Archive for the ‘skateboard safety’ Category

skateboard gear

Saturday, May 30th, 2009

How to Overcome the Fear of Getting Hurt in Skateboarding?

By Dina Mardiana


Getting hurt while riding a skateboard is normal. It might not be too comforting to know that a lot of people get injured when skateboarding; still we can say that it’s part of learning the sport. However, your fear of getting hurt is yours to solve and you cannot blame the sport or other people if you happen to get cuts, bruises or broken bones while skateboarding. The thing is, you need to overcome it. But how?

elbow pads

elbow pads

Overcome fear by getting enough confidence. The best way to do this is to pad up, seriously. Wear a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, and gloves. You can also wear padded shorts if you want to. Don’t worry if you look a bit ridiculous with these gears. As long as you are protected, you reduce the risk of getting hurt and you’ll gain confidence.

Then, you have to practice. Start with the simplest trick. The ollie can be a good choice. Learning a trick or two will allow you to gain confidence. It may take you a few months or even years to learn just one trick so stay focused with your goal. A lot of newbie skaters give up skateboarding because they either get hurt or never learned a trick. Keep your interest high and fear will be a thing of the past.

Tony Hawk skate helmet

Tony Hawk skate helmet

You also have to ride with your friends. Riding alone in full battle gear will make you look like the mascot. I did not tell you not to gear up properly. What I mean is go out and make friends if you don’t have any. Skateboarding should be fun. And although you cannot invite someone to ride with you on your skateboard, you can ride along with friends who don’t ridicule you if you don’t know how to do a single trick.

Finally, you just need to get hurt. But don’t remove your gears. If you are padded up and you fall, it might not break any bones but you will get hurt a little. And when you do, your body learns how not to do it again. You gain confidence and overcome fear.

Accept this: skateboarding is a painful sport. Even pro skaters break a bone or two once in awhile. You will get hurt but if you ride with care, you can skate another day and improve your skills.


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skateboarding tricks

Wednesday, May 27th, 2009

How to Land with Your Feet on Your Skateboard

By Dina Mardiana


After you learn how to ride the skateboard, you are perhaps trying out new tricks like ollie or flips. But the problem is, instead of landing both your feet on the board, your feet land on the ground, thus not completing the trick you’ve started. How do you solve this problem?

There are probably 2 reasons why your feet land on the ground instead on the board: you are either scared or you are doing the trick the wrong way.

Being scared is perfectly okay. This means that you are taking skateboarding seriously and you are aware that you might get hurt if you do something stupid. But, you have to overcome this fear in order to perform the tricks. If you can’t land with both of your feet on the skateboard, start with one foot.

flowboard alternative skateboard

flowboard alternative skateboard

It doesn’t matter if it is your left or right foot. What matters is that you are determined to do the trick right. The key here is practice. After you can land on one foot, try landing on both feet. If the other foot still refuses to land on the skateboard, then there must be something wrong either with the execution of the trick or the form of your body. If you are not comfortable doing tricks while rolling on a concrete ground, it is okay to practice on the grass or carpet. As long as you are determined to do it right, you’ll be okay.

Read articles and watch videos of the skateboarding trick you are trying to learn. You will learn quickly if you learn from the experts, or at least, people who know what they are talking about.

Now try the trick again and be determined to land both of your feet to the board. If you still can’t, I suggest that you get someone to help you determine what’s wrong with your execution, someone you trust and understands about skateboarding, someone who is willing to help you improve your skill. Do the trick again. Practice until you get it right. If you are still having problems with one or both feet, practice harder and don’t give up.

It can be frustrating but skateboarding should be fun. So relax and keep practicing. Sooner or later you will get it right. And once you do, practice even more.


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