Skateboard Beginner Guide & Starter Pack

You want to learn about skateboard but still don’t know where to begin? Don’t worry. You’ll find what you need in this Skateboard Beginner Guide & Starter Pack.

Nowadays, skateboarding is very popular, especially among young people, thanks to the benefits it brings about. Do you like to travel faster with a portable skateboard or perform eye-catching techniques to draw people’s attention?

If you really love skateboarding, you must read this article. And, you will know how is the best skate for beginners before getting and cruising on the board.

Now, I will lead you through baby steps in chronical order.

List of Primary Skateboard Equipment and Tools

A Skateboard

As a newbie, you can not build your favorite skateboard by assembling it by yourself yet. Instead, you had better buy a complete skateboard from a well-known brand. Let me tell you some useful information about the function of every part of your skateboarding experience.

• Deck: There are a number of different deck sizes. The longer a deck is, the better the balance it provides and vice versa. You can use the default design of the manufacturers or design the beneath side of the deck with any image you like.
• Grip Tape: Producers put grip tape on a skateboard’s top face so that users can hold their feet on the board, even if they are flying in the air. Grip tape also absorbs dust and other things that will probably damage the grip. However, you will need to use an eraser to clean it regularly.
• Trucks: 

– There are 2 smaller parts in a truck. The top part named baseplate is screwed to the deck. And the bottom part is called the hanger where the axle spins around. 

– There are bushings, rubbers or grommets lying between the baseplate and the hanger. The bushings will buffer the truck when it rotates. In general, bushings might affect turning, rebound, and durableness. 

– Trucks shouldn’t be too big as they can result in difficulty in turning while too small ones can decrease balance and cause wheel bite upon changing direction.

• Wheels: Different wheel shapes and sizes will bring about different styles of skating.

– Wheels with big diameters (5.5 to 8.5 cm or 2.2 to 3.4 inches) will help you move quickly and easily over rough surfaces, so they are suitable for long-range skateboarding. 

– Minor diameters (between 5 and 5.4 cm or 1.9 and 2.1 inches) shorten the distance between the board and the ground. This design helps the board to accelerate but decreases the top speed. You should use them for skateboarding on the street. 

– Soft wheels will provide you with smooth-riding while stiff wheels make it easier for you to spin.

• Bearings: A bearing is responsible for dealing with axial (side-to-side) load. In most cases, you will need to replace bearings after a long time using a skateboard as they have born too much force and become weakened. 
• Hardware: Manufacturers use hardware to attach the trucks and risers to the board. This item can have different length, which depends on mounting trucks to skateboard with or without risers.

Above are the basic components that build up a skateboard. You need to understand them thoroughly before learning any trick. Depending on your riding style, let’s ask the seller to choose your most suitable skateboard.

Besides, there are some other additional parts:

• Risers/wedges
• Shock Pads
• Rails/ribs
• Slip tape
• Lapper
• Nose guard
• Tail guard (Skid Plate)
• Tail Devil
• Coopers
• Sublimated Graphic
• Skateboard Multi-tool

These optional items only add more effects to your riding experience, you do not need to know much about them until you have used the best skateboard for quite a while.

A Pair of Shoes

Of course, you should not use thongs to ride a skateboard. Instead, you ought to use shoes, especially durable and smooth ones. Durability keeps your feet safe from bruises while soft insoles help you to feel and sense your board better.

Safety Equipment

Helmet, Knee, Elbow and Wrist Protection are all necessary. A set of safety gear will ensure that you will not get hurt seriously in an accident. Try to prepare these items before getting on your skateboard.

Basic Skateboarding Techniques 

Like any other sports, you will have to practice from a few days to some weeks to get used to skateboarding. So, what is the step you need to take?

Position Your Foot

If you are right-footed, you had better use it to push or cease. The right position is your right foot at the tail and your left foot at the head of the board. On the contrary, exchange positions of your feet if you are left-footed.

How to Move

Push the skateboard by the foot you put behind and keep balance with your front foot at the nose of the board.

Bend your front leg a little so that you can put your center of gravitation there.

Start by pushing your skateboard in long and smooth lines before trying to ride in any other styles. 

Keep an eye on your direction and sense your speed. When you feel balanced enough, you can put both of your feet on the skateboard.

How to Stop Moving

You might have seen people stop their skateboard by dragging their board’s tail on the ground, but this will soon damage the board tail so don’t do that. I suggest you should use your back foot’s sole as a brake. Nonetheless, don’t stomp too suddenly (especially when you are moving fast) or you will stumble.

You can slow down your current speed by turning on a large angle, which is called the “carving technique.”

How to Turn 

You can point your heels or toes to the direction you want, and then the skateboard will turn to that angle in a few seconds. However, notice the obstacles in the front, or you will hurt yourself and even other people.

Final Words

Finally, I have shown you the essential steps and equipment for a beginner to play skateboarding. If you want to learn more tricks or get to know about additional items in detail, keep training hard until you reach an intermediate level first.