3rd July 2007
Enjoying Skateboarding More
The other day a reader sent in what I thought was a very inciteful and interesting question:
Know any places where talent can be bought? As with all things in life skating takes time, effort and talent, in fairly even proportion. Since I haven't got a whole lot of time, am more than average lazy and have about as much talent as the average chimp I'm still at what by the standards of today's youth would be called an advanced beginner. I have on my good days landed the odd flip trick, I did (back in 1999) get my ollies high as funk and I can go down hills and ollie up curbs and what not. But still I find that this isn't quite enough and I hate the thought of other people thinking I'm 'crap' and a 'pussy' of sorts. So, to get to the point and ask a question as to make this fit the context of the online Q&A that it is: "What can I do to enjoy my skateboarding more?"
First of all, thanks for the great question. Personally for me discovering flatland skating was the big thing that made skateboarding really fun, and opened a whole new world to me.
Suddenly trying to nail kickflips or rails all the time didn't matter anymore. With flatland skating I found that I could be way more creative with how I skate. I could spend hours working out new and interesting ways to combine different tricks into some type of routine (see this rail flip routine I wrote about a while back), or how to spin or flip the board in a certain way so that I could get into a particular stance. Just lots of little things.
It's a much more liberating experience because half the time you will be doing tricks that most skaters couldn't care less about, so you won't have to worry about whether they think you're a nonce for not being able to land a kickflip, and half the time you won't have any idea what it is you're doing anyway - it just feels good and FUN.
That's me anyway... how does anybody else keep skateboarding fun?
Post To Del.icio.us
Add To Yahoo! My WebI never started skateboarding to become good at something, or to impress anyone. The reason I started was because I had a lot of stress and rough times at home, as well as school, various drama and such. It was just something I picked up with two of my close family members (cousins I grew up with) to relieve stress and frustration. A place to feel a sense of no constraint. Freedom, I guess. Now that I'm in college and live in the dorms, it has an added purpose of letting me get away from all the crazy occasionally and have fun.
Now that I got that history lesson out of the only way I've stuck with the activity for so long is because I simply do it for me. It's just like anything else. If you play music, and aren't an asshole, you do it because you genuinely love music. Even if you're shit at it, there's no point in being worried. Other than that, you may just want to try to branch off into other things. You've been around boards for at least 8 years? Have you tried vert, or flatland? Anything other than street?
I try to maintain a balance between those three, and the occasional downhill race with my cousins, which I'm sure to die on one day (ridiculously large hills with cars and no sidewalks). Though, if it's simply just not fun for you anymore, then there's no need to convince yourself it is. Life should be about enjoying yourself.
Posted by vaughn on 07th of July 2007
i have been skating for around 10 years now, and still struggle with kickflips, n heelflips...
Yet this doesnt stop me from pulling huge walltaps from a quarter pipe or airing halfpipes.
One of the most fun things for me is simply launching over funboxes, riding vert walls, i.e. going over big stuff , its exhilirating(?) and yes people are impressed by it, i would rather do things like this than just be another street skater who can 360 flip, as its less effort, more enjoyment.
Also take it back a little, do some oldschool moves, noone thinks that its cool anymore but then at the same time these people worship rodney mullen who does a lot of oldschool stuff :s and when you first pull a primo varial flip you will be thrilled.
And finally teaching others, helping kids learn to drop in or ollie is a great way to enjoy skating and you do get the feeling of accomplishment when a kid you help out pulls the trick youve been showing him, dont be one of them skaters who sees a kid whos not as good as him and just moans whenever that kid bails near him, help them out and you will enjoy it, and make a lot of friends in the process who wont look to see if you can pull a big flip.
you should skate cause you enjoy skating not cause you need to be talented at it, dont be a person who has to be amazing at it and you will enjoy it more as you are more relaxed and there is no pressure.
