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.