Skateboarding after 30

[Sedition]

Folks here have made fun of me for cruising and doing no complys, but it makes me happy and keeps me injury free. I skate alone and have nothing to prove to anyone.

Anyone who mocks you, because you have fun in a different manner than they do, really needs to grow the fuck up and get a life.

IMHO, transition might be easier on your joints but it’s WAY more dangerous 😅

I think it’s more a function of knowing your limits. Due to the modern proliferation of parks, transition is now everywhere. I absolutely agree, transition isn’t something you should be toying with before you are REALLY comfortable just ROLLING on a board. Many “Bob’s” (e.g. Back on the Board) start messing with tranny before they have really become reacquainted with skating, with some tragic results. Likewise, beginners sometimes try to go too big, too fast. I’ve seen people try to drop in on 4’ ramps before they can comfortably ride in a straight line for 50 feet.

That said, transition is WAY more forgiving on me at this point than jumping around all day (e.g. flatland). I should also add that I never really touched transition until about 7 years ago. I was a pure street skater my entire life, and hated ramps. I’ll spare the reasons why, but I made a conscious decision to start riding more transition…and it’s really paid off.

[in love w/ fs shuvs]

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flat only. absolutely no transition.

[close]

This seems backwards...

Also I'm 29 and on decided to get better like, 2 years ago, and in HS and college I never stretched or felt sore or anything when I would skate (just ollies and riding around). Now I'm skating much more than ever but I'm realizing I don't have my 21 year old body.

Is it normal to just be essentially full body limping every morning and the following hours post session (sore, slow to move and stand up because of being body-tired)? I do 10 minutes of active stretching before skating and skatepark skate for like 1-2 hours most days. I also think I'm pretty good at warming up (lot's of transition and manuals before any popping). I take breaks but I'll admit I do a lot of flatground and hard pushing often, and sit to rest when I'm *very tired only.

I mean 29 isn't crazy old....am I the only one, or am I just in crazy bad shape (which I'm def not)? Is this normal for early 30s?

Dislocated my ankle and fractured my fibula like a year and some months ago on a boned FS ollie attempt over coping. Stay away from it imo.

[in love w/ fs shuvs]

Someone mentioned flat ground and I do think it’s safer for older beginners. When I see someone on New Skaters or Old Skaters posting an injury it usually happened on transition.

IMHO, transition might be easier on your joints but it’s WAY more dangerous 😅

Agree. Falling from a height of 5 feet can be gnarly/devastating if you can't roll away.

[Sedition]

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flat only. absolutely no transition.

[close]

This seems backwards...

Also I'm 29 and on decided to get better like, 2 years ago, and in HS and college I never stretched or felt sore or anything when I would skate (just ollies and riding around). Now I'm skating much more than ever but I'm realizing I don't have my 21 year old body.

Is it normal to just be essentially full body limping every morning and the following hours post session (sore, slow to move and stand up because of being body-tired)? I do 10 minutes of active stretching before skating and skatepark skate for like 1-2 hours most days. I also think I'm pretty good at warming up (lot's of transition and manuals before any popping). I take breaks but I'll admit I do a lot of flatground and hard pushing often, and sit to rest when I'm *very tired only.

I mean 29 isn't crazy old....am I the only one, or am I just in crazy bad shape (which I'm def not)? Is this normal for early 30s?

[close]

Dislocated my ankle and fractured my fibula like a year and some months ago on a boned FS ollie attempt over coping. Stay away from it imo.

Just today I loaned a friend $500 who is out of work right now. Three weeks ago we were skating a parking garage. He did a kickflip on flat. Rear foot came off tail when landed. Front foot still on board. He “sat” on rear leg and spiral fractured his fibula.

Skateboarding. Stay away from it imo.

[in love w/ fs shuvs]

I think it’s more a function of knowing your limits. Due to the modern proliferation of parks, transition is now everywhere. I absolutely agree, transition isn’t something you should be toying with before you are REALLY comfortable just ROLLING on a board. Many “Bob’s” (e.g. Back on the Board) start messing with tranny before they have really become reacquainted with skating, with some tragic results. Likewise, beginners sometimes try to go too big, too fast. I’ve seen people try to drop in on 4’ ramps before they can comfortably ride in a straight line for 50 feet.

That said, transition is WAY more forgiving on me at this point than jumping around all day (e.g. flatland). I should also add that I never really touched transition until about 7 years ago. I was a pure street skater my entire life, and hated ramps. I’ll spare the reasons why, but I made a conscious decision to start riding more transition…and it’s really paid off.

I think it's foolish for anyone undertaking serious adulting to be dancing close to their limits when it comes to vert skating unless it's their job. There's a potentially a lot at stake depending on how much responsibility is being taken on. Better to focus on the daily grind of life at that point tbh.

[in love w/ fs shuvs]

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flat only. absolutely no transition.

[close]

This seems backwards...

Also I'm 29 and on decided to get better like, 2 years ago, and in HS and college I never stretched or felt sore or anything when I would skate (just ollies and riding around). Now I'm skating much more than ever but I'm realizing I don't have my 21 year old body.

