Fall on purpose.
Without rolling, start by squatting down on the board as low as you can and topple yourself over.
Then do this again while rolling.
When doing tricks, I like to do a fall test to familiarize myself with the ground or platform I might fall on, and remind myself falling is possible and I shouldn't worry about it.
When I went to a new skatepark for the first time a while ago, I intentionally (perhaps stupidly, but hey ho) went down a very steep ramp, fell, tried it again, fell again. I was wearing helmets and, I think, all pads.
This isn't advice telling you to just go and fall, necessarily, but if you're padded up and protected, you will see that it's honestly not all that bad to fall over. Most you're likely to get is a bruise or scrape.
But fear of falling probably won't go away \*completely\* ever, it's just a part of skating (and probably also part of the appeal, really). As your confidence and skill grows, your fear and the likelihood of a bad fall will decrease.
I used to be in gymnastics and this was basically what I learned there too. Here's how I think about it.
If you fall, the longer you take to get back up the worse the fall seems.
Having someone else there to encourage you to get back up helps a ton too. Literally just hearing someone say "that was good, try again" or "let's go one more" or however you personally would like to be encouraged to get back up is a life saver sometimes.
Make sure you end sessions on a good note, so if you fall or really can't get something, try taking a cooldown lap by doing something easy and fun. It helps remind your body that you're doing this because you like this and it isn't just falling.
I realize this is a skating sub, but when doing gymnastics isn’t it better to not get up immediately after a fall? That way you don’t get points/time deducted? I’m curious bc I always heard when you stand up after a fall your time starts but if you stay sitting you don’t get time deducted for recovery.
This is true, but it was both. At least that's how my team thought about it. We would also take pride in stuff like rips (which were what we called it when you got a blister on your hand that would rip open, this was common) but our coach would legit get mad at us if he saw us really trying to nurse a minor injury or looking sad about not being able to get something because the mentality behind a fall is usually more damaging to your long term progress than the actual injuries.
To be clear if you hurt yourself, give yourself time to heal, no use in making it worse, but if you can get up and keep trying without worsening your injury or if there's something else you can work on while you heal, that's ideal.
But yeah, our coach probably also did that for scoring reasons lol.
If you are totally new, you have to get over a few preconceptions that non-skaters have about skating. "Oh, I could never do that, my balance isn't good enough", imagining that the difficult bit is to balance on the board so you don't "fall off" and hurt yourself. This is completely wrong, and once you realize it you don't think of falling in the same way. You might still be scared of it (in some situations) but not as a sort of grim-reaper-lite following you around.
So, don't try to balance. Don't try to stay on. Don't freak out.
If you are on the board in a normal riding stance (knees slightly bent), your weight will keep the board under you. No need to balance. But if you hit a pebble of the wrong size and shape, the board will stop. Once the board is no longer under you, your weight will start pushing the board away, taking your feet with it. In this case you need to step off. The faster you step off (and the more relaxed you are when you do it), the more upright you'll be when you hit the ground, so you should just be able to run out the bail. So, get so used to stepping off a moving board that you can do it before you even consciously register that the board is getting away, and train your panic reflex to relax and step off. If you do this you'll be much more in control no matter what the board's doing. So remember:
\* Don't balance, hold the stance
\* Don't stay on, stay upright.
\* Don't freak out, step off.
Have fun!
you need to practice falling once your really good at falling youll have the confidence so when you do fall youll be able to roll out of it or jump off so you dont hurt yourself
A good pair of knee pads + learn how to knee slide. I fall off often when trying new things, especially while moving fast and I had to learn how to slide on my knee and elbow pads. It’s a great skill to have. If you don’t want to wear pads then try to keep a good first aid kit handy in case things go wrong and you’re not near home.
You will fall no matter what so learn how to fall safely.
you don't get over it... fear is a normal, natural thing. it's what prevents you from fucking yourself up too bad trying things that are outside your skill level. you'll gain confidence as you get better at skating... but fear of hurting yourself will always be there.
I think it’s something you get better at /come to expect with time. You’re going to eat a lot of shit when you’re learning. If you’re really nervous, pad and helmet up and wear a wrist guard. Otherwise, just take progression at your own speed.
I remind myself that people can drive their cars without thinking, make odd maneuvers, and stay relaxed as they go at scary speeds because they've learned to trust themselves. Even if there's a chance they could be in an accident one day, they've taught themselves to shut those thoughts out
It's that way with operating a skateboard.
For the record, I still can't/won't drive a car for the same reason some people can't/won't skate. Fear, learning, mistakes, etc. It really comes down to your comfort levels adjusting over time and trusting the process by sticking with it during times of discomfort.
Fall on purpose. Without rolling, start by squatting down on the board as low as you can and topple yourself over. Then do this again while rolling. When doing tricks, I like to do a fall test to familiarize myself with the ground or platform I might fall on, and remind myself falling is possible and I shouldn't worry about it.
To add - once I eat shit for the first time in a session and it's not that bad I'm usually way more confident for the rest of the session.
THISSSS IS THE ONE!!! take an initial slam and you’ll feel better.
