How to Ride a Skateboard? A Complete Guide for Beginners

May 24, 2023 by Brad Hanson

Skateboarding is a mix of time, movement, and balance. So, in order to learn to ride a skateboard, you must master these three things before moving on to more complex tricks. Once you get the hang of those basics you would be good to go.

It requires time and dedication to become a pro at skateboarding. Learning how to skateboard is not that easy. Even the basics may take time and a lot of practice.

Unlike most of the other articles about how to ride a skateboard, that doesn’t even provide the basics and directly jump to the advanced tricks. I will give you a complete guide. And believe me, you will be able to skate after reading it.

What is Skateboarding?

Skateboarding is a sport where people perform tricks on their skateboards. Many skaters perform different tricks, some glide, some roll, others grind, kickflip, or some other specific trick. Skateboarding has become a popular sport around the world, with millions of skateboarders around the world. 

Many find skateboarding as a sport easy to pick up but frustrating and difficult to master. For those who want to learn how to skateboard, my advice is to just go out there, get started, and experiment with tricks. Skateboarding is a tough sport; some of you can roll into a skatepark and keep your balance no matter what, but not everyone can do that.

Prepare Before you Ride

Before you start riding first make sure that you have taken all the precautions and have the proper Safety Gear. What’s more important is that you should have a quality skateboard. Because a bad quality skateboard can ruin your experience and you may never want to skateboard again.

Not sure where to get one, don’t worry as I have already prepared a list of the Best Skateboards for Beginners, you can choose anyone from the list.

Safety Gear

It’s important for beginners to keep in mind that they must always wear safety equipment when skating, not only for their own safety but also for the safety of others. Protective gear such as a helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, and knee pads are essential. They can also help you overcome your fear of riding a skateboard. 

Another very important rule is that as a beginner, you shouldn’t dare to do tricks that would cause you to fall on your head. Head injuries are very dangerous and should not be taken lightly.

Riding a Skateboard

If you’re a beginner, I am about to give you my tips for learning skateboarding. Everyone who skates has gone through a phase of skating horror because we didn’t know what to do. So, I’ll try to make the process easier for you.

There are five main steps to learn how to skate:

1. Maintaining Balance
2. Pushing the Skateboard 
3. Turning the Skateboard
4. Stopping the Skateboard
5. Throwing doen the Skateboard

So let’s break down all these steps.

1. How to Maintain Balance on a Skateboard?

Many people find skateboarding to be one of the most exciting activities, but learning to skateboard can seem daunting at first. The first challenge is learning how to balance on the board, as skateboarding is all about balance. If you’ve ever tried it you’ll realize that it’s not easy. 

For a perfect balance there are certain tips: find the preferred stance, place your feet behind the bolts and try to balance while shifting your weight.

Finding the Preferred Stance

Firstly, it is important to find the preferred skateboard stance. This is the position you need to get into when you are riding the skateboard. The two main standing positions are Regular Stance and Goof Stance. As a beginner, you should try both and see which one is more comfortable. Once you find it, you’ll be amazed at how much easier it is to stand. 

2. How to Push a Skateboard?

After figuring out the Stance, it’s time to push the skateboard. So let’s break the pushing process into simple steps.

• Front foot should be facing forward.
• Knees should be slightly bent.
• With the back foot, give a push to the board.
• Place your back foot on the board.
• Position your front foot sideways.

To get the hang of it, you might need to practice this a few times.

3. How to Turn a Skateboard? 

Step on your skateboard with both of your feet. Lean forward and backward while using your feet as well. You will feel your board react to your movements, so when you feel comfortable, try it while riding.

There are two types of turns you can use on a skateboard, a kick turn, and a carving turn. With a kick turn, you must gently push your back foot against your tail to lift your front wheels off the ground. Carving turns are achieved by leaning in and steering with your body weight.

4. How to Stop a Skateboard?

Experienced riders powerslide to stop their boards but for beginners, it would be difficult to do that so the easiest way to stop would be to drag your back foot with the ground, apply pressure gently and this will gradually reduce the speed.

Don’t get nervous while doing so as it may cause you to fall. And if you run into traffic and think that you can’t make it, then I hope you are wearing a helmet.

5. How to Throw Down a Skateboard?

Throwing down your board is an essential skateboarding skill. After learning the basic riding, this is the first skill you should learn as it helps to get started with some speed without pulling from a standstill.

• Hold the board’s nose with the arm that’s on the same side as your front foot. Hold it in your left hand if you’re regular, in your right hand if you’re goofy.
• By extending your arm holding the board, you can let it hang in front of your front leg as you advance with your pushing foot. Drop the board under your front foot as you begin your next step so you can turn that step into your first push. 
• You can then start riding without having to keep adjusting your feet a lot. Although it may seem clunky at first, it will eventually become second nature and you’ll be able to throw yourself down onto your board at full speed.

Conclusion

My goal was to write a practical guide that can help beginners learn to skateboard. While you may ride your skateboard on a daily basis, it will take you months to feel comfortable on it and become familiar with it as a beginner. 

You can become a professional skater if you have a natural talent and dedication to keep learning new tricks and speeds over time.

Don’t try complicated tricks at first, master your board, and you will be teaching others how to skateboard. All the best as you go forward. Also, if you what to know how to maintain your skateboard, then check out this article.

Happy Skateboarding to you all!