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Skateboarding may be the most fun you can have on dry land. If you've always wanted to skate, but been too afraid or embarrassed, this page is for you. No matter what your age or athletic ability, you can skate. This is a simple, step-by-step lesson on How to Skateboard.
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Introduction
- Whether you're a kid stuck in the suburbs or the inner city, a college student stuck on campus, or a parent stuck in adulthood, skating is a great way to introduce some adventure to a life full of restrictions. Chances are, once you start, you won't be able to quit. And starting is easier than you may think.
Step 1: Have the Right Mindset
- If you want to be a skater, it's important have a positive philosophy. Skating is a creative sport, but it can be difficult.
- Have fun.
- If you're looking for a competitive sport, join the swim team. Skating is all about fun and creativity. You improve for the sake of being the best you can be, not to be better than others.
- Don't be embarrassed.
- Inevitably, someone's going to think it's hilarious when you take a fall. Don't take it seriously. You skate to impress yourself, not some jerk.
- Don't get attitude.
- No matter how good you get, or how quickly you learn, always treat less competent skaters with respect and kindness. Remember how many times you've fallen in the past.
- Don't get discouraged.
- Maybe more than any other sport, skating is about trial and error. How else could anyone have ever invented the BS shove-it backfoot underflip? Take each spill, get up and try again.
Step 2: What You'll Need
- Don't just jump in. Get the right board and the right equipment. Here's your shopping list:
- Skateboard.
- Start with an inexpensive board, complete with wheels and trucks.
- The trucks are the T-shaped metal contraptions (attached to the bottom of the board) that hold the wheels.
- Start with a standard, modern pill-shaped deck (see photo at right), rather than something exotic.
- The deck is the the wooden "board" part of the skateboard.
- Before you buy, stand on the deck. Decks come in different widths and lengths, so make sure you're comfortable on it.
- Start with an inexpensive board, complete with wheels and trucks.
- Safety gear.
- This is particularly important when you start.
- Just go with the basics—knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards and—most importantly—a helmet.
- Make sure they're comfortable but snug-fitting.
- Tools.
- Three tools should cover all your maintenance needs:
- Screwdriver. Now and then, the trucks will come a little loose from the deck. Make sure you have the right screwdriver to tighten the bolts that hold them on, usually a standard phillips-head or allen-head.
- 3/8" socket wrench. When you're screwing in the bolts that hold the trucks on, use this wrench to hold in place the nuts on the other side.
- 9/16" socket wrench or open-end wrench. Use this wrench to tighten or loosen the kingpin of the trucks (see photo and caption at left), resulting in more or less resistance when you turn.
- 1/2" socket wrench. This is for tightening or loosening the nuts that hold on the wheels.
- The Unit Skateboard Tool contains all of these tools in one. Look for it online, or at your local skate shop.
Step 3: Be Safe
- People have been paralyzed or killed skateboarding. In 1998 alone, around 8,500 kids ended up in emergency rooms for skating-related injuries. Don't be one of them.
- Are you old enough?
- Kids between six and ten should be supervised by an adult; kids under five shouldn't skate at all.
- Wear safety gear.
- Adjust the helmet and pads so that they're snug.
- Don't try anything until you're ready.
- This is a little tricky, because you never know if you can do something until you try. However, go with your gut. If you feel a bottomless pit open up in your stomach at the very thought of trying a new trick, then start with something easier.
- If something looks crazy, it probably is.
- If you're going to risk injury, make sure it's a scraped knee, or at worst, a sprain.
- Don't be a hazard to others.
- There's a reason that every American town has a few "no skateboarding" signs posted. Don't skate where there are pedestrians or bystanders, especially small kids or the elderly. You don't want your board flying out from under you and giving someone a concussion.
Step 4: Get Comfortable
- Before hitting the concrete, get the feel of the board by standing on it in grass or dirt: any surface that prevents the wheels from rolling. (Mom's carpet is not recommended.)
- Put one foot near the front of the board, directly over the front trucks.
- Don't place your foot on the nose (the front part the deck that slants upward).
- Go with whichever foot feels natural to be in front.
- Position your foot sideways, so that your ankle is facing the front of the board.
- Place the other foot near the back of the board, over the bolts of the rear trucks.
- Don't place it on the tail (the back part the deck that slants upward).
- Stand on the board and balance.
- Keep your knees bent.
- Shift from side to side as far as you can without falling off.
- If you're having trouble balancing, your trucks may be too loose. Use your 9/16" wrench to tighten the kingpins.
- Check which stance feels most comfortable: your right foot forward, or your left foot forward.
- Standing with your right foot forward is called "goofy" style, but there's nothing wrong with it. About half of all skaters ride goofy.
Step 5: Skate
- Once you feel comfortable standing on the board, it's time to graduate from grass to concrete.
- Find some flat concrete, away from cars.
- If your driveway has an incline, go somewhere else—you want flat.
- Place one foot on the front of the board, over the trucks, just as you did in Step 4.
- Gently push off with your other foot and place it on the back of the board, over the trucks.
- Right about now, the board will slip out from under you and you'll hit the pavement. This is normal. Expect this to keep happening until you can balance on the board while in motion.
- One way to balance, particularly when you start out, is to hold your arms out to either side, as if you're walking a tightrope.
- Be aware of the ground in front of you, and avoid obstacles like pebbles that could catch on the wheels.
- To stop, lift your back foot from the board and press it against the pavement, like a brake.
- To turn, shift your weight to one side of the board.
Step 6: Learn Basic Maneuvers
- You won't be ready to learn tricks until you're comfortable riding your skateboard, but there are a couple of simple techniques you should know.
- Kickturn.
- When you do a kickturn, you lift the front of the board and pivot on the rear trucks. This way, you can turn much more sharply than by shifting your weight to the side.
- Roll over obstacles.
- Obstacles such as cracks in the sidewalk, or the ridges at the bottoms of driveways, can halt your wheels and send you flying. Eventually, you'll learn to ollie, but as a beginner, there's a simpler way to get over these little hurdles.
- Place your rear foot on the tail and shift your weight backwards, but only lift the front wheels enough to clear the obstacle.
- Before the back wheels hit the obstacle, shift your weight back to the middle of the board.
- Obstacles such as cracks in the sidewalk, or the ridges at the bottoms of driveways, can halt your wheels and send you flying. Eventually, you'll learn to ollie, but as a beginner, there's a simpler way to get over these little hurdles.
Step 7: Don't Give Up
- You'll fall, you'll curse, your knees will start looking like manicotti, but don't give up. The more you try, the better you'll get! And remember: have fun!
