Part 1Everybody has to start somewhere. If you want to learn to skateboard but don't know an ollie from an elbow, you've come to the right place. You can learn to get the right gear for learning to skate, learn to stand on the board and ride comfortably without falling, and some helpful hints for sticking with it and learning to ride. See Step 1 for more information.
1.
Getting the Gear- Get a board that suits your interests. There are lots of styles and brands of boards available for all skill levels and interests. Visit a local skate shop to browse the selection and get advice from more experienced skaters in choosing a skateboard that's appropriate for your size and desires from your board:
- longboards are great for cruising and easy for beginners to maneuver. If you're interested in something that will be easy to hop right on and go, or something to get you from place to place, a longboard is a way to go. They're not great for tricks, so if you're interested in popping ollies, it's not the best option.
- skateboards are what you think when you think "skateboard." With tapered ends perfect for kicking tricks and jumps, and easy soft maneuverability, these boards are excellent for skating around at quick speeds, though they'll take a little more practice to get balanced when you're first starting. If you want to eventually drop into a half-pipe, though, this is the board for you.
- Custom boards are built and assembled yourself with basic tools. Generally, more experienced skaters will choose their wheels, trucks, bearings, and deck separately from the options available. This is good to choose the best brand of each component, whereas a pre-built board may have one or two bad components in specific.
2.
Make sure your board is set up correctly for a beginner. You don't want a super-curved board and loose trucks when you're first starting out. While those kinds of features might be great for doing tricks, they're much more difficult to stay balanced while riding upon, making it unlikely that you'll stick to it, if you can't learn to stay on the board. You want a relatively flat board with tight trucks to learn on. You can loosen the trucks later when you can control speed wobble.
3.
Get a pair of good skate shoes. Trying to hop on your board with combat boots or flip-flops is a good way to hurt yourself or twist an ankle. Skate shoes have the right kind of sole to grip the board and ensure both protection and support, making them ideal for learning to skate. Vans, Airwalk, DC's, and Etnies are all signature skate shoes, though plenty of athletic companies now make shoes perfect for skating.
- If you're not able to find a particular skating brand, what you want is a flat sole. Avoid the kind of textured tread common for tennis or running shoes, and instead go for something more like a deck shoe, with an even and flat surface on the bottom.
4.
Always wear protective gear and a helmet. It's absolutely essential that you get a skating helmet, which features a smooth surface and a snug chin strap to protect your head. It's likely you'll fall a lot, so it's very important that you ensure your safety and wear a helmet. Some even look pretty cool!
- Additionally, knee pads, wrist guards, and elbow pads are also the common protective gear to wear, especially when you're first getting started. When you get more comfortable on the board, you'll probably not need to wear all the pads every time you want to skate, but anytime you're learning a new trick, and especially when you're first learning to stay on the board, extra pads are a very good idea.
- There's nothing dorky about avoiding expensive trips to the emergency room, especially when you're first starting out. Don't let anyone tell you that "real skaters" don't use protective gear, which is an immature, foolish, and flat-out wrong. Besides, a helmet is cooler than permanent brain damage.
5.
Find a good place to skate. Ideally, you'll want smooth concrete, without many bumps and cracks that'll jostle you as you're trying to learn to move. Eventually, you'll be able to skate over uneven surfaces safely, but it's easiest to learn in a parking lot or driveway that's mostly flat and even.
- It's, unfortunately, harder and harder to find places that welcome skateboarders, given the unfair reputation skateboarding has in some towns. Don't be a skater that gives law-abiding boarders a bad name: make sure you've got permission to skate when you're skating, and avoid scuffing up a property that doesn't belong to you.
Topic: How to Skateboard (Beginners) (Read 618 times)