Is it normal to just be essentially full body limping every morning and the following hours post session (sore, slow to move and stand up because of being body-tired)? I do 10 minutes of active stretching before skating and skatepark skate for like 1-2 hours most days. I also think I'm pretty good at warming up (lot's of transition and manuals before any popping). I take breaks but I'll admit I do a lot of flatground and hard pushing often, and sit to rest when I'm *very tired only.

I mean 29 isn't crazy old....am I the only one, or am I just in crazy bad shape (which I'm def not)? Is this normal for early 30s?

[close]

Dislocated my ankle and fractured my fibula like a year and some months ago on a boned FS ollie attempt over coping. Stay away from it imo.

[close]

Just today I loaned a friend $500 who is out of work right now. Three weeks ago we were skating a parking garage. He did a kickflip on flat. Rear foot came off tail when landed. Front foot still on board. He “sat” on rear leg and spiral fractured his fibula.

Skateboarding. Stay away from it imo.

FR

[Sedition]

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I think it’s more a function of knowing your limits. Due to the modern proliferation of parks, transition is now everywhere. I absolutely agree, transition isn’t something you should be toying with before you are REALLY comfortable just ROLLING on a board. Many “Bob’s” (e.g. Back on the Board) start messing with tranny before they have really become reacquainted with skating, with some tragic results. Likewise, beginners sometimes try to go too big, too fast. I’ve seen people try to drop in on 4’ ramps before they can comfortably ride in a straight line for 50 feet.

That said, transition is WAY more forgiving on me at this point than jumping around all day (e.g. flatland). I should also add that I never really touched transition until about 7 years ago. I was a pure street skater my entire life, and hated ramps. I’ll spare the reasons why, but I made a conscious decision to start riding more transition…and it’s really paid off.

[close]

I think it's foolish for anyone over 30 to be dancing close to their limits when it comes to vert skating. There's a potentially a lot at stake depending on how much responsibility is being taken on. Better to focus on the daily grind of life at that point tbh.

Who said anything about vert?

[in love w/ fs shuvs]

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I think it’s more a function of knowing your limits. Due to the modern proliferation of parks, transition is now everywhere. I absolutely agree, transition isn’t something you should be toying with before you are REALLY comfortable just ROLLING on a board. Many “Bob’s” (e.g. Back on the Board) start messing with tranny before they have really become reacquainted with skating, with some tragic results. Likewise, beginners sometimes try to go too big, too fast. I’ve seen people try to drop in on 4’ ramps before they can comfortably ride in a straight line for 50 feet.

That said, transition is WAY more forgiving on me at this point than jumping around all day (e.g. flatland). I should also add that I never really touched transition until about 7 years ago. I was a pure street skater my entire life, and hated ramps. I’ll spare the reasons why, but I made a conscious decision to start riding more transition…and it’s really paid off.

[close]

I think it's foolish for anyone over 30 to be dancing close to their limits when it comes to vert skating. There's a potentially a lot at stake depending on how much responsibility is being taken on. Better to focus on the daily grind of life at that point tbh.

[close]

Who said anything about vert?

*transition my bad

[OhioGuy]

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Folks here have made fun of me for cruising and doing no complys, but it makes me happy and keeps me injury free. I skate alone and have nothing to prove to anyone.

[close]

Anyone who mocks you, because you have fun in a different manner than they do, really needs to grow the fuck up and get a life.

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IMHO, transition might be easier on your joints but it’s WAY more dangerous 😅

[close]

I think it’s more a function of knowing your limits. Due to the modern proliferation of parks, transition is now everywhere. I absolutely agree, transition isn’t something you should be toying with before you are REALLY comfortable just ROLLING on a board. Many “Bob’s” (e.g. Back on the Board) start messing with tranny before they have really become reacquainted with skating, with some tragic results. Likewise, beginners sometimes try to go too big, too fast. I’ve seen people try to drop in on 4’ ramps before they can comfortably ride in a straight line for 50 feet.

That said, transition is WAY more forgiving on me at this point than jumping around all day (e.g. flatland). I should also add that I never really touched transition until about 7 years ago. I was a pure street skater my entire life, and hated ramps. I’ll spare the reasons why, but I made a conscious decision to start riding more transition…and it’s really paid off.

Thanks. I love skateboarding because it’s endlessly adaptable. Some folks only skate curbs, others stick to street, then there’s transition, freestyle, vert, etc.

No one should be shamed for their preferred method of skating.

[FrAnKenFrEd]

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I think it’s more a function of knowing your limits. Due to the modern proliferation of parks, transition is now everywhere. I absolutely agree, transition isn’t something you should be toying with before you are REALLY comfortable just ROLLING on a board. Many “Bob’s” (e.g. Back on the Board) start messing with tranny before they have really become reacquainted with skating, with some tragic results. Likewise, beginners sometimes try to go too big, too fast. I’ve seen people try to drop in on 4’ ramps before they can comfortably ride in a straight line for 50 feet.

That said, transition is WAY more forgiving on me at this point than jumping around all day (e.g. flatland). I should also add that I never really touched transition until about 7 years ago. I was a pure street skater my entire life, and hated ramps. I’ll spare the reasons why, but I made a conscious decision to start riding more transition…and it’s really paid off.

