How to Ride a Skateboard: A Beginner's Guide
Skateboarding is something that anyone can enjoy and participate in regardless of age. It is a fun activity to learn whether you're young, overweight, tall, or thin. However, learning to skateboard takes time, dedication, and a lot of guts; almost no one knows how to skateboard on their first day.
Everyone must begin somewhere, and being good at skateboarding is no exception. Skateboarding isn’t easy, but with a few tips, you can learn how to ride it. Below are some fundamental principles for helping a novice like you know how to ride a skateboard and become as good or better than those already familiar with the sport.
Choosing a Stance
Regular and goofy stances are the two types of skating postures. If you glide/skate with your left foot ahead and your right foot pushing your board, you will be in the regular position. To skate goofy, you must push with your left foot while skating with your right foot forward.
How to Determine If You Are Goofy or Regular Footed
The back foot is often the dominant foot, which makes controlling the skateboard easier. Stand up straight and ask someone to gently push you from behind to see which stance is best for your body type and height. Whichever foot you use to brace yourself is the lead foot in this situation.
However, it is crucial to note that how you ride is usually determined by your comfort level rather than your right or left-handedness. Some regular riders have a dominant right hand, and some goofy riders have a dominating left hand. Test with both positions and see which one seems more natural to you over time.
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Learn How to Push
Position your front foot over the front truck nuts while pushing. It should be positioned so that it faces towards the nose of the board but at a bit of inclination. Use your rear foot to push alongside the board and force yourself ahead.
Push many times to gain more incredible speed. When you've reached your desired speed, position your back foot on the tail perpendicular to the deck. When your rear foot is on the board, swivel your front foot to the same perpendicular position as your rear foot.
Refrain from Attempting an Ollie or Kickflip
The attempt at an ollie or a kickflip is something you witness rather frequently, even among those new to skating themselves. People completely disregard the fundamentals and immediately begin attempting ollies.
Please refrain from doing so. If you don't grasp the fundamentals, it will simply take you longer to learn the tricks. You must have a feel for your skateboard before you can do complicated tricks, such as kickflips and ollies.
Your skateboard should feel like a natural extension of your body. It is possible to continue when you can push and steer with confidence as if it were second nature. Most complete skateboards, which come with all-around components, can make for easier turns as well. Make sure that you’re using a good-quality skateboard so the learning curve will be easier.
Learn How to Make a Turn
Begin by putting both of your feet on your skateboard and taking a few steps. At the same time, lean to the front and back and utilize your feet to assist you. Your board will react to your movements, and once you've mastered it, you may try it out while riding.
Kick turns and carving turns are the two sorts of turns you can use to maneuver your skateboard. Kick turns are the more aggressive of the two.
With a kick turn, you'll need to lift your front wheels off the ground by gently pressing down on your tail with your back foot, which is slightly more challenging. When you lean in and use your body weight to steer, you are said to be carving.
If your trucks are too tight, carving turns will be more difficult; therefore, you should loosen them up a little (but not too much). Lean in the direction you wish to go, and your board will follow your lead.
Learn How to Stop
While still in motion, lift your rear foot off the board's tail and plant it on the ground parallel to your board on the toe side of your board. Continue to drag your back foot across the ground, exerting pressure on your foot until you reach a complete stop. Make sure to balance your weight evenly across your feet—if you put too much weight on your rear foot, you will come to a complete stop, but your board will continue to move.
Conclusion
Every beginning is a difficult task. It may be difficult and demanding to the point where you want to give up, but keep in mind that no successful person or professional athlete has ever achieved success by starting as an expert.
Nonetheless, your natural skill and dedication will help you improve and gradually develop your speed and tricks until you reach the level of a professional skater. Even if your goal isn’t to be a pro, it’s normal to experience a few bumps when you’re skateboarding. Just persevere, and eventually, you’ll be riding your skateboard smoothly.
