Life is a lot like Skateboarding
Lil Wayne
With life being a lot like skateboarding, it is not hard to understand why many people make skateboarding their life. If you are enthusiastic about skateboarding in Cape Town or in Durban, South Africa, you may be looking for a skate park to visit. A mini ramp can bring about feelings of joy, as skating is not just a hobby for many skateboarding enthusiasts. For most, skateboarding is a vibrant culture intertwined in the glorious stories told at skateparks in Cape Town and Johannesburg. With more South African riders joining skateparks, South Africa's skatepark scene has evolved to a variety of indoor and outdoor skateparks. If you wish to find an awesome skatepark, you may want to try visiting skateparks like the Germiston Park, the outdoor Beachfront Skatepark at North Beach, or even the Flow Indoor Skatepark in Sandton.
For most people visiting skateparks, these places are venues where people can be brought together, irrespective of where they are in their skateboarding journey. Skating alongside the coastal breeze at Durban's skateparks or on the smooth surface at an indoor skatepark filled with devoted skaters can mean mixing with a community that enjoys what you like while being in an environment where you feel like you belong. Experience the joy and the thrill of mixing with beginner and experienced skaters in South Africa.
Since there are many skateparks that you will find in all the different provinces, we share some guidance on where you could find some of the coolest skateparks in your area. This blog post is great for beginner skateboarders in the country who want to learn easy skateboarding tricks and take private skateboarding lessons before they join skater groups on Facebook or Instagram. Wear your protective gear, wax your board, and let’s get ready to skate away at Battery Park or another skateboard park closest to you. For now, keep these tips for learning how to skateboard in mind.
Easiest Trick to Learn on a Skateboard
There are hundreds, thousands, and possibly even millions of skateboarding tricks.
Before you visit a skateboard park, you need to know at least one of the easiest skateboarding tricks to show off your skating style. One of the coolest aspects of learning how to skateboard is to grasp your first skateboarding trick. Learning a skateboarding trick is the moment where your creativity is at its peak, and it is at that very moment that the board starts to feel like a part of you. For beginner skateboarders, ollies or even flip tricks do not need to be some of the first tricks that you learn. The easiest of skateboarding tricks tend to be simple while still portraying stylish skateboarding flair and full board control.
Some of the categories of tricks include:
A freestyle skateboarding trick that can rather easily be learnt is the tic-tac trick. Even the more advanced skateboarders perform this trick without even realising that they are doing it.
Rock your board gently from side to side using your front foot to gain some momentum without needing to push. From this trick, you can learn how to balance yourself properly while evenly distributing your weight, and showing that you can control the board with your feet.
The Tic Tac trick is one that you need to grasp, as it sets the basis for all other tricks. To be able to understand the trick, patience and consistency are of utmost importance. The key to ensuring that you learn this trick is to feel comfortable while you are learning the trick. Start by practising how to skate on a flat surface at an indoor skatepark.
Other beginner-friendly tricks that you can attempt include:
- The Kick Turn Trick: For this trick, you need to lift your front wheels lightly by leaning back on the tail and turning your shoulders towards the direction you wish to go. With the Kick Tun trick, you will be able to navigate ramps and bowls. For this trick, start with small turns on flat ground before moving forward on inclines.
- The Manual: This is a very rewarding trick for beginners. It entails balancing on the back wheel or the front wheel. Holding a Manual for a second or two can seem like quite the feat for beginner skateboarders. This trick will help with your posture and your control.
- The Hippie Jump: For more expert skaters, this trick entails jumping off your board while it continues rolling underneath you. The main aspect of the trick is landing back on your board. You can have fun whilst trying this trick, but only once you have mastered the far easier tricks and once you are confident on your board.
There are many more tricks, and it is important to find out just how many skateboarding tricks there are:
With so many skateboarding tricks to learn, you must ensure maximum comfort before you try out these tricks. It is always a great idea to wear protective gear so you can feel far more comfortable and not be deterred by falls and slight bumps along the way. All skaters must start with very simple movements. Tackling basic tricks first is of utmost importance, as they will assist you in terms of learning more complicated tricks that will seem more manageable thereafter. To become an awesome skater later on, you need to make sure that you hang in there and be patient while getting started. A good way to get started is by watching professional skaters catching a wave or two at the Wave House in Durban. There is no reason why skateboarders can't derive inspiration from surfers, wakeboarders, and snowboarders as well.
The Best Protective Gear for Skateboarding
Skateboarding does not make you a skateboarder; not being able to stop skateboarding makes you a skateboarder.
Lance Mountain
Protective gear is vital for skateboarders, more so for those getting on the skateboard for the very first time. Any experienced skateboarder will tell you that falling off a skateboard is part of the experience; however, it helps to wear protective gear, which also acts as a confidence booster. Skaters who feel protected on their skateboards feel confident and less afraid to try out some amazing skateboarding tricks.