[close]

I think it's foolish for anyone over 30 to be dancing close to their limits when it comes to vert skating. There's a potentially a lot at stake depending on how much responsibility is being taken on. Better to focus on the daily grind of life at that point tbh.

[close]

Who said anything about vert?

[close]

*transition my bad

Disagree. You can skate however you want but most of us accept that it comes with taking calculated risks. I watched a 62 year old do an Andrecht in an 11' bowl recently. He's an anomaly but still. 30 is young.

But I get it, I went through a weird phase between my late 20 to mid 30s where I lost confidence and I was sure I was on the decline. I'm 50 now and I weirdly just started board sliding handrails again (skatepark ones... shhhh)....

All to say, you might have more slams and suffering in you than you think and everyone ages differently. The key is knowing how well your mind and body are doing and knowing when and how to take the risk... but you can probably handle more of them than you think... Skate a lot.

[steve]

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I think it’s more a function of knowing your limits. Due to the modern proliferation of parks, transition is now everywhere. I absolutely agree, transition isn’t something you should be toying with before you are REALLY comfortable just ROLLING on a board. Many “Bob’s” (e.g. Back on the Board) start messing with tranny before they have really become reacquainted with skating, with some tragic results. Likewise, beginners sometimes try to go too big, too fast. I’ve seen people try to drop in on 4’ ramps before they can comfortably ride in a straight line for 50 feet.

That said, transition is WAY more forgiving on me at this point than jumping around all day (e.g. flatland). I should also add that I never really touched transition until about 7 years ago. I was a pure street skater my entire life, and hated ramps. I’ll spare the reasons why, but I made a conscious decision to start riding more transition…and it’s really paid off.

[close]

I think it's foolish for anyone over 30 to be dancing close to their limits when it comes to vert skating. There's a potentially a lot at stake depending on how much responsibility is being taken on. Better to focus on the daily grind of life at that point tbh.

[close]

Who said anything about vert?

[close]

*transition my bad

[close]

Disagree. You can skate however you want but most of us accept that it comes with taking calculated risks. I watched a 62 year old do an Andrecht in an 11' bowl recently. He's an anomaly but still. 30 is young.

But I get it, I went through a weird phase between my late 20 to mid 30s where I lost confidence and I was sure I was on the decline. I'm 50 now and I weirdly just started board sliding handrails again (skatepark ones... shhhh)....

All to say, you might have more slams and suffering in you than you think and everyone ages differently. The key is knowing how well your mind and body are doing and knowing when and how to take the risk... but you can probably handle more of them than you think... Skate a lot.

sam cunningham is 62 with rods and plates and still has some nice ass fs rocks. dude's still got the itch and still having fun.

---------

you wanna start skating again, you've gotta pay the dues again. It's hard to remember how often we fell on the wrists, bumped the head, sprained the ankle etc while learning to skate. you stop for however long, get out of shape or even just out of skate shape, and you've gotta put the work in, all over again. you're going to fall. chances are that as a kid, you were in decent natural condition. chances are that as an adult, with life changes, habits, and hormonal changes, you're not in the same natural shape, so of course you won't have the same stamina or recover in the same way.

of course there are anomalies, people who are 40+ who still skate with skill and who still smoke and/or drink regularly, but chances are they never stopped skating.

like homie says above, you have to skate a lot.

[Skate34860]

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flat only. absolutely no transition.

[close]

This seems backwards...

Also I'm 29 and on decided to get better like, 2 years ago, and in HS and college I never stretched or felt sore or anything when I would skate (just ollies and riding around). Now I'm skating much more than ever but I'm realizing I don't have my 21 year old body.

Is it normal to just be essentially full body limping every morning and the following hours post session (sore, slow to move and stand up because of being body-tired)? I do 10 minutes of active stretching before skating and skatepark skate for like 1-2 hours most days. I also think I'm pretty good at warming up (lot's of transition and manuals before any popping). I take breaks but I'll admit I do a lot of flatground and hard pushing often, and sit to rest when I'm *very tired only.

I mean 29 isn't crazy old....am I the only one, or am I just in crazy bad shape (which I'm def not)? Is this normal for early 30s?

[close]

Dislocated my ankle and fractured my fibula like a year and some months ago on a boned FS ollie attempt over coping. Stay away from it imo.

So I’ve actually been practicing to frontside Ollie above coping. I keep bailing but I know I have it. Honestly I’m a bit more brave at 35 than I was at 17. I mostly skated street due to there not being many skateparks around when I was younger. There’s now four skateparks I can go to within a 8 mile radius of me so sometimes on my way home from
 Work I’ll stop for a little bit of me time. I think one thing I do need to get is a helmet and some knee pads if I want to continue to learn transition. Over the last month just from skateboarding my endurance has gone way up. I’ve always wanted to learn to skate transition so I’ll be a bit more cautious when it comes to it but I for sure want to learn.

[Sedition]

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flat only. absolutely no transition.

[close]

This seems backwards...

Also I'm 29 and on decided to get better like, 2 years ago, and in HS and college I never stretched or felt sore or anything when I would skate (just ollies and riding around). Now I'm skating much more than ever but I'm realizing I don't have my 21 year old body.

