How to balance on a skateboard – complete beginner’s guide

Wanted to ride on a skateboard like an expert? Well, it is not an easy task for a beginner. Learning skating required a lot of time, effort, dedication, and guts. No one can learn skateboarding in just one or two days. The basic thing we need to know is that skateboarding is all about properly maintaining balance.

All experts skateboarders perform all the tricks because they know how to balance on skate. The first thing you should learn is how to balance properly. Once you know how to balance, you can start skateboarding like a master.

Here, we will be writing how to balance on a skateboard complete beginner’s guide. This guide will help beginners balance skateboard competition and ride a skateboard smoothly. If you follow this guide strictly and steadily, you will start skating in some time.

Get a quality skateboard

There are various types of skateboards. Choose the right one according to your need. Longboard will be best for those who use the skateboard for transportation purposes. If you are doing street skating, you should choose the electric skateboard. Skating in the street is risky; choose the lightweight and easily manageable skateboard.

Brought the board, which is of good quality if you want to practice it. Local skate shops have a quality board made up of good and cheap material, so always be careful when choosing and buying the one that can not easily break.

Inspect your skateboard

If you use an old skateboard for learning, you should check it before using it. Sharp edges, worn bearing, fractured kingpins, loose bolts all of these things may cause accidents. So always inspect your skateboard properly because your slightest carelessness will cause big damage. Not only the old one if you have just brought a new board also inspect it because safety always comes first.

Some parts which are important to check

• Your bearings
• Wheels are properly attached
• Check if bolts on the top are tight
• Worn-out grip tape will decrease your grip, so also check it.

You are not supposed to check the skateboard daily. Just give a proper examination once a week for your safety.

Make your mind

While learning skateboarding, patience is necessary for a skater. You can not learn skateboarding in a few minutes or hours. It is a time-consuming process. Your mentality matters while you learn balancing, so make your mind that you have to learn skateboarding calmly.

If you think that your body weight matters in balance, you are wrong. The only thing matter is your practice and tricks. It would help if you practiced balance and riding a skateboard. Your fellow skaters might be fast in learning, but you have to stay calm and never get offended by other things.

Stay dedicated. Once you start learning, you will be a good skater in a short period. Never forget that you are a beginner, and you are learning because your mental condition helps you learn how to balance properly. so always think positive to achieve your goal

Finding out the best position

Foot positioning will play a vital role in maintaining balance. Before you start skateboarding, find a stance that suits you. There are two types of stance such as goofy or regular.

The left foot is in front of the desk, and the right foot is on the backside of the board for pushing purposes. This position is called regular stance, while the right foot in front of the desk and the left foot on the backside for pushing this position is called a goofy stance.

The best way to find a suitable position is to try both stances. If you feel uncomfortable with the regular position, try the other foot. Position your feet according to the stance, which makes you feel comfortable. choosing the right stance will help you to learn skating fastly without any fear of getting injured

Place your feet behind the bolts

Once you have done, choose your stance. Now let’s get into the foot positioning section. Make sure to place your feet on the skateboard in the right position. Many beginners do not even know the correct place to stand.

Place your feet behind the truck bolts that connect the wheels. If your feet are not in the correct position, you can not maintain the balance and control the board. The right placement of feet will allow you to maintain a good balance.

Practice on carpet or grass

The best way to practice balance is when your skateboard is in a still position. Place your skate on a carpet, or you can choose grass; these proper surfaces will grip the skateboard and do not allow it to move around. If it still moves, you can place a heavy object in the front of all four wheels. Now you can practice balance without any fear of falling.

This practice on standing skate will help you control too much weight and maintain balance. Keep practicing and try to maintain balance without any support. Practice until you can stand on the skate without any support or fear of failing.

Put your weight on your toes instead of your heels

Once you have learned how to balance on board. Now it is time to learn the turning tricks for your board. Many people think that this is a difficult task, mostly the beginners, but trust me, it is not.

You can turn the board using the toes and heels of your foot. Moving your body weight from toes to heels will help easily turn the board because bending your knees makes your center of gravity low to the ground.

The weight-moving trick is very easy to perform, but you have to practice it. After learning tricks, do not try to skate; you are not ready to ride yet; practice again until you think you can do it like the skater.

After learning and practicing all the steps above now, it is time to switch on a moving skateboard, but before it, there are some important things every beginner skater should know.

Safety precaution

Before moving on to riding a skateboard, safety precautions should be your priority. It will not be good to start learning skating and end up in hospital. Here are some important safety measures. Here are some important safety measures that a skater should use before riding.

Proper shoe

The only body part which works the most while skating is your feet. So getting some good shoes for you should be your first concern. You will need shoes with a flat sole that are not too tight. Not wearing a proper pair of shoes will injure your heels and not skate properly. There are also some special skate shoes available on the market to get that.

