Things to Do With Your Skateboard

The fact that skateboarding is a global sport is demonstrated by the worldwide celebration of “Go Skateboarding Day” on June 21. Also known as the first day of summer, June 21, or any day, is a great time to learn how to master a few basic skateboarding moves. Once you learn them, you can use your new knowledge to ride to a friend’s house, push your way up to the park or even skate to the store for a loaf of bread.

  1. Loosen Your Trucks

    • The first thing you should do when learning how to skateboard is to familiarize yourself with your board. A good beginner’s board has a flat surface and tight trucks. Tight trucks make for an extremely stable, but not very maneuverable board. Use a star-shaped screwdriver or hex key to unscrew the kingpins or large bolts that hold the trucks together three or four times. Loosening the trucks slightly will make it easier for you to steer your skateboard while you are learning how to ride, so you can avoid running into walls and barriers.

    Practice Pushing Off

    • Find a flat, smooth road or a smooth surface that’s slightly uphill, like your driveway. Practice pushing off or getting your skateboard up to a speed where you can stand on it for a distance without having to push to keep it going. Position your right foot on the board just below the front bolts on your skateboard. Place your left foot on the ground with your heel in line with the toes on your right foot so that your left foot is in front of your right. Push yourself forward with three strong pushes.

      Once you’ve picked up some speed, ride your board by twisting your right foot so that it faces sideways with your toes to the left. Place your left foot at the back of the board, also with your toes facing left, just below the rear bolts. Shift your weight from your heels to your toes to practice turning the board to the right or left, respectively. Every once in a awhile, give yourself a push to keep your board moving. Stop your board by pressing the tail of the skateboard firmly against ground with your left foot until the board stops moving.

    Tic-Tac-Toe

    • In skateboarding terms, tic-tac-toe isn’t a game but rather the way you can most efficiently pick up your speed and keep your board moving while riding. Use your feet to move the board back and forth, first to the left, then the right. Picking up momentum in skateboarding works the same way as increasing your speed while roller skating or ice skating. In those recreational activities, you move your feet out to the sides to gain speed. On a skateboard, you keep your feet on the board but make the board swing out to the left and right to pick up speed. Shift your weight slightly to your heels then to your toes. As you do, you’ll notice the wheels opposite the side you are shifting your weight will come off the ground slightly and then set back down when you shift your weight in the other direction, creating a “tic-tac” sound with your toes and giving the move its name.

    Non-Riding Activities

    • If you’ve mastered basic skateboarding and have moved on to more expensive boards, or if you love the sport and have extra boards around your house, you can repurpose the boards into common household items. Make a bench out of an old skateboard deck by removing the trucks and wheels and attaching a pair of hairpin legs to the underside of the board. You can also drill four holes into two skateboard decks (also removed from their trucks and wheels) and slide four metal rods through the holes. Use nuts and washers to secure the boards about two feet apart and use the boards as a bookshelf. Alternatively, stand three boards on end facing each other in a tight circle. Place a lamp without a shade in the center to create a unique, skateboard-themed lamp in your bedroom or living room.