Is it normal to just be essentially full body limping every morning and the following hours post session (sore, slow to move and stand up because of being body-tired)? I do 10 minutes of active stretching before skating and skatepark skate for like 1-2 hours most days. I also think I'm pretty good at warming up (lot's of transition and manuals before any popping). I take breaks but I'll admit I do a lot of flatground and hard pushing often, and sit to rest when I'm *very tired only.

I mean 29 isn't crazy old....am I the only one, or am I just in crazy bad shape (which I'm def not)? Is this normal for early 30s?

[close]

Dislocated my ankle and fractured my fibula like a year and some months ago on a boned FS ollie attempt over coping. Stay away from it imo.

[close]

So I’ve actually been practicing to frontside Ollie above coping. I keep bailing but I know I have it. Honestly I’m a bit more brave at 35 than I was at 17. I mostly skated street due to there not being many skateparks around when I was younger. There’s now four skateparks I can go to within a 8 mile radius of me so sometimes on my way home from
 Work I’ll stop for a little bit of me time. I think one thing I do need to get is a helmet and some knee pads if I want to continue to learn transition. Over the last month just from skateboarding my endurance has gone way up. I’ve always wanted to learn to skate transition so I’ll be a bit more cautious when it comes to it but I for sure want to learn.

Forward elbow pad can be a god-send, too. Pads are great on ramps, even smaller ones. People claim you "can't knee slide" on smaller ramps, but you absolutely can (which is not to say you should knee-slide on every bail---you shouldn't). Pads can also acts as padded first-impact points in otherwise controlled falls when not running/out knee sliding. They can also give you a big mental boost, and that is actually the most important/critical aspect. Good luck with the f/s ollies!

[nurkdurk]

I'm way late to the party here, skated heavy from 89 to early 00s and frequency went from a couple times a year to touching my board once from 2010-2024. Started skating a couple times a week again last July when my wife decided she wanted to learn how to skate.

In that time not skating I got into alpine rock climbing, big approach hikes to kinda sorta hardish rock climbing.  Biggest routes being around 10-15 miles round trip with over 9,000 feet of elevation gain going car to car (no sleep). I did a bunch of training for that, cardio, strenght, flexibility, etc.. For flexibilty and mobility I found yoga far more helpful than static stretches. Going through all the warrior poses is great for your hips and ankles

Biggest change for me was the strength training in my mid 30s, I had never lifted weights in my life. Aside from the obvious part of getting stronger, it increased my metabolism to keep weight down and just gave me more energy. It also helped me correct a bunch of issues caused from all the overuse in my teens skating, mainly a jacked up left hip. As we age your ability to produce powerful movements will decline, lifting *heavy for where you are at* weights will combat and delay that. I strongly recommend anyone over the age of 30 get into a resistance training routing 1 to 2 days a week.

[nurkdurk]

Also on transition, the little stuff in the 3-4 range is pretty low impact and not typically that bad for bails. A front elbow pad and wrist guards are nice.

Vert or stuff over 8' isn't bad if you have knee pads and learn to slide. Hip/butt slides work too.

The in between of 5-7' or stupid tight transitions where you will probably have to run it out if you bail and/or just go out to flat scare the shit out of me. That's the zone EVERY single one of my injuries on transition ever came from.

[in love w/ fs shuvs]

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flat only. absolutely no transition.

[close]

This seems backwards...

Also I'm 29 and on decided to get better like, 2 years ago, and in HS and college I never stretched or felt sore or anything when I would skate (just ollies and riding around). Now I'm skating much more than ever but I'm realizing I don't have my 21 year old body.

Is it normal to just be essentially full body limping every morning and the following hours post session (sore, slow to move and stand up because of being body-tired)? I do 10 minutes of active stretching before skating and skatepark skate for like 1-2 hours most days. I also think I'm pretty good at warming up (lot's of transition and manuals before any popping). I take breaks but I'll admit I do a lot of flatground and hard pushing often, and sit to rest when I'm *very tired only.

I mean 29 isn't crazy old....am I the only one, or am I just in crazy bad shape (which I'm def not)? Is this normal for early 30s?

[close]

Dislocated my ankle and fractured my fibula like a year and some months ago on a boned FS ollie attempt over coping. Stay away from it imo.

[close]

So I’ve actually been practicing to frontside Ollie above coping. I keep bailing but I know I have it. Honestly I’m a bit more brave at 35 than I was at 17. I mostly skated street due to there not being many skateparks around when I was younger. There’s now four skateparks I can go to within a 8 mile radius of me so sometimes on my way home from
 Work I’ll stop for a little bit of me time. I think one thing I do need to get is a helmet and some knee pads if I want to continue to learn transition. Over the last month just from skateboarding my endurance has gone way up. I’ve always wanted to learn to skate transition so I’ll be a bit more cautious when it comes to it but I for sure want to learn.

idk man, if you want to take that non zero chance of getting broken off that's on you. I wouldn't take it so lightly.

[in love w/ fs shuvs]

Also on transition, the little stuff in the 3-4 range is pretty low impact and not typically that bad for bails. A front elbow pad and wrist guards are nice.

