Skateboarding For Beginners [Everything You Need To Know]

If you're a beginner skateboard, there are many tips and tricks you'll want to know. Skateboarding for beginners doesn't have to be difficult - but if you don't read our advice, it might be.

We cover everything you need to know, from what board to get, to what shoes to wear - even what protective gear you'll need. If you know nothing about skateboarding, we've got you completely covered.

While this guide may not be as useful for those who are advanced skaters, for beginners, this will be perfect. So without further ado, let's get started.

[After this article, check out some of the best skateboarding accessories.]

10 Best Beginner Skateboards

1. WhiteFang Complete Skateboard 31 x 7.88 

WhiteFang makes a great complete board with super smooth wheels to ease beginners into riding. This seven layer Canadian maple deck makes it highly durable, yet still lightweight and easy to ride. 

We love the minimalist graphic design on this board, making it a stylish option for anyone. Backed by tons of five star reviews, you won't be disappointed in this pick. 

2. Ryvorbe 31 x8 Complete Skateboard 

This is a reliable board great for beginners. There are a variety of graphic designs to choose from skulls to checkers to sharks. 

We like the stable grip that will give beginners more control and ensure a safe ride. The wheels also have extra coating to resist against wear, so this board is built to last and will give you a smooth ride. 

3. JECOLOS Pro Complete Skateboard for Beginnersr

This sturdy seven layer maple skateboard is great for kids or adults who want to use new tricks. If high quality is important to you, then this board is a great choice with it's strong structure of thick aluminum trucks and and steel axle, which supports higher weight and faster speed for more safe ride.

There are a number if fun designs and colors to choose from. We love the huge amount of good reviews as well, which makes this another solid choice for any beginner.

4. SKITCH Complete Skateboard Gift Set

This gift set from SKITCH comes with a 22 in mini cruiser board, skateboard backpack, skate tool and tote, so it makes the perfect gift for kids of all ages who have been dreaming of their first skateboard. Notably, the mini cruiser is fully adjustable so you can adjust speeds depending on the age and skill level of the rider. 

Kids will love the backpack accessory and thanks to the high quality lightweight material, it will be easy to carry around. The designers seem extremely passionate about their brand, so you can have confidence that you are getting a great product. 

5. Apollo 31 Inch Skateboard for Beginners

We like that Apollo is a brand built by skaters and is built to last. The German engineering make it sturdy and reliable, so it's an excellent choice for a beginner who hopes to eventually take the sport to the next level. 

This board is more pricey than the rest, but it will be a good investment that will hold up over time. Apollo even offers a two year money back guarantee, so they aim to ensure customer satisfaction. 

6. Beleev Skateboard for Beginners, 31 inch Complete Board

This fully assembled board is ready for riders to take it to the street. The waterproof non-slip grip tape make it easy to balance and ensure a very safe ride. 

Backed by tons of great reviews, we think this board is a great choice for beginners who want something versatile. The price also cannot be beat. 

7. Easy_Way 31''x 8''Canadian Maple Cruiser Pro Skateboard

This board by Sangde is inexpensive and great for adults or teens. We love the PU 4 LED light up wheels that make it safe and fun while providing a very smooth ride. 

The design make it easy to stop, which is important when you are just learning. Overall this board is a comfortable weight and size that make it a great option for beginners.

8. MEKETEC 22 inch Mini Cruiser

This mini cruiser comes in a wide variety of vibrant colors, so it might even be difficult to choose. The wheels also have distinctive color choices that make the design stand out.  

Meketec uses unique technology in their engineering which make it a solid leading brand. This board will be easy to learn on and will please anyone who values great style. 

9. METROLLER Skateboard for Beginners

This board is a sturdy and solid choice for beginners that will give a very smooth ride. The classic double kick concave design make it even more stable and safe, which is exactly what you want as you are trying to learn. 

We love the trendy pattern that is suitable for lots of styles. Metroller was meticulous in their design to make it super high quality and made to last. 

10. Geelife Pro Skateboard for Beginners

This board comes in a wide variety of colors and designs whether you want something trendy or more subtle. It's also reasonably priced, making it an easy choice for anyone looking to start learning a new skill. 

It was designed to be safe and easy to control, so you will have not trouble learning some new tricks and heading to the skatepark for the first time. Backed by tons of great reviews, we feel like this is an ideal choice for beginners. 

[See our list of the best beanies, if you want to look rad while you skate.]

Skateboarding For Beginners - The Basics

If you've never skateboarded before, you'll want to start by buying all the right gear. Let's walk you through what exactly that is, and tell you the do's and don't.

For starters, you need a good skateboard. But skateboards aren't as simple as they sound, they are actually made up of a skateboard deck, and a variety of other parts (like bearings, trucks, wheels, etc.)

Since you're a beginner, you don't need to worry too much about anything fancy or elaborate here. You just want a complete skateboard that works, as it will allow you to ride comfortably and easily.

Complete boards will have all the pieces together, and they usually come to you pre-assembled, meaning you don't have to put the board together yourself. While these skateboards are usually not quite as good as custom boards, they will be more than fine for a beginner.

Should Beginners Ride The Vert Ramp?

This one is pretty cut and dry - definitely not. Beginners should stay on a safe and simple course, and not even be on the streets or on any ramps.

It takes a relatively long time (at minimum, a few months) to master the basics of skateboarding. Then, and only then, will you be ready to head to a vert ramp, or tackle a street course.

[Check out the best kids skateboards, if you need a gift for your little one.]

Should Beginners Ride In The Street?

