There’s no doubt about it; skateboarding is going to come with plenty of obstacles, difficulties, and challenges.
However, I wouldn’t say that skateboarding is the hardest sport. Especially for the fact that there’s a lot of competition for other sports and how difficult they can be, too.
On the other hand, skateboarding is certainly something that you can quickly get started with, given the fact that you’re only going to need a skateboard (and maybe a few other accessories).
Let’s talk about that as well as some of the most common questions when it comes to skateboarding and its level of difficulty.
Can I Teach Myself How To Skateboard?
If you’ve been looking into getting started with skateboarding for any amount of time, then you’re most certainly going to like the answer here.
Yes, you most certainly can teach yourself how to skateboard. Like many other sports though, you’re going to learn so much more with help from others.
This is good news though, especially for the fact that it’s now easier than ever to learn about new sports, skills, and even hobbies. For example, you can learn to skateboard by:
- Watching YouTube video tutorials.
- Reading on related websites and blogs (thank you for reading this, seriously).
- Meeting new skateboarding friends (which is a huge benefit of skateboarding).
There’s also the option of paying for private coaching and mentoring.
Despite the fact that you will have to pay for it, you usually get what you pay for. It’s also one of the easiest ways to lower the learning curve. Speaking of a learning curve, that topic is next.
Just How Hard Is Skateboarding To Learn?
So there’s a big distinction that I want to make when it comes to skateboarding and the overall learning process:
- It’s easy to find access to the materials that will allow you to learn how to skateboard.
- However, it’s a little bit more challenging when it comes to learning the actual material.
It’s not that there’s a ton of information to learn at the beginning (there’s still a good amount). It’s more of being able to quickly build up your comfort and confidence when it comes to skateboarding.
That’s why getting help from friends, fellow skateboarders, or even a coach is such a great way to learn. They can see where you’re going wrong and help you quickly fix any type of challenge that you might have.
Plus, one of the biggest challenges that come along with skateboarding is going to be yourself.
Skateboarding is definitely one of those ‘you against you’ types of sports. Many times, you have to remember to get out of your own way.
Examples include:
- Finally gathering enough courage to skate at a new location.
- Throwing yourself into the fire (so to speak), despite being a newbie,
- Don’t forget about mustering up the courage to repetitively attempt a trick.
There’s certainly a ton of failure when it comes to skateboarding, and you need to be perfectly okay with that. After all, Tony Hawk didn’t exactly land the 900 on the first try 🙂
Can A 40 Year Old Learn To Skateboard?
A 40-year old can certainly learn how to skateboard. In fact, anyone can learn to skateboard if they have the dedication and determination to do so.
Related Article: So Much For Skateboarding Being Childish.
Keep in mind that there are going to be some advantages and disadvantages when it comes to learning how to skateboard at that age.
For example, it’s going to be harder to compete against others who have been skateboarding for most of their life. That might not be a big deal though, especially if you plan on doing it for fun,
You also might be more resilient to getting hurt or injured, especially if you have a job where you need to use your body and can’t afford to take time off (in case injuries happen, which they certainly can).
Related Article: Why Skateboarding Can Be For Everyone.
On the other hand, being slightly older comes with the ability to be more mentally flexible at solving many skateboarding challenges. Fear might not be as big of a deal, and mustering up the courage to repetitively fail at landing tricks might also not be a big deal.
Generally speaking, the older you are, the more life experience and maturity you can have, which can certainly be a big benefit to learning how to skateboard.
At the end of the day, your age or experience isn’t going to matter as much as your willingness to learn how to skateboard.
Skateboarding can most certainly be worth it, you just have to be up for the challenge.
Is Skateboarding A Difficult Sport Compared To Others?
I believe that skateboarding is certainly a difficult sport compared to others. In fact, it would probably be near the top half of the list (along with golf, believe it or not).
I believe this way because I’ve skateboarded and I’ve also played a wide variety of competitive sports, so my opinion comes from a lot of personal experiences, struggles, and challenges.
Personal Note: That’s why I created this blog, as I love sports and hobbies.
On the other hand, there’s a lot of people who think otherwise. For example, ESPN created a chart that included a list of the 60 most difficult sports.
Skateboarding came in at an embarrassing #37 (of 60).
However, their approach to ranking the sports is based upon quite a few factors such as:
- Nerve.
- Endurance.
- Hand-eye-coordination.
- Speed, power, and strength.
- Analytic aptitude (the ability to react appropriately, and usually quickly).
As you can most likely tell, a lot of these attributes don’t exactly play a big role when it comes to skateboarding. On the other hand, it makes perfect sense as to why they rated boxing as the most difficult sport.
It’s all about opinion and perspective, and in my opinion, skateboarding still remains quite the challenging sport overall. Even if you don’t need to be fast, powerful, or strong.
Closing Words About Skateboarding Being A Hard Sport
At the end of the day, there are going to be plenty of opinions when it comes to the challenges and difficulties that come along with skateboarding.
Either way, anyone can learn how to skateboard, regardless of their age and experience. As long as you set your mind to it, you can learn how to excel at any sport, especially skateboarding.
Further Reading: Can Skateboarding Be Relaxing?