Vert or stuff over 8' isn't bad if you have knee pads and learn to slide. Hip/butt slides work too.

The in between of 5-7' or stupid tight transitions where you will probably have to run it out if you bail and/or just go out to flat scare the shit out of me. That's the zone EVERY single one of my injuries on transition ever came from.

Most I would touch these days is 2 feet. But my leg is not feeling too good 1y4months later.

[mfweeno]

A bit of advice for you "kids" (people around 30-years-old): Make sure you stretch, and stay limber. It's prolly the most important thing for continuing to skate into your twilight years.

Here is why it is so important as you age:

(1) We "tighten up" with age, and the elasticity of our soft tissue diminishes. Our bones become more brittle. Think of a summer leaf on a tree vs. a dead winter leaf on the ground. 

(2) When they break, bones usually heal-up pretty quick. Soft-tissue damage (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.)...that is the stuff that will kill you.

(3) We heal slower with age, and are more susceptible to injury.

(4) We react slower with age, making it more precarious to get out of bails safely.

So, to bring this back around to (relative) flexibility and stretching. You know those bails when you bend an ankle a bit, or you knee goes in a weird direction, you twist your back, your hip turns weird, or you do a quasi-split? If you are really stiff, one of those "simple" bails can become devastating. Having a bit more flexibility can turn what might have been a catastrophic injury into a lesser one. Soft-tissue injuries are among the most common type of injuries with "older athletes." So, do what you can to minimize that, and it will help you roll into your declining years.

As someone currently suffering the joy of a possible hamstring tear do not take this shit lightly. I skated this morning on some very tight hams and thought a quick 5 min stretch and dynamic warm up would help. Quasi split 2 hours deep into the sesh said otherwise.
I need to take the rest of Sedition’s advice to heart too. Thank you again for the pad recommendations, before it got too hot to really push it in the bowl the pro knees were a godsend.

[Sedition]

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A bit of advice for you "kids" (people around 30-years-old): Make sure you stretch, and stay limber. It's prolly the most important thing for continuing to skate into your twilight years.

Here is why it is so important as you age:

(1) We "tighten up" with age, and the elasticity of our soft tissue diminishes. Our bones become more brittle. Think of a summer leaf on a tree vs. a dead winter leaf on the ground. 

(2) When they break, bones usually heal-up pretty quick. Soft-tissue damage (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.)...that is the stuff that will kill you.

(3) We heal slower with age, and are more susceptible to injury.

(4) We react slower with age, making it more precarious to get out of bails safely.

So, to bring this back around to (relative) flexibility and stretching. You know those bails when you bend an ankle a bit, or you knee goes in a weird direction, you twist your back, your hip turns weird, or you do a quasi-split? If you are really stiff, one of those "simple" bails can become devastating. Having a bit more flexibility can turn what might have been a catastrophic injury into a lesser one. Soft-tissue injuries are among the most common type of injuries with "older athletes." So, do what you can to minimize that, and it will help you roll into your declining years.

[close]

As someone currently suffering the joy of a possible hamstring tear do not take this shit lightly. I skated this morning on some very tight hams and thought a quick 5 min stretch and dynamic warm up would help. Quasi split 2 hours deep into the sesh said otherwise.
I need to take the rest of Sedition’s advice to heart too. Thank you again for the pad recommendations, before it got too hot to really push it in the bowl the pro knees were a godsend.

(1) Hope you heal up quick!!!

(2) Hope others can learn something from this!

[Skate34860]

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flat only. absolutely no transition.

[close]

This seems backwards...

Also I'm 29 and on decided to get better like, 2 years ago, and in HS and college I never stretched or felt sore or anything when I would skate (just ollies and riding around). Now I'm skating much more than ever but I'm realizing I don't have my 21 year old body.

Is it normal to just be essentially full body limping every morning and the following hours post session (sore, slow to move and stand up because of being body-tired)? I do 10 minutes of active stretching before skating and skatepark skate for like 1-2 hours most days. I also think I'm pretty good at warming up (lot's of transition and manuals before any popping). I take breaks but I'll admit I do a lot of flatground and hard pushing often, and sit to rest when I'm *very tired only.

I mean 29 isn't crazy old....am I the only one, or am I just in crazy bad shape (which I'm def not)? Is this normal for early 30s?

[close]

Dislocated my ankle and fractured my fibula like a year and some months ago on a boned FS ollie attempt over coping. Stay away from it imo.

[close]

So I’ve actually been practicing to frontside Ollie above coping. I keep bailing but I know I have it. Honestly I’m a bit more brave at 35 than I was at 17. I mostly skated street due to there not being many skateparks around when I was younger. There’s now four skateparks I can go to within a 8 mile radius of me so sometimes on my way home from
 Work I’ll stop for a little bit of me time. I think one thing I do need to get is a helmet and some knee pads if I want to continue to learn transition. Over the last month just from skateboarding my endurance has gone way up. I’ve always wanted to learn to skate transition so I’ll be a bit more cautious when it comes to it but I for sure want to learn.

[close]

idk man, if you want to take that non zero chance of getting broken off that's on you. I wouldn't take it so lightly.

