Hi again,
About a week ago I posted about issues with my skateboard squeaking. It turned out there was something wrong on both hangers and Ridge replaced both of my trucks for me and my skateboard now rides perfectly.
Awesome.
Anyway. About a day after my first post asking fof help I fell off and really badly hurt my knee (just under my knee, like all bruising - I can still walk on it and do things with no pain unless I touch the bruise).
Since then, I’ve been on the skateboard a coupel of times and felt kind of ok on it, but I dont feel overly confident on it. Possibly because I was so close to breaking my knee.
Every so often when I’m riding I sort of get…stuck…and cant lift the right foot to push off.
How did you guys get past bad falls and build up confidence? The locals laughing at me when I’m practicing really isn’t helping either if I’m honest.
I do genuinely want to feel confidenf on it, I just always feel like I’m going to fall off.
My daughter - my reason for starting - on the other hand just took to it like a duck to water and therefore I’m too slow for her to ride with, which possibly makes me wonder why I’m bothering now. I’m in a sort of a slump.
Ignore whoever is laughing at you, there’s not a lot of people like that but loads of friendly and lovely people in all skateparks, everywhere.
The only way to build confidence is to skate, skate and skate. Just go step by step, cruise around, do what feels fun, do it more.
There’s probably good tutorials for beginners on YouTube but I started skating 33 years ago and don’t watch these, can’t help you with that I’m afraid. Ask whoever seems nice at the park for tips, you’ll meet good people.
Thanks. Im not good enough to go near a skate park (and round here no-one my age/ability combo goes near a skate park). I mainly practice on a reasonably quiet path near a main road. Unfortunately theres a lot of kids on bikes who think its ok to make fun of someone trying to learn. I’m very self conscious aboug looking like an idiot.
Im trying to work out whether to jeep pushing through this slump or whether to give myself a mini break. The other day I went out with the mindset that I would fall off and I fell off spectacularly infront of a load of teens in bikes.
Better off going to a skate park really. Or even an indoor and…wait for it…try lessons (I’ll don my firesuit now!). Plenty of indoor parks offer that now, depending upon your location.
No skater will laugh at another when trying to learn or has gotten hurt, unless its a genuinely funny slam or bail. We all know how much getting hurt can suck.
If you are just learning to feel comfortable rolling and turning find a smooth empty carpark where you have the space just to push around. You will be able to progress quicker in a skatepark if can do controlled turns etc.
I’m far far far too socially inept to go to where there’s other skaters. Or teenagers. Lol.
I’m at the stage where I could be ok just coasting along occasionally and be happy on my death bed that in my lifetime I rode on a skateboard before I turned 45 (just).
I’d LOVE to go out on rides with my daughter so I can encourage her to be crazy and awesome, but it means my abilities need to be greater than my self doubts
what skateboard do you have again? Because if it’s a longboard, you’d be surprised how hard they are to ride and learn on. I have skated for over 30 years and I had a go on a longboard one day a couple of years and I couldn’t do it, it was as I expected, fucking shite. I need a tail to get me out of trouble. That is essential in getting a feel of what needs to be done in order to not fly off horizontally into a painful meeting with the floor. Learning how to counter balance using all the pivot points a mordern skateboard has. A longboard only has forwards and backward motion and turning is only possible when speed is achieved going forward. If you start to head into a bad direction, you can only lean and this won’t get you out of trouble, you are destined to slam. Whereas a modern skateboard you can pivot, tictac, tailcrape to stop, lots of options to get out of trouble. Mastering the tic tac and getting used to what your weight can do to influence what the board does is the first stage of getting to grips with the fundamentals to help you ride comfortably. If you don’t have a board with a tail then you’ll just have to try and ride along a long wide path and get used to leaning side to side to manipulate your very limited movement.
Its a 27" cruiser, so yeah, turning is hard. But im ok with that. I can lean my way out of trouble easy enough, and when I’m actually moving I do actually enjoy it - its the mental block of pushing off and maneuvering my feet that I cant get past. :0/
Most people on here learnt to skate from the age of maybe ten upwards, when slamming was no biggie and you’d bounce off the concrete and be picking the scabs off two days later. Your bones are more flexible and stronger. I can’t imagine learning at 45. I’m the same age and can’t do 90% of what I did 30 years ago. I pretty much just cruise about on a normal skateboard doing the occasional basic flat ground tricks, just glad to at least still be doing anything skate related. Ignore the people laughing at you, that’s just young kids being dicks, happens in any hobby. I reckon get yourself a normal skateboard, probably a 8.5” to 9” wide deck with some biggish wheels (55-60mm) that are less than 97a hardness and just enjoy rolling about. Tricks are a bonus but at our age just cruising is about all we can take for granted without risking fucking yourself up good and proper. I’m assuming you’ve got responsibilities like a job and being a Dad so learning to 360 flip at 45 as a beginner is admirable but probs not that responsible. Just enjoy zooming about.
Thanks.
Im not quite 45 yet. Almost there, but not totally…and I think you inadvertently hit the nail on the head as to why I feel self comscious, because you assumed I was a Dad, I’m a (slightly un-cool) Mum.
But yeah, rolling about is the aim for me, and keeping up incase she falls off.
Tricks are definitely for the kids (anyone old enough will now have that rabbit in their heads - sorry)
She was determined she wanted a skateboard, so we took her into a shop and took some advice and let her try a few things and the cruiser was the one she got on with the best (avoided those little penny board things). It was the best size for her and it made her happy…so thats why we went that way. I got the same style so I could help her out if she needed it, so we could learn together. She has less fear of breaking bones than I do so she’s super confident on it.
I get that it might feel like an intimidating step, but you might be pleasantly surprised about a skate park visit. The park I go to in Sheffield tends to be super supportive of beginners.
My bad, apologies. It’s a shame we don’t see more Mums trying it out but maybe that’s due to dinosaurs like me making assumptions. It’s 95% male on here so I jumped to a conclusion. Things like the Olympics are definitely making a difference, I noticed my 3 and 8 year old girls take more
attention when we watch female Olympics than male and were well into the female skating. I hope you keep at it.
If you’re within a reasonable distance of Stoke-on-Trent Unit 1 run a weekly ladies night on Wednesday. Plenty of age range - tends to be mainly skateboarders and a few ladies that skate quad rollerskate things. Best night of the week when I take my daughter but shes not skating at the moment. Can book lessons and they’re really supportive and will help you get rolling confidently in no time.
Blackpool Ramp City does a ladies night, I think monthly, if you’re up North West.
Projects in Manchester I’m sure does a ladies night too and I’m sure Spit and Sawdust in Cardiff does, I’m sure @jimo can confirm.
