However, skateboarders can not point out their mistakes easily and they usually need help from other skaters to correct them. Well, it is completely normal if you can see that you are doing something wrong so don’t be shy to ask for comments from other fellow riders.
Based on my experience in instructing skateboards for many beginners of all ages, the following bad habits should be avoided. After reading this article, you may feel guilty for so many mistakes that you always underestimate.
NOT LOOKING STRAIGHT AHEAD
After reading several articles about the common mistakes of new skateboarders at SkateAdvisors - a popular skating website among riders all over the world, I realize that a huge number of new riders forget to keep their vision in the front. However, riders are more likely to look down whenever they come across a sudden obstacle that makes them feel uncomfortable or unstable on their boards. Consequently, they will sketch themselves out since they tense up due to anticipation.
By looking straight ahead, getting over wobbles or bumps on the road will be much easier. Moreover, focusing on the way in front of you makes your body relax and the imperfections on your ride will become smoother than ever. In fact, this is more like a psychological hack that tricks your mind to become more comfortable with disturbances on the roads.
CHICKEN FOOT SYNDROME
This syndrome means you tend to lean on your back foot whenever experiencing uncomfortable speeds. Due to human instinct, skaters will first get out of their initial position and stand up when the high speed was not anticipated beforehand. And eventually, you unintentionally put too much weight on the back of your board and lose stability.
There is a reasonable excuse for this reaction since skaters are able to slow down a little bit when riding at a low speed. But when the situation becomes overwhelming, riders can control the weight distribution on their board, and therefore, they will get speed wobbles. From my point of view, you should relax your body as much as you can and remember to put more weight on the front leg all the time.
SKIP STRETCHING AFTER A SKATING SESSION
Of course, after a hard training session, all you want to do is to get back home, turn on the TV and lie on the couch with a beer. However, your muscles can be fired up if skateboarders skip warming down since this sport is a physical sport and your body needs some stretches after working out so hard.
While there is no immediate effect on your skating ability, these habits can gradually lessen your flexibility and make you more awkward when getting on a skateboard. Even though we are not professional athletes, stretching helps us a lot in recovering and preventing injuries.
OVER TIGHTENING THE TRUCKS
If you type on Google the phrase top the best beginner skateboards, you can notice that these products usually come with tight trucks to provide more stability. That’s why so many newbies think the tighter their trucks are, the better they will be. As over tightening your trucks, they become unresponsive to our commands despite a little extra stability that you can get.
Related article: How to choose Good Skateboard for Beginners
Additionally, difficulties in turning and leaning on your skateboard no longer provide maximum performance. If you insist on getting stiffer skateboards, try to install harder bushings to keep the washer and the nut flush. You can also make the most out of the trucks’ motion by combining different types of washers.
IRREGULATE SKATING
It is undeniable that skateboarding is extremely hard to some extent; therefore, this sport requires frequent practice to help you remember the techniques and muscle memory. Without skating consistently, you can only or never improve your skills as the techniques will go down gradually.
Time and effort are needed to raise your skills and learn different tricks in skateboarding. The harder the trick is, the more time you have to spend on it. That’s the reason why I emphasize commitment when teaching skateboards for novices either they are learning it for fun or for pursuing a professional career. For an amateur skater, I would recommend one to two times a week for skating and each skating session should last at least 30 minutes.
CONCLUSION
These are some common mistakes that skaters usually make based on my experience. If you find yourself in any of these cases, try to correct it so as not to build bad habits that can be changed easily once you go further in skateboarding. In case you are learning to skateboard by yourself, you had better check out the tutorials from pro skaters to learn their good habits and proper techniques.