Yeah I don’t think I’ll take the risk. Sometimes I get a bit too motivated to get something and I think I’m younger than I actually am. I went to the park yesterday and just cruised around and skated the mini pipe and just had fun. Regardless of what I do it’s fun and a good mental health break from all the chaos. I think I’ll just stick with what I know and just have fun with it.

[steve]

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A bit of advice for you "kids" (people around 30-years-old): Make sure you stretch, and stay limber. It's prolly the most important thing for continuing to skate into your twilight years.

Here is why it is so important as you age:

(1) We "tighten up" with age, and the elasticity of our soft tissue diminishes. Our bones become more brittle. Think of a summer leaf on a tree vs. a dead winter leaf on the ground. 

(2) When they break, bones usually heal-up pretty quick. Soft-tissue damage (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.)...that is the stuff that will kill you.

(3) We heal slower with age, and are more susceptible to injury.

(4) We react slower with age, making it more precarious to get out of bails safely.

So, to bring this back around to (relative) flexibility and stretching. You know those bails when you bend an ankle a bit, or you knee goes in a weird direction, you twist your back, your hip turns weird, or you do a quasi-split? If you are really stiff, one of those "simple" bails can become devastating. Having a bit more flexibility can turn what might have been a catastrophic injury into a lesser one. Soft-tissue injuries are among the most common type of injuries with "older athletes." So, do what you can to minimize that, and it will help you roll into your declining years.

[close]

As someone currently suffering the joy of a possible hamstring tear do not take this shit lightly. I skated this morning on some very tight hams and thought a quick 5 min stretch and dynamic warm up would help. Quasi split 2 hours deep into the sesh said otherwise.
I need to take the rest of Sedition’s advice to heart too. Thank you again for the pad recommendations, before it got too hot to really push it in the bowl the pro knees were a godsend.

any strength daily training for your glutes, hips, and core? tight hamstrings are, generally speaking, weak and also a product of compensation from weaker glutes/hips. marching with a kettle bell by your side, keeping your pelvis level while lifting a leg, hip abduction, kettle bell dead lifts can really help. stretching weak muscles is only a temporary pain reliever if they're not being strengthed

heal up, homie

[mfweeno]

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A bit of advice for you "kids" (people around 30-years-old): Make sure you stretch, and stay limber. It's prolly the most important thing for continuing to skate into your twilight years.

Here is why it is so important as you age:

(1) We "tighten up" with age, and the elasticity of our soft tissue diminishes. Our bones become more brittle. Think of a summer leaf on a tree vs. a dead winter leaf on the ground. 

(2) When they break, bones usually heal-up pretty quick. Soft-tissue damage (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.)...that is the stuff that will kill you.

(3) We heal slower with age, and are more susceptible to injury.

(4) We react slower with age, making it more precarious to get out of bails safely.

So, to bring this back around to (relative) flexibility and stretching. You know those bails when you bend an ankle a bit, or you knee goes in a weird direction, you twist your back, your hip turns weird, or you do a quasi-split? If you are really stiff, one of those "simple" bails can become devastating. Having a bit more flexibility can turn what might have been a catastrophic injury into a lesser one. Soft-tissue injuries are among the most common type of injuries with "older athletes." So, do what you can to minimize that, and it will help you roll into your declining years.

[close]

As someone currently suffering the joy of a possible hamstring tear do not take this shit lightly. I skated this morning on some very tight hams and thought a quick 5 min stretch and dynamic warm up would help. Quasi split 2 hours deep into the sesh said otherwise.
I need to take the rest of Sedition’s advice to heart too. Thank you again for the pad recommendations, before it got too hot to really push it in the bowl the pro knees were a godsend.

[close]

any strength daily training for your glutes, hips, and core? tight hamstrings are, generally speaking, weak and also a product of compensation from weaker glutes/hips. marching with a kettle bell by your side, keeping your pelvis level while lifting a leg, hip abduction, kettle bell dead lifts can really help. stretching weak muscles is only a temporary pain reliever if they're not being strengthed

heal up, homie

Appreciate the well wishes homie.

I am actually a pretty avid strength training enthusiast and do a lot of leg work - lunges, front squats, romanian deadlifts, and variations thereof. I'm bummed at how awful this injury has been, but I can imagine it would be much worse if my body weren't already conditioned to a certain degree. Strength and mobility certainly go hand-in-hand as you observed.

Over a week later - I'm waiting on feedback from the doctors after this morning's visit, but I can thankfully sit and drive again and can still stay on my feet for a decent amount of time before the pain and swelling are too burdensome. Been trying to stay as mobile as possible to keep circulation and range of motion. Early ultrasound shows that the hamstring muscles are largely intact, which I'm very grateful for.

As someone who tends to learn things the hard way, this has shown me that my mindset and approach to skateboarding need to change significantly in order for me to continue participating in this activity at all.

[steve]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

A bit of advice for you "kids" (people around 30-years-old): Make sure you stretch, and stay limber. It's prolly the most important thing for continuing to skate into your twilight years.

