Perhaps, you’ve decided to finally learn skateboarding. But you worry just like many other beginners if skateboarding is easy to learn.
Here’s what you need to know…
No, skateboarding is not easy to learn, especially if you’re a beginner.
This is because it takes time and effort to develop the necessary balance, coordination, and muscle memory to ride a skateboard comfortably.
Still, you can always speed up your learning progress. In this article, we’ll be sharing 21 tips that make you learn skateboarding faster.
Now, let’s get started!
Table of Contents
1. Wear The Proper Skateboarding Gear
Without wearing safety gear, you will skateboard with little confidence. And this makes your learning progress slow.
Having the proper gear—helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, etc.—helps you ride with less fear. It makes you more confident to try new challenging moves.
And this lack of fear makes your skateboarding journey quicker.
Take Note:
Not every sporting gear is skateboarding gear. Skateboarding helmets, in particular, are different from bike helmets.
Using a bike helmet doesn’t offer the level of protection a skateboarding helmet will give. So always wear skateboarding gear for skateboarding.
2. Find a Good Skateboarding Spot
Skateboarding in the proper area makes things a lot easier. Go for areas with smooth grounds.
This is the kind of terrain you find in skate parks. But avoid crowded and noisy skate parks, especially when you’re a beginner.
That’s right! There should be little or no distractions. Skateboarding needs concentration!
Remember, the goal is to focus on your technique and progress. Hence, skateboarding in places that allow you to focus helps you learn faster.
READ ALSO – CAN YOU SKATEBOARD IN PARKING LOTS?
3. Start With the Basics
Before trying challenging moves in skateboarding, make sure you’re already comfortable with the basics.
So you must learn to stand on the board properly, push, turn, and stop the right way. All of these basic moves are important in learning skateboarding skills.
Get them right and learning skateboarding skills will be faster.
4. Practice Proper Foot Placement
This might not sound important, but it is important to learn skateboarding faster. Pay attention to how you place your feet on the board.
Practice this till it feels comfortable and stable whenever you stand on the board. Not getting the right foot placement can make learning certain moves pretty hard.
Pro Tip:
Position your feet on the skateboard in a way your front foot points forward. Your back foot should be perpendicular to the board.
5. Work On Your Balance
Skateboarding needs lots of balance. If you’re struggling with balance, learning moves will be slow. So take your time to practice balance separately.
If you’ve successfully found your balance on the board, it’ll speed up your whole learning process.
6. Build Your Core Strength
Lack of core strength can make learning skateboarding slower and more challenging.
So you need to train your core. Having a strong core is important for balance and stability in skateboarding.
That being said, you don’t have to hit the gym! Some basic exercises at home will do.
Here are some core-strengthening exercises you can try at home:
- Planks (Side planks, modified, etc.
- Abdominal crunches
- Reverse crunches
- Bridges
- Russian twists
- Mountain climbers
Take Note:
If you don’t have enough core strength, you may find it harder to maintain your balance and control your movements.
Even basic skateboarding skills will be difficult to do with a weak core. Therefore, you need to work on your core if you want to progress quickly in skateboarding.
7. Learn To Turn Smoothly (Carving)
Carving is just another basic skateboarding technique you need to master to progress faster. To make smooth and sweeping turns, bend toward the direction you want to go.
In simpler terms, start by gaining some speed, then lean in one direction. At the same time, shift your weight to your toes or heels.
In addition, guide yourself with your body weight as you turn.
8. Start With Small Tricks
Jumping to harder tricks can be discouraging as you might struggle to make progress. So you should learn simpler tricks first.
It helps build your confidence, balance, and coordination for harder maneuvers. In addition, mastering smaller tricks first gives you a sense of accomplishment and motivation to continue learning and improving.
9. Practice Falling
Expect to fall a lot of times during your skateboarding journey. This is so hard to escape due to the nature of skateboarding.
For this reason, you should take your time to practice falling to avoid injury. This boosts your confidence when riding and helps you accomplish more without fear.
10. Practice Skateboarding Regularly
The more time you spend skateboarding, the faster you will improve. So try practicing skateboarding for at least 30 minutes every day.
This is important to build muscle memory and improve every skill you’re trying to master.
Pro Tip:
Create a skateboarding schedule. About 3-4 days a week is ideal for gold progress. However, if you can skateboard every day, you’ll improve faster.
Moreover, if you want more progress, spend longer hours skateboarding per session, about 2-3 hours.
11. Focus on Technique
Focusing on technique helps improve your control and balance on the skateboard. This, in turn, helps you learn faster.
Skateboarding requires physical skills like balance, agility, and coordination. At the same time, it requires mental skills, especially focus.
Practicing proper techniques can help you develop these skills more quickly and smoothly. This allows you to progress faster in your skateboarding ability.
12. Take Regular Breaks
Listen to your body and don’t push yourself too hard.
Resting is important in skateboarding. It helps your body recover and reduces the risk of injury.
This means you’ll get to come back to your skateboarding sessions feeling refreshed and full of energy. As a result, you’ll practice more effectively and for longer periods.
And no doubt, you’ll learn faster this way.
