Skateboarding: 3 Things They Don’t Tell You About Skating
First, falling is the name of the game. To learn a new skateboard trick, you must fall; there really is no other way to progress! I would actually define skateboarding as 90% falling and 10% landing. The truth is, if you are only landing things, you are only practicing tricks you have already mastered for consistency. The 90/10 ratio is key to progression in getting better at tricks you have recently learned but not yet mastered. With that being said, the ratio will eventually flip for tricks that you practice consistently, so it is important to stay persistent out there, even if it means putting up 20+ tries a day at a trick you only land once each day.
To go off that, the second thing they don’t tell you about in skateboarding is the insane process that is learning a new trick. Some tricks may come in a day, some may take weeks, and some months depending on the level of difficulty as well as the time and thought you put into each session. To learn a new trick, you will need to be patient, persistent, and stay motivated. However, the biggest key to learning a new trick is through analysis and optimization. You need to constantly ask yourself: What did I do wrong with my last attempt and how can I make it better? If you are not thinking this way, it will take far longer for you to learn a new trick because to improve at anything in life, you need to identify the mistakes you are making and fix them. With that being said, don’t get discouraged when working on a new trick because it will come eventually. What helps for me is either working on multiple different tricks at once, or carving out only a portion of time in each skate session to learn something new.
The last big thing they don’t tell you about skateboarding is that your shoes will get DESTROYED!!! Grip tape as you know is not very smooth and over time, your shoes will start to fall apart. Whether it be the worn-out soles or the massive holes you created from doing flip tricks, your shoes will quickly become your skateboard’s punching bag. Therefore, when buying skate shoes, I recommend skating shoes that are a bit thicker, with more layers for your grip tape to chew through. Shoe Goo is also a reliable option for increasing the lifespan of your shoe. As soon as I see a hole in my shoe, I patch it up with Shoe Goo immediately and almost never have to worry about it again.