Tony Hawk famously said, “ I was nine years old when my brother gave me my first skateboard.” By age 12 he was winning amateur contests throughout California. At 14 he turned pro, and at 16 he was widely regarded as the world’s best competitive skateboarder.
First and foremost, congratulations! Your child just received one of the healthiest and most productive gifts a child can receive. Skateboarding truly nurtures a child’s development in many ways: creatively, physically, mentally, socially, and even spiritually. All while exposing your child to a diverse ecosystem of people, places, artworks and ways of life.
That being said, skateboarding is not the easiest activity to learn and parents often do not possess the skill themselves to get their child rolling in the right direction. Luckily for you, GOSKATE has the most comprehensive skateboarding guides to mastering the foundations of skateboarding so parents and their loved ones can get their kids skating in the safest and most fun ways possible.
In this article we’re going to go over the possible roots of how skaters are gifted a skateboard, where they come from and where you might look to in the near future to help improve your skate setup.
We will also go over some self-learning tips, like the time it takes and the amount of dedication needed to master the foundations of skating and to start learning harder tricks. We will also address some of the most frequently asked questions (FAQs) that many parents ask our instructors after receiving their first skateboards.
Last but certainly not least, we will also provide you with the pros of enrolling your child as a skateboard school student, the group class versus private lessons platforms and the pros and cons of all of the above.
It is our goal by the end of this article, you will have mapped out a positive and fun trajectory for your child to foster their love for skateboarding and maximize the benefits of this truly revolutionary gift.
Where do skateboards come from?
The skateboarding industry is a multi billion dollar industry that is constantly in flux with new brands, skate shops, skate parks and even skate media outlets. There is always constant change and new skaters and companies entering the fold, so it can be hard for first time skaters to know where their skateboard even came from.
That being said, skateboards generally come from 1 of 3 places:
Your Local Skate Shop
Online Skateboard Order
Local Sports Retail Store
So let’s go over them.
Your Local Skate Shop
Supporting your local skate shop is always going to be the best option for buying a skateboard. Many skate shops are struggling to make ends meet and as cornerstones of the community, we should always strive to support them. It’s also a great place to make friends and meet other skaters in your community. There will also be dozens of skateboards for you to inspect and choose from right there in front of you. You can literally hold and touch the skateboards and check out the different shapes and sizes. Many skate shops will even let you stand on the blank deck or hold a board for a few days. That being said, not everyone has access to skate shops, so that brings us to our next point.
Online Skateboard Order
Ordering your skateboard online is a great way to get exactly what you want at an affordable price. The main con is you don’t get to inspect the skateboard prior. However once you love a brand and their skateboards, you can rest assured consistency. That being said, over the years it has been difficult to find online retailers who match that consistency or have skateboards tailored to beginners who might not know what they need. That is precisely why GOSKATE created the beginner skateboard package. Sourced from the highest quality 7-layer ply maple skateboards and polyurethane wheels. Check us out.
Local Sports Retail Store
For many skaters throughout the 90’s and 00’s –it wasn’t uncommon for parents to have no idea where they were going to get their skateboards from. They often would go to the local sports retails store like a Target or a Walmart. You hear countless stories from pro skaters admitting their first skateboard was a “Walmart Board.” That being said, local sports retail stores have really upped their game. You can see in our article here on the 10 Best Complete Skateboards to Buy Online, how brands like Red Bull and Element skateboards now offer affordable alternatives to more expensive high end boards. This is a great option for young kids who might not be fully in love with skating but if your child does show a real interest in skating, these boards generally fall short in longevity and will need to be replaced quickly.
How to Improve Your Skateboard?
Building a skateboard from scratch can seem like a jigsaw puzzle at first but shortly after, you come to realize it’s a unique way to customize your skateboarding experience and skater expression.
Also, the different parts of a skateboard have different life spans. A skateboard deck might last you only a few weeks or months, whereas a good pair of skateboard trucks and wheels can last years.
Here are some lifespans for some skateboard supplies and how you can improve them:
Wheels: Your skateboard wheels can last up to several years but generally have a lifespan from 3 months to two years. However, lower quality wheels will be slow, groggy and slippery. If that is the case you need to upgrade to a reputable brand.
Trucks: Your skateboard trucks have the longest life-span of any part of your skateboard and if your kingpin breaks they can be replaced for under $10. That being said, some skateboards will opt for low quality trucks. You should always strive for high quality trucks that fit your skateboard size correctly. This is why shopping in person is great or using our free skateboard size calculator.
Bearings: Bearings are probably the hardest thing to shop for and to determine lifespan. Much of this will depend on budget and how well you take care of your skateboard and how mindful you are of what you skate through. A good rule of thumb is to replace your bearings once you notice your wheels are no longer spinning well or make a dramatic squeaking sound. This usually happens once or twice a year but in reality, bearings can be replaced as frequently as decks.
Deck: A skateboard deck is the most common thing to be replaced as the wood and the proximity to obstacles that wear and tear your skateboard. That being said, there are other factors that go into it as well. You might have left your board in the car and the laminate might start to warp. You could have rode through water and water-logged your board or maybe a runaway skateboard ran into a wall and chipped its nose. Whatever the case may be, a skateboard deck is replaced as frequently as your leisure. Pro skaters might replace their skateboard every session, whereas someone like the author of this article will replace their skateboard deck every 2-3 months or so.
