How to Skateboard Tutorial

Are you ready to get riding?

It is so awesome that you will be learning to skateboard! Skateboarding is very fun, but it is important to spend a lot of time in the beginning just working on basic riding.

The first thing you need to figure out is which foot are you going to put forward.

A good way to figure it out is if you were to slide on something slippery like ice, which foot would you put forward? Whichever one you choose decides which stance you should ride.  Left foot forward is regular and right foot forward is called goofy stance.

Now that you have your stance figured out, you’re going to need to learn to push. Pushing is similar to walking, so when you first start off, just walk up to your skateboard and walk onto it and start pushing with the other foot.

One thing to get used to is that when you are pushing with your back foot, your front foot is facing straight, but once you get both feet on the board you turn your front foot sideways.

There are two ways of turning your board. They are a carving turn and a kick turn. With the carving turn you will need your trucks a little looser and when you lean one way or the other, the board will follow into a turn.

For a kick turn you are going to want to push down slightly with your back foot down on the tail until the front wheels just barley come off the ground.  Once you’ve gotten to this point, turn your shoulders a little and the board should turn with you.

It is important that you spend a lot of time riding your board around and get comfortable with pushing and turning. These two steps are the foundation of all of skateboarding. A lot of times we see a beginner who wants to get right into tricks, but basic riding is the most important step to spend a long time on.

The more time you spend on your board the better, so take it with you places. Ride it to school. Ride it to work. Ride it to the store. Ride everywhere you can and pretty soon riding will feel incredibly comfortable for you. Almost as easy as walking!

Aaron Kyro

Learning to ride your board can take some practice but by following these steps will help guide you through the process. The more you practice and get comfortable, the easier it will get!

Once you have riding down it will be time to start learning some tricks! There are articles here and here that go over beginning tricks, but you should also get Skateboarding Made Simple Volumes 1-7. This is the 7 part lesson plan that will take you from beginner to advanced skater.