Here is why it is so important as you age:

(1) We "tighten up" with age, and the elasticity of our soft tissue diminishes. Our bones become more brittle. Think of a summer leaf on a tree vs. a dead winter leaf on the ground. 

(2) When they break, bones usually heal-up pretty quick. Soft-tissue damage (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.)...that is the stuff that will kill you.

(3) We heal slower with age, and are more susceptible to injury.

(4) We react slower with age, making it more precarious to get out of bails safely.

So, to bring this back around to (relative) flexibility and stretching. You know those bails when you bend an ankle a bit, or you knee goes in a weird direction, you twist your back, your hip turns weird, or you do a quasi-split? If you are really stiff, one of those "simple" bails can become devastating. Having a bit more flexibility can turn what might have been a catastrophic injury into a lesser one. Soft-tissue injuries are among the most common type of injuries with "older athletes." So, do what you can to minimize that, and it will help you roll into your declining years.

[close]

As someone currently suffering the joy of a possible hamstring tear do not take this shit lightly. I skated this morning on some very tight hams and thought a quick 5 min stretch and dynamic warm up would help. Quasi split 2 hours deep into the sesh said otherwise.
I need to take the rest of Sedition’s advice to heart too. Thank you again for the pad recommendations, before it got too hot to really push it in the bowl the pro knees were a godsend.

[close]

any strength daily training for your glutes, hips, and core? tight hamstrings are, generally speaking, weak and also a product of compensation from weaker glutes/hips. marching with a kettle bell by your side, keeping your pelvis level while lifting a leg, hip abduction, kettle bell dead lifts can really help. stretching weak muscles is only a temporary pain reliever if they're not being strengthed

heal up, homie

[close]

Appreciate the well wishes homie.

I am actually a pretty avid strength training enthusiast and do a lot of leg work - lunges, front squats, romanian deadlifts, and variations thereof. I'm bummed at how awful this injury has been, but I can imagine it would be much worse if my body weren't already conditioned to a certain degree. Strength and mobility certainly go hand-in-hand as you observed.

Over a week later - I'm waiting on feedback from the doctors after this morning's visit, but I can thankfully sit and drive again and can still stay on my feet for a decent amount of time before the pain and swelling are too burdensome. Been trying to stay as mobile as possible to keep circulation and range of motion. Early ultrasound shows that the hamstring muscles are largely intact, which I'm very grateful for.

As someone who tends to learn things the hard way, this has shown me that my mindset and approach to skateboarding need to change significantly in order for me to continue participating in this activity at all.

What were you doing when this injury occurred?

Such a brutal injury

[mfweeno]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

A bit of advice for you "kids" (people around 30-years-old): Make sure you stretch, and stay limber. It's prolly the most important thing for continuing to skate into your twilight years.

Here is why it is so important as you age:

(1) We "tighten up" with age, and the elasticity of our soft tissue diminishes. Our bones become more brittle. Think of a summer leaf on a tree vs. a dead winter leaf on the ground. 

(2) When they break, bones usually heal-up pretty quick. Soft-tissue damage (muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc.)...that is the stuff that will kill you.

(3) We heal slower with age, and are more susceptible to injury.

(4) We react slower with age, making it more precarious to get out of bails safely.

So, to bring this back around to (relative) flexibility and stretching. You know those bails when you bend an ankle a bit, or you knee goes in a weird direction, you twist your back, your hip turns weird, or you do a quasi-split? If you are really stiff, one of those "simple" bails can become devastating. Having a bit more flexibility can turn what might have been a catastrophic injury into a lesser one. Soft-tissue injuries are among the most common type of injuries with "older athletes." So, do what you can to minimize that, and it will help you roll into your declining years.

[close]

As someone currently suffering the joy of a possible hamstring tear do not take this shit lightly. I skated this morning on some very tight hams and thought a quick 5 min stretch and dynamic warm up would help. Quasi split 2 hours deep into the sesh said otherwise.
I need to take the rest of Sedition’s advice to heart too. Thank you again for the pad recommendations, before it got too hot to really push it in the bowl the pro knees were a godsend.

[close]

any strength daily training for your glutes, hips, and core? tight hamstrings are, generally speaking, weak and also a product of compensation from weaker glutes/hips. marching with a kettle bell by your side, keeping your pelvis level while lifting a leg, hip abduction, kettle bell dead lifts can really help. stretching weak muscles is only a temporary pain reliever if they're not being strengthed

heal up, homie

[close]

Appreciate the well wishes homie.

I am actually a pretty avid strength training enthusiast and do a lot of leg work - lunges, front squats, romanian deadlifts, and variations thereof. I'm bummed at how awful this injury has been, but I can imagine it would be much worse if my body weren't already conditioned to a certain degree. Strength and mobility certainly go hand-in-hand as you observed.

Over a week later - I'm waiting on feedback from the doctors after this morning's visit, but I can thankfully sit and drive again and can still stay on my feet for a decent amount of time before the pain and swelling are too burdensome. Been trying to stay as mobile as possible to keep circulation and range of motion. Early ultrasound shows that the hamstring muscles are largely intact, which I'm very grateful for.

As someone who tends to learn things the hard way, this has shown me that my mindset and approach to skateboarding need to change significantly in order for me to continue participating in this activity at all.

