How To Ride A Skateboard: A Guide From Beginner To Advanced

Skateboarding is an exciting, unique and iconic street sport. Before skateboarding, what do we need to prepare? How to ride a Skateboard? How to master every tricks from simple to advanced? This article will thoroughly answer the above questions, and analyze several issues to note for recruits.

1. Prepare before learning how to ride a skateboard

Before joining any particular sport, we need to master the knowledge and be fully equipped with the necessary facilities. Let’s find out this with 2TOP!

1.1 Choose your favorite skateboard

Nowadays, as skateboarding is becoming more and more popular, manufacturers have introduced a variety of skateboards in styles, colors, sizes and prices. Regular skateboards and longboards are the two most basic types of skateboards today.

Skateboards usually feature a slightly curved nose and tail with a concave. This helps the riders to easily perform the movements/tricks. This type of board has many sizes, most of them are 80cm long and 20cm wide. You should choose to buy regular skateboards if you want to practice on the street or in the skating ground.

Long skateboards usually have flat bodies and are longer than regular boards. The length of this skateboard is varied. There are even many skateboards that are twice as long as regular skateboards. This special design makes the board quite stable so that beginners can easily catch up with it.

However, this remarkable length also more or less hinders you from doing certain . The long tricks skateboards are perfect for young people who love to drop slopes or want to move around.

Currently, a basic skateboard for beginners costs around 1,000,000 – 3,000,000 VND. You can easily find and buy at specialized skateboard stores near home or via e-commerce websites.

Skateboarders should not buy skateboards at the supermarket because they are difficult to use and easily damaged. We encourage you to come to the store for a detailed consultation on the best wheel and shaft for your purpose and your financial capacity.

1.2 Choose a pleasant shoes

Shoes from reputable brands such as Airwalk, Vans and Etnies often have flat soles and durable surfaces. Therefore, this accessory can firmly grip the skateboard and allow the owner to move flexibly.

In the process of learning how to ride a skateboard, players need to move around comfortably and easily. Therefore, if you use slippers or sandals, you may be more prone to leg pain and falls.

1.3 Choose the right protective gear

When you first start skateboarding, you will fall many times. Therefore, you should consider preparing a safe protective suit that matches elbow and knee pads and a compact helmet. This comprehensive and complete equipment will help protect you from painful falls during your skateboarding challenge.

In some localities (such as California and the USA), the government requires all individuals who participate in the sport to wear helmets when skateboarding on the street.

Riders should choose a helmet that fits themselves. To ensure this, before buying it, you need to take a measuring tape to measure your head circumference by placing the string across your eyebrows, then around your head and record your measurements.

Also, don’t be afraid to wear knee and elbow guards! Protecting yourself from injuries during practice is really important.

1.4 Find a suitable skateboarding ground

A parking lot or a flat stretch is the perfect area for newbies to get acquainted with this challenging sport. Riders need to ensure that the ground is always clean, well-ventilated and free of any obstructions.

Besides, you should carefully observe and be wary of rubble, cracks, potholes, etc. Even small rocks can lead to an accident if you use a hard wheel skateboard.

Once a little bit of experience has been accumulated, you should come to the concentrated skateboarding zones. We can stand next to them to observe and learn more new tricks from your predecessors

Asking a good rider to help you in the early days. Also, you can connect with these people through the staff of a dedicated skateboard shop or actively meet and exchange during the practice session.

Besides, you should also gather or join a group of friends with the same passion. This can help you to quickly master the tricks and become more skillful. Not only did you meet and make friends, but you can also find a soulmate that you have been seeking for a long time.

2. Learn how to ride a skateboard from beginner to advanced

Skateboarding is an engaging, exciting subject that is a bit more adventurous and challenging. How to successfully conquer every level from beginner to advanced?

The answer is extremely simple and familiar, which is perseverance and hard work. Please practice hard, humbly learn and then fully enjoy the sweet results when witnessing your progress every day!

2.1 Stand firmly on the skateboard

In this exciting sport, the first trick that players must master is the movement of standing on the skateboard. You need to place your skateboard on a flat surface, then stand up to learn how to put your feet and balance. Place your feet horizontally on the skateboard. Therefore, your feet are almost parallel to the shaft that connects the skateboard to the wheels.

• Regular style: Put your left foot forward and put your right foot back (then push the skateboard forward with your right foot)
• Goofy style: Put your right foot forward and then put your left foot back (this means you will push the skateboard forward with your left foot).

Push back and forth, push back and forth continuously to feel the way the wheels are moving and check if the shaft of the board is swaying. Feel free to repeat it over and over again until you feel confident and fluent.

