feeling doesn't last forever like I'm sure you know, some day you're just gonna think that it's getting stale and you wish you could do something else. Just expand on what you already know, and do whatever you haven't done before that you feel like you could do.

But yeah I'm 23 soon and thought I was growing old already at some point, but skating with different people older than I am and seeing them take slams and rolling away afterwards just going for it is really inspiring. I guess skating with different people would help as well. I used to skate with a crew much older (mid 30s to 40s) and I didn't really learn much because I was just doing the same shit over again and they were progressing but on tricks I already knew how to do. I heard somewhere that skating with people better than you is a big help in your own progression and it's so true. I'm still a pussy, but I go for it more often than I used to.

[HyenaChaser]

Anyone have anything specific they wish they could tell their mid-twenties selves? Occasionally I get that nice existential dread that I'm no longer improving and that this will all have to stop at some point, even though that's bullshit. I usually just go out and do a few tricks I know I've got to reaffirm that's definitely not the case.

But yeah I'm 23 soon and thought I was growing old already at some point, but skating with different people older than I am and seeing them take slams and rolling away afterwards just going for it is really inspiring. I guess skating with different people would help as well. I used to skate with a crew much older (mid 30s to 40s) and I didn't really learn much because I was just doing the same shit over again and they were progressing but on tricks I already knew how to do. I heard somewhere that skating with people better than you is a big help in your own progression and it's so true. I'm still a pussy, but I go for it more often than I used to.

Early to mid 20s was my window in terms of getting gnar. I did my biggest gaps and some proper handrails at that time. By my late twenties I was more hesitant to do any drops and skated way more low impact but my tricks and consistency drastically improved.

I mean Tony Hawk released a part this year skating handrails at Berrics(?) so twenties is prime years.

Definitely establish good health habits now though if you wanna keep the party going.