Fell off skating..want to get back into it

[Lloyd Braun]

So I think in the last two years I have skated maybe 10 times, none of those times were very fun sessions and felt forced if I'm honest. It's weird, I have felt my skater tendencies slipping as well, as in not looking at spots everywhere I go, the urge to travel to new places to skate cool shit etc. Guess I kinda just fell out of love with skating. I got into a new trade and basically got wrapped up in it, spending most of my free time reading, watching videos, learning as much as I can about the craft and practicing it. I am a carpenter by profession, but also like woodworking making odds and ends/home improvement projects etc as a hobby also. Needless to say the line can be a little blurry between work and hobby.

I miss skating for that reason,  but finding it hard to get back into it and over the mental hump of getting back on the board. It's more just finding that spark again for me than knocking the rust off so to speak. This is the first time in 16 or 17 years I've fell off skating, I've had down time due to injuries but always came right back when I healed.

Have any of you guys had a similar experience? Whether the thing that took you away from skating was a job, new hobbies, relationships, whatever. If so how was the process of getting back on the board for you? Any input, advice and/or words of encouragement would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[kook1234]

if you can, try to unlearn anything you have learned about skating so if you do decide to step back on the board you’ll do so with fresh eyes. don’t try to recreate magic from the “good ole days” but start writing your next chapter. this lowers expectations and you could end up discovering a new or different facet of skating you never knew before

[Yakusoku2]

What a good advice!^ I’ve stopped skating a couple times. In 2006 because of a girlfriend who wanted to be with me like 24h/day, later because I had a band where I played guitar and I avoided getting my arms or wrists hurt, all my friends quitted and of course, work. I felt like you, like I’m not interested in skateboarding anymore but in reality, I was finger skating my hashioki (I don’t know how to translate to English) while eating. I was thinking about skateboarding everyday. I didn’t watch skate videos since 2009 to 2021 but suddenly I started again and I couldn’t wait to ride a board again. Just, find motivation man. Your love for skateboarding is there.

[bartlaser]

Currently going through this.  I've been skating for over 30 years and fucking love it.  Big fan.  But in the last couple of years I've only been skating once or twice a week. Tops. Compared to almost every day in the past.  And it feels like a forced session these days.

I'm sure I'll find a spark and get back into it again, at a more request rate.  Losing tricks and control is quite the bummer, though, and demotivating to continue.

[macho taildrop]

I kind of lost interest in skating a few months ago (I'm 40 and have been skating since 12 minus a gap of a couple years following Fully Flared).

I think part of it was that I was super fixated on gear / having gear madness, and then also that I was changing the way I dressed and stuff because I was worried about looking kooky. Just generally feeling constantly self-conscious and miserable. I've skated a few times this year, and it's fun, but it is hard for me to be doing it without falling into old habits.

Lately I've just been trying to watch videos like Inhabitants that are super personal to me and trying to me as myopic as possible to just focus on what makes me happy in skateboarding. I guess what I am trying to say is that for me, it is often tuning out certain things that helps me find the spark.

[Easy Slider]

I fell of skating for more than 20 years between around 1998 - 2020. Then I got back during the pandemic and was super enthusiastic as success (relearning stuff) came quickly and was rewarding. It spiralled into an obsession with me skating every day, following strict routines/drill to the point where I over saturated a few weeks ago and now I have taken a step back, "only" skate four times a week and try not to do routinely stuff but stuff that I feel like.

Not sure how that will pan out tho.  I wish you the best and hope you can rekindle that flame.

[bob george]

i've not ever stopped really, i have been skating my whole life thanks to older brothers.

one of those older brothers did kind of stop for a few years and recently (last year or two) has been getting back into it. i would agree with the person that said that aiming for your good ol' days is probably not a good approach. watching my brother skate i would say he has had a better time (both in terms of the enjoyment he's getting - which is all that really matters, and his actual skating performance) when he just tries some new stuff, rather than his old faithfuls which are no longer faithful at all.

for example, he could never do feebles on rails back in the day, now he can sometimes and that battle/and make is satisfying to him, whereas trying do the big bs heelflips he used to do on this steep bank at our local is like a totally defeating battle for him. even if he landed one i don't think it would bring him that much joy, it would just bring home how far away from his glory days of doing that like every go he is.

doesn't have to be that black and white and this is a second hand experience i'm giving. but yeah, do shit you never did before so there are no preconceptions about anything is my advice.