2.2 Gently push back and forth and then place both feet on the skateboard

This is the second basic step in learning how to ride a skateboard. 

Rotate forefoot so that it is parallel to the length of the skateboard (instead of slightly inclined as it was initially) 

• Gently push the board away with your other foot. 
• Move slowly and control the speed of the skateboard.
• Once the momentum has been obtained, place the rear foot on the end of the skateboard, just before the curved tail and around the wheel axle.
• Try to keep balance and then slip away (may slightly lower your knees for better balance).

Note:

• The “mongo” foot gives you more comfort than the foreleg pushers and the hind feet on the boards. However, many people believe that the “mongo” type will lead to many difficulties in the future.
• Moreover, swinging the front legs back and forth while pushing the board looks awkward and less charming. Therefore, if you are applying this type, you should actively switch to the forward or left foot placement in section 2.1.

2.3 Continue pushing the board as you slow down

Next, keep moving and making gentle pushes, while rotating your feet straight on the skateboard until the board slow down, then swing across the pivot foot, pushing the board forward with the other foot. Then straighten the leg. The more times you do this, the more you will master how to ride the skateboard.

Try speeding up a bit, similar to how cyclists start moving faster after balancing. If you feel wobbly while moving, you can try tightening the wheel shaft. This trick, though making it difficult for the skateboard to turn, overcomes the wobble very well. Alternatively, you can also solve this problem by leaning forward slightly.

2.4 Change direction by rotating the ankle and change the focus

After learning how to move and push the board, skateboarders can slowly change direction during practice by changing the focus of their body: 

• Push the board and keep your knees flexible
•  Lower your center of gravity by sitting down
•  Lean forward (if you’re on regular footsteps) to turn right Rotate ankle to redirect the skateboard to the left.

Depending on how tight the shaft is, you may need to either bend over or lean a little. You can adjust the wheel shaft by turning the large bolt between each shaft to the left (if you want to loose) or to the right (if you want to tighten it).

This reduces the pressure (loosens up) or increases (tightens), allowing you to turn more easily (loosen) or harder (tighten).

If they lose their balance or fall while changing direction, you should tilt the upper body toward the opposite side. The skateboard diversion focuses on the foot (the swing fulcrum). Therefore, you can easily change directions through ankle rotation.

2.5 Stop by placing your back foot on the ground

As the skateboard moves slowly, the skateboarders only need to put their hind feet on the ground to brake and stop. However, you should not set foot on the ground while skateboarding at high speed.

At this point, begin to gently glide your feet, slowly placing stronger steps on the ground, while also making sure to place your feet on the board after each push.

In addition, you can lean back and then kick the tail of the board to the ground to stop. A few types of skateboards also have a plastic brake pad at the rear edge of the board while most do not.

This stop method is relatively difficult and can scratch the bottom of the skateboard. To limit this, you should place your heels in the back with your toes on the plank. As you pedal down, your heels will land instead of the bottom of the skateboard.

2.6 Switch legs while skateboarding

Once you are familiar with skateboarding, you can try switching legs by placing a random leg back and bringing the other leg forward. If you want to be a good skateboarder, you need to master both legs. Because you need to perform many complex tricks when skateboarding on the chute or practice complex movements.

2.7 Accept falling down

Every beginner has fallen many times when he/she first hits the lane with skateboarding. This is an inevitable rule. Therefore, it is extremely important to wear full and careful protective gear. To minimize the risk of serious injury, in the process of learning how to ride a skateboard, you should apply some tips as follows: 

• While skateboarding, you should reach out your arms and relax. Stiff hand-holding can cause seriously twist joints in the wrist or ankle area. 
• Rollover as soon as you fall, especially do not put your hands on it. This will minimize the painful sensation of landing. 
• Jumping out when something is wrong. If you skateboard too fast and cannot control the speed well, jump off the board quickly and roll onto the grass or land with your feet. Avoid standing on the board when you lose control.

2.8 Learn from predecessor

In the beginning, you should look for people who share a passion to practice with. As a result, you can easily observe, exchange and learn more useful experiences. 

If you cannot invite friends near your home, you can actively chat and get acquainted with the seniors at the skateboarding area. They are usually sociable, friendly and willing to help others, especially rookies. 

Do whatever gets you really excited, practice hard, and bravely do an impromptu high jump or experiment with some complex tricks.

At this point, the instructor will be both a dedicated teacher and a cute friend that you can freely express yourself and share life issues, in addition to your passion for this sport.

To learn more new ways to ride a skateboard, you can follow slow-motion videos recording their skateboard movements and focus their attention on the movement of their feet. The intuitive, vivid image is one of the most user-friendly and easy-to-understand learning channels for everyone.

