Begin to go skateboarding from scratch can be very embarrassing. Especially if you’ve never practiced board sports, surfing, snowboarding or anything else. And above all if you consider that skateboarding is the stuff of teenagers, maybe you haven’t been for a long time, and clearly there’s no mention of going to Tokyo 2020 with a board. And yet if the skateboard deck is calling you, know that, all in all, getting started with skateboarding isn’t impossible. After all, the skate mantra states that there are no coaches, no rules and no bans either. The important thing is to have fun, which is one of the many reasons to start.
Like how to start skateboarding from scratch
Per start skateboarding from scratch the first thing you need is a skateboard. All in all, a skateboard is a fairly simple object to understand: there is a deckwhich is the piece of wood you step on, and there’s the grip, which is the layer of sandpaper applied to the top side of the deck to have grip and not slip. The deck is sold in different widths and lengths: the best thing to start with is a board wide enough for you to feel comfortable. Then there are the trucks not wheels, which are what allow you to turn and drive forward. If you search on skateboard sites you will find thousands of discussions on the diameter of the wheels, type of bearings, lengths and widths of the decks and much more: if in doubt, go to a specialized shop, don’t be ashamed to explain that it is not a gift for your nephew and get the best advice.
What position to hold on the skateboard
As for snowboarding, too in skateboarding there are regulars and goofies. I regular keep the left foot forward and push with the right, i goofy the opposite. Don’t you know what you are? Try to remember when you were a child and you played those games like running and then sliding on a strip of soapy plastic (or maybe on ice): which foot did you keep forward? Well, in any case, go up and try them both, the answer is within you and it will find you. Once you figure out which foot will be in front, know that the correct position is with the toe just behind the wheels.
How to accelerate on skateboard
Accelerating on a skateboard is much more natural than you might think. Do this: walk towards the table, put the foot that should be in front on it, and give a push with the other. There’s only one correct way to push, and that’s with the foot on the ground behind the perpendicular of the body. Any other way of pushing the board is more tiring, uncomfortable and incorrect.
How to progress on the skateboard
When you push off with the foot on the ground, the one in front must remain straight, or rather parallel to the board. When, on the other hand, you let the table carry you, put both feet perpendicular to the boardbend your knees slightly and try to be as relaxed (or less rigid) as possible: it is in fact this position that allows you to ride the board and advance with the skateboard. Starting, pushing (with the foot straight forward) and then moving forward (putting both feet perpendicular to the board) are the basics of skateboarding: better learn to do all this well by trying and trying again. Then there will be learning to bend.
How to turn with the skateboard deck
There are essentially two ways to bend with the skateboard deck. One way is toraise the front wheels and in directing them to where you have to go, and it’s called kick turn; the other consists of shift your body weight in the direction you want to go, and is the most basic and traditional way to ride a skateboard. For the kick turn, on the other hand, you have to press your foot on the back of the board and turn the toe, but for this you need much more sensitivity than a beginner starting from scratch can have. In any case, learning both can only be helpful.
Protect yourself
It is not essential, but if you are afraid of hurting yourself it can help: casco
What shoes to use to skate
Basically you can use any pair of sports shoes, however if you look at the specific ones you will notice how they have a wider and very flat plant, to offer the optimal and necessary support to stay on the table. If you have something like this, use it.
Credits photo: Pixabay
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