Let’s pose a simple question. How many times have you seen a sad skateboarder out on the street? We can answer instead of you: the number’s pretty darn close to zero. Now, there are good reasons why that is so. In other words: why skateboarders are usually high on life.
Are you wondering whether you should pick up skateboarding yourself? Curious about whether or not the subtle magic of the board will have an effect on you? If so, you’ve knocked on the right door, at the right address, and so on. In the article below, we’ll show you the 10 reasons why skateboarding is good for you & why shouldn’t you hesitate to start your skateboarding adventure.
Skateboarding boosts your self-confidence, along with giving you a new perspective on life. Also, it’s the most exciting way to stay in shape and build some muscles. Not to mention the fact it also does wonders for your mental health. Lastly, the sport isn’t competitive and folks who enjoy it treat each other like family.
There’s