Choosing the Best Skateboarding Shoes for a Better Skateboarding Experience

In extreme sports, skateboarding is perhaps the most popular in the United States. If you love skateboarding, and you want to skate like the pros, then you need to understand that the board itself and your skills are not the only things that are important in this sport.

A lot of people think that skateboarding is done by just using regular sports shoes. However, you need to remember the fact that skateboarding will also require you to have a good pair of shoes that are specifically designed for skateboarding. They will be much more comfortable, and they will also be able to minimize injuries.

Although it is true that you can still skate using just about any shoes or even flip flops, you have to remember that when you are skateboarding, you will increase the risk of injuring your ankle.

Skateboarding shoes are designed to provide adequate protection to your ankles. These will be able to protect your ankle and prevent any serious foot injuries whenever you experience falls which is very common.

When choosing a pair of skateboarding shoes, here are some of the things that you need to remember in order to choose the right ones for a better and safer skateboarding experience.

The first important factor is that the skateboarding shoes you choose should be able to withstand a lot of force and should also be flexible enough so that you can execute tricks.

The grip is also an important factor. The skateboard shoes you purchase should be able to grip the skateboard to avoid slipping off from the board and falling.

Just like choosing any types of shoes, you have to remember that the skateboarding shoes you choose should be comfortable on your feet. The shoes you choose should feel good when you walk and when you skate, and they should be able to give you stability.

Shoes that are not comfortable will only result in giving you blisters and sores which will force you to give up skateboarding for a certain amount of time because of the pain.

The shoe laces are also important. You have to remember that skateboarding will require you to move your feet a lot and it will also let the shoes take a lot of force. Make sure that you get shoe laces that don't easily rip apart. Get a pair of special skateboarding laces, which are more durable than ordinary laces that will be able to withstand the roughness of the sandpaper like surface on your skateboard.

These are just some of the things that you need to remember about skateboarding. Always remember that the right shoes for skateboarding will make all the difference.

How to Buy a Skateboard for the First Time

When deciding which skateboard to buy, there are 4 basic things to consider: cost, trucks, bearings and wheels, and decks.

1. Cost. A skateboard can be very expensive so the basic principle to remember is to settle for something functional -basic. Do not aim for the best board that will set you back a hefty 3-digit figure that does not even include bearings, trucks, and a set of wheels. Set your budget at around $50 to$80 for a brand new beginner skateboard.

Any higher and you'll be paying for something you don't need; any lower and you'll be paying for junk. The point is, you should buy an average beginner skateboard so when you realize that the sport is not for you or you happen to destroy your skateboard in the process, you have not spent your fortune for nothing.

2. Trucks. There are different types of trucks suited for specific tricks and functions. Some are made heavy while some just look tough. While price is your main concern, always go for quality. Go to a proper skateboard dealer and seek advice or bring a friend who really knows what trucks are right for your skill level.

3. Bearings and wheels. Bearings keep the wheels spinning when you stop pushing. Now, there are different ratings (measured in ABEC value) that determine the speed of the bearings. The slowest are the 'AA' bearings. While this will help you maintain a very slow speed downhill, it won't give you that needed speed on flat surfaces.

'AA' is then followed by ABEC 3, ABEC 5, ABEC 7, and ABEC 9. Beginners can go for ABEC 3 or ABEC 5 at the most. These bearings may not give you the best movement but going for the fastest bearings is not a good idea either.

4. Deck. If you want to go for the best deck, choose the one without any graphics. Why? Brandings and designs are what make skateboard decks expensive. Aside from that, deck designs can easily scratch off with a decent amount of skating. Instead of focusing on the cool graphics, get a 7-ply deck and pay attention to the shape of the deck. Get one with a good amount of curve to the kicktails.

Therefore, your ideal beginner skateboard should consist of a 7-ply deck, durable tracks, and ABEC 3 or 5 bearings at a reasonable price.

Tips to Prevent Serious Injuries to Avoid Long and Painful Hospital Stays

Whether you like or not, skateboarding is a painful sport to learn. You will eventually fall when you are learning and you will also get hurt a lot. Although wearing helmets and pads can help reduce the damage, you will still feel pain and get some bruises and scrapes from hitting the pavement.

This is why it is very important to know how to fall and get yourself back up and try again in the world of skateboarding.

The single most important thing that you should remember is that when you fall never catch yourself with your hands. It may take quite some time to get used to as it is your instinct to catch yourself, but it is still very important to learn not to do it.

