You might have seen a professional skateboarder before and thought that skateboarding is only for a few gifted people.
The fact of the matter is that skateboarding is for everyone. However, not everyone is going to want to skateboard in the first place, since it’s considered an extreme sport.
There are plenty of reasons for this, so let’s dive a little deeper into this specific topic.
Can Anyone Get Good At Skateboarding With Practice?
Yes, just like anything else. However, that doesn’t mean that everyone will be equally good at it. Some people are talented in certain skills and others aren’t.
But don’t take this to mean there is some skill you can have innately no matter how hard you try. Any skill, hobby, or sport still requires practice in order to get better at it.
There are a number of factors that could make you better or worse at skateboarding.
Height, weight, and strength could all affect how well the board reacts to the way you push off with your feet. A smaller person might find it easier because their body weight is distributed more evenly between their wheels. This would result in a more balanced and less shaky ride.
Size can also be a factor in how well you respond to your surroundings. The bigger you are, the more space you take up, and thus perhaps the harder it might be to move around or change direction quickly.
It’s easier for smaller people to fit through gaps and generally maneuver themselves into different positions compared to larger individuals.
Don’t forget about coordination. Having control over your own body and understanding how it relates to objects in its surroundings is another factor that could affect performance.
It makes sense that someone with good balance would move more efficiently than someone who has trouble keeping their feet under them. They’ll also most likely be able to relax more when learning how to skateboard.
Speed or pace (how fast you go) can also be affected by this. Someone who’s not so coordinated would have a harder time keeping up with someone else who is.
Related: Just How Hard Is Skateboarding?
Also, some people are just naturally better at certain things than others. It’s the same way that not everyone has a good vision – to be able to do something well you need to have an innate talent for it, but hard work can compensate for lack of talent.
Does Everyone Get Hurt Skateboarding?
Yes, just about everyone gets hurt skateboarding in some way, shape, or form. It’s a fact of life when you’re attempting difficult tricks and maneuvers.
Injuries can range from:
- Common scrapes and bruises.
- Aches in your shins or fractures.
- Or even worse, such as broken noses, arms, or legs.
These sorts of injuries are more common when you’re getting started because you’re pushing yourself to do things that are very difficult with your current level of skill.
You’ll probably fall a number of times at the beginning which will toughen up your shins and knees, but you have to be careful not to push too far beyond your limits – this is where most injuries occur.
Things get easier when you get better and your body can adjust to the new level of skill you’ve acquired. It’s always better to start simple and work your way up slowly rather than try to jump straight into the most difficult tricks.
This is especially true when you’re just starting out – build yourself up gradually, don’t take on too much at once, and watch that ego. It’ll get in the way of good judgment if you let it.
What Age Is Appropriate For Skateboarding?
If you can walk and have the money to buy a skateboard, you should be fine. This doesn’t mean that everyone will enjoy it. Some people just don’t find skateboarding to their liking for instance.
Overall, there’s no reason why anyone couldn’t start learning when they’re old enough.
As with other sports and games, it’s usually the parents who discourage their kids from skateboarding as soon as it becomes apparent they might be getting hurt.
The higher up you go in age, the less chance there is of injury because your body has already adjusted itself to learn how to handle itself right – and you should know too!
In fact, in another article, I talked about how Tony Hawk did his last 900 at the age of 48. How cool is that? I’ll leave a link down below if you want to read more about the topic of skateboarding being childish and nerdy or not.
Related Reading: Skateboarding: Childish or Not?
Is 18 Too Old To Start Skateboarding?
No. Whether you’re 18 or 48 years old, it’s never ever too late to start skateboarding. It is quite common for people in their mid-20s and beyond to take up the sport for a variety of reasons.
For some, they may have simply missed out on learning how when they were younger because they didn’t have access to the right equipment or didn’t know where to get started. At their age, they’re more than capable of learning how to safely perform tricks and stunts on a skateboard.
For others, it might be something fun they had always wanted to try but never did because they thought it was too late for them at their age, and this is a mistake.
Lots of people love skateboarding and see it as a way of getting outside and having fun. Not only that, but many older people also report that they feel young again while on their board, something that might be hard to achieve through other means such as exercise.
However, I’m not going to deny the advantage that you can have when starting earlier.
For example, Olympic skateboarder Jagger Eaton (who wore AirPods during his skateboard run), started at age 4. That’s a pretty big edge.
Skateboarding can be very fulfilling for those who give it a chance and it doesn’t matter what your age is when you start. It’s never too late or too early to try skateboarding.
Closing Words About Starting To Skateboard
As with most sports, skateboarding isn’t for everyone. For some people it might be too strenuous, for others, it might not meet their intellectual needs.
However, there are lots of people who simply love the sense of exhilaration that comes with riding a skateboard and performing tricks like ollies or kickflips.
If you’re not one of those people, that’s fine – there are countless other sports and hobbies to pick up. But if you like the sound of it, why not give skateboarding a try? It’s never too late or too early to start, and skateboarding can definitely be worth it.
Getting good at skateboarding will take time, but even if it only becomes a short-term interest of yours, you’ll be able to enjoy your time on the board until then.
Don’t focus so much on how long it takes for you to get better. Just focus on having fun and enjoying yourself while doing it.