[Skatebeard]

I "quit" for about 12 years, got heavily into snowboarding in my early 20s and just lived that for about 15 years.

I always had a setup still and skated once every year or two, but i was pretty much done with skating...although I knew I'd always get back into it, it was kinda just waiting for the right time/circumstances.

That happened naturally in late 2019, and i'm skating more than ever now... I retired from snowboarding in early 2020 due to another concussion, and skating was there at just the right time as an outlet when Covid descended.

Don't force it, you'll get back into it when you're ready and have the passion for it.

[rocklobster]

if you can, try to unlearn anything you have learned about skating so if you do decide to step back on the board you’ll do so with fresh eyes. don’t try to recreate magic from the “good ole days” but start writing your next chapter. this lowers expectations and you could end up discovering a new or different facet of skating you never knew before

I'm butchering the quote but something along the lines of "the older you get, the better you think you were".

Nothing kills your passion for skateboarding more than feeling obligated to skate, whether it's to maintain your identity as a skater or preserving your skills on the board. You'll always be a skateboarder and it's perfectly fine not to skate and pick up other hobbies; skateboarding will always be there for you when you return.

Just manage your expectations, and find the right crew to skate with. A problem I've seen with old crews reuniting to skate is people spending 90% of the session talking about how good they were in their youth without actually skating during the session. Being around younger skaters is refreshing since they don't have any expectations of you and their energy can be infectious. Seeing everyone battle their tricks together regardless of difficulty is always exciting and reminds me why we love pushing around a plank of wood.

And don't be afraid to mix things up - skate different obstacles like curbs or the mini ramps if you're a flatground or ledges guy. Skate different parks or hit the street a few times a month, it's humbling to get your staple tricks on crusty ledges or rough ground.

But if you're not feeling it then just don't skate. We're lucky that we aren't pro skaters whose livelihoods depend on us skating and getting footage regardless of how burnt out we feel. It's a hobby we love, and should be treated as such.

[Sedition]

Expand Quote

if you can, try to unlearn anything you have learned about skating so if you do decide to step back on the board you’ll do so with fresh eyes. don’t try to recreate magic from the “good ole days” but start writing your next chapter. this lowers expectations and you could end up discovering a new or different facet of skating you never knew before

[close]

I'm butchering the quote but something along the lines of "the older you get, the better you think you were".

Nothing kills your passion for skateboarding more than feeling obligated to skate, whether it's to maintain your identity as a skater or preserving your skills on the board. You'll always be a skateboarder and it's perfectly fine not to skate and pick up other hobbies; skateboarding will always be there for you when you return.

Just manage your expectations, and find the right crew to skate with. A problem I've seen with old crews reuniting to skate is people spending 90% of the session talking about how good they were in their youth without actually skating during the session. Being around younger skaters is refreshing since they don't have any expectations of you and their energy can be infectious. Seeing everyone battle their tricks together regardless of difficulty is always exciting and reminds me why we love pushing around a plank of wood.

And don't be afraid to mix things up - skate different obstacles like curbs or the mini ramps if you're a flatground or ledges guy. Skate different parks or hit the street a few times a month, it's humbling to get your staple tricks on crusty ledges or rough ground.

But if you're not feeling it then just don't skate. We're lucky that we aren't pro skaters whose livelihoods depend on us skating and getting footage regardless of how burnt out we feel. It's a hobby we love, and should be treated as such.

^^^^ SOLID post/comments.

The only thing I would add is have no expectations about what you “should” be able to do. None. Nada. Zilch. Zero. You will be shocked at how much you (now) suck compared to a previous version of yourself. It’s not like riding a bike. You will also be amazed at how much your mind thinks you can still do, contrasted with how much your body can actually do. It’s basically the difference between lightening and a lightening bug. This can be really disheartening for some people. Don’t let it be. Remember that progress is relative to where you are today, not where you were years ago. You are encouraged to have expectations based on your present-day situation, but none from the past.  If you carry the weight of expectations from your past, you will not last long. Your skateboard will only bring frustration, despair, and disappointment. The fun and joy will never manifest. Abandon expectations, and skateboarding will open up to you like never before. I can’t stress this point enough. The single most important thing to remember when starting-up again is to have absolutely no expectations based on your own past.

