Balance Boarding
soft skateboarding
One of the biggest barriers for folks starting out skateboarding is the fear and reality of injury. There is no sugar coating - skateboarding is dangerous. We have most likely seen the footage to back this up, if not here are some good ones.
However, I have heard too many times people feeling like it is not for them because they are worried about seriously injuring themselves. While this is a possibility, there are lots of things that one can do to learn to minimize injury.
One of the things I introduce to future skaters when they are starting out, especially the younger ones, are small cheats or hacks to get comfortable. I will attempt to outline a few ways to in these posts!
a Balancing act
I think everybody, skateboarder or not, should have a balance board!
balance boards are a super cheap and easy way to work on your stability, practice getting on and off safely, shifting your weight, and try some tricks. While carpet boarding might get boring to those who are more experienced skaters (not me), balancing is something we can always do to improve our skating or core strength in general.
Here is a super simple and easy way to get balancing with things found around your house!
Some things to keep in mind:
try to always balance board on a carpet or padded surface
make sure to give yourself space to fall and not hit anything!
play with the size and material of the roller beneath your board, I have seen bottles, wooden dowels, foam rollers, and pvc pipe all used successfully
be extremely cautious of the roller getting close to the end of the board, you will will fall and the board will shoot out. give it space to do so or put up a pad. do not use a balance board near glass.
have fun and challenge yourself!
