One thing that is really hard to do when you are starting to skate after a long break is taking it slow. Once you decide to start skating again you start remembering all the stuff you used to be able to do and you remember how fun it was. Your mind thinks you are 18 years old again and ripping it up. Here are 5 tips, in no particular order, to help you ease back into skating without killing yourself.
1. Take it slow. After a multi-year layoff you are not going to jump back on your board and rip it up day one. Your body has forgotten all the things that you used to do. Remember how you could do a smith grind on anything anywhere at anytime? Not anymore, at least not right away. Sure try it day one but don’t do anything you are not feeling good about, the time to push yourself is not now, wait a while until you get your skate legs back.
2. Helmets and pads are your friends. Even if you didn’t wear them before you should wear them now. Maybe not street skating but on any transition and especially on concrete. There are lots of really fun parks around but the concrete is really hard and your knees are really soft. Face it all you got going in your advanced age is your brain and you don’t want that leaking out of your skull. Remember all those tricks you forgot? One of them was how to fall properly.
3. Get new gear. That Steve Caballero Powell deck with Gullwing trucks you rode back in 1989 ain’t going to cut it anymore. Take the trucks off, hang the deck on the wall in the garage to remind you of the good ole days and go out and get some new stuff. Make it exciting and get a new school shaped deck, good news they make some wide ones these days.
4. Find some skate buddies. Ones that are your age if you can, if not maybe some kids that are just learning. If you try to ride with the rippers right away you are probably going to get frustrated and/or just stare at them on awe. One great site to find old time rippers is Old Man Army.
5. Watch some skate videos. New stuff or old stuff it doesn’t really matter it will help you get and stay stoked. The things kids are doing today are mindblowing and are inspirational as long as you keep things in perspective, like you are not going to do a switch kickflip back lip down a 10 stair rail. I get stoked just knowing someone can do that. Better yet get Fuel TV and watch stuff like the Vans’ Bowl-A-Rama contest and watch old guys like Chris Miller and Steve Caballero still rip it up.
Bonus tip!! – You need to stretch! Yeah you do, you are old and stiff from sitting in an office on your ass for 8 hours a day. Pulled muscles and sore ligaments can really slow you down. Stretching is a great way to avoid some of those little nagging injuries. Just do it!
I hope those help you get out and keep skating!
IM A 24 FATHER AND HUSBAND, I FOUND THIS SITE TO BE PRETTY SWEET.
I DONT KNOW WHAT A TWEETBACK IS SO I DONT KNOW IF IM DOING THIS RIGHT.
BUT I AM DOWN TO HELP OUT OR WHATEVER WITH THIS SITE. INPUT AND WHATNOT.
NOT ALL SKATEBOARDING DADS REMEMBER THE CABALLERO DAYS. I STARTED SKATING WHEN I WAS 16 AND THAT WAS IN 2000. THE GOOD OL DAYS WAS THE BLACK LABEL VIDEO “LABEL KILLS” AND ZEROS “MISLED YOUTH” IF ANY SKATEBOARDING DADS WANT TO HIT ME UP THAT WOULD BE COOL. IM PROUD TO BE A DAD AND HUSBAND THAT LIKES TO SHRED STILL. I KNOW THERE ARE OTHER GUYS OUT THERE THAT FEEL THE SAME.
LATER
Thanks man. It’s good to know I’m not the only one who decided to search for the fountain of youth on a piece of wood.
Next post, let us know who makes the good equipment nowadays.(Trucks, wheels, etc.)
im 36 will be 37 in 2 weeks just started skating again after 10 years off bought a long board and a skate for ramps i wear all the pads been skating bowls at rye airfield in newhampshire great place crashing hurts a lot more when your pushing 40 its a great wrk out dont want to become fat old man
Just came across this while googling.. I’m 35 with a 14 year old son and 12 year old step-son that are both just starting to get interested in skating. I was a die hard skater from about 11 – 15 but pretty much completely stopped after moving from southern CA to WA. We lived in the country and there just wasn’t enough concrete to actually skate on.
So now I am pretty much starting over. I can ollie (about 3 inches haha) and am starting to regain my footing but still have a long way to go. I have taken the boys to a couple of local skateparks and have run into a significant number of older skaters (30′s and 40′s) and have found it inspiring.
While I don’t envision myself doing any railslides or catching air on a vert ramp any time soon it has been a blast getting back into it. I will be taking some of your advice, particularly on getting some new gear. Right now I am still riding my old Natas deck with Indy trucks and Bones wheels that was my last board in the late 80′s.
Hope to see more older guys at the skateparks! Sk8 or Die! (or break a hip!)
You guys are pretty young still…I’m 43, always the oldest guy in the skatepark. It figures that now when we are older, there are good skateparks everywhere. Back in the 80′s and early 90s we were drivng at least 30 miles to the nearest ramp, ditch,pool, whatever…
I agree with the author, stretching is VERY nessesary now. Before, I was able to skate all day, everyday rarely was I sore. Now, it sometimes takes 20 minutes just to get out of the car when I get home lol…Age sucks!
Have fun guys, skating is FUN! But now, in my opinion anyway, it’s way too commercial. Which means, it will die out again. Hopefully before I’m 60.