I'm about to be 23 in less than 2 weeks and I just bought a skateboard Saturday and started skating. I suck ass. I can ride without doing tricks but my balance isn't 100%, I did my first shove it yesterday after like 400 try's and I was skating around town with my buddy who is an experienced skateboarder (been skating for like 14-15 years) and compared to him I looked like a jackass. I know I just started but it's like fuck dude little kids are kicking my ass and telling me how much I suck. I laugh it off because it's just kids but what really gets to me is that I didn't start sooner. I had an overprotective dad who didn't let me out of the house for shot until I turned 16-17 and even then it was on some bullshit. I rebelled after but I remember being 10 years old bothering my dad for months to me a board and he finally broke down and got me one but wouldn't let me go past the backyard so I was like fuck it, 2 weeks later broke my board and never skated again til now. Basically what I'm asking is how can I stop feeling like shit about being so old to start and sucking so bad at skating?
Wow, that pic takes me back. The 90s were fucking awesome. Big Brother was the shit. I miss the hell out of that mag.
Anyway, I'm an oldfag (31, started skating at 13). I don't skate these days because my feet, knees and hips are fucked from activities unrelated to skating. But I feel compelled to respond to your post because you kinda remind me of myself when I was first starting out.
>my buddy who is an experienced skateboarder (been skating for like 14-15 years
What's your set up like? Deck brand and dimensions, trucks, bearings, et cetera. And what's your height/weight/shoe size?
>my buddy who is an experienced skateboarder (been skating for like 14-15 years)
Well then, you have a huge fucking advantage over me. Skating was super unpopular when I started back in 1998 and I had to learn everything on my own. I was the only skater in town and there were no skateparks, there was no YouTube with myriad tutorials and if you wanted to see pro level skating, you'd buy a VHS tape from the skate shop for $20 and try to learn by replaying it and re-watching in slow motion.
It took me 6 months to learn how to do an ollie while rolling above 0.5 miles an hour. Add to this the fact that I lived in New England where it was winter 6 months a year and it's amazing I was able to skate at all. Enough self pity. The point is this--if I learned how to skate under these dismal conditions, you can learn as well and it should probably take you 1/10th the time.
Look, skating can be fucking tough. It's even tougher when you constantly compare yourself to other people who have been at it way longer than you and are way smaller/lighter than you. It was tough for me but that's what it made it kind of beautiful. The struggle gave it meaning. I mainly got better by skating alone in the early mornings in an abandoned parking lot. Just doing flat ground tricks ad nauseum until I felt comfortable doing bigger stuff at higher speeds. It worked for me and it can work for you.
>>17108508
(continued...)
I read about Rodney Mullen doing the same in Big Brother; he'd go to a parking lot with a broom, sweep away the pebbles and practice freestyle for hours on end. He's OCD as shit and so is Nyjah Huston. They both had the same methodical approach of skating 4 hours a day during the week and up to 8 hours a day on the weekend. Obviously that's a major commitment and you're basically dedicating your life to it when you're that serious about anything, but the message to take from it is that skating is about practice as much as it is about talent. Just focus on getting your reps in. I promise you, if you stick with it, you'll get better.
Some other things I wish someone had told me when I was first starting out:
1) Many sports favor power and size. Skateboarding is definitely not one of them. Figure skating is probably the closest analog. The average pro skater is about 5'8. This gives them a low center of gravity. If you're taller than this, you will have to compensate by lowering your posture to the point where you're almost bent over. Watch Jon Fitzgerald for an example.
https://youtu.be/0LofTFYVdRE
The average weight of a pro is about 140-150. Seriously, look at a pro skater and size them up. They're TINY. The best skaters in the world all weigh less than 180 lb and the only guys that can get away with being that heavy are the taller guys like Bob Burnquist and Tony Hawk. I got into working out freshman year of high school and gained about 15 lb of muscle. And while I got more attention from girls, it made me much slower and clumsier on a skateboard. Even a tiny weight gain is really going to throw off your technique and balance. Watch what you eat and keep weight training to a minimum. The most useful muscles to train for skating better, other than legs, would probably be your core muscles.
>>17108508
I got an almost deck size 8.25, 52mm spitfire wheels, venture trucks, shake hunt berrings. I'm 6'2 I weigh about 175lbs give or take, size 10
.5-11 show it varies.
And you're right I do have more resources at my disposal I guess what really gets to me is all the wasted time. I've always felt so close to the culture but never participated in it til now and when I get on the board I'm just like "why didn't I start sooner?" I feel like I missed out on a lot. I won't have all those cool teenage skating stories to look back on or all the crazy young and dumb shit. Idk maybe I'm overthinking it..
>>17108541
2) With that in mind, look for a pro skater your size with your sized feet and study his technique closely. If you're tall with big feet, you just aren't going to be able to do the insane flip in, flip out stuff a tiny guy like Daewon Song can do. If you're really short and kinda stocky, you probably shouldn't try to emulate the style of Reese Forbes or Danny Wainwright since most smaller guys just can't ollie as high.
3) The hips are your center of gravity. Adjust them whenever you're not getting a trick. They're especially important for 180s and 360s. Wherever your hips go, the rest of your body will go. Swing your shoulders to steer your hips. You have to kind of wind up and explode to really spin right.
4) Warm up properly before you really push yourself. And if you feel uncomfortable doing something, don't do it. Fuck impressing anyone else. Skating is supposed to be fun. Don't worry about whether someone else thinks your style is cool or dorky, just do what the fuck feels good to you and you'll be way happier.
5) Don't compare yourself to anyone other than yourself. If you're better or smarter right now than you were 2 weeks ago, you're making progress and that's all that matters.
6) You're never too old to learn something new. I'm 31 and going back to school for my MBA soon. I'll be older than 90% of my classmates but I don't care. I'm doing what I want to do. You can do the same.
7) I'd recommend the following reading material:
-Mastery by Robert Greene (teaches you how to get good at anything)
-Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach (recommended by Sean Sheffey in his Big Brother interview; inspiring short story that any skater can relate to)
-This article by Dyske Suematsu: http://dyske.com/paper/953
And that is it! That is everything I wish someone had taught me about skating (and life in general) when I was first starting out.
Sorry if this was TL;DR. I just thought back to how fucking miserable I made myself at times.
>>17108576
Dude thanks for everything. I'm feeling a hell of a lot better about getting back to it and just practicing and having fun. I mean that's the whole fuckin reason right? Thanks for the posts dude they've been really informative and I'm gonna definitely keep practicing.
>>17108587
No prob, anon. Glad I could help!
And remember, the struggle in your life--skating related or otherwise--is what gives your life meaning. Stay sane.
>>17108603
Real shit, thanks again dude.
>protip: spend a day in an empty parking lot just riding around, keep your front foot straight while pushing with your back foot, and practice skating switch (backwards). later you can try doing ollies and once you get those down most tricks you'll be able to learn easily.
don't get frustrated, homie
>>17108300
the only one who should be over 23 and still on a skate board is: TONY HAWK and even then he doesnt skate so much anymore and he is in his 40s with a kids and wife.
take the hint dude: its over