Catching yourself with your hands whenever you experience falls is a great way to break your wrists. So, in case your skateboard goes flying off and you are falling, try to get your shoulder and your body to absorb the impact. These body parts can take a lot more punishment than your wrists and it will also minimize the risk of serious injuries.

When you fall, roll with the blow as much as you can. This will decrease the shock of the impact and also minimize injuries.

You may get some bruises on your body but you have to remember that bruises are much better than having a broken wrist. Even if you use wrist guards when you go skateboarding, it is important to teach yourself to not use them to catch yourself during falls. At some time in the near future, you will be skating with no wrist guards.

It hurts when you fall. So, what can you do about it? The best thing that you can do is get up if you can, walk around, and shake it off.

In skateboarding, broken bones are very common. If you think that you are hurt bad or you've broke a bone during a fall, it is important that you get it checked out by your doctor. You don't want the bones to heal wrong.

A lot of people who try out skateboarding get discouraged easily when they fall. If you love the sport of skateboarding, then you should expect to get hurt, especially if you are a beginner.

Learning How to Do This Impressive Skateboard Maneuver

Knowing how to go back and forth on a skateboard is one thing. However, you also have to remember that there is more to skateboarding than just riding it forward, stopping, and then riding back to where you came from.

If you know how to ride the skateboard comfortably, then it is time for you to learn about the different basic maneuvers that you can do with your skateboard.

One basic skateboarding skill is Kickturning. This particular skill can be easy to look at but it is rather complicated or confusing to do it. In this skill, you will need to have good balance on your skateboard.

Kickturning is basically where you will balance your back wheels for movement and swinging the front of the board to go in a new direction. This takes some practice to master and a lot of balance.

Before you start, make sure that all you are wearing all of your safety skateboarding equipments are to prevent injuries during falls when practicing.

The first thing you need to learn is how to balance your body and skateboard on two wheels, particularly the back wheel. Try to practice it on the carpet or on the grass outside to prevent it from rolling too much which can send your skateboard flying off and land your bottom on the pavement.

To balance the skateboard on two wheels, you need to get your back foot across the tail and your front foot just behind the front trucks. Try imagining your foot when you are going to attempt an Ollie. This is the same stance that you need to have to attempt Kickturns.

Keep your knees bent and relaxed. Your shoulders should be level to the skateboard deck.

Then shift your weight to your back foot. Just a bit of weight shift is good. Now, lift your front foot just a little. This will make the front of your skateboard pop up. To turn to the direction you want to go to, just rotate your back foot to the left or right along with your body.

Try practicing the duckwalk with kickturns. This will be like shifting the board from left to right with the kick turns. This will improve your balance and enable you to practice your kickturns.

You should also practice the tic tac. This is where you combine the left and right kickturns. Try doing a little kickturn to the left and another to the right. Do this continuously and you will be able to a great skateboard maneuver.

You may fall when attempting to do kickturns on the first few attempts but this is natural. Almost everyone falls when practicing this move. By knowing how to kickturn, you will be well on your way in becoming a good skateboarder.

What to Buy and What to Avoid

Now that you are taking an interest in skateboarding, the first thing that you will think about is buying a skateboard that you can practice on. Sure there are quite a lot of cheap skateboards available but you should be warned that cheap means dangerous.
Don't buy cheap skateboards from the toy store or from your nearest superstore. What this means is that you should not buy skateboards that are mass produced by companies that have little concern about the quality of the products they produce.

By nature, you have to face the fact that skateboards are dangerous. So, you wouldn't want to buy a cheap skateboard that is poor in quality which will make it even more dangerous to ride on especially when you plan on practicing your tricks on it.

Cheap skateboards will usually mean weak trucks, poor quality wheels that can break easily, freezing bearings, and boards that break easily. Good skateboard manufacturers will spend a lot of time to make the skateboards that are safer, better and last longer.

Instead of that mass produced cheap skateboard, try to buy a complete pro grade skateboard. This is high in quality and will last a lot longer. It will feel more comfortable when you ride it. Usually, skateboards like this will cost around $120. There are specific skateboard brands that you can choose from. If you are not sure which one to buy, try to take a look at skateboard brand reviews on the internet. It will give you an idea which brands will suit your riding needs best.

You can also try building your own pro grade skateboard. You can purchase the board, trucks, wheels, and bearings separately. This will allow you to get the best boards, trucks and wheels.

If you don't want to shell out a lot of cash, you will see that there are also good quality skateboards out there that aren't as expensive as the pro grade ones but not as cheap as the mass produced ones.

