Start Skateboarding Today! » learn to skateboard

How to Backside 180.

dave — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:36:29 +0000

Well, the backside 180 is pretty much just like a frontside 180, only you turn the other way. The principles are still the same, you want to do the ollie and whip your shoulders around hard, except backside not frontside. Turn your shoulders and ollie and you should hopefully go all the way around. Check out the video below for more tips…listen to Jeremy Wray, he knows what he’s talking about.

How To Turn On Skateboard

dave — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:26:13 +0000

Alright, you learned how to push and roll on your skateboard, now you need to turn so you can avoid obstacles and get to where you are going. Turning is all about leaning and distributing your weight…it also depends on how loose or how tight you prefer your trucks to be. The tighter your trucks, the harder it is to turn; this is because the tighter the truck is, the less it allows the axle of the truck to move against the bushing. Tighter trucks tend to be more stable, but really don’t allow you to lean and turn. Also, if your trucks are too loose, they become wobbly and turn to easily. You must find a happy medium between loose and tight trucks.

Once you have your trucks tightened to your comfort, all you have to do to turn is simply lean and distribute your weight in the direction you want to go…either lean over your toes, or back on your heels depending on what direction you’re turning. Lean harder to increase the sharpness of the turn. Check out this video below, for a visual explanation of turning.

What Size Skateboard Should I Get?

dave — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:42:53 +0000

There are quite a few options out there when it comes to the different sizes of your actual skateboard deck. The size you choose depends mainly on what you plan on riding, what you plan on doing and how big you are. Sizes usually range from about 7.5″ to about 8.25″. Even the tiny differences between these two sizes can make a world of difference. If you are a little kid,13 and under, i would recommend no bigger than a 7.75″. This is a good size to start with, not too wide, but not too skinny. It will offer stability, but not so big that you can learn the fundamentals. Check out this video below for more information on choosing the size of your skateboard, and then head over to the skateboard shop and check out some of the complete skateboards for sale.

How to Push on a Skateboard.

dave — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 17:00:47 +0000

You may think there is not much to pushing on a skateboard…you put one foot on the board and one foot on the ground and go…WRONG. There is a right way and a wrong way to get going on a skateboard; it all depends on whether you are regular footed or goofy foooted, which we talked about a few days ago.

Now, If you are regular footed (riding with your left foot forward) you want to keep your left foot on the board, towards the front, and take your right foot off and use that foot to push along the ground. That is the correct way to push, with the back foot. If you are goofy footed, keep your right foot on the board, towards the front, and take your left foot off and use that foot to push along the ground. YOU ALWAYS PUSH WITH THE BACK FOOT.

If you push with your front foot, that is whats called PUSHING MONGO and you do not want to do that. Not only does it look weird and somewhat lame, but it is also a bit more dangerous when going from a push back to riding on your board because you have to move your pushing foot from pushing behind you, back to the front of the board which makes it easier to lose balance and fall, or step off and roll the ankle; also, you have significantly less control over your board. Some people do push mongo, but trust me, don’t do it.

Check out this video for a more detailed description of pushing

How to Stand on a Skateboard: Goofy or Regular?

dave — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:36:12 +0000

Before you even attempt to ride, you should know how to stand on a skateboard…and this involves knowing if you are goofy or regular footed. Goofy is when you ride with your right foot forward, and Regular is when you ride with your left foot forward.

You’re probably asking yourself, “How do I know what stance I am?” Well, there is a very simple way to figure this out. Stand on the ground with your feet together, have someone push you forward from behind; whichever foot you put out first to stop from falling forward is your dominant foot and that foot should be forward. So if you put your right foot out, you are goofy…and if you put your left foot out, you are regular. If you are goofy, and try to skate regular, that is what is called SKATING SWITCH: skating the opposite stance you normally ride. Many people do some of their tricks switch in order to increase the difficulty of the trick, but we’ll go more into that later.

Where Do I Learn to Skateboard?

dave — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:59:19 +0000

Many people battle with this question when starting to skateboard. First of all, there are many different places to skateboard…that is one of the great things about it, you can do it pretty much anywhere: skateparks, parking lots, the street, your driveway, even your house if you don’t mind breaking a few things. However, if you are just starting out, I personally recommend an empty, abandoned parking lot; it is much safer for you and other skaters. Here you can learn the basics: learning to roll, push, turn and control your skateboard…all of which are necessary in order to progress.

One thing I cannot stress enough is DO NOT GO TO A SKATEBOARD PARK IF YOU CANNOT CONTROL YOUR SKATEBOARD. This is dangerous to both yourself and also other skaters. If you are not ready for a skateboard park, do not go there. Learn the basics somewhere else, and when you are ready, try out a park. If you are not ready, you will most likely get in other skaters’ way and cause accidents; this will not make you very popular with the other skaters. Take your time and learn the basics first!

Welcome to Ride a Skateboard!

dave — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 02:55:56 +0000

Welcome to Ride a Skateboard. This website was created for both the skateboarders of today, the skateboarders of tomorrow, and the parents of skateboarders. At Ride a Skateboard, we strive to bring you daily updates on the latest products and news in the skateboarding world, along with helpful advice, tricks and tips to help you out in your skateboard journey.

My name is Dave and I will be responsible for updating this site daily with features that I find to be valuable and worthy of mention. This site will also serve to help steer parents in the right direction while guiding their children through skating. I will offer helpful reviews and advice to you so that you may assist your children and keep them on a POSITIVE path.

Enjoy the Ride.