Skateboarding is a great way to spend your free time and one of the best sports to keep fit. If you are not so good at it, you will easily burn out fast from skating. Most people tend to fall a lot at the beginning when they are still learning the ropes. However, with some practice, you will eventually get it right.
How do you avoid mistakes that make people fall? First, you need to know the basics and secondly don’t try too hard. The sport is meant to be fun, so it shouldn’t feel like a lot of work. Some people will hit a wall and then give up while others push on. In this article, we will show you how to improve your skateboarding skills to help you get better at it.
Table of Contents
1. Get The Right Skateboard
It is important you get the right skateboards for this sport. How do you know which skateboard to get? There are different types of skateboards in the market. You should get a skateboard that fits your budget, and if you can afford it, go for one with advanced features. Also, make sure that your skateboard is comfortable and that you can move forward with it. If you have no idea which skateboard to get, reading reviews from sources like Inboard Skate will help you out.
2. Fall The Right Way
It is fine to fall, and even professional skaters do fall all the time. The only problem with falling is when you do it wrong. If you don’t get it right, you will likely end up with serious injuries. The most important step when learning how to use your skateboard is knowing how to fall and land properly. If you want to avoid the injuries sustained from falling, you need to follow these steps:
Avoid Landing on Your Hands and Palms
The first thing you should know about skateboarding is learning to fall without using your hands or palm. Normally, when you fall, your instinct tells you to use your hands for support. But in skateboarding, it is a wrong move. If you fall using your hands, you will end up breaking your hands or twisting your wrists. It is a great idea to have a wrist protector when skateboarding to keep you from breaking your bones.
Running Out A Trick
When this happens, you need to run. This is important when you are learning a new trick and it’s difficult. You can quit, but you will still need to run out of your momentum. If you try to halt suddenly, you will end up falling. You should keep yourself safe by putting on kneepads and elbow pads to protect these sensitive parts that will likely hit the ground.
Roll When You Fall
The best way to come out safe from a fall is by rolling. It will reduce the speed and the effect of the force from the fall. When falling, you can roll on your shoulder or your back but avoid your face. Your arms should be tucked in, and then you flip to land on the backside instead of your face. You should practice this rolling technique on the grass before you get on your skateboard.
3. Learning The Basics
As mentioned earlier, you need to understand the basics of skateboarding if you want to be great at it. You should learn tricks like Ollies or Kickflips, which are great for beginners. It is also important that you start your training on the grass to learn everything you need to know before you get on the road.
4. Skate With Others
The only way you can know you are doing something wrong is when you surround yourself with people. If you have a group of friends that are good at skateboarding, it will help you improve your skills. You can ask them questions when you don’t know what to do and even learn new tricks from them. If you are not in a place where you can find skateboarders, you can always utilize the internet. There are many groups online that interact and share their skateboarding tricks. You can join these forums to discover how to do skateboarding in a new way.
5. Stay Positive
Even when you find yourself tripping often, it shouldn’t be enough reason to quit. Some people take a longer time to learn this sport but eventually, they get it right. If you are afraid of falling, you won’t be able to skateboard, and it is your mental state that will keep you from learning how to do it. It is one of the most difficult sports and will require a lot of practice. If you have patience, you can learn and improve your skill. When you take the hard part out which is learning skateboarding, you will find it easy and fun to do all the time. If you keep falling, and you are not getting it right, take a break for at least two weeks. After this break, you can then come back to do it again with a free and positive mindset.
6. Be Ready To Take Risks
Skateboarding takes guts because you would be taking risks as you go on. This doesn’t mean that you should go skateboarding in dangerous places. You take risks when you learn new tricks all the time and getting it right with the landing part. It would be best to get a ramp with you when you want to try the harder tricks. It helps to improve your skill level, and in time you will be great at skateboarding.
7. Staying Fit
If you want to improve your skateboarding skills, you must stay fit physically, mentally, and emotionally. Most people suggest yoga as the best way to keep fit, and it also helps you maintain your flexibility while on your skateboard.
Conclusion
You can get better at skating when you keep up your confidence level and continue to learn new tricks. The best teachers are the people you surround yourself with. Skateboarding brings people together, and it is a great way to build lasting friendships. Ensure you keep yourself safe by wearing safety gear and keep pushing on even when learning seems tough.