If you are learning to skateboard, you may think that learning how to stay on the skateboard and perform tricks is the cool part, but learning how to fall correctly is just as important. Yes, there is a correct way to fall and an incorrect way to fall. If you fall the wrong way on a skateboard, you can break bones or get a concussion, even if you weren’t very far from the ground to begin with.
When you’re learning how to skateboard, you can’t be too afraid to fall, or you won’t have the confidence to learn anything. Wearing a helmet and pads can help you learn how to skateboard without worrying about injuring yourself. As you fall over and over again, you’ll soon realize that there is definitely a wrong way to fall. As you get better, hopefully you’ll fall less often, but when you do fall, your body should naturally move so that your falls hurt less.
Most people start to flail wildly as they realize they are losing their balance on the board. This can actually make you more likely to fall because your limbs can’t regain balance if they are moving rapidly and in random directions. Instead, start to crouch low on your board. As you get closer to the ground, your body will have a shorter distance to fall when you finally lose your balance. Plus, the lower center of gravity you create by crouching down on the board can actually keep you from falling. Another automatic reaction is to tense up your body. Consciously make your body more relaxed, because you’re less likely to get injured than if you fall with stiff joints.
If you’re up in the air and you realize that you won’t be able to land on your feet on the board, try to position your body so that you land on the areas that have flesh rather than bone. Tuck your elbows and head in. Landing on your butt, your back, or your stomach will hurt a lot less than landing on your head. Knee and elbow pads, a helmet, and a mouth piece can protect the areas that you don’t want land on.
Some skateboarders try to tuck and roll as they fall. In fact, this it is probably the best way to fall, as long as you know what you’re doing. Rolling is a particularly useful skill in the bowl of a skateboard park because its sloped sides usually work well with this technique. Roll so that you land on your back or your shoulder. If you don’t roll, try to wear gloves when skateboarding, so that you don’t scrape up your hands when you inevitably use them to stop your momentum. Another way to fall is to continue your momentum by running, or by sliding on your kneepads if you’re on a ramp or bowl.
Once you learn how to fall, you won’t fear it like you did when you first started skateboarding. As a result, you’ll be willing to try new tricks that you were too afraid of before. However, make sure that you don’t find yourself up too high in the air if you don’t know what you’re doing. Falling from any height is much worse than falling off your board when it’s on level ground. And remember, even if you have been skateboarding for years, you will still occasionally fall. Knowing how to fall correctly and never forgetting to wear your pads and helmet can help to minimize the damage when you do.
