How to Skimboard
Quadri Abdur March 7th, 2022 Posted In: How-To
How to Skimboard
The summer season is right around the corner, so it’s not unusual that you’d be more interested in watersports. More people venture into trying a new water sport every year, and one of the popular options is skimboarding. A lot of people see skimboarding as a way to get past the summertime. So whether you’re a beginner or just testing the ocean hoping to catch waves, we got the right tips to teach you how to skimboard.
What is Skimboarding?
To get started with skimboarding, you’ll need a few things: a skimboard, beach, and a solid commitment to learning. Not every new activity is easy; it’s going to take some time before you master skimboarding, so you’ll have to be patient, committed, and practice more.
What You Should Know Before You Start
You can expect to fail and get wet several times at the onset, but you can only balance the skimboard when you do it motion. Just like when you learn to ride a bike for the first time. So you’d have to try and try again until you get that balance. Besides, it’s not as painful as falling to the concrete fall or sand when learning to ride a bike.
Preparing to Skimboard
Follow the tips below to prepare for skimboarding:
Find the Right Spot
This is the first step to preparing to skimboard. If you are a beginner, you’ll need to start with a sand-based beach. As you get better with skimboarding, you can try out other options.
Get Your Skimboard
When choosing a skimboard, there are generally two options: wave skimming, which is usually a foam board, and one for sand skimboarding, which is usually wooden. You’d want to start with the wooden board as a beginner; it’s cheaper and easier to practice with. You can also start with a better board size as it gives you more room to balance as you learn.
Work Out Your Legs
You will be doing a lot of running, chasing your board, and falling, so it’s important that you stay fit.
How to Skimboard
Although skimboarding appears difficult initially, it becomes interesting and thrilling as you learn to balance the board.
Here are steps to on how to use a skimboard:
- Find the right place, relax and get into the right position. Turn sideways to the angle that works best for you.
- Lower the board six inches away from the sand, push your board across the beach sand and stand at a parallel angle with the shoreline.
- Chase the board and get on it one foot after the other; keep doing this till you get it right in one move. After you’ve got it right, you can now skim.
- Hold your board by placing one hand on the side and the other the board’s tail. Wait for the wave. After it passes, start running and drop the board on the sand when you’ve achieved full speed.
- Run into your board, not jump to it; this may be tricky and quite painful, though. You should aim to place your leg at the center of the board with your second foot behind the first. Jumping on the board can make your board sink into the sand, and you’ll likely fall. However, if you get it right, you’ll be skimming until the board gradually slows down.
As you become a master in skimboarding, you could try a few other tricks, such as the hippy jump, flat backside 180, the spin, and other skimboarding tricks.
Skimboarding is an exciting sport; as long as you continue to practice and avoid hurting yourself, you’re good to go!
