Beginning Skateboarding
Beginner’s Q & A
Q. What’s a good board for beginners?
A. Anything but a
Wal-mart deck. If you are seriously striving to
become a good skateboarder, you need a good deck to practice on. A $19.99
K-Mart board definitely won’t cut it! I recommend starting out with a blank
complete. Blank decks are cheap and are constructed very well, so they last a
long time- they’re great for beginners.
As you get better and better, you may want to start looking into
brand name decks. CCS.com offers great blank completes starting at $69.99!
Q. Does it matter which end of the board I use?
A. Not really-
Most use the shorter and lower end as the tail. The higher and wider end is the
nose. However, it’s all a matter of personal preference. For example, some find
that the tail has better pop but the nose is easier to scoop.
Q. Do shoes matter?
A. Obviously,
you don’t want to be skating in sandals or dress shoes, so I strongly recommend
getting a pair of skate shoes. They are a great investment because they provide
comfort and can withstand the stresses of skateboarding. Skate shoes have a larger surface area to allow more balance, and many
come with ankle support to prevent yourself from rolling your ankles.
Q. How should I push?
A. You always want your front foot on the board
and push off the ground with your back foot. The opposite is called pushing
mongo. Make sure you develop the habit of pushing your board the right way-
pushing mongo makes it more difficult to set your feet up for tricks.
Q. How do I turn?
A. To turn, you simply lean in the direction you
want to turn into. Just bend your knees and place more weight on your heels or
toes, depending on the direction you want to turn into. For a tighter turn, do
a quick manual by placing more weight on the tail, lifting the front wheels off
the ground and turning in the direction you want to go in.
Q. How do I stop?
A. To stop you can simply put your weight on the
tail, and drag your tail on the ground. This is called a tailstop
and can wear away your tail. You can use an alternative method and use your
pushing foot to slow yourself down.
Q. When can I start learning tricks?
A. Before learning any trick, you must be
comfortable standing and riding a skateboard. If you can’t even stand on the
board without falling, there is no way you’re ready to learn the Ollie.
Practice riding around everyday until you can easily
push, turn and stop. Then, you know you are ready to learn the Ollie.
Q. Why is your reading method so much better than tutorial videos?
A. You see, most trick tip videos give so little
information that it’s almost impossible to get a good idea of all the details
of the trick. If you have lots of free time to explore and mess around with
learning a new trick, then a traditional video tutorial might be a good place
to start. But if you want to learn new tricks in the fastest, most effective
way possible, then most likely, video trick tutorials won’t do much to help
you. Even if the video gave you the instructions in detail, you’ll still have
trouble remember exactly what to do. That’s why a written guide is so
important. However, a visual can still be very helpful. That’s why I encourage
you to watch a few videos on how a trick is supposed to be executed so you have
a clear image of what to do.
Q. What can I do to ensure I learn these tricks quickly and effortlessly?
A. Have fun when skating! Read the trick tips thoroughly, watch videos of pros, ask questions on discussion boards but most importantly, practice, practice and practice…
