Wednesday, September 19, 2012

How to Skateboard: Tips for Beginners

Skateboarding is much like any sport, in that daily practice and consistent mastery of the fundamentals is critical to success. Whether you dream of skating with the best of the best, or whether skateboarding is just a hobby to you, it all starts with the basics. Top performers in any field never stop practicing the basics.

Identify your dominant foot. You'll skate with your dominant foot on the tail end of your board, since this foot does the steering work. This is usually the foot that "leads" when you're walking. For example, when you walk up a staircase, your dominant foot usually takes the first step. Since you probably don't give any thought to this normally, you may have to observe the way you walk. Skating with your right foot at the tail end of the board is called skating "regular," whereas skating with your left foot on the back end is called skating "goofy." If you ride with your feet in the opposite of the position where you would normally ride, this is called "riding switch."

Beginner Trick Skateboard

Find a good place to practice. Ideally, there should be a decent amount of level turf like blacktop where you'll have plenty of room to move. You might also find it helpful to use a space that has a grade or hill, such as a driveway, but it's better to find a hill that doesn't lead onto a street with passing cars. Empty parking lots can be good for this sometimes.

How to Skateboard: Tips for Beginners

Watch videos before you take lessons. If you're thinking of spending money on lessons, you can get a lot more value from the money by watching some videos online first. You can do a search on YouTube for just about any skateboarding move you can imagine, and you'll find videos of people demonstrating how to do them. Make sure to pay close attention to the skaters' legs, the positions of their feet on the boards, and how much they bend their knees. For some types of moves, it's important to bend your knees at the right times. Watch the videos and try the moves on your own a few times. When you take lessons, you'll already know where you're running into problems and you'll know what questions to ask. It will also help you to quickly tell if the instructor is a good fit for you.

Remember to take it slow, take it day by day, and focus on the fundamentals. Don't attempt fancy tricks right out of the gate, and don't try anything dangerous too soon.

How to Skateboard: Tips for Beginners

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