Practicing consistently and seriously is the key to success. Don’t get discouraged after just a few failures during skateboarding. Please keep practicing and feel happy with your friends and then, at a certain point, you will realize your great progress.

2.9 Try jumping techniques

The jumping technique begins when the player kicks his back foot on the tail of the skateboard, causing the board to bounce in the air. A successful jump will require you to turn your board up and down safely. 

The first part of this technique focuses on stepping on the back of the board. Therefore, the board falls to the ground, then bouncing the board. Try to get used to that “classic” move with the mindset that nothing is 100% perfect.

When standing on the board, you should practice shaking back and forth, then turn the top of the board up and return to the original position. Also, you can try jumping on the go if you are brave enough. 

Before jumping, you should stand by the board, then forcefully bounce the skateboard up. You need to set your foot on the bottom of the skateboard so that you can assess how much force is needed from the board. 

This is also a great way to exercise your step on the nose of the board so the board fits in your hand.

2.10 Turn on the board while standing still

Riders can turn the board on while standing still by:

• Stand on a plank and bend your knees slightly.
• Shift the body weight to the rear wheel axle.
• Slowly back the back foot so that the foot is put at the end of the board.
• Step down on the tail of the board (similar to how you would reuse a skateboard) without hitting the ground, then turn the board high.

Do not randomly try this on the move in the early stages of practice. If you have not mastered the technique of bouncing the board while standing still, you will be at risk when experimenting with this method.

2.11 Turn the board high and jump

To make the skateboard turn high, you can both step back a little while lifting your legs so that your knees are close to your chest while your hind legs kick down hard on the back of the board.

Doing this at a quick pace: after getting off the board, you jump high, at the same time forcefully pop the skateboard with your hind legs. Next, you should lift the front leg a bit and then lift the back leg. Imagine that you can move on the sidewalk and cross annoying roadblocks with this technique and then you are feeling very excited and proud, right?

2.12 Move your leg forward to catch the skateboard

Once the skateboard is up, you should bring your feet forward to carry the board back to the same level as before and control it. Do that right after each high jump.

Specifically, this movement requires riders to stretch their legs to push the skateboard back to the road surface. The most important thing you should keep in mind is that when you lower the board, you need to step on the skateboard position attached to the wheel axles.

At the same time, you should bend your knees to prevent the board from breaking backward and minimize risks of injury as well as an increased chance of continuing to move immediately after grabbing a bipedal skateboard.

If the board feels unbalanced or detects that something is wrong, you should quickly jump off the board. Instead of landing on the skateboard, flexibly land on your feet. This is completely normal and not to be ashamed of.

The veteran players encouraged the recruits to make their first jump off the skateboard when the board bounced up and landed beside it.

2.13 Jumping while on the move

Once you have mastered your jumping skill while standing still, try jumping while skateboarding. Practice pushing the board at a slow to fast pace, then sit down and turn on the board while you’re still moving. This is one of the basic jump techniques you need to master because most of the more complex jump tricks are closely related to this technique.

2.14 Rotate the board in the air

After mastering this sport, you can confidently perform the highest jump. Once your feet are off the board, you can flip your front foot into the skateboard for the board to rotate 180 degrees, while also adding a bit of rotation from the back leg.

2.15 Kickflip

The kickflip is performed similarly to the aerial swing of the boards. However, with this technique, instead of flinging their feet on the board, you kick the edge of the plank so that it rotates vertically. Try out a number of different moves until you get it to rotate as it should. This technique is quite complicated. Therefore, you need to be persistent in practicing many times and not give up.

2.16 Skateboarding on the handrails

To familiar with this technique, you need to start with a low handrails (maximum height 30cm). This is truly one of the challenges of this sport. Therefore, you should apply each step as follows:

• First, the riders need to skateboard to get close to the railing and jump off the board. After that, they land on handrails with their feet and let the skateboard run in the other direction. 
• Next, the riders practice turning on the skateboard while jumping (regardless of the direction of the board, just put their feet on it). Besides, they slide to handrails at a narrow-angle instead of being in line with handrails.

This helps to reduce the risk of the wheel axle which is being stuck at the handrails. Focusing on skating safely on the railing: jump as high as possible in the direction of the railing, land your feet at the shaft attached to the board – the wheel and adjust so that the board move on the railing.

If your board is skid across a rail then this is a “boardslide” type. Meanwhile, if the board forms a small angle compared to the handrail, and the wheel axles are caught in the railing, it is a “50 – 50” slide.

Once you have reached the end of the railing while doing a “boardslide” type, you can turn the skateboard straight out (keep the board in the right direction) before landing.

If you are doing the “50 – 50” slide, you gently lift the front wheel (by gently depressing the tail of the board). That prevents the top of the skateboard from hitting the ground.