If you are buying your kid his or her first skateboard, you can cut some corners. However, never buy the $20 skateboards at your nearest superstore or toy store. For sure, you want the best quality skateboard for your kids. Although it shouldn't be the pro grade ones, you should get one that is of good quality.

These are the things that you have to remember when buying skateboards. If you want to prevent accidents and serious injuries, you might want to invest a little more money on the skateboard you purchase.

Making Your Skateboarding Experience Better For You

Now that you are good at skateboarding, you will definitely want to have a pro grade skateboard. Basically, there are two ways you can get a pro grade skateboard. The first is by buying one that is completely assembled with all high quality materials installed, and the other is by assembling it piece by piece with different brands of wheels, boards, and trucks and bearings to accurately suit your riding needs.

You can always buy a complete pro grade skateboard. But, if you want a skateboard that fits your preferences, you should try building your own custom board.

The first thing that you need to do is pick the deck size. The length and the thickness depend on the tricks that you plan on performing and the width will depend on your feet size.

Skateboard wheels are also an important factor that you should know. Different skateboard wheels come in different colors as well as sizes and degrees of hardness.

For vert and transition, you will need larger skateboard wheels in order to get a faster roll. If you do verts or transitions try 55 to 65mm wheels. For street or technical, get smaller wheels with a hardness of 97 to 101. The skateboard will be a lot slower in rolling, allowing you to do technical tricks easily as well as have wheels that can withstand a lot of pressure.

The bearings are also important. These are metal rings that fit inside the skateboard wheels. As a skateboarder, you will want bearings that are precise and durable. So, go for 3 or 5 ABEC rating on the bearings you choose. This will be smooth enough when you ride your board and durable enough that it will not break when you jump on your board.

The trucks are another important part that you should carefully choose. These are axles that connect the board to your wheels. To choose the truck that you need, you will need to match the truck side to the deck or your board. The bushings in the truck are also an important factor to consider. For vert, you will need stiffer bushings and for street, you will need softer bushings to allow you to turn easily.

The truck height will also vary. Lower trucks will make it easier for you to flip the board and are very stable. However, lower trucks will mean smaller wheels. If you do verts, which will require speed, you will need larger trucks to accommodate larger wheels.

These are the things that you need to remember when building a custom pro grade skateboard. Also, try getting a good grip tape, risers and other hardware, such as nuts and screws.

If you want a good board, you will want one that is made with high quality materials. So, if you want a skateboard that will accommodate your riding needs, try building a custom pro grade skateboard.

How to Overcome the Fear of Getting Hurt?

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?

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.

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.

How to Do It like The Pros

As a skateboarder, you know that you want to do the tricks that the pros do. It is very stylish and it is really something that is quite impressive. Knowing how to ride a skateboard properly is one thing, but knowing how to do impressive tricks while riding it is another.

So, here is one trick that you will definitely want to learn whenever you ride your skateboard as it will not only impress anyone watching but will also make you look like a pro skateboarder.

This trick is called the 360 flip. If you already know how to do the Ollie, then you will see that this skateboard trick will be easy to do. It is a really cool trick that can be very impressive if done properly, but you have to remember that you should know how to execute it flawlessly in order to avoid ending up having a mouthful of dirt or end up in the hospital.

The first thing that you need to do is make sure that all of your safety gear is properly put on. You should have the helmet to prevent head injuries when you fall, and knee pads as well as elbow pads to prevent injuring your limbs. You should also have the proper skateboard shoes as well as gloves.

Doing the 360 flip is very easy to do if you are a good skateboarder. However, if you are just beginning to skateboard, you might want to try learning the Ollie trick first as the 360 flip is entirely based on the Ollie.

If you can already do the Ollie smoothly, then you will have no problems learning the 360 flip.

Now, to do the trick, position your feet much like when you will do the Ollie. To do the 360 flip, you need to slam your back foot on the board just like you would when doing the Ollie but you need to hit it extra hard to get bigger air. You have to remember that you will need bigger air in order to perform the 360 flip.

To convert from the Ollie trick to the 360 flip, you should allow your front foot to slide off the board and you should use your toes to flip the board while in the air.

This trick is quite difficult to execute and you might experience falls because it's easy to get your feet jumbled. After flipping the board successfully, you will need to catch the board with your feet and center on it again.

On the landing, you have to remember that your knees should be bent no matter what. Bent knees are one of the most important factors when landing after doing a trick on the skateboard. No matter what trick you are doing, always bend your knees whenever you land.

Try learning this trick on slow speed or even when you are stationary. You may fall at first but once you got the hang of it, you will be able to do the trick smoothly and minimize falling.