Skateboarding can be fun for people of all ages, and there’s nothing quite like mastering the art of skating around your hometown.
However, a common misconception is that skateboarding is an easy feat. Rest assured, it is not and actually takes a long while to learn. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know!
Stepping on a skateboard is only half of the battle. Luckily; however, we’re going to take you through the basics of how to skateboard that every beginner should learn.
There is a lot to get through, so let’s get right into it, shall we?
Table of Contents
The Top Steps of How to Skateboard for Beginners
Preparation is Key
Before you even think about getting on a skateboard, you’re going to need to prepare yourself with the right equipment.
Your beginner’s skateboard should be high-quality but not too expensive so that you don’t waste your money if you decide that skateboarding isn’t for you down the line.
If you’re interested in building a skateboard to use and want to buy high-quality parts to fit together, make sure that you get the basics. Every good skateboard will consist of a durable deck, sturdy trucks and bearings, and smooth wheels.
There are different types of skateboards that you can opt for, such as a longboard or a cruiser, but most beginners will want to start with the classic skateboard.
If you purchase a ready-made skateboard, make sure that you check the quality of all of the components as one broken part can seriously damage your practice.
You might also want to invest in some high-quality shoes and protective gear. Most beginner skateboarders like to wear a helmet to protect their heads, but others also use elbow and shin pads.
As a beginner, it’s likely that you’ll fall over once or twice, so some gloves might also be a good shout.
Stepping Onto the Board
Now that you look the part, all that is left is to step on a skateboard and learn as you go!
Don’t worry, almost everyone stands over their boards and feels an existential dread of ‘what am I doing here?’ – but don’t worry, everyone feels this way when they’re stepping onto a skateboard for the first time.
It’s natural to be worried about stepping onto a rolling hovering machine. However, once you learn to keep your balance and accept the fact that the falls aren’t too painful, you will find it much easier to do. So, how do you stand on the board?
Stand with your dominant foot nearest the tail and the other towards the nose of the board. This might feel slightly strange, and if so you can always turn it around and try with the dominant foot near the nose.
There is no set answer to which foot goes at the front of the board, it is simply down to your preference.
Grasping the Basics
Perhaps the most basic skills that you’ll need for skateboarding is starting and stopping, so let’s start with learning how to do just that!
Pushing off
To begin skateboarding you’ll need to push yourself off of the ground. Traditionally the back foot will do the pushing, so take this foot and position it alongside the front trucks of the board.
Give the board a little push with the foot that is still on the board so that you start going forward.
By pushing the front of your board, your feet will become parallel to one another after you move forward. Continue doing this until you feel more confident in pushing harder so that you’ll go faster.
You can also do this motion multiple times in a row so that you travel for longer.
Once you’ve got a suitable momentum going, you can return your back foot to the board until you need it again. Lean slightly forward to keep the momentum going for longer so that you’re not constantly kicking your leg.
This might take a while to get the hang of, and it often does feel unnatural for the first couple of practice sessions.
Your balance will come into play here, as well, as the longer you travel, the better you’ll have to be at keeping yourself on the board.
Having said that, pushing off is a very simple method of skateboarding once you’re comfortable with the motion.
Pulling back
Stopping your skateboard is actually very simple when you’re just learning the basics, as you likely won’t be traveling very fast at all.
If this is the case, simply touch your foot to the ground. It will drag along the floor until your board comes to a halt. Then step off the board and voila!
Once you get more comfortable with skateboarding and begin learning new tricks, stopping the board will get a little trickier as your speed will be higher. However, this isn’t something to think about when you’re just starting out.
Turning direction
Turning is another valuable skill to have when you first start skateboarding, as you won’t get very far only skating in one direction.
While both of your feet are on the board, lean them towards the left or right of the board. This is likely to throw you off balance, but don’t worry. You’ll get the hang of it and it’ll get much easier as you practice more.
Steering with your bodyweight is called a carving turn.
A kick turn; however, is a little more advanced and requires you to put a little pressure on the tail of the board, raising the front wheels up above the ground.
Then you can lean towards either side so that the board follows you. A kick turn is trickier to grasp but can help when you need to take a sharp corner.
How to Skateboard for Beginners: Summary
That concludes our skateboard complete guide for beginners. We hope that you’ve learned the basics and how to start your skateboarding journey.
Once you’ve mastered the basics that we listed above, you can feel free to move onto skateboarding tricks for beginners.
However, don’t rush learning the process of moving your skateboard, as this will aid you in all of your further accomplishments.
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