How to Ride a Skateboard

Skateboarding is fun, especially when you are young or young at heart. Still, learning to ride one can be a daunting task and you may need all the help you can get. As you learn and practice, you will start developing skills that will benefit you on your skating journey.

Taking one step at a time to overcome your fears of balancing and learning the rigors of how to ride a skateboard can put you in a better position of becoming an expert in the sport of skateboarding.

Decide which foot to use

The first problem a beginner skater usually is faced with is to decide which foot to use first. Whether it is to hop on to the skateboard or to power it, whichever foot you decide to use first is crucial to your balancing and ultimately your success in conquering the board.

A great way to start board riding is for you to have a friend push you. Allow him or her to give you a push start and the first foot that you use to do anything while on board is an indication that in the future as you ride you will be depending on that foot to do almost everything. In fact, it will be that foot that will be in front as you ride.

Develop your balancing power

For most people just starting out on their ride, balancing is usually a challenging task for them. As a beginner skater, you need to take it very slowly at first and with practice you will become better at balancing yourself overtime.

Start by pushing yourself slowly with one foot on the ground and the other on the board. Do little balancing acts at intervals and after a while of consistent practicing you will find yourself staying on the board with both feet for longer periods.

Learn to turn

One you master your balancing act, you can now move on to the turning process. The turning is not difficult to catch on to, but it still takes some practicing to get used to though.

To turn your board while ride it, you have to press a bit on the back end with one leg and use your front foot to position the turn. Practice this over and over again until you get good at it.

Cruising on your skateboard

Before you graduate to skateboard cruising, you have to master balancing and turning first. So now that you know how to balance and turn, you can now go on to cruising, which is not a difficult task because you have mastered steps 1 2 and 3 already.

Your first cruising trick that you should attempt is the manual. In doing the manual, all you have to do is just to use your back foot to hoist the board forward and your front foot to make the turn around. It is just like doing a wheelie on a bicycle.

Once you complete and master the manual, you can then move on to attempt the slide trick. The slide trick requires that you skate really fast. As you skate, place your back foot at the edge of the board and push hard for the board to slide.

Completing your lesson

To really become a good rider and even compete in the sport, you have to practice a lot. The more you practice, the better rider you will become and even conquer your fears in many areas such as balancing as well as falling. It may take time but not to worry because you will eventually catch on.

Pros

Well, here are some perfect reasons as to why you should try skateboarding once in a while.

Skateboarding makes you fit

You can get a good workout by just doing about half an hour skateboard a day. Boarding requires you to hop on and off, push forward with your foot for momentum and twist and turn your body to carry out a manual.

Therefore, instead of just visiting the gym each day, why not put in a few minutes of riding your board and watch your body increase in strength.

Will increase your attractiveness

Riding a board regularly and doing the footwork exercise can help you to lose weight and look more attractive to the opposite sex.

Since regular exercise helps you to lose weight, riding your board is a way of working off those extra pounds from your body because as you physically push to ride, your body tends to produce heat that burns away those extra calories.

You become tougher

If you are a beginner rider who is serious about riding a board, then be prepared to get some minor cuts and bruises in the process.

However, as you hang in there and not give up, you will find yourself become tougher with each fall that you get. After your first few months or so, the falls will stop because you know every trick in the business and all you now have to do is to enjoy your rides.

You will meet other skateboarders

Since skateboarding is so popular around the world, you will find it easy to make friends who are passionate about skateboarding like you. Some may be in your community, you can ride with them, and others might be online whom you can share stories with.

Your focus and determination will increase

If while riding and you are making mistakes with your balancing, turning, sliding and manual, try not to give up but instead stay focus and determined to overcome the obstacles

Cons

There are also some disadvantages to skateboarding. Have a look at them and decide for yourself why you should start skating

Can cause Bruises

Unless you really had a bad accident, boarding will not destroy all your joints so that you cannot use them again. Still, you may pick up a few bruises and aches here and there but riding a board may not do you any great damage.

You will start rejecting friends who do not skate

There can be nothing farther from the truth than this statement. For most skaters, they will tell you that they still maintain close friendship with friends who are not skating friends.

You will stop focusing on other things

While skating on a board can take up some of your focus, it does not stop you from focusing on other things in life such as your school lessons, other sports and so on. In fact, the rigors of boarding may be a big help to you in regards to your school lessons because it increases your concentration more.

Conclusion

Riding a skateboard is a fun-filled entertainment you just cannot afford to miss out on. Once you learn the ins and outs of skateboarding, in no time you will become an expert and you can teach others what you know. This is a wonderful way of becoming productive in a field you fully understand, which is the art of skateboarding.