Can you be too Old to Skateboard? (Tips to Get Started)

If you are wondering whether you are too old to skateboard, you should go for it. I have seen many skaters start skating in their thirties and forties, they don't progress as fast as young people do, but they have just as much fun. Something you need to keep in mind is that you don't recover from falling as younger kids do, they can hit the ground and bounce right up, but when you get older, you tend to stay down for a little longer.

It is never too late to start skateboarding as long as you are healthy and in reasonably good physical shape. Of course, the earlier you start, the better you will be, but it's better to start late than never. The most important thing when you start skating is having a mindset of trial and error.

Your first skating sessions can be a little awkward, but the feeling you get when you start to master the basics makes it worth it. 

It Takes Time

Learning how to skateboard isn't something you can learn fast; you can get the basics down quick if you skate often, but learning anything more advanced will take some time.

If you want to progress fast, you should try to skate for at least 1 hour 3 times a week, but this can be hard with all the responsibilities adulthood carries.

Try not to spend too much time on the same tricks; if you don't get any progress within an hour, you should move on to something else. Failing over and over can be frustrating; even if you didn't make it this time, you still have made progress.

How Fit are You?

Skating is a physically demanding sport; if you are in good shape, you will be able to learn skateboarding much faster. A strong core is important, and if you are not already in good shape, you should consider going to the gym to get a better starting point.

Beginners usually get injured more often, so you should do all you can to prevent it. Learn stretches to minimize the damage you take when falling, and remember to use protective gear. Falling with protective gear can even be fun, but falling without it can be the end of the skate session.

Skateboarding When you are Twenty

You don't need to worry about your age if you start skating in your twenties. If You fall, you won't get back up as fast as teens, but you have the opportunity to learn to skate pretty fast.

It is probably too late to become a pro skater, but you will still have a lot of fun. Your body still recovers from injury quickly, so you can try to learn advanced tricks without thinking too much about your health.

Skateboarding When you are Thirty-Fourty

If you start skating in your thirties o forties, you need to take some precautions; falling hurts more than when you are younger, but if you stay away from the most advanced tricks, you will be fine.

You should use protection and don't try to progress too fast; it is much better to progress slowly and have a healthy body.

Skateboarding When you are Fifty

If you want to start skateboarding in your fifties, it is mandatory to use protection; people that age usually try to avoid risk as much as possible, but skating is still possible.

I recommend spending a lot of time learning the basics, don't try to progress fast. I haven't personally seen anyone over fifty skating, but I have seen videos of them shredding.

Tips for Aged Skaters

Here are some tips that I can give to aged skaters; these tips are a combination of my own experiences and research on the internet.

Wear protective gear

The most important tip is to wear protective gear. Use a helmet, knee pads, wrist guards, and elbow pads. Using protection is an essential part of skating, especially the older you get; the people you see skating without protection are most likely young people, but if they want to continue skating, they will need to start using it eventually.

Your shoes are also a part of your protection, so make sure you get quality shoes. You can get insoles that will absorb a lot of the impact, but don't get too thick insoles unless you have pain in your feet on a day-to-day basis.

If you use protection, you will probably feel much more confident trying tricks and cruising; just knowing that falling won't necessarily hurt you can help you land a trick. The biggest challenge in skating is getting over fear, and using protection can help remove some of it.

Get a Wide skateboard

You should make sure that your board is either 8.25 or 8. With a wider board, it is much easier to keep your balance. However, learning technical tricks will be more difficult than with a thinner board; you should focus on learning the basics, and it is still possible to learn tricks like an ollie or kickflip.

Buy Quality Parts for Your Board

When I started skateboarding, I wanted to save as much money on my first board as possible; this ended up being my first mistake. Riding a cheap board sucks the fun out of skating; it was slow and heavy, and the parts broke down fast.

If you have just started skating, get yourself a proper skateboard. If you want to be 100% certain, you can go to your local skate shop and ask them to pick out your parts. Your board will break eventually, but using better parts will slow it down.

Using a cheap board can also be dangerous; you don't know if the quality of the parts is good, and suddenly falling because a part breaks will lead to a nasty fall. There is simply too much risk and nothing to gain by using a cheap board.