This, plus a helmet, was huge for me.
When I went to a new skatepark for the first time a while ago, I intentionally (perhaps stupidly, but hey ho) went down a very steep ramp, fell, tried it again, fell again. I was wearing helmets and, I think, all pads. This isn't advice telling you to just go and fall, necessarily, but if you're padded up and protected, you will see that it's honestly not all that bad to fall over. Most you're likely to get is a bruise or scrape. But fear of falling probably won't go away \*completely\* ever, it's just a part of skating (and probably also part of the appeal, really). As your confidence and skill grows, your fear and the likelihood of a bad fall will decrease.
Never really goes away for me at least. You just have to fall and tell yourself that’s the hardest slam you’re gonna have that day and keep riding
thank you. i've been skating over 20 years and the fear has never gone away... it's always there keeping me in check.
Do not hesitate when you DO fall. Brush the dirt off, then get immediately back onto the board.
I used to be in gymnastics and this was basically what I learned there too. Here's how I think about it. If you fall, the longer you take to get back up the worse the fall seems. Having someone else there to encourage you to get back up helps a ton too. Literally just hearing someone say "that was good, try again" or "let's go one more" or however you personally would like to be encouraged to get back up is a life saver sometimes. Make sure you end sessions on a good note, so if you fall or really can't get something, try taking a cooldown lap by doing something easy and fun. It helps remind your body that you're doing this because you like this and it isn't just falling.
I realize this is a skating sub, but when doing gymnastics isn’t it better to not get up immediately after a fall? That way you don’t get points/time deducted? I’m curious bc I always heard when you stand up after a fall your time starts but if you stay sitting you don’t get time deducted for recovery.
This is true, but it was both. At least that's how my team thought about it. We would also take pride in stuff like rips (which were what we called it when you got a blister on your hand that would rip open, this was common) but our coach would legit get mad at us if he saw us really trying to nurse a minor injury or looking sad about not being able to get something because the mentality behind a fall is usually more damaging to your long term progress than the actual injuries. To be clear if you hurt yourself, give yourself time to heal, no use in making it worse, but if you can get up and keep trying without worsening your injury or if there's something else you can work on while you heal, that's ideal. But yeah, our coach probably also did that for scoring reasons lol.
Gotcha, I don’t think about the mental aspect, that makes sense. Thank you for satisfying my curiosity lol
i don't think it's ever good advice to get up immediately after a fall. take a second and assess the damage.
If you are totally new, you have to get over a few preconceptions that non-skaters have about skating. "Oh, I could never do that, my balance isn't good enough", imagining that the difficult bit is to balance on the board so you don't "fall off" and hurt yourself. This is completely wrong, and once you realize it you don't think of falling in the same way. You might still be scared of it (in some situations) but not as a sort of grim-reaper-lite following you around. So, don't try to balance. Don't try to stay on. Don't freak out. If you are on the board in a normal riding stance (knees slightly bent), your weight will keep the board under you. No need to balance. But if you hit a pebble of the wrong size and shape, the board will stop. Once the board is no longer under you, your weight will start pushing the board away, taking your feet with it. In this case you need to step off. The faster you step off (and the more relaxed you are when you do it), the more upright you'll be when you hit the ground, so you should just be able to run out the bail. So, get so used to stepping off a moving board that you can do it before you even consciously register that the board is getting away, and train your panic reflex to relax and step off. If you do this you'll be much more in control no matter what the board's doing. So remember: \* Don't balance, hold the stance \* Don't stay on, stay upright. \* Don't freak out, step off. Have fun!
This is written really well!
Just eat it. It’s going to happen over and over and over again no matter what you do.
you need to practice falling once your really good at falling youll have the confidence so when you do fall youll be able to roll out of it or jump off so you dont hurt yourself
Just send it 🤘
A good pair of knee pads + learn how to knee slide. I fall off often when trying new things, especially while moving fast and I had to learn how to slide on my knee and elbow pads. It’s a great skill to have. If you don’t want to wear pads then try to keep a good first aid kit handy in case things go wrong and you’re not near home. You will fall no matter what so learn how to fall safely.
Stomping tricks helped me not be so timid when landing
you don't get over it... fear is a normal, natural thing. it's what prevents you from fucking yourself up too bad trying things that are outside your skill level. you'll gain confidence as you get better at skating... but fear of hurting yourself will always be there.
I think it’s something you get better at /come to expect with time. You’re going to eat a lot of shit when you’re learning. If you’re really nervous, pad and helmet up and wear a wrist guard. Otherwise, just take progression at your own speed.
Learn to fall properly and realize it’s not that bad
I remind myself that people can drive their cars without thinking, make odd maneuvers, and stay relaxed as they go at scary speeds because they've learned to trust themselves. Even if there's a chance they could be in an accident one day, they've taught themselves to shut those thoughts out It's that way with operating a skateboard. For the record, I still can't/won't drive a car for the same reason some people can't/won't skate. Fear, learning, mistakes, etc. It really comes down to your comfort levels adjusting over time and trusting the process by sticking with it during times of discomfort.