Want to learn how to skateboard? Nah, I meant, want to teach your kid how to skateboard? Well, sure, you do. It’s super fun. Skateboarding is easy; it’s like surfing but on the ground. Apart from the fun, it also has significant health benefits.
And if you fall, you land on the ground which might hurt, but hey, it’s not surfing. Now, this article will go over the basics of skateboarding, and what you should teach your kids to get them started.
Who knows, you might also pick up a few tips for your own. Let me give a brief overview of what I’m going to show you in this article.
I’ll start with some very simple riding basics, give you some familiarity with the basic tricks, ramps and some practicing tips. It’s a basic guide, so don’t expect anything too complicated.
Before I get to the fun part, let me remind you that practice is the key. Let me rephrase that long-time practice is the key. Whatever you teach your child, whether it’s foot position, simply pushing or bending, make sure your child is comfortable with that first and then move on from there.
Teaching A Kid to Skateboard
This guide is made just for kids and parents that are just getting started and will serve as an introduction to skateboarding basics. When you start correctly, it can make skating a lot safer for kids. It will also be easier and definitely going to be more fun because you know what you are doing.
Things You Will Need
Now, I know skating is fun and all that, but it’s also risky. And that’s why you need to wear proper skateboarding gears.
- Helmets
- Pads
- Good quality shoes
- A good skateboard
Now that you have all the proper gears in check let’s learn how to skateboard easily and safely.
Learning Skateboard
1. Get Comfortable
Before you get rolling, it’s always a great idea to get comfortable standing on a skateboard. It’s better if you do it on a soft surface.
For example, you can try standing on a board on grass, or if your wheels are clean, you can practice on a rug or a carpet.
2. Foot Position
Start by putting your front foot on those front bolts of your board and your back foot on the back bolts. You don’t need to move around or push yourself. Just try to stand and get comfortable.
3. Stance
When you are learning, it’s important to keep an athletic stance. Bend your knees slightly to maintain a controlled stance. Keep your feet under your shoulders with your knees a bit bent. Keep your weight on the balls of your feet.
With this, you will get a nice low center of gravity, and you can easily shift in any direction to keep your balance.
With this stance, you can easily get comfortable with your board. Just pretend you are surfing. Bounce around a bit to get comfortable with the feeling of being on a skateboard.
4. Three Stages of Getting Rolling
Keep the board on a soft surface for now because we are going to go through the three stages of getting rolling.
Stepping
For step 1, go ahead and stand next to your skateboard with your front foot right next to the front wheels. Now place your front foot on the front bolts keeping your toe facing forward.
Make sure your whole body is facing forward in the direction of where the board will go.
Getting on
In this step, you need to bring all of your weight on the front foot and then bring the back foot on to the board, just behind the back bolts and perpendicular to the board.
Moving
In this step, you need to pivot that front while keeping the ball of our foot right over those bolts. The direction should be almost all the way perpendicular to the board.
At the same time, you should shift your upper body so that it is aligned to the skateboard. At this point, you are naturally maintaining that athletic stance.
Since you will now start to roll, you should turn your head in the direction you want to go. Turn your shoulder just a bit to get comfortable when you get moving.
5. Start on a Flat Surface
You definitely want to start on a nice flat surface. Make sure there is no traffic on the road. Try starting on an empty parking lot. Now repeat the three stages of rolling on a flat surface.
Add a push or two with your back foot to step one to get the momentum. Let me rephrase the step.
- Keep your front foot right over the front bolts.
- Keep most of your weight on the front foot.
- Apply one or two pushes with the back foot.
After the push, go to step 2 with the back foot coming up on the board. Then go ahead with step three by rotating that front foot.
Make sure to maintain the nice athletic stance on the skateboard with your head turned to the direction of where you are going.
Final Tips
If your skater needs some extra help with this, it’s absolutely okay to offer a hand for some extra stability. Just keep a couple of things in mind.
- Let your skater hold on to your hand and not the other way around.
- Get them started on their own.
- Let your little skater get in front you so that they can actually skate facing the way that they are supposed to be skating.
- Once you got those few steps down, try adding some extra pushes to get a bit more speed.
- If you do start to slow down, just reverse the steps.
- Go back into step two by pivoting that front foot and keep the toe forward again.
- Bring the back foot off and let the shoulder come around.
- Give a few pushes, step back up, and pivot the foot and shoulders back to that riding position.
- Get a skateboard of your appropriate size.
- Don’t forget to maintain your board from time to time.
That’s all there is to it. Simple, isn’t it? Don’t worry; it’s perfectly normal for an adult to learn from this how-to guide.
Because the basics are the same, whether you are a 3-year-old or a 20-year-old, and that’s how you teach your kid to skateboard.
Before we wrap this up, watch this cool video from VLSkate on beginners skateboarding.