Posted by craig on 30th of August 2007
I've been skating for 4 months now but i can only ollie an inch or so. the only place me and my friends get to skate is a tarmac rod in an estate. we keep getting kicked out or called grungers . It's pretty hard being a skater around my town. The only reason we keep skating is cause it's fun. We're not great but we keep on trying new stuff. I think it's just plain stupid to give up cause your crap , carry on skating , try new tricks. Eventully you'll get better.
Posted by Adam Reynolds on 03rd of November 2007
well i started skating when i was 18, needless to say there where much much younger kids kickin the shit out of me in everything. i got called a poser by everybody. what REALLLLLY helped me actually enjoy skating at the time was my bestfriend. he started a few weeks after me and began to excel a little quicker than i did wich gave me decent compitition but not so much it made feel like i suck to bad. im 21 now i been through the army for a couple of years so i had to stop and start all over a couple of times, but its always good to have someone on your level with a little friendly compitition. one day your tricks will just click, youll start to land them more, and youll learn a new trick like everyweek if you push yourself. it took 2 and a half years for my tricks to do that before i could barely kickflip. but after that point is when it really started to get fun, you can play with your tricks and tweak them to make them look how you want. hope this helped.
Posted by DripDrake on 05th of December 2007
also maybe you should try to learn switch, you might get WAY better at it than regular. i know i am.
Posted by DripDrake on 05th of December 2007
Skateboarding is fun
Posted by Coffs skater on 27th of July 2009
Skateboarding is fun
Posted by Coffs skater on 27th of July 2009
..man..this helped me..it is not about the people say..its not about how cool your deck is..its about enjoying the sport..i don't have any skatemates here..and i don't even have a decent rail..but what makes me continue skating is the fun that i can get while doing it..it is connecting with yourself..you dont have to impress those stupid guys who cannot have sons anymore..just be yourself..and enjoy..^^
Posted by bebong on 27th of August 2009
Seriously, if it's not fun, don't do it. I'm 33 and just started skating 5 months ago. I'm hooked, even though I'm still trying to improve my ollie (4" on lock). I've landed exactly 4 shuvits so far, hit my shin countless times trying, but I love it. Who cares what others think? They're not in it for the right reasons.
Posted by anachronist on 10th of August 2010
I agree wholeheartedly! When I decided to get into skateboarding, it was admittedly encouraged by the THPS video games (although I'd always wanted to try it). I jumped right in, trying to ollie and kickflip and so on, before even becoming comfortable with riding. Time and time again, I got hurt, frustrated, and eventually decided that it wasn't worth it to keep skating. Fast-forward two years, and I picked my board up again.
I took it easy, a different approach than before. I wanted to become comfortable on the board, the same way that I am on inline skates or a bike or my own two feet. In the beginning of the season, everyone was trying to ollie decks and sewer covers while I was simply rolling around on four or two wheels in normal and funny foot positions. Everyone would try to convince me to do whatever it was that they were trying to do, but I either didn't want to do it or decided that my skill level wasn't where it needed to be for me to feel comfortable with it (or do it, for that matter).
The other day, one of my friends (in all good manners) brought up how long we'd been skating, and how it was peculiar that he was better. I nodded and supposed that everyone was different, but the reality is that there isn't any real comparison outside of competition. He can ollie a deck, kickflip, sometimes heelflip, and used to be really into skating. I still am, but can't do any of those things yet... but I can indeed skate regular and goofy, manual and nose manual fairly well in either of those, and I'm having fun with G turns and learning to spacewalk. No one else around here can do these, or probably even wants to, like you said... but I have a great time.
Someday I'll be able to ollie a fence, I'm sure of it. I'd also like to be able to perform an emerald flip (thank you tricktionary!), and I'm kind of fond of the impossible. For now, I'm building up my balance some more and working on one-footed manuals, which are fun even if I don't like how they look. When you think about it, there's always something to do on a skateboard!
Posted by Isaac on 04th of July 2007