How to learn to ride a skateboard from scratch?

Skateboarding continues to maintain one of the leading positions among active sports. Today, both an adult and a child can easily acquire the appropriate equipment and get on the board, but just to acquire the necessary skills is more difficult than studying the theory. How to learn how to ride a skateboard, what equipment you will have to purchase, where it is best to understand the basics of board control from scratch - let's talk about this in more detail.

There are certain rules for choosing a place and equipment for skiing. For children and adults only learning the basics of skate management, you must take care of the purchase of suitable clothing and shoes, as well as protective equipment. Helmets, knee pads, elbow pieces, protective shorts, palm rests are needed not only for boys and girls. An adult can also be injured if there is no equipment when falling.

Special shoes are the key to success. Sneakers for skateboarding provide the best grip on the surface. Their sole is made of durable materials that are not afraid of intense abrasion.

The skate for beginners should be quite wide - on average 20.3 cm, 78.5 cm long. These are universal parameters that make it easy to master the technique of riding. The suspension of the first skate should be aluminum, not protruding beyond the edges of the board. Bead bearings for beginners usually correspond to ABEC class 1 to 3. Do not chase a large wheel size - it will become an obstacle to learning.

When choosing a site for skiing, novice riders need to give preference to smooth concrete or asphalt surfaces without pronounced bumps, cracks and other obstacles. There should not be a large number of pedestrians or small children on the training ground. Riding on the carriageway, driving on highways or public roads is strictly prohibited.

At first, it’s best to stick to the edge of the available tracks so as not to interfere with those riding a scooter or roller at a higher speed. When choosing a place, it is recommended to conduct a preliminary inspection, carefully examine the territory - potholes or a well hatch that appeared on the way can cause a fall.

Let’s figure out which elements and exercises for beginner skaters are required to study. To master skateboarding, you must first learn to stand on it. The correct setting looks like this:

• the body is located across the board;
• the legs are shoulder width above the wheels;
• the knees are slightly bent;
• hands can be spread apart;
• the face is turned in the direction of movement;
• when transferring weight to the socks, the rollers under them should come closer;
• with a shift of the center of gravity to the heels - the same thing.

Actually, maneuvering consists in changing the load on the left or right edge of the board. This is a basic management technique. Having mastered the stand "on the ground", out of the blue, you can move on to the movement. To learn how to ride a skateboard from scratch, it is enough to put one foot on the board, and the other to give acceleration, pushing it off the asphalt. No need to rush, it’s unlikely that you can quickly learn the basics, you will have to spend some time.

The ability to ride in a straight line is the basis of skateboarding. First, the athlete must decide on a push leg. It becomes the one that is most convenient to build on asphalt. For most people, this is the right leg, but it is better to experiment on your own and make the final decision.

To start moving in a straight line, you must first take a basic position - with two legs on the deck. Then the supporting leg gently lowers onto the asphalt, makes a push and returns to the board again. No need to hurry - the first attempts should allow the skater to feel the balance, setting a speed record is useless here.

The ability to maneuver is an important component of a successful ride. Beginners are advised to master smooth turns. To do this, it is enough to learn how to transfer body weight to heels or socks - always in the direction you are going to go. The housing also tilts toward the inner turning radius. The stronger the pressure, the sharper the angle of change of the trajectory.

Sharp turns are carried out as experience is gained, since for them the skater should be able to balance only on the rear wheels of the board. In this case, the separation of the bow of the board from the ground is used by transferring the weight back. In this position, a jerk is made by the body, which allows you to change the direction of movement in the right direction. As soon as the goal is achieved, the front wheels again fall to the ground, the balance is restored.

For beginners in skating, the ability to make sharp turns is simply not necessary. First you need to master the gradual transition from direct driving to taxiing. Having learned to smoothly change the direction of movement, you can already leave the training site. Do not be afraid of falls or emergency jumps from the board. Gradually increasing practical experience, you can learn pretty confident riding and maneuvering.

The decrease in speed when riding a skateboard occurs by shifting the supporting or pushing legs to the tail of the board, with the simultaneous transfer of body weight to it. This will allow you to slow down and achieve a smooth stop or acceptable speed to exit the deck. If emergency braking is performed, you need to fully rely on the leg set in the tail, with maximum force. The edge of the board will come in contact with the asphalt, the nose will be in the air.

When riding on a flat surface, you can do even easier. Foot braking on asphalt is relevant for beginners and does not require great riding skills.

Not all boards are suitable for performing skate tricks. Straight-edge cruisers are not suitable for this purpose. Narrow and light boards with bulged nose and tail can be used for stunt riding, jumping on them and performing complex maneuvers. You can proceed to a new stage only after the basic elements are fully developed.

To help beginners - observation of real skiing in the park. Do not immediately try to repeat all the tricks performed by the masters. For beginners, only the most simple, basic exercises are suitable, among them several can be distinguished.

This trick element is basic and must be mastered. This is a deck scrolling performed with a jump on good acceleration. Legs from a position shoulder-width apart are positioned so that the lead is at the edge of the board.

Next, click on the back of the board, with a push and a jump in the back. It is carried out by the supporting leg, it is repelled, the leading one is stretched, bending inward and directing the deck forward and upward. The board thus rises into the air, and the skater's knees are pressed to the chest. Once the skate completes the torsion, you need to catch it with your feet and wait for the landing, keeping your knees bent to soften contact with the asphalt.

The moment of flight that occurs after the ligament is clicked and drawn is called an allie. It is he who underlies most of the tricks, so it is recommended that you devote as much time as possible to practicing the element. The board, as it were, sticks to the feet of the athlete, and it looks very impressive.

To get the allies clean, you need to learn how to accelerate well and correctly transfer body weight. And also need the skill of pushing off the ground with a skateboard. At the same time, while the push leg fulfills its role, the leader should continue to move up and down the deck.

This is the name of the edge jump. To do it, you need to gain a good acceleration. Then a stand is taken with the leading foot at the front edge and, when approaching the elevation, which is to be jumped on, a movement is performed similar to what is needed for the ollie, with the deck transferred to the edge. You can also jump with olly.

This is one of the easiest tricks for beginner skaters. He is in a jump with scrolling boards 180 degrees. It is performed in the same way as the ollie, only the leg does not slip during the jump, but stops in the center of the deck. At the moment of clicking on the ground at the back, the leg located in the tail is used to control the skate when turning.

These basics of stunt skating for a beginner will be quite enough in order to master more complex tricks and improve their skills.

Teaching beginners to skate always begins with the development of the simplest movements. A properly accumulated base is half the success when it comes to skateboarding. In addition, it is worth exploring the experience of more advanced riders to avoid common mistakes made by beginners.

What misses do beginner skaters most often make? One of the most common mistakes is riding in unfamiliar places, trying to test a skate on a dirt or rough road. In the best case, such an experiment will end in a fall, in the worst - you can damage the skateboard and get injured yourself.

Do not rely solely on the integrity of the manufacturer. A skateboard needs to be checked regularly, lubricated bearings, periodically changing wheels, it may loose its mountings. Inspection is recommended before each ride.

They often choose large boards - longboards, trying to get overclocked as quickly as possible. But speed should always match skater skills. And learning the basics for both children and adults is much easier on the board in size.

Jumping back, against the course of the movement. This is the wrong tactic that can lead to serious injury. A jump from a skateboard during movement is recommended only forward, in the direction of travel - it is much easier to maintain balance and not fall.

Too vigorous repulsion when riding. Short shocks in a series cause the board to lose balance. With strong, long repulsion, this does not happen.

See how to learn how to ride a skateboard from scratch in the next video.