Skateboarding
- One of the Most Exciting and Skilled Board Sports
by: Ben
Ruhland If you're looking to get
into a board sport why not try out skateboarding?
Let me guess you and your friends go out on weekends
looking for something to do but you're bored stiff.
Well I can guarantee you skateboarding is a sport
you'll never be able to give up on once you get
into it. It's a board sport that can have a steep
learning curve depending on the person but most
people can pretty much master the basics within
a couple of months.
Skateboarding has developed quite a bit in recent
years. For decades when skateboarding was in its
infancy, it was seen as an activity performed
by youngsters, mainly rebel kids. In these earlier
years skateboarders were perceived as outcasts
who went around vandalizing other people's property
by skating on it. It is becoming more understood
these days but it still has a long way to go before
people will fully understand the skill and dedication
that goes into this sport.
The basics of skateboarding like pushing yourself
along the street are easy to learn but once you
get into the tricks and manoeuvres such as the
most basic trick, the ollie, it takes quite a
bit more practice to master. You need to learn
the ollie as it's a fundamental move that is combined
into the majority of tricks where the board leaves
the ground. The ollie is what could be considered
a "jump" where the skateboard and the rider leave
the ground with the board under their feet. To
really master this basic move it can take a natural
skater up to a year to really get it down.
When learning to skateboard some protective gear
can go a long way to ensuring your safety as you
can expect to take many falls when first starting
out. A decent helmet, some elbow pads and knee
pads will give you the safety you're looking for
and a little extra confidence knowing you won't
get too hurt when you fall. You can buy this protective
gear fairly cheap from most skate shops and even
some general purpose stores.
It's easy to get nervous when first starting
out on a skateboard because your balance will
most likely be very out of tune. But don't worry,
every single skater you see out there on the skate
park doing all those big moves, grinding rails,
doing big grabs on the half pipe, they were all
just like you when they started out. It's a sport
that takes a lot of dedication, and it relies
on practice. If you put in the hours you'll be
popping kick flips in a matter of months. So go
out there and get practicing, it'll keep you busy
for many years to come.
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