Definitely not, as you will want to stay safe. Beginners are not ready for this type of environment.

Listen to some of the best skateboarders of all time, and they'll tell you that they had to ride around on just a board (doing no tricks), for months first. This gave them confidence and stability of being able to move to the next level, which is ramps and tricks.

Beginners should skate in safe and flat areas, and nowhere else. This will keep you safe as you learn the basics, and allow you to build your confidence.

Don't Expect To Learn How To Skate In A Day

While you could hypothetically make a lot of progress in just 24 hours, if you stayed on a board from sunrise until sunset - you shouldn't expect to be an ace in just a day. It will take weeks, if not longer, to master even the basics of skateboarding.

Doing tricks is an even more laborious process, as they will also take months to learn - and that's likely a month per trick, not a month total. Whole some sources vary, Tony Hawk was already such a serious skater, that by age 12 - he turned pro.

[To stay safe, grab the best skateboard helmet.]

Learning How To Push

While it's not terribly exciting, pushing is the first important task you'll learn on a skateboard. You'll want your left foot at the front of the board (assuming you're right-handed), and your left foot will be pushing off the ground.

Your feet should both be pointed in line with the board, with the toes forward. Once you've pushed a few times and gotten some momentum, you should hop on the board, and move your feet at a 45 degree angle, so your toes are pointing to the side.

Believe it or not, it can take time to master pushing. If you are more athletic, it's much more likely to come faster, that's for sure.

One tip here, is to try to not go too fast. You aren't at the stage of showing off yet, instead, you are just learning the basics of boarding.

Learning How To Ollie

The ollie is one of the most important skateboarding tricks you'll ever learn. It requires athleticism, grace, skill, and it is crucial for all the other tricks that come after it.

The ollie is really just the art of getting your board to pop into the air - while you're still on it. This is basically like jumping with your board, and that's definitely what it looks like from afar.

You need to pop the tail up on your board, while also lifting and sort of jumping up. The problem here, is that you need to do this all at once.

Though this may feel a little unnatural at first, the ollie can easily be learned. The good news is - once you master the ollie, you have the foundation for basically every other trick in skateboarding.

[This list of the best electric skateboards will show you exactly what to ride.]

Learning How To Stop

Stopping is crucial to riding a board safely. The simplest way to stop, is to stop with your back foot.

As you get more advanced, you can do powerslides, but those are not for beginners. Make sure not to go too fast, and stop easily with your back foot.

Once you've done this a few hundred times, you'll have it down. In vert competitions, you may see some skaters let their board fly away, instead of properly stopping.

We do not recommend this, and it's definitely not a good idea for most people. Once you are a master on the board, then you can start to do more advanced tricks.

Learning How To Turn On A Skateboard

Turning on a skateboard is easy - though it may not seem to be, at first. Carving turns are the easiest, as all you need to do here is lean.

You can also do the more advanced kick turn, but not until you've mastered the basic carving turn first. A kick turn involves pushing the tail of your board up, and then steering in the direction you desire.

Carving turns are definitely the most common, since they are much easier. If you have ever seen skateboarders racing downhill, they will almost exclusively be doing craving turns.

These turns involve only your body weight, and they don't involve any fancy maneuvers. Carving gets its name from the idea that you are carving a turn, much like you would with a knife into turkey at Thanksgiving.

It also mimics the art of carving on a surfboard, so it's not super surprising to learn that skateboarding evolved out of surfing. Carving turns are very sharp (or at least they can be sharp), so they're a very important part of slowing down.

[See some gnarly hoodies, to complete your skate ensemble.]

Other Factors To Consider

Experienced skaters won’t need to worry about advice for their first time, or need advice on their first skateboard. However, this is a perfect beginners guide for those who may just be starting out, and getting their first board on Amazon.

Once you have a board, we recommend taking it to a local skate shop, so they can fix it up for you. You may need to adjust the front wheels, or they could simply recommend what skate shoes to go with your new board.

Beginner skaters have the tendency to want the best skateboard out there - but this is usually not worth the money. Spend many hours grinding out the basics, wearing down a less expensive deck, and then move on to a more expensive popsicle board.

Maybe get a longboard as well, as they are perfect for cruising around on. Try pop shove-its, ollies, frontside grinds, riding fakie, and other flat ground tricks.

After learning tricks like this, then you can go on to new tricks, and more important tricks - like riding on vert ramps. However, don’t progress to this level if you haven’t mastered moves like the basic kickflip.

While it’s personal preference on what tricks you want to learn first, we have a plethora of skateboarding tips here at Stoked. Try riding around on smooth surfaces (a parking lot is great) first, to be able to get your balance on a board.

Most people prefer their right foot in back, with their left foot in front - meaning your front foot will be the left foot, and bend your knees a bit. A flat surface will lower your likelihood of crashing, as well.

[Check out the best Vans, for some great skate shoes.]

The Bottom Line On Skateboarding For Beginners

There you have it - all the information on skateboarding for beginners. If you are just getting started, it's not hard to pick it up.

However, mastering skateboarding takes much longer - which is part of the joy of skating. Millions of people have picked up a board over the years, yet the popularity of skateboarding never seems to wane.

Whether you want to ollie, stop, push, do a carving turn - or finally start to learn some more advanced tricks - we've got you covered. Skateboarding is easy to start, but ultimately - very hard to master.

So make sure to get a quality board, the best protective gear, a high-quality helmet, and the right shoes. If you've mastered the basics of skateboarding, be sure to read another one of our articles, on some of the more advanced topics.