2.17 Practice sliding in the halfpipe

This is an extremely complex technique, requiring persistent practices and determination to conquer the challenge of each skateboarder. However, if you succeed, you will get results that are worth the effort. 

• Placing the tail of the board on the ledge of the halfpipe so the metal part is at the ledge. 
• Placing the rear foot in the position of the wheel (make sure the distance is far enough for you to maintain balance) 
• Put your front foot on the wheel hub mounting point first and then lean forward so that the board slides down (act quickly, confidently and decisively. Indecision can make you fall)
• Be sure to lean forward with your shoulders parallel to the skateboard when doing this technique. Otherwise, the board will slide off your feet.
• Don’t panic and worry when you reach the other end of the halfpipe because you only need to jump off the board when you reach the top.

Besides, after a few months of hard working, you can perform some difficult techniques such as rock to fakie (the boards are horizontal to the edge of the halfpipe), axle stall (the boards are vertical to the edge of the halfpipe) and a noseslide (skateboard nose placed on the legde of the halfpipe).

However, in the process of learning how to skateboard, you need to really focus, practice carefully and pay attention to your surroundings to minimize injuries!

3. Some tips and notes when learning how to ride a skateboard

Skateboarding is a sport to keep balance on board on low gradient terrain by using the power of legs. Riders should start with the most basic move of trying to stand on a board in different positions and switch legs repeatedly. Besides, you should note:

• When we first learn how to ride the skateboard, we always need a lot of time to learn and practice. Therefore, please practice hard and don’t be discouraged. Valuable results will always come to worthy people.
• Good axes such as Royal, Tensor, Thunder, Grind King, Independent help you easily control the board and swivel around.
• Good wheel types (such as Ricta, Force, Autobahn, Bones, Darkstar, Spitfire) and bearings (such as Bones, Ninja, Rockin ‘Rons, Swiss) support you to speed up quickly and board at high speed.
• Some types of boards come from brands: Mini Logo, Almost, Revive, Element, Girl or Chocolate, Mystery, Real, Black Label, etc. They are famous for their high durability.
• When choosing your skateboard, you need to make sure what your favorite skateboard is. If you need a comfortable board to land, slide when moving, or slide on a railing, you should choose a board that is between 20 cm and 22 cm wide.
• If you want to challenge yourself with skillful movements and do not need to move much, you can fit a skateboard with a width of 18 – 20 cm. However, this matter is purely personal. Therefore, try out many different sizes of boards before deciding!
• You should wear comfortable clothing when skateboarding. You don’t have to follow the trending sports fashion trends. But in any case, you should afford quality shoes because this accessory helps to protect the feet and ensures adhesion to the skateboard.
• Sitting low (lowering your center of gravity) makes it harder to fall.
• Always lean forward a little while skateboarding.
• Leaning back causes the skateboard to slip off your feet.
• When participating in this sport, you should not bring cell phones or fragile objects.
• Keep your feet apart. If your legs stand close together, you can lose balance.
• Always look straight ahead to know where you are going.
• Wear knee and elbow pads and a helmet to reduce the risk of serious injury.
• After completing a technique, always step on the board where the bolts are, to limit the board from skidding off your feet.
• Clean up leaves and road obstructions where you practice.
• Take care to keep a safe distance from children and pets.
• Leave quickly if the police or security tells you to leave.
• Look for a safe and legal place to practice like: car garage, parking lot, park or a dead end.

• Actively give way to pedestrians and other means of transportations. 
• If you are still not confident and comfortable enough, do not try complicated techniques. Safety should be a top priority.
• Only take on the challenges tricks when you feel ready. It is common to fall while learning how to skateboard. Thus, you shouldn’t be ashamed of it. You know, professional riders often fall over!
• Find smooth and safe slides, away from damaged or bumpy roads. If you cannot easily turn the direction every time you recline, you can loosen the screw between the wheel shaft.
• Absolutely do not throw away the skateboard when frustrated by failed training. Think of it all as a short step backward to gain more motivation. Fighting!
• When skateboarding, you need to focus on the road ahead instead of being distracted by the things around you.
• Don’t try to follow difficult techniques that others have already worked on. Be persistent in doing the moves that you have mastered before.
• Ideally, you should skateboard in groups when there are lots of people around. This ensures that as soon as you run into any problems, you will get their help immediately.
• Besides, practicing with your friends can bring you wonderful joy.

In short, skateboarding is an interesting and challenging sport. This is a great suggestion for young people who are active, personal and love to cultivate their experiences. Before jumping in, however, you need to be really well prepared and properly adhere to skateboarding from this article. Good luck!