Skateboarding as an adult is possible, but you won’t pick up skateboarding as quickly as kids. And to help adult beginners succeed on the first day and not give up the following days, I will give a specific, complete, and detailed guide in this article. Stay tuned!
What adult beginners need for starting out skateboarding?
There are a lot of things for you to prepare, but here are the 3 most important things that every person who wants to succeed cannot do without:
1. Proper safety gear
Helmets help protect your head from injuries that happen while skateboarding. Many people often give up wearing helmets because of the heat in the summer, because it is not fashionable, because it reduces the rider’s performance, and so on. So do you like hospital bills? In addition, you should also have extra elbow pads, and knee pads, and wear long pants and a long shirt for added protection. You may think this is overprotection, but the reality is that you will fall a lot in the first few days of training. You may find pro skaters don’t wear knee pads or elbow pads, that’s because they are skilled at falling properly. Don’t fooly compare yourself with them.
2. A good beginner skateboard
A quality skateboard is very important for beginners. Obviously, you can’t buy the best beginner skateboard at places like Target, Walmart, or shopping malls. It’s not okay to just pick a random board and assume it’s good. You need advice and guidance from an experienced and skateboard-knowledgeable person. And the best way is to visit your local skate shop, there are people who can help you make decisions, and you can also check the board out in person.
3. Prepare your confidence
You will not be able to skate when you do not dare to stand on the board, nor will you be able to skate if you are afraid of the people judging you. Confidence determines who you are and whether you will succeed or not. Don’t rush, start slowly and nicely, and everything will be fine.
4. Find a practice area
Skateboarding locations are diverse and plentiful with many types of obstacles, but to start, choose places that have a nice surface. Skateparks are too crowded for a beginner, and it will be dangerous for you when advanced riders gather there, too. They may be too focused on their extreme tricks and cause you an accident. You can practice at the skate park early in the morning when it’s empty, or choose other locations like an abandoned parking lot, schoolyard, or even your own yard.
What to practice first?
When learning something new, we need to learn from something easy to difficult. The same applies to skateboarding, you need to learn the basics first. Specifically, here it is how to balance.
You need to get used to the movement with wheels underneath your feet. And for good balance, you need to put your feet in the right position.
Place your dominant foot on the board and the other foot on the ground. Push the board slowly and gradually pull the pushing leg up. Repeat this until you can do it confidently. Then place both feet on the board. If your right leg is in front, you are “goofy”. And if your left leg comes first, you are “regular”. Try both ways, whichever is more comfortable to you is the right foot position.
Another tip for better balance on the board is to lower your center of gravity. Extend your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees a little and extend your arms out to the sides to maintain balance.
Once you can confidently balance on your board, the next step is to learn to push.
When you are able to stand on 2 feet on the board, take your back foot off to the ground and start pushing. You can do a single or a double push, then return the foot back onto the board.
Practice this motion a few times so you get used to the movement of the board and practice controlling the board.
Stopping is also a basic thing that you need to learn on the first day. Usually, the skateboard will stop automatically when you don’t push it so you don’t have to stop it. But if there is an emergency, take your back foot off the board and drag it on the ground. Another way is to jump off the board. You should jump horizontally so that the board can stop immediately.
Alright, those are enough for the first day. You may feel very excited and want to learn more, but, as I say, start slowly so you can conserve energy for the next sessions. After completing the basics, you can watch youtube and learn more advanced movements.