[close]

What were you doing when this injury occurred?

Such a brutal injury

Here’s a post I made a couple of hours after it occurred:

I was trying a blunt-crail-body varial to regular on a fairly steep bank to quarter. Trick sounds kind of psycho but it was one I really enjoyed as a kid and it’s been feeling within reach. Long story short, stepped on my board and basically did the splits all the way down. My leg was giving out and I couldn’t push out of the park.

Things seem to be improving so I’m trying to stay optimistic that it’s just a terribly bad strain.

[geezer]

I tore my hamstring off the bone about 6 years ago. Just doing a noseslide on a curb, came out with one foot on the board and did the splits in a really weird way, couldn't get my weight off the leg. It was a year recovery, but I was mid-40s at the time (52 now.)
Anyway, hoping you didn't do what I did, heal up!

[mfweeno]

I tore my hamstring off the bone about 6 years ago. Just doing a noseslide on a curb, came out with one foot on the board and did the splits in a really weird way, couldn't get my weight off the leg. It was a year recovery, but I was mid-40s at the time (52 now.)
Anyway, hoping you didn't do what I did, heal up!

Ugh that is fucking gnarly! What did your healing timeline and recovery look like? Appreciate the well wishes homie.
I get an MRI this weekend so I’ll report back here with the damage and prognosis.

[Sedition]

I tore my hamstring off the bone about 6 years ago. Just doing a noseslide on a curb, came out with one foot on the board and did the splits in a really weird way, couldn't get my weight off the leg. It was a year recovery, but I was mid-40s at the time (52 now.)
Anyway, hoping you didn't do what I did, heal up!

Brutal.


This Illuminates two points I made earlier.

First, bones heal (relatively) quickly; it’s the soft tissue damage that will kill you.

Second, is flexibility. Being able to retain a degree of it may mitigate catastrophic injury into less a debilitating one. Let these two poor soul’s injuries be a lesson to all. Stretch, my children, stretch!

[Mandatory Reload]

I more or less stopped skating for the better part of a decade from 18 to 28ish. started back up during COVID when my girl wanted to get into it. we started going to the local school and pushing around and I was like "oh yeah this is my favorite thing in the entire fucking world" lol She lost interest after a while but I was hooked again.

Now I'm in my mid 30s and feel like I'm skating better than I ever was, although admittedly different. In my younger years, I was mostly interested in hucking and doing flip tricks down stairs, now I'm more of a ledge skater. Never been a transition skater and I've stuck to that, that's definitely the easiest way to get hurt (for me, at least). As far as the ol' bag of bones goes, I definitely stretch before I skate every time, and usually try to stretch afterwards too if I can remember. I usually bike to and from the spot when I skate, and I've found that helps MASSIVELY, both as a warm up and a cool down. I bike quite a bit in general and I think that keeps my legs pretty strong, which helps with skating.

Question for other older skaters who've gotten back into it later in life:

My switch pop (and switch skating in general) has suffered greatly from older age, much more than my regular pop. I can't do most of the switch flip tricks I used to be able to, and can't switch ollie/nollie nearly as high. I know the answer is probably strength training but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I try to skate switch pretty regularly too, so it's not for lack of practice.

[Jort250]

I more or less stopped skating for the better part of a decade from 18 to 28ish. started back up during COVID when my girl wanted to get into it. we started going to the local school and pushing around and I was like "oh yeah this is my favorite thing in the entire fucking world" lol She lost interest after a while but I was hooked again.

Now I'm in my mid 30s and feel like I'm skating better than I ever was, although admittedly different. In my younger years, I was mostly interested in hucking and doing flip tricks down stairs, now I'm more of a ledge skater. Never been a transition skater and I've stuck to that, that's definitely the easiest way to get hurt (for me, at least). As far as the ol' bag of bones goes, I definitely stretch before I skate every time, and usually try to stretch afterwards too if I can remember. I usually bike to and from the spot when I skate, and I've found that helps MASSIVELY, both as a warm up and a cool down. I bike quite a bit in general and I think that keeps my legs pretty strong, which helps with skating.

Question for other older skaters who've gotten back into it later in life:

My switch pop (and switch skating in general) has suffered greatly from older age, much more than my regular pop. I can't do most of the switch flip tricks I used to be able to, and can't switch ollie/nollie nearly as high. I know the answer is probably strength training but just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. I try to skate switch pretty regularly too, so it's not for lack of practice.

YMMV but after so many years, I can actually nollie better than ollie. I have a theory that pushing more significantly develops the stabilizing muscles in your off side which helps folks get a stronger switch snap.   

[PolkaV]

Entering my late 40s now.  I think the most important thing is keeping your weight down.  Even 20 lbs. seems to make a world of difference when it comes to my knees.  For me, that means less sugar in the diet and staying active, that's it.

Pads are helpful.  I also try to stay away from high impact shit, like large drops.  Flatland, transitions, and mini-pipes is my thing nowadays, but those were always my favorites anyways.  Coming out of the 80s, I still resent the early 90s and how it all went exclusively street.  It seemed that ramps just disappeared overnight, and all these dorks showed up with huge pants and tiny wheels