Noob, Are You Ready to Learn to Ollie on your Skateboard?

Learning to skateboard takes dedication.   If you want to learn fast, it helps if you have an order and a strategy.   Many new skateboarders try to learn to Ollie or learn to kickflip before they are ready. They will try to learn how to do an ollie before they can effectively push their skateboard or even do a kick turn. This often leads to frustration and even giving up.   So, for you parents and Noobs out there, here is an outline of some of the very first things you should learn to do on a skateboard.

The following list is a rough order of how you should be progressing as a beginner skateboarder.

• Step 1.  Learn to ride around.  This is where the foundation starts and what gets most of us hooked.   This is the top priority.
• Step 2.  Get better at riding and pushing.   Uphill, downhill, carving, making turns, and maybe some basic kick turns if you are brave
• Step 2a.  Develop balance.   Stand on the board when it is not moving.   Try some manuals, by holding the front or back wheels off the ground, balancing on the other set of wheel.   SkaterTrainers are great here if this is hard for you, and you can even use them to build a balance board.
• Step 3.   Simple Basic Tricks.   Kick turns, manuals to start with.   Then can progress to an Ollie or a Shove it. SkaterTrainer works great for learning how to ollie and to learning to LAND basic tricks.
• Step 4.   Ride advanced surfaces, like skateparks, curbs, small ramps, banks, etc.  Try dropping off a 4-inch curve or rolling down a flat bank surface or flat ramp.
• After this, it's up to you...More riding / advancing your tricks / try smaller ramps and obstacles at the skatepark, pools, mini ramps, half-pipes...you name it.   There is a natural progression of tricks after this noob phase, but that will be another post!

Once you have some of these basic skills down, you can also check out our post on Trick Ideas to Prevent Burnout.    Once you get better, here are some practical tips for experienced skateboarders to continue to learn to skateboard and use SkaterTrainers.    This photo sequence shows great Ollie demonstration with the SkaterTrainers attached.   

Also, there are lots of videos on our blog demonstrating SkaterTrainers.

Please look around our website to learn more about SkaterTrainers and order your set today.   We invented them especially to help new skateboarders learn faster and safer.    Just stretch the SkaterTrainers over your wheels so they don't roll and you don't fall.