Skimboarding can be a fun and rewarding activity, and is fairly easy to pick up for anyone of any age. For any inlanders who may be reading, it is a common misconception that you have to be at a beach to skimboard; in truth, all you need is a flat, soft surface with as little as a quarter inch of water on top of it. http://www.skimculture.comYou can find places to skimboard on the beach (in the waves or in tidal pools), in slow moving rivers, swampy areas, or even in your back yard after a hard rain.

There are three basic types of skimboarding: inland, shoreline, and tidal skimming. Inland and shoreline skimming will be covered in this how-to, mostly because tidal skimming involves riding and jumping over breaking waves which requires quite a bit of skill and may prove difficult for a new skimmer.http://www.skimcity.com/store/home.php These two types of skimming involve getting up speed, throwing the board in a straight and controlled path, and getting onto the board without falling. After you are on the board, you can simply coast along for 25 feet or so once you get enough controlled speed, and from there, you can even add some simple and then complicated tricks which will also be touched on in this how-to.http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/index.html

The first thing you will need, of course, is a skimboard! You can find these in most tourist attracting areas around beaches, but they are also available online. There are two basic types of skimboards for the types of skimming covered: wooden and fiberglass. Wooden boards tend to be much cheaper ($15-$40).http://www.beachmall.com/product/WCPS572?meta=FRG&utm_source=GBASE&utm_medium=CPC&utm_content=&utm_campaign= Fiberglass boards tend to be more expensive ($60-$300).http://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/body-glove-stinger-fiberglass-skimboard.html?CID=GoogleShopping

For a beginner, a wooden board is recommended, just to make sure it is something you enjoy and want to invest money in. As far as performance, the boards behave fairly similarly, but fiberglass boards last longer, have rubber footing grips, and can be used for any of the three types of skimming. Both boards, though, have similar shapes and generally behave alike in the short-run. http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/index.html

There are a few things you must look for in a good skimboard which all depend on what you want. Faster and more maneuverable (requires more skill) tend to be smaller, while larger boards have more control and stability, but are still easy to get decent speed on. http://www.skimculture.com Secondly you want to look for a good curve, or "rocker". On a beginning board, you want a constant rocker on both the front and rear of the board, meaning the leading surface and rear should be permanently bent upwards to allow for the passing of water under the board. In between these two points, (in the middle of the board) you generally want a flat board so it is easier to keep a layer of water under your board.

The perfect place for this kind of skimming is anywhere that has more than about a quarter inch of water and a flat, smooth surface. For example, this article will discuss the most common place to skim, which is a beach (but as stated previously, swampy areas or slow moving rivers are just as effective).

The most important part of having a good skim is timing your speed and board throw with the waves coming up onto the beach. http://www.skimculture.comYou will need to find a piece of shore that is flat and allows for a wide area of beach to be covered with a small amount of water. You will want to watch the wave cycle for that day and memorize the rhythm and order of different sized waves. For example, small wave, small wave, big wave, small wave with one wave every 4 seconds could be the order of your waves. This pattern will stay the same over the course of about 30 minutes but will then begin to change a little as time passes. http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/index.html

Being a beginner, you want to wait for the 'big wave' to skim on. After you are in sync with the beach, you are almost ready to go on your first ride.http://www.skimculture.com

Before you can jump right on, you need to determine which footing is preferable to you. If you already know how to skateboard, this should be pretty easy for you, as it will be the exact same. Whichever footing you have, you must have your feet pointing the same direction and to the outside edge of the board (to the left or right of the board). Take a while to get acquainted with which foot you want forward. If it feels better to have your left foot on the front, then you will be facing to the board's right and visa versa. http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/index.html

Once you have determined which way to face, you need to work on your foot placement. You want the leading foot to be centered and behind the forward rocker we talked about earlier, because you always want the forward rocker to be bent up in its natural position to funnel water under the board. You also need to have your forward foot more than half way up the board. Depending on how far your legs are spread apart (whichever distance is comfortable to you) determines exactly where the forward foot lies between the board's middle and forward rocker. The rear foot should also be centered and placed from 1/8th to 1/4th the boards length from the rear. Make sure to make a mental picture of how this foot positioning looks, because you will need it to look like this every time you jump onto it. Now that you have your footing down, it's time for your first skim! http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/index.html

Once you find that ideal piece of shoreline, you are ready to go. The basic procedure will be to face the direction you will be running (parallel to the beach) and to hold the board with your dominant hand to the rear and the other hand stabilizing it off to the side, causing the board to be held to the side of you that is facing the water. Timing now becomes critical, you want to skim the 'big wave' to give yourself more skim time. http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/index.htmlRight after the wave before the big one breaks (and comes up on shore), begin a slow run parallel with the beach, keeping the board to the water's side. Once you have a comfortable and steady speed, bend down slightly at your waist and, keeping the board parallel with the ground, thrust the board forward, powering it with the dominant hand and guiding the direction with the other. You will now want to run directly behind the board for no more than 4 steps and then thrust yourself onto it (twisting to whichever side your footing requires). Make sure you jump with just enough speed to get your perfect footing. Once you land on the board, bend your knees slightly to transfer more of your momentum into the board's forward motion.

Balance now becomes a critical issue and will develop with time and practice. Make sure not to lean back too much or you will break your tailbone!

If your board is coming to a stop and there is still skimmable water ahead, simply lift your forward foot up and down rythmically to 'pump' the board. This will not provide much more speed, but will prolong the skimming experience. http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/index.html

To steer your board in the middle of a skim, you need to take weight off of your front foot, lean slightly to whichever side you want to turn to and then pull the lighter forward foot the direction you want to go. http://www.skimculture.com

There are a few easy tricks which you can do once you get to be proficient at straight and long skims: shuvits, 360's, and coffins. http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/tricks/beginner.htm Most tricks done on a skimboard come from skateboarding, so it may help you to look at the skateboard version of each trick as well. All of these tricks will begin after you are already on the board and will be presented on the assumption that you have speed, are on the board in the stance described above, and have control of the board.

1. 360- This trick is one of the easiest, yet best-looking trick there is. This is basically just a maneuver in which you bend slightly at the knees and waist, drag your hand and push hard off of the sand on the side of the board. This will cause you to go into a quick spin, which you must counteract in your balance by adjusting your weight to the opposite way in which you are turning and staying low to the board. http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/tricks/beginner.htm

2. Shuvit- This trick is a bit more tricky and requires more practice. This is a maneuver in which you bend your knees to get lower to the board in preparation for an upwards jump and spring off of the board about 6 inches. While you are in the air though, the board must spin 180 degrees which you must cause by pulling the rear foot back and pushing the forward front in front of you just before you leave the board in your jump. http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/tricks/beginner.htm

3. Coffin- This is more of a trick for fun, not amazement. All you have to do is face forward on your board (as opposed to the sideways stance you use to conventionally ride) and slowly get on your knees, and ultimately laying toally flat on your back with arms and legs straigh, as if you were in a coffin. http://www.skimonline.com/skimschool/tricks/beginner.htm