Beginner tips

Learning a new sport is always gonna be difficult at first. Our tips can make you learn tricks faster, and you might enjoy learning them more.

(Image by MominMadison)

First of all, just have fun skateboarding! Do what you like, not what you are 'supposed to like'. Some peop le say skating vert sucks, but if that's what you like, you should keep doing it! Don't forget: skateboarding is about having fun, not about being the best.

Ride slowly when learning new tricks. Stationary is bad because the trick feels completely different, and you'd have to relearn it while riding.

Also, if you can't ollie, don't try to ollie down stairs for fun, because you'll only hurt yourself and look like a fool! So, what I mean is: Do tricks you know you can do, don't do impossible stuff because you migh hurt yourself.

Regarding safety gear: use it if you feel you need it. You might feel it limits your movement, or it might feel safe so you have more guts to try stuff. Just make sure you're feeling good on your board. If you choose to wear protection, I suggest wrist protection for both street and vert since that's the most common injury. Knee pads for vert are a good idea, so you can knee slide down if you fall.

(Image by Brendan 29)

Check out the slide/grind surface in advance. If it's a smooth surface, you might not need to wax it, but in most cases, you'll have to wax it. There are different ways to wax a rail,curb or whatever.

You can buy skateboard wax for about $5, make your own wax or use an old candle.

Place the wax on top of the object, put pressure on the wax and scrape it over the object untill the object is smooth enough to slide/grind. You can slide your board over it to feel if it's smooth enough.

Practise is the key! Reading the trick tips on this site is only the first step of the learning process. Now it's up to you to grab your board and practice untill you nail those tricks!

Good luck and have fun!