Skateboard safety shouldn't be put aside.Skateboard Safety. If you keep up with skateboarding articles online, you might have noticed one of mine around quite a bit lately. It’s called eight skateboarding safety tips. It really is a great article, which is why it’s been posted quite a few times. Now, I don’t want to completely repeat the article here. However, it has valuable information, which I think needs to be on the site. Here’s a summary, but with some additions and afterthought: I start out posing a question. What skateboard safety tips would I give to a beginner skateboarder? I have eight key points that I make. I hope it gives you something to think about and inspires you to be a bit safer. It’s not all that hard to do. Number one: Stay within your level of skateboarding. Don’t jump up to skate with the pros if you’re not ready. You wouldn’t try the mega ramp in you couldn’t even do a simple ground ramp. So, why would you try a stair set if you can’t ollie. I see people do dumb stuff like this all the time. If you skate even a little bit you probably understand what I mean when you see something like this: Your one friend comes out to hang out with you while you’re skating. He sees you land a kickflip. Now, he (or she) wants to try it too. You watch as they try to mimic what you do. They are really shaky and might even fall and get hurt. That’s because we don’t start out knowing how to do everything. Skate within your own level. It’s the best skateboard safety tip I can give you. Number two: Gradually advancing. This goes with number one, but it means something a little different. Learn how to ollie small stuff like a board or two before working on trash cans or ledges. Get kickflip on lock down before trying 360 flips. It makes so much sense, but people get into their mindset and forget about safety. Number three: Know your physical limit. You have to push yourself to get better. You wont succeed if you don’t try hard enough. You do need to know your limit though. If you’ve been skating all day, double check to make sure you’re not too tired. There’s always tomorrow. If you’ve been trying to learn new trick and tried a couple hundred times, just take a break. Come back out the next day refreshed and with more energy. Remember to rest up and you won’t be out of the game for too long. Number four: Helmet and pads. Some parks don’t enforce enough skateboard safety rules (if any). Basically, you skate at your own risk. It’s really a risk to skate without them. If you’re not confident about what you’re doing, you should have pads on. I don’t really care if it’s not cool. A lot of people say, “that’s not going to happen to me.” I’m not here to say, “yes it is.” In fact I hope for just the opposite. I don’t want you to ever be put out of skateboarding. That’s not any fun. So, just remember that sometimes pads should be required even when they aren’t by others. Number five: Keep hydrated. Skateboard safety goes into your health as well. It sounds lame, but dehydration leads to a lot of accidents. And it can be bad for your health if you don’t keep enough water in your system. This is one of the easiest tips to follow. On the other hand, it’s so easy a lot of people forget about it. And if you’re health is not enough, it’s been proven scientifically that you skate better and are more flexible when you are properly hydrated. Always bring a cooler or at least a big water bottle when you are out skating for a long time. Number six: Check out the spot you’re skating. Look at the ground. Are there a lot of rocks? Is there broken glass? Just keep your eyes open. Sweep up glass and rocks. Move stuff that’s in the way. Watch out for nails, metal, and other bits. You don’t wanna have to break out the tooth brush if you know what I mean. (If you don’t, sometimes that’s how you have to get gravel out cuts). Again, an easy tip to keep in mind. Number seven: Skate during the day. It’s hard to see at night. When it’s dark, you won’t be able to skate as well. You won’t land tricks as often and this can lead to more bails and falls. You also can see other skaters better during the day. If you’re at a park at night, there’s a good chance of running into someone else on their skateboard. Number eight: Deep the temperature in mind. If it’s hot, make sure you have drinks nearby. If it’s cold, bring a hat and some gloves. Don’t get frostbite. You might think you’re fine, but cold weather can bring out health problems more quickly than you think. Heat stroke and frost bite are serious issues. Just don’t stay out too long and it wont be a problem for you. These are some great skateboard safety tips and I hope you practice skateboard safety seriously. Of course, there’s no way to completely remove danger from skateboarding. The sport and danger go hand and hand. It might look cool on tv to fall and get hurt, but trust me, it’s not fun at all. I hate being out of skating for a while. Just remember to be safe and smart and you’ll have a good time. I’m sure of it. Skateboarding just brings out the fun in people.
|
