I’ve been skating for over a decade, and there are a lot of things that I’ve learned that I wish I would’ve learned a lot sooner.
When I was growing up skating, I didn’t have any older skaters to teach me this stuff, and I had to learn a lot of it on my own, so I figured I would make a list passing on some of this knowledge to hopefully help out any skaters out there who are just starting.
Be Comfortable With Your Skill Level
The first tip is to be more comfortable with your skill level.
This is one of the best tips for beginner skaters that I can think of, because it’s something a lot of people deal with. If you can relate to this, let me know in the comments, because I feel like this is something everyone goes through when they’re first starting out.
It seems like almost every beginner is super self-conscious of their skating, which really shouldn’t be the case no matter how bad you think you are.
I’ve heard stories of skaters avoiding going to skateparks or even just skating in front of other people because they were too intimidated, but going to parks and skating with other people is actually one of the best way for you to get better.
Everyone starts somewhere, and other skateboarders are really understanding of that. I promise you, 99% of the time no one cares if you aren’t good, so you shouldn’t let the thought of skating in front of other people scare you.
As long as you’re nice to everyone and you make sure to stay out of other people’s way, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Learn Skatepark Etiquette
The second tip on our list is to learn proper skatepark etiquette.
You might not be aware of it if you’re new to skating, but there are certain unspoken rules that come with skateboarding, and if you don’t follow them, then there’s a 100% chance that you’re going to rub other skaters the wrong way.
Now I don’t mean that there are actual rules written down on a piece of paper, but there are general things that are agreed on by most skaters.
Things like waiting your turn and staying out of other people’s way are some of the biggest, but it mostly just comes down to being a half-decent person.
When a lot of kids are new to skating, they tend to get in the way a lot, and they can be pretty obnoxious at the skatepark, which is always super annoying to all of the other skaters there.
All you really need to do is to stay out of people’s way and try to be somewhat courteous, and you should be fine.
Learn How To Ollie Properly
The third tip for beginner skaters is to learn how to ollie properly.
Now realistically this could be said about pretty much any trick, but ollies in particular are especially important. Since ollies are the foundation for almost every other skateboarding trick, every beginner should learn how to do them properly.
Now when you first learn them, they’re going to be bad and that’s completely normal, but as you start to get better you should really focus on getting a good ollie.
Most beginner skaters have rocket ollies, which again is fine when you’re still learning, but your goal should be to learn how to level and eventually even tweak them out. This will set the foundation for learning how to really control your board when you’re skating, and once you learn how to do proper ollies, it’s something that will start to carry over into all of your other tricks.
Learn How To Fall
The next tip is to learn how to fall the right way.
Believe it or not, there is a right way to fall and a wrong way to fall, and a lot of beginners don’t realize this, so they end up getting hurt a lot more than they need to when they’re first starting out.
It’s kind of hard to explain, but basically, whenever you fall, you should try your best to slide or roll, that way you aren’t just slamming into the ground. The goal is to try to slow down your fall as much as possible, so that when you do slam, it’s not as bad.
This is why people who have been skating for a while can fall a ton of times and still be fine, compared to when someone who doesn’t skate falls once and they’re done for the rest of the day.
Also, it’s good to learn when to commit and when to kick out. Beginners have a tendency to commit to tricks they should probably kick out of, and they also kick out of tricks they should probably commit to. This can lead to a lot of unnecessary slams, so learning when to commit and when to kick out will help you a lot.
Don’t Hate On Other Skaters
The 5th tip is to not hate on other skaters.
For as great as skateboarding is, sometimes skateboarders can be a little over the top when it comes to hating on other skaters, and for the most part it really isn’t necessary.
Now sometimes people can do some things that are lame, but a lot of times I think skaters get caught up in complaining about things that really aren’t important.
It doesn’t matter if some skaters like to wear helmets, or if other skaters like to wear yellow camo pants, if it doesn’t affect you personally, then you shouldn’t worry about it.
Skateboarding should be about keeping things positive, so that’s really all that you should focus on.
Skate As Much As Possible
Tip number 6 is to skate as much as possible.
When you’re first learning how to skate, there’s going to be a bit of a learning curve to get up to a functional level, so it’s good to spend as much time out skating as possible.
This is especially true if you’re younger, because as you get older, you don’t learn nearly as easily, so focusing on skating as much as you can while you’re young will allow you to progress a lot faster.
When you’re younger you generally have more free time available, so you should try to use it to skate as much as you can.
It might be fun to play video games and watch Netflix, and there’s nothing wrong with doing that, but I promise you once you get older you’ll never look back and wish you spent less time skating.
Invest In Good Gear
The 7th tip for beginner skaters is to invest in good gear.
Now I realize that most skateboarders can’t afford new boards every week and a million-dollar skatepark in their backyard, but buying good gear as much as you can will definitely help you out.
I’m mostly talking about boards and shoes here, but it really applies to just about any skateboarding product. Not only will good quality skate product last you longer, but skating fresh boards and shoes will also help you progress faster.
Beginners have a tendency to buy the cheapest boards and shoes possible, which usually ends up breaking way sooner, so they end up spending way more money in the long run.
Also whenever beginners do buy good boards or shoes, they end up milking it for way too long instead of just buying new ones, which can end up making it a lot harder to progress.
Again, I realize a lot of skaters just can’t afford new stuff all the time which is completely fine, but if you have the option between spending your money on AirPods or a new board, you’re probably better off getting the board.
Skate A Variety Of Things
Tip number 8 is to skate a variety of things.
When you’re new to skating, it can be easy to fall into a pattern of only skating the things that you’re comfortable with, but by doing that you’ll end up limiting yourself long-term.
Skating a variety of things will allow you to figure out what you like and don’t like, and it’ll also help you progress more.
It’s okay to have certain things that you prefer skating, because everyone does, but it’s good to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, especially when you’re first starting out.
A good way to force yourself to do this is by going to new street spots and skateparks, and just making an effort to skate things that you normally wouldn’t skate. If you usually only skate quarter pipes, try skating some ledges for a while. If you usually only skate rails, then spend some time trying some manuals.
The more things you learn how to skate, the larger variety of tricks you’ll have, and the better off you’ll be long-term.
Get Involved In Your Local Scene
The 9th tip for beginner skateboarders is to get involved in your local scene.
Since skateboarding can be a pretty individual thing, it’s easy to stick to yourself or just stick to your close group of friends, but it’s good to make an effort to be active in your local scene.
Showing up to events or even just making an effort to talk to other skaters is a great way support your scene, which is something that ends up helping everyone.
If you’re a new skateboarder, you probably don’t know a lot of other skaters, and this is one of the best ways to get out there and meet other people. Even if you’re new to skating, other skaters can be really welcoming, especially if they see that you’re a genuine person who really loves skateboarding.
Whether it be supporting your local skate shop, going to whatever events are happening, or even hosting your own events, I think most skaters, and especially beginners should try to get more involved in their local skate scene.
Have Fun
Tip number 10 is to have fun while you skate.
Skateboarding can be really hard and really frustrating at times, but learning to just have fun with it will make skating in general much more enjoyable.
Don’t worry about what other people are thinking, don’t get annoyed every time you can’t land a trick, and just focus on having fun skating.
Obviously there are going to be times when you get mad, but the point is to try your best to just have fun with it as much as possible.
This is a good tip for not just beginner skaters but also more experienced skaters, because it’s something that a lot of skateboarders forget over time.
Tips For Beginner Skateboarders
So those are my 10 beginner skateboarding tips. Some of these took me a pretty long time to learn, so hopefully they help you out at least little.