Hi guys, my name is Justin Lauria, and today we're going to be going over the top 10 things
that I wish I knew when I first started skateboarding.
Alright, so the first thing I want you guys to keep in mind is that you don't have to
be good at skateboarding to get good at skateboarding.
Most people who've never tried skateboarding before will assume that good skateboarders
just have a natural talent for the sport, but that they themselves are too uncoordinated
to ever be able to do any complicated skateboarding tricks, but the reality is, talented skateboarders
are able to do what they do because of practice.
If you think it'd be fun to ride a skateboard, and trust me it definitely is, you can absolutely
learn how to do it.
Just remember that it feels impossible to everybody at first, but you can cut out a lot
time practicing things incorrectly if you have a good mentor.
On that note, let's talk about number 2, which is: the most danger you're ever going to be
in on a skateboard is probably going to be the first time you step on one.
The most common reason that people get injured while riding a skateboard is that they're
trying something new that they're completely unfamiliar with, and not only do they not
know how to keep their balance on the board, but they also don't know how to fall properly
yet.
Being able to fall without getting hurt is without question an essential skill to have
while riding a skateboard, so take your time as you push yourself past your boundaries,
and try your best not to get into any situation where you wouldn't be able to fall without
getting hurt.
Your very first time on a skateboard, you should start off with the board on top of
a piece of carpet, and once you move on to concrete, try to have someone stand or walk next to
you so that they can catch you when you start to fall.
And please guys, do me a favor and wear protective gear.
Alright so that brings us to number 3, which is, skating by yourself can be a lot of fun,
but skating with your friends is even better.
One of the things I love about skateboarding is that you are in complete control of how
well you're going to perform and you can still have a great time even if your friends are
too tired to come to the skatepark, but you really should go out of your way to try to
convince them to come with you, or just make friends once you get there, because you're
going to have a lot more fun and the peer pressure can really help you step outside
of your comfort zone and learn tricks that you might not have even known existed in the
first place.
Now, number 4 is a really important one: The ollie is not the first trick that you should
learn on a skateboard.
Technically speaking, the ollie is actually a pretty complicated maneuver that can take
a good amount of time to learn, but it will be a lot easier to do if you start out learning
other maneuvers that will give you practice with board control.
For a full list of tricks that you can, and should spend some time working on before you
put a lot of time into your ollie, you can watch the tutorials in this playlist.
However, you don't have to leave just yet; I'll put a link to that playlist right at
the end of the video.
Now, for number 5, this one is especially for the skaters out there who are, like me,
a little heavier than the average skateboarder.
Learn how to land with your feet directly over top of the wheels as early on as you
can.
Nothing breaks boards faster than landing with your feet in the middle or on one of
the edges of the board, and after you break your board a few times, the sport can start
to get a little expensive.
Alright, so, on to number 6.
Landing tricks and avoiding injury has very little to do with luck.
If you ever catch yourself thinking, "Man, I really hope I get lucky and somehow pull
this off without breaking my ankle," you probably need to reconsider what you're about to do.
Keep in mind that there is a reasonable amount of risk that you should be willing to take,
given your current skill level, and that it will eventually increase to warrant you trying
that really dangerous trick.
Also, don't fall into the trap of thinking that even though you've spent the last hour
trying something and haven't landed it yet, that adding another hour is going to make
a whole lot of difference.
Usually, if you're ready to land a trick, it's either going to happen, or you're at
least going to stomp the board down in the first 10 or 20 tries, so just remember that
there's a big difference between practicing and killing yourself trying to land a trick
that you're not ready to do.
Now, for tip number 7.
You should always keep a skate tool and extra hardware with you when you're skating.
The bolts that hold the trucks to the deck have a tendency to come loose on you while
you're riding, so it's really nice to be able to keep them tightened down and also have
the ability to replace them should one of them break on you.
I'll leave a link to this tool in the description below.
Next let's talk about the orientation of the skateboard.
If you skate a popsicle shaped deck like this one: you might notice a slight difference
in the width and the concave of the nose versus the tail.
Now most skaters will almost religiously keep their back foot over top of what the manufacturer
suggests is the tail, but you can just ignore that suggestion altogether and skate both
the tail and the nose equally.
If you make it a habit to pop your tricks off of both ends of the board, you can effectively
double the amount of time you can ride it before you start to get razor tail.
For number 9, I want to tell you the 3 things you're going to need to be able to
enjoy skateboarding as a beginner.
The first is going to be an appropriate pair of shoes.
The second is going to be a real skateboard, not one that you can get from
a department store like Wal-Mart or Target,
and third is going to be a smooth section of concrete.
Without all three of these, your ability to ride and do tricks successfully is going to
be drastically reduced, and you're going to feel like skateboarding is not very much fun.
Alright so finally, number 10 is: it's possible to take skateboarding too seriously.
Always keep in the back of your mind that failure is a huge part of this sport, and
if you let it, it can really get under your skin sometimes.
Instead, know when to throw the towel in for the day on something that's causing you a
lot of grief, and remember why you started skateboarding in the first place, and focus
on doing things that you enjoy and consider fun.
Alright guys, so now before you go anywhere, I want you to go down to the comments section
below and leave your own tip for someone who's just getting into skateboarding.
If you enjoyed the video, consider subscribing to the channel, and lastly guys, never stop
improving.