Q&A for How to Skateboard

It depends on what you want to use it for. A bigger board is going to be more stable, easier to ride, and harder to maneuver. A smaller board is easier to maneuver, turn, and do tricks with, but is a little bit less stable. In the same way, wheels with a softer durometer are smooth for riding on sidewalks but are very grippy, while harder wheels will let you do tricks like slides.

It’s easier to balance and glide for long distances on a longboard, and you might find a longboard easier when you are starting to learn. However, it’s harder to build up speed on a longboard, and you won’t be able to pull off the same kinds of tricks as you can on a skateboard.

It’s not too difficult to learn the basics if you have a high-quality board. Take it slow and start by mastering the basics, like balance and proper form, and it will be much easier for you to learn more advanced techniques down the line.

Practice often. The more practice you get, the more comfortable you will be.

Not particularly. Just make sure you wear appropriate clothing that you feel comfortable in and wouldn't mind damaging. If you have long hair, tie it up or push it behind your shoulders. A few people may tease you, but most skaters will respect you and your decision to skate: anybody who thinks you're not capable or that you are too much like a "tomboy" is not worth talking to.

Practice as much as you can, as frequently as you can. Watch some Braille skateboarding videos on YouTube, I found them to be helpful. Step out of your comfort zone, but don't do anything dangerous. No one can learn everything about skateboarding in 2 days.

To get over the fear of falling, you have to learn how to brace yourself. Once you've got that, you just have to accept the fact that you will fall and it will hurt. Falling is a part of every skater's life and it will become less frightening over time.

It's not particularly hard to skate with glasses, except when you get sweaty your glasses might tend to fall down your nose.

When you feel your board slowing down, push off the ground again to pick up speed. You may need to push multiple times to gain speed when first starting to skate.

You should get softer wheels so it feels smoother when you ride on the road.

Get as much practice in your day to day summer life as possible.

When your front foot is on the front or mid-section of the board, pop your back foot back, then slide your front foot up and you will keep practicing this until you finally come off the ground. More details, with images of the actions, can be found here: How to Ollie .

You don't have to. Skateboarding and bike riding are completely different sports that require completely different skill sets.

Try putting your left foot in front (regular-footed) or if that is uncomfortable, put your right foot in front and get in the habit of pushing with your left foot (goofy-footed).

No. This can and probably will cause injuries to your feet. Wearing skate shoes is your best bet.

Take off the trucks, so all you have is a bare board. Practice doing ollies with the bare board in the grass or on carpet until you get the hang of it. Then put the trucks back on and try again in the grass or carpet. Once you are efficient at this, you can move onto pavement.

Just buy a cheap one for now, or you can check for used ones.

A riser is put between the truck (skateboard axle) and deck (the board), you just need tools to undo the bolts and place the riser between. You may need to also purchase longer bolts.

Whichever foot feels the most comfortable in front is the one you should use. If you aren't comfortable with one foot in front, try the other. If it feels even WORSE, then stick with the original foot.

Learn to ollie first and have them down well; also knowing how to 50-50 grind helps. As you approach the rail, get ready to ollie. Then, when you ollie and are over the rail, turn your board 90 degrees and land on the rail and slide. Try to keep your balance and when you are at the end of the rail, turn your board back to normal land it and roll away.

Basically, follow the steps shown in the article. To sum it up, buy a skateboard and get comfortable with just going straight with it. Then try turning, and if you want, try the other tricks listed once you're really comfortable on a board.

A longboard or cruiser would work best for transportation. They are easier to ride and generally faster than regular skateboards.

It doesn't matter if you have a road or a driveway, practice there. Just practice balance, learn tricks, and stuff like that. You don't need a skate park to practice.

No, a street board is ideal for tricks. You can try, but you might have difficulties.

A longboard would be best for learning, but you might want to upgrade to a classic board, once you're ready to do some tricks.

Start by trying to talk to them about it and convince them that skating is an activity you enjoy. If they still won't bend, then do it with your friends, or wait until they're not around. As long as you're being safe, there's no reason you shouldn't be able to skate.

Start out with a longboard but classic boards are only a little harder.

Find a flat sidewalk or driveway nearby that you can practice on. (You can also take off the wheels and just practice using a bare board until you feel like you can do the tricks comfortably on wheels.) After you become comfortable on flat ground, you can move to the hillier areas in your city, which will give you many more options for practice spots.

It should take about as long as it takes a boy. It just depends on how athletic you are.

It's fine to start with. It would be ideal to get a good quality skateboard from a sport or skate shop, but you probably could take your board to a shop and ask about the quality of if there.