Some protective gear elements include:
Helmet
This protective gear can be used to prevent head injuries, especially when it is properly fitted.
Wrist guards
Falling skaters usually catch themselves with their hands, so wrist guards can prevent this type of injury.
Knee Pads and Elbow Pads
These pads assist in preventing bruises and bumps. These pads absorb the full shock of the incident, making it safer for the skater to carry on skating.
Helmets
Helmets can turn a major accident into a minor scare. When looking for helmets, you will need to find a certified skateboarder's helmet that has a harder outer shell and relatively thick inner foam. These helmets can handle many lower-impact incidents in the skatepark. You will notice many skaters wearing helmets at all skate parks in South Africa.
Wrist guards
Skaters also wear wrist guards, which stabilise their joints and absorb the impact by preventing fractures. Wrist guards are very useful, especially for beginner skaters learning new tricks and trying to skate on concrete skating ramps. While expert skaters stop wearing wrist guards after a while, wrist guards can be rather valuable for beginner skaters.
Knee Pads and Elbow Pads
These protective gears contain thick padding with tightly secured straps to protect the knees and elbows from scratches, scrapes, and more serious joint injuries. The protection for your elbows are knees is vital for the first few skating lessons while you are learning to keep your foot on the skateboard and maintain your balance as well.
Whether you are in Durban or Cape Town, you need to ensure that you wear protective gear as well as proper skate shoes. Although skate shoes are not considered as being part of the protective gear needed for skating, these shoes help with performance and sometimes even with safety. With the right skating shoes, your grip on the board will improve, and your ankle will be supported.
The Germiston Bowl Skatepark in Germiston is another skatepark where you will see aspiring and professional skaters wearing protective gear. New skaters must always keep in mind that wearing protective equipment does not make a skater any less of a skater. As a skater, you need to protect your body as you progress from one skating lesson to the next. After all, the best skateboarder is not one who knows everything about skateboarding, but one who never stops skating.
Taking Private Skateboarding Lessons in South Africa
Skating is not something that you can learn in just a few days, but you can pick up a new trick or two in a few days with the right private skateboarding tutor by your side. Private skateboarding lessons are great for beginner and intermediate skaters who wish to become more confident and better skaters in no time. You can find skating instructors all throughout Cape Town in South Africa and in Umhlanga Ridge in Durban. For those stepping onto their board for the first time, they will benefit considerably from one-on-one coaching lessons. In South Africa, you can reach out to a Superprof private skating instructor.
Skateboarding tutors in South Africa
With a private skateboarding tutor, you can ensure that your skating lessons are tailored specifically to your needs. Since every skater learns differently and progresses at different speeds, a private tutor can work with you at your own pace. You can also take a free lesson with one of our skateboarding tutors to ensure that you are comfortable with the respective tutor, so that you can work on stepping out of your comfort zone with that respective tutor.
Beginner skaters can devote time to grasping the fundamentals, including turning, pushing, and stopping. More advanced skaters, on the other hand, can work on sophisticated skating tricks like ollies and flip tricks.
Skateboarding tutors in Cape Town may even share some details about park builders and designers. Meri Tech Skate Park Builders & Designers are building consultants in Cape Town who have worked on some of the best-designed skateparks. Becoming interested in every aspect of skating, including that of skatepark buildings, is always a great idea. Knowing local skate tales and historied will surely encourage you to become fully immersed in the skating culture.
Why not go to some skateboarding events near you?
With our Superprof platform, students and skateboard coaches from each location can be connected with each other. This easy accessibility will help grow the skating culture in Durban, Cape Town, and Johannesburg. Read all the impressive reviews left behind by other students so that you can see which one of our awesome skating tutors is best for you.
From about R250 per hour, you can take private skating lessons with one of our Superprof tutors.
Skateparks offer an amazing skating scene for all enthusiasts, and should you wish to join this incredible skating scene, you must remember to stay consistent. Consistency is most important when it comes to progression. With the right instructor by your side, you can overcome all of your fears in terms of skating, and you can tackle new tricks with simple tips in no time.
Whether you are in KwaZulu-Natal or the Northern Cape, you can take skating lessons at reasonable prices should you opt to go down the Superprof route. Very soon, you can find a tutor who will best suit your budget and all of your expectations.
At Battery Park Skatepark, you can show off some of the tricks that you have learnt by taking lessons with your skateboarding tutor. All of our tutors wish to build your confidence and get you connected with the local skateboarding community. Irrespective of whether you are learning to skate for fun, to reach your fitness goals, or for your own personal growth, private lessons can seriously make a difference. For now, you can take these tips from us for learning how to skateboard.
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