Consider wearing runner socks

Runner socks are really important for a skater. Runner socks are a bit different from other socks because they absorb your sweat. Skaters’ feet get sweaty while skating, so runner socks will be the best solution to your problem. Besides wearing runner socks, you should also consider wearing helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads.

Safety precaution is very unpopular among skateboarders, but wearing protection helps you greatly. These precautions prevent you from injuries and make you feel comfortable and confident.

How to keep balance when riding?

when all the practice is done now, it is time to try maintaining balance on a moving skateboard while riding on it. For this practice, flat surfaces are recommended, you can try practicing in your parking lot or anywhere, but the flat ground is a must. First, start moving your skate slowly because you are still a beginner and learning tricks.

Push the board

place both your feet on a board to get started. Now gently use your back foot and push properly. Once you push yourself forward, the skateboard will start moving forward. to maintain a low midpoint of gravity, keep your knees slightly bent. Make sure that your front foot does not move while pushing the board because the moment of the front foot also affects the balance.

Push properly

usually, people push the board with their back leg, which is the best way to maintain balance. Using your front foot is also fine, but it won’t be easy to maintain balance from the back foot on the board. Move half of your body weight on the front of your foot on the deck and keep it straight direction. Properly Pushing leg will move your skate smoothly. Never put all the weight on your back foot. Equally, divide the bodyweight between both feet.

Put foot back

After pushing properly, now you will take your foot back on the board in the right position. Once again, make sure to place your back foot behind the bolts while the front foot is already behind the front bolts.

Move your foot forward and backward to move your kate, and a beginner can perform this task easily and smoothly. If you still find it difficult, do as much practice as possible. Practice until you are not perfect.

Turning around the corner

now your board needs to be turned around. Once you have practiced well, the moving process is now smooth. Now you can try turning around the skateboard. As mentioned above, with the help of your heels and toe, your skateboard turns.

Sift your weight on heels, and your board will follow how heels are fronting. It is very simple as your deck turns easily once you practice enough. Practice until you feel comfortable riding.

Foot brake

The foot brake is one of the most advanced tricks to stop your moving skateboard. Your feet are in the right position, and you are skateboarding correctly, but you do not know to stop will be a big problem. A foot brake is very good to stop the skateboard. Firstly, sift all the weight over the front foot. Now lower your back foot slowly.

Once your back foot is in the ground, start touching the ground with the help of your heel gently and hold until you adjust the friction with the ground. Slowly increase pushing the ground. Now sift the weight back on the front foot on board. Step the back foot back on the board and roll away.

This process sounds and looks very easy, but when a beginner performs this task first time feels awkward and uncomfortable. Once you practice, you will become a master in skateboarding.

Slowing down

One of the most important terms that a beginner should learn is slowing down the skateboard. Most beginners find difficulty in slowing down while skateboarding. One of the most popular and advanced tricks to slow down your skateboard is carving.

Carving your skateboard

The skateboard takes a deep right turn and a deep left turn to slow down. This process is not easy, especially for beginners to lose some speed while skateboarding. Still, if you do it correctly, you can perform it easily. carving reduces the skateboard’s speed. It would not stop you completely.

it is important to learn to slow down your skateboard because turning your skateboard is more at slow speed than high speed. To turn the skateboard, push your heels in the direction you want to turn while carving your skateboard.

Air braking

Air braking is also another method to slow down the board. This process uses air resistance to slow down the board. It decreases the speed fast. But it is not an appropriate way to slow down, especially for beginner skateboarders. So do not even try this until you are not a professional.

The problems that beginners usually face

Here is some problem that a beginner usually faces Mosta’s lack of knowledge and guidance.

Duck turn on its own

Most beginners face this problem on their own. Well, it is not a thing to worry about in many cases because this is because of manufacturing default. If it happens with you often, it is time to change your skateboard and bring a new one.

But if you can not afford a new one, you can also update your bushing. The bushing will improve the working of the skateboard.

Skateboard turn too much

If your skateboard turns too much, then it is clearly shown that the bushing in your board is not appropriate for your weight. The bushing is like the suspension o,f the skate. Buy a bushing according to your weight.

The heavier you are, the harder a bushing you will get your skate. after upgrading bushing, if your deck still turns too much, you should check other ways to stabilize your skateboard. You can also visit a local skate shop to upgrade your first skateboard.

Conclusion

Skateboarding is a bit challenging, but it is not impossible to learn. You can be a professional skater if you learn with dedication and practice hard. If you start riding with confidence and without feeling ashamed, you will learn quickly.

Take all the safety precautions when you start learning to practice safely. First-time riding will be awkward, but you will get used to it when you practice. If you follow all the things, you learn riding in no time. All the important things which a beginner should know are mentioned above.

We hope this guide will help you balance your skateboard easily. practice hard to enhance your skating skills!