12. Try Different Boards
Everyone skateboarder eventually finds a board that just feels right! When learning to skate, try using more than one skateboard.
Practice with boards of different sizes and shapes, if possible. In the end, you can find the one that you feel comfortable riding and that works best for you.
RECOMMENDED READING: HOW TO CHOOSE A SKATEBOARD FOR BEGINNERS
14. Build Up Your Confidence
Each time you get more comfortable on the board or moves become easier to do, push yourself a little bit more.
Do longer sessions and try more challenging moves. As you do this, you get more confident in skateboarding. And this is a faster way to become a good skateboarder.
15. Skate with Friends
Skate with other people who are at a similar skill level or more experienced than you.
Whichever way, you can learn from them and get feedback on your technique and progress. This is equally motivating as you can challenge yourselves and set goals together.
16. Learn From Others/ Online Resources
Feel free to watch videos of experienced skateboarders, especially on YouTube. As you learn, try to imitate what they do.
This is a very effective way of learning skateboarding faster. The kind of content you should focus on should be how-to guides, do’s and don’ts, beginners guides, etc.
17. Avoid Comparison
Everyone has his or her strengths and weaknesses. Comparing yourself to another skateboarder can have negative effects on your learning progress.
It discourages and distracts you from focusing on your skills and technique. Skateboarding needs lots of focus.
Not minding others helps you focus more on your progress. This helps you improve faster.
18. Visualize Success
Picture yourself successfully doing a trick or move before you even attempt it.
By imagining yourself completing a goal, you begin to believe that you can accomplish it. This doesn’t just build your confidence, but will also help you learn faster.
19. Find and Join Skateboarding Community
Make friends and join skateboarding groups or clubs. This way, you’ll get to connect with other skateboarders and learn from them.
These groups can be motivating. They’ll share advice, tips, and guidance on improving your technique.
Interestingly, skateboarding communities often have skateboarding resources you use as a member. This includes skate parks, training facilities, and equipment you might not have.
These skateboarding groups can often host events and competitions. This way, you can showcase your skills and be exposed to the sport.
Above all, joining skateboarding communities is a great way to improve your skills and boost your progress as a skater.
20. Have Fun While Learning
When you enjoy riding a skateboard, your brain releases chemicals that make you happy and excited.
These chemicals equally increase your motivation and focus. And this way, you’ll stay dedicated to learning.
The excitement makes you more open to trying new things and taking risks. This can help you learn skills at a faster rate.
21. Stay Motivated!
Skateboarding can be challenging and frustrating at times. This is why you need to stay motivated to keep improving.
Try setting goals and tracking your progress. Learn from your setbacks and celebrate any little success.
Funny enough, skateboarding will never stop frustrating you as a beginner. So accept it’s a difficult sport and fight every negativity.
Related Questions:
How Long Does It Take To Learn Skateboarding?
It takes about 1–3 years not just to learn skateboarding, but also to get good at it. In addition, a day or week, or a few months is enough to master the basics.
This includes push and ride, balance, turning, and stopping. Understand that people learn at different paces.
Some people can master skateboarding in less than a year. Hence, the rate at which you learn skateboarding can depend on several factors including
- Natural abilities.
- Previous experience with board sports.
- The level of tricks you want to learn.
In addition, mastering difficult tricks like ollies, and kickflips can take you months or years of practice.
And these tricks are what almost every skateboarder would love to learn. This makes skateboarding, in general, a challenging sport to learn.
RECOMMENDED READING FOR FULL GUIDE: HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN SKATEBOARDING
When Is The Best Age To Learn Skateboarding?
Ideally, the best age to start skateboarding is around 5–10 years, nothing less.
As you grow, you’ll build muscle memory and become more comfortable with riding a skateboard. But this doesn’t mean you can’t start skateboarding as an adult.
Skateboarding doesn’t have age boundaries, unlike most sports. So there’s no wrong age to start so long you’re still strong and healthy.
Take Note:
Children under the age of five shouldn’t be allowed to skateboard. It’s much more risky for them. This is because they struggle more with their balance, have slow reaction times, have a higher center of gravity, etc.
They also tend to have poor judgment of obstacles on the way. All of these make skateboarding deadly for them. So wait until your kids are up to five to reduce the risk of injuries.
Can I Teach Myself to Skateboard?
Yes, you can teach yourself to skateboard. There are online resources out there that you could use to learn skateboarding on your own.
However, you might still need some guidance along the way. Things are easier when you have a physical coach or expert to guide you step by step.
With dedication and practice, you can teach yourself to skateboard and become a skilled skateboarder!
Recap
To sum up, skateboarding is not easy to learn. It takes time to master but you can make your progress quick.
Practice more every day and master the basics first. More importantly, wear safety gear as you practice, and don’t forget to take breaks.
Even if you teach yourself to skate, you’ll see more progress when an expert guides you.
Thinking of learning skateboarding? The experience can be less challenging.
Just Follow Our Step-By-Step Beginner’s Guide on How to Ride a Skateboard!
I am James Buckridge, the founder of skateboardidea.com. Skateboarding is my passion, and I have years of teaching experience in this field. Our vision and mission is to provide you with accurate information on everything related to skateboarding. Catch me on Twitter & Pinterest.