When it comes to being the number one source for skateboarding information, these types of articles are the most important to us. Because at GOSKATE, our entire mission is to help people to have fun and become confident on their skateboard.
With over 3,000 skate instructors and two decades of skate heritage, GOSKATE has seen first hand the magic of self confidence when a young skater becomes confident on a skateboard.
The transformation is a testament to the self empowerment and social skills of skateboarding and truly, why we’re in this business in the first place.
That being said, from stepping on a skateboard for the first time, to becoming one of the local skate park’s experienced skaters, in this article you’ll learn proven rules of thumb on how to go from a beginner skater to learning how to skateboard with confidence.
In addition to learning how to skateboard and build confidence, we’ll go over:
- Master the Foundations of Skateboarding
- Learning New Tricks with Confidence
- Skating the Correct First Skateboard
- [Bonus] GOSKATE Instructors Tips on How To Skateboard with Confidence
Need help identifying skateboarding tricks or keeping up with skateboarding terms? We’ve got GOSKATE guides on How to Identify Skate Tricks and The Largest Skateboard Glossary in the world. Don’t forget to check out other articles from our blog – rated one of the best skateboarding blogs by Feedspot, btw.
Master the Foundations of Skateboarding
Learning how to skateboard with confidence is all about mastering the foundations of skateboarding. That way, you’re properly prepared to learn new tricks and skate skateparks with the best foundation possible.
That is precisely why we guarantee you will master the foundations of skateboarding within your first four lessons. This includes how to stand on a skateboard and how to maintain your balance while pedaling and turning with proper front foot and back foot placement.
Many new skaters won’t intuitively know foot placements or will pedal with the front foot instead of the back foot. Literally, mastering the foundations of skateboarding will get you off on the right foot instead of improper form that sets you off balance.
Additionally, your foundation will allow you to learn how to eventually skate down ramps, roll off curbs and pop kickflips and skate skateparks sooner. However, mastering the foundations of skateboarding does have other factors to consider like skating the right skateboard.
Contact GOSKATE today to find out what skateboard instructors are in your area to help you master the foundations of skateboarding.
Skating the Correct Skateboard
Buying your first skateboard can make or break you or your loved ones’ confidence simply because you didn’t know any better and might think the challenges from this mistake are your fault.
Think of it this way: while skating a longboard or a penny board can be tons of fun, they are not generally skatepark or skate trick friendly. You might be failing to lift extra heavy wheels on flat ground or failing to sharply turn on a board without a tail for kick turns. Maybe you have a Penny Board with a plastic deck and no grip tape and find your feet slipping off when trying kickflips in the parking lot.
In order to help beginner skaters get off on the right foot, goofy or regular, and reduce the possibility of these mistakes, we’ve created the GOSKATE beginner skateboard package.
The GOSKATE beginner skateboard package includes a fully assembled skateboard specifically designed for beginner skaters who want to master the foundations of skateboarding and go on learn new skateboard tricks at the skatepark.
There’s also an option for knee pads, wrist guards and a helmet, to have the protective gear your child will need to reduce the fear of skateboarding and fear of falling.
We also have several articles on how to choose the right skateboard for your kid, the best skateboards of 2022, and even a free skateboard size calculator.
Once you have your perfect first skateboard and mastered the foundations of skateboarding, you’re ready to start learning new tricks with confidence.
Learn New Tricks with Confidence
Learning new tricks will always be a part of your skateboarding journey. Since day one, the pursuit of learning new tricks has been at the core of skating, but learning to do so with confidence isn’t always the easiest for new and even experienced skaters.
When it comes to learning new tricks with confidence there’s a few things to consider:
- Have reasonable expectations – Having reasonable expectations ensures you’re not being too hard on yourself. Because after all, confidence comes from within and we should avoid putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves and remember ultimately, skateboarding is about having fun with your friends.
- Do not compare yourself to others – We all know the famous saying, comparison is the death of joy. Well, like we said, skating is all about having fun. While you should draw inspiration from others in a healthy way, do not compare yourself to other skaters. Everyone has had their own journey and has been skating for different periods of time. You know how there’s always a bigger fish? There’s always a better skater out there.
- Believe to achieve! – There’s a lot of instances at local skateparks where younger skaters will say, “I can’t do that,” or “Yeah right, maybe never.” Skating begins with conceptualizing what’s possible. About taking something in your mind you have never done and actualizing it into a trick. Remain positive and believe. What you believe you can achieve!
- Consistency – Just like anything to do with a craft, you have to spend significant time in learning how to skateboard. So if you’re only skating one day a week, or worse, once every two weeks, it’s going to be much more difficult to build confidence on a skateboard.
[Bonus] GOSKATE Instructors Tips on How To Skateboard with Confidence
- Know You’re Ready for the Skate Park – We can’ tell you the amount of time we’ve been at a skatepark with a student and someone’s parents bring their kid to the skatepark with little to no experience on a skateboard. These kids are highly intimidated by the skaters around them and become turned off to skating. We recommend having an instructor accompany your child to the skatepark for the first time or at the very least they should have mastered the foundations of skateboarding.
- It’s about having fun – While there are some contests in skateboarding, there’s a saying skaters like to say: “The best skater is the one having the most fun.” If it was all about skill, many skaters wouldn’t be able to love skating as much as they do. There’s art, community, philanthropy, and sportsmanship in all facets of skating. Enjoy them!
- Everyone was a beginner – What do Tony Hawk, Andrew Reynolds, Nyjah Houston, and Bam Margera all have in common? They were all beginner skateboarders at some point with zero ability to ollie. They too had to master the foundations of skating and even learn from local skaters. People respect the new skater, you just have to respect them back and remain humble. It’s all a part of skateboarding.
- Skate with a friend or instructor – it can really help to skate with a friend or an instructor to promote confidence. Not only is it much safer, it’s a lot more fun!
Contact GOSKATE today and see which skate instructors are available to meet in your area!