[radcunt]

start skating in your opposite stance.

[231st Street]

start skating in your opposite stance.

Good advice-- I couldn't skate switch properly as a kid despite many other skills, so even a non-mongo switch push is oddly satisfying.  Or-- try transition if you grew up skating street or vice versa.  Or yes, just cruise the bowl.  For me, once I did this a while I started missing my old type of spots (street banks, low ledges, curbs, etc)., and once as someone said just forgot about what I used to be able to do, it became fun again for me to go out and discover those types of spots even though I can't do most of what I used to do (though I think most of us are not as good as we remember- but of course some stuff like I used to be able to do small stairs no problem and scared now).   Also, if you stop for 3 months, realize you have to build back up- and yes its not one and done and your "back".

[radcunt]

Expand Quote

start skating in your opposite stance.

[close]

Good advice-- I couldn't skate switch properly as a kid despite many other skills, so even a non-mongo switch push is oddly satisfying.  Or-- try transition if you grew up skating street or vice versa.  Or yes, just cruise the bowl.  For me, once I did this a while I started missing my old type of spots (street banks, low ledges, curbs, etc)., and once as someone said just forgot about what I used to be able to do, it became fun again for me to go out and discover those types of spots even though I can't do most of what I used to do (though I think most of us are not as good as we remember- but of course some stuff like I used to be able to do small stairs no problem and scared now).   Also, if you stop for 3 months, realize you have to build back up- and yes its not one and done and your "back".

This is the most annoying thing.  I only need to stop for a few weeks and its like i haven't skated in 5 years.  But when i'm back feeling it, i've been doing the switch thing, just pumping bowls, trying to ollie etc.  I never learnt switch either back in the day, so just carving a bowl corner switch feels insane and I love it.

[231st Street]

Another tip-- alternate between skatepark and random spot by yourself. Especially when you been off the board for a month-- a few ollies and hill bombs in a park and then falling into the dirt by accident type session can be good to sort of getback on,then you hit the skatepark for when you've sort of skated around recently.  This is less of an "embarassed cuz you suck thing" and more it can be fun doing corny stuff by yourself whatever little plaza type area you can find or with a buddy without worrying about snaking, taking turns, etc., if you are pressured for time.

[srfoden]

if you can, try to unlearn anything you have learned about skating so if you do decide to step back on the board you’ll do so with fresh eyes. don’t try to recreate magic from the “good ole days” but start writing your next chapter. this lowers expectations and you could end up discovering a new or different facet of skating you never knew before

I try to take winters off here in Massachusetts. I’ve skated a whole year through before but honestly my rate of progression declines vastly cause I get burnt out. Plus when I take the break and come back I get really into a new style of skating every time. One year it’s mini, another flat, another ledges and manny pads, I do want to spend a year though trying to not learn any new tricks and just get hella consistent on everything tho been a dream of mine but I just love learning something new and don’t think about trying to be the best skater I can be just trying to have some fun.

[JM]

Don'ts: don't try to relive your glory years.  take it easy

Do's: do the dumb tricks you thought you were too cool for when you were young and "good".  And be happy with what you can still do.... being old helps with being happy landing ANYTHING, and be more appreciative of whatever you can get.

And believe that you can still learn new things.  that's what has surprised me the most about getting back into skating after four years of not skating (one year of surfing in San Diego, and then three years of grad school and having a newborn).

[herecomesaregular]

I can fully tell by your post how old you are/if this will be relevant to you, but if you’re older than 30 and you get a new spark:

Try not to ramp up too quickly and start skating hard every day or every other day. Overuse injuries and tendinitis are in your future if you do. I know from experience. Only way around that it is to either work out a ton before and when you restart skating (core stuff and flexibility), or just drastically lower your expectations of how hard you can push it, and end the session WELL before your body feels toast.