5 Reasons to get into skateboarding
As skateboarding has debuted in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, both street and park, you would be surprised by the benefits that come from skateboarding. Indeed it is more than just an afterschool activity for children and teenagers. The five reasons to get into skateboarding are actually five health and social benefits you can get from the ever more popular sport.
1. Helps stay fit and improves coordination
Skateboarding can help your coordination as well as improve your balance and flexibility. It can even improve cardiovascular fitness. So all in all skateboarding is an all-rounder sport.
As you may know, skateboards are quite wobbly when you first get on it and if you haven’t got balance, you are more likely to fall off. It’s best to first get used to standing and bending down on the board without moving until you are comfortable. Once you’ve got that down, you’ll start moving by using one leg to push off the ground while the other stays put, this will work your leg, core muscles and arm muscles.
One of the best parts is that the skills you learn from skateboarding can be applied to other sports like surfing, yoga and gymnastics.
2. Great stress reliever
Skateboarding can be described as a moving mindfulness. Most of the time, meditation is associated with sitting still, but there are actually many other ways to meditate. If you think about it, meditation is focusing your mind on one thing at a time, with skateboarding, your mind is focused on your body’s movement, allowing you to connect with it. Skateboarding can be an excellent hobby to start if you suffer from anxiety or depression as it forces your mind to focus on other things. Also, as it is a physical activity, it will release endorphins in the brain.
3. Encourages patience
Everyone knows that skateboarding is much harder than it looks. Once you’ve mastered standing and moving on your skateboard, there is still so much more you can learn such as tricks. It takes a lot of patience and practice to get tricks right, even the basic ones like ollies. So if you are looking for an active way to work on your patience, skateboarding can be the way to go.
4. It gets you outdoors
With lockdowns all over the world, many of us were forced to stay indoors. For many people it has been hard to get back out and enjoy life and to get that all important vitamin D our body needs from the sun. You’ll find if you take up skateboarding you will find yourself outside, even if you are only starting in your garden, that’s fine as you are still getting fresh air and sunlight. Once you feel confident, you’ll soon find yourself skating through the streets.
5. Meet new people
One of the obvious and best benefits of skateboarding is that it allows you to meet new people. Whether you choose to take up street skateboarding or park skateboarding, you will always find people to talk to. They may be newbies like you or they may be experienced, either way it’s a great way to learn new things and a great way to stay motivated as you will want to regularly meet up with people who you share an interest with.
How to skateboard safely
Naturally if you have never done any skateboarding before, it’s best to know how to do it safely. First of all, you need protection (helmet, wrist, knee and elbows pads) this will prevent you from seriously injuring yourself if you fall. Also, skateboarding needs closed-toe flat shoes, the fact that they are flat is key. For younger kids, or adults, it can be an interesting option to sign them up for beginner classes so they can learn the basics safely. These classes teach how to stop and how to fall without hurting yourself.