The Secrets of Skateboarding

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5 Most Common Skateboarding Mistakes

Not Popping Hard Enough- This may sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many skaters do no pop hard enough. This is because we’re not really consciously aware of our movements- they have become completely habituated. Strive to slam down on the tail hard as you can every single time you pop. Whether you’re doing a flatground Kickflip or Ollying a 7 set, aim to pop as hard as you can every single time. Over time, your body will develop a habit of popping hard, and your tricks will be naturally higher. This is one of the most overlooked parts of skateboarding.
Leaning Over your Board- As you bend down to prepare for the pop, be sure to squat- do not lean over the edge of your board. This throws off your balance and leaves you with less control over your board and body. The only exception to this is when you’re learning a new trick and the board is going away from you. Leaning in the opposite direction when you first learn the trick will help keep the board under your feet. As you become more and more comfortable with doing the trick, your body will naturally stop leaning and the board will stay under you without you adjusting.

Bending Down Too Much or Too Little- This is something I have discovered recently. I found out that bending down too much slows down the popping motion and, as a result, you lose height on tricks. Bending down too little doesn’t give you enough power for a good clean pop. This is like bending your knees before jumping. If you bend them all the way so your butt is practically touching the ground, you won’t jump very high because it’ll takes longer for your legs to extend, and you lose a lot of the force. If you don’t bend enough, you won’t be able to generate enough force to jump as high as you can. The trick is to bend the optimal amount- somewhere in the middle. Personally, I like to bend slightly more for gaps and stairs and not as much for flatground.

Letting a Bad Day Affect You- Everyone has bad days- even professionals. The key is seeing past them and not letting them affect you. Skateboarding is a wonderful journey with many ups and downs. After you land a huge gap or learn a new trick, you feel like you’ve conquered the world. But when you have days when you get hurt or can’t land anything, you’ll think about giving up. If you’re having a bad day, make the most out of it. Read some motivational quotes if you have to. Just remember that the harder you work, the greater your rewards.

Skating without a Goal- In section one, we learned about the importance of goal setting and how it gives us a purpose and direction. Many skateboarders skate without really thinking about why they’re doing it and what they want to get out of it. Think about why you started skateboarding. Was it because your friends did it? Was it because skating is the “cool” thing to do? Well whatever the reason may have been, I’m sure they have changed by now. You probably want to skate because it creates a sense of freedom, creativity, and thrill. Make sure you know why you’re skateboarding. If you’re doing it to “be cool” or to “fit in” I can bet you won’t last long. Also, think about what you want to get out of skateboarding. Set goals and think about where you would like to be in 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years….

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