Grip Tape: Your griptape is an ambiguous one, since it can be quite difficult to replace grip tape and there are not many reasons why one would want to. But if you left your board out in the sun and it got sun spots, or maybe you spray painted your board so much there’s no more grip, or even if you spilled something on your grip that is affecting your slide, you can replace your grip as soon as the accident happens.
Hardware: When skating, you might lose a piece of hardware. This is not uncommon especially if you didn’t get your board set up by a professional. That being said, many skaters at the skatepark will have an extra or you can pop into your local shop to grab a spare as well. Otherwise, you generally won’t be buying hardware unless you get a new complete or pair of trucks.
The Best Self-Learning Tips Sourced from GOSKATE Instructors
The term self-learning is an ambiguous one, since you will always be drawing inspiration as a skater from those around you and the places you skate. But how you learn tricks and how you have fun is entirely up to the skater and their determination. This is why skateboarding helps hone a do-it-yourself attitude in young people and teaches them how to persevere in the face of physical and mental obstacles.
Have fun!
Skate with friends
Don’t compare yourself to others
The level at which you get better at skating is different for all people. Some people might naturally have more confidence or less fear when first learning how to skate. Others might need to take their time. What matters is you understand skateboarding is more like an artform in this respect, comparing yourself to others is pointless because everyone skaters differently. Many skaters will quit at some point, so take your time and be yourself. The skaters who stick with it have learned not to compare themselves and to find the joy in every skater’s abilities no matter their skill level.
“I love how each skater has their own set of skills and strengths,” says Matthew Pillet, our instructor from the Maryland area. “It’s really cool to see the kids conquer their fears as well. It’s like they had no idea they could do something but once they try it unlocks this whole new confidence to try other tricks.”
Follow Skate Media & Watch Skate Tutorials
One of the best ways to get better at skateboarding is to digest skate media and watch skateboarding tutorials. Many experts have YouTube channels or online tutorials on how to learn new tricks specifically tailored to new skaters.
The Most Common FAQs from New Skaters and their Parents
Oftentimes our parents will stay for the duration of the classes and just like their kids who grow in interest, they ask our instructors specific questions to help foster their child’s passion and growth as a skater.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the most frequently asked questions so you can hear from what our instructors have to say about new skaters.
Enrolling Your Child in Skate Schools
Enrolling your child in a skate class or skate school is the surest way to accelerate their passion and skill for skateboarding. In enrolling your child, you essentially compliment every factor that leads to your child learning faster, having more fun and being safer while riding a skateboard. However, it can be hard to know if you should book a group class or a private lesson. So let’s take a deeper look into both and their pros and cons.
Group Classes Vs Private Lessons
A group class usually consists of 2-10 students all skating at a skatepark with either one instructor or two instructors. Obviously, a private lesson is one on one with an instructor. Both have pros and cons and we’re going to break them down to see which one better fits your child.
Pros and Cons of Group Classes
Let’s start with the pros:
The pros of group classes are naturally the social aspect your child will benefit from. Being with other kids, generally at the same skill level and age, will be much like an after school program where your child can make peers and friends. This will also be naturally diverse, as skateboarding attracts all types of people no matter their age, gender or ethnic background.
Competition is also a pro of learning how to skate in a group setting. Some kids are naturally competitive or at the very least want to do what their friends are doing. “If they can do it, I can do it.” Students will naturally encourage one another to do tricks and even teach one another how to skate.
Group classes are a great way to meet other parents who have kids passionate about skateboarding. You can share your knowledge with each other and learn about other skateparks and ways in which your child can foster their love for skateboarding.
Let’s take a look at some cons:
Some of the cons of skating in a group class setting mainly center around the fact your child doesn’t get the special one on one instruction they might need to learn tricks. Not every child does well in social situations when trying something new and might need a more hands on approach and special instruction.
Another con is some kids might begin to compare themselves to others or feel intimidated. While this is natural for some kids, it is also natural for them to conquer these fears and really grow from accomplishing riding a skateboard. As long as they don’t quit and have fun, they will certainly outgrow these cons and become confident skaters.
Pros and Cons of Private Lessons
Let’s start with the pros:
Booking a one-on-one private lesson is the surest way your child will receive the attention they need to master the foundations of skating in a tailored curriculum. It’s much like learning in a classroom. Some students might benefit from one-on-one tutoring versus a classroom environment where a teacher has to spread the lesson laterally.
The safest your child can be while riding a skateboard is under the supervision of our GOSKATE instructors. No attention to detail goes unnoticed and they are specifically trained to always keep your child’s safety as the top priority while teaching. This doesn’t just mean on their skateboard but their interactions at the skatepark in totality.
Let’s talk about some cons:
The biggest con about a private lesson is skaters will miss out on the group activity factor and socialization. While this might be true at the beginning, eventually just being at the skatepark will lead to your child making friends. But sometimes showing up with an instructor might deter those kids if they are intimidated by an older skate instructor. This is rare but it does happen sometimes.
Every kid remembers their first skateboard, where it came from, who gave it to them, what brand it was, the graphic and everything perfectly imperfect about it.
You hear countless recounted tales from Pro skaters of how their first skateboard was gifted to them (usually by an older brother). But nonetheless, this life-altering moment is a moment in time a skater never forgets. The best part is you don’t have to be a pro skater to experience this exact feeling. Go out, get your skateboard, get your friends and GOSKATE!
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