Start on a Carpet or Grass

Learning the basics is often the most dangerous part because you don't have any experience balancing on the board, and when the board starts moving, you panic.

If you start on a carpet or grass, your board won't roll anymore, making practice much safer. When you train your balance, try shifting your weight around the board until you feel comfortable. When you feel ready to move on, try skating in a flat area so your speed doesn't get out of hand.

Visit Skate parks Early in the Morning.

Learning to skateboard in a crowded skatepark can be frustrating; you don't want to be in anyone's way, and if you're shy, it can be difficult to practice while so many people are watching.

Skateparks are usually empty or less crowded if you visit in the morning. If you got the park for yourself, you could practice anything you want without worrying about others, and this will help you become a better skater.

Warm up your muscles before skating

Younger skaters can start their session without warming up, but you are more prone to injuries as you get older. Warming up and stretching will make a huge difference, especially if you focus on your feet, arms, and hips.

A fall that usually would ruin your skating session can now be reduced to a short break.

Inspect and Tune the Skateboard to Your Preference

Tuning and inspecting your board is an important part of skating. If one of your parts breaks while you ride the board, it will lead to a sudden fall, often leading to more serious injuries.

Take a look at your deck to see if it has cracks or if something seems off; check the bolt to check if they are loose or damaged. Your board deteriorated slowly, so it's hard to notice the difference from when it was new, but you should change your parts regularly if you want the best experience.

Tuning your board is more or less tightening or loosening your truck (kingpin). With looser trucks, your board will be able to turn more, but it's harder to balance. If you struggle with balancing on your board, you should go for tighter trucks.

If you don't plan on skating in a skatepark or performing hard tricks, you might want to look into cruiser boards instead of regular skateboards. Cruiser boards have big soft wheels and offer a much more comfortable ride. You can also look into longboards if you plan to cruise around instead of doing tricks; longboards also have larger wheels that provide a smoother ride.

There is no need to be Embarrassed

I have never met a skater in a skatepark that wasn't supportive towards beginners; if they see you struggle, they often ask if you want help, and if you ask them for help, you will probably get it.

When I started skating, I was embarrassed because I wasn't as good as the people around me. Still, I quickly realized that it was silly since everyone at the skatepark was willing to help me improve, and sometimes they got even more excited than me when I finally learned the tricks I needed help with.

Try Transition skating when you know the Basics

Transition skating is when you skate on mini ramps; if you are worried about being hurt or are too old to skateboard, this is the perfect place to be. You should learn all the basics before trying to skate on a mini ramp, but it is generally safer to do tricks on a mini ramp than to do it flat.

In my experience, you learn new mini ramp tricks much faster than you learn flat ground tricks, and the best part is that falling is much safer. The ramps are usually made of wood, and you often just slide down when you fall. Most of the aged skaters I see like to skate mini ramps, but just because it is safer doesn't mean that you can't hurt yourself, so remember to be careful.

Respect the culture

Skaters usually wait in turn when they skate in a skate park to avoid accidents. There are areas where you can skate more freely if its no one there, but you need to wait in line in the more crowded places like mini ramps, bowls, or popular parts of the park.

If you ignore the unwritten rules in a skatepark, you will probably be a nuisance to those skating; if you skate when it's someone else's turn, you might hear that you have snaked them.

Film Yourself and Take Lessons if you Have Time

If you want to improve faster, you should film yourself. If you can film yourself, you will be able to see exactly what you do right and wrong, and if you don't know what to look after in the video, try to compare it to a youtube video of someone doing what you want to learn.

The difference between landing a trick and not landing a trick is slim; that's why filming in slow motion can be what you need to improve.

Conclusion

You are not too old to skateboard. You should start slow and build yourself up. Always warm up before a session and remember to use protection. The skaters in a park will be happy to help you out but remember to respect the park culture.

Learn the basics before you move on, and if you struggle to learn a trick, try recording yourself. No skater will think badly of you just because you are a beginner, so there is no need to be embarrassed. If you want to practice without a crowd at the start, you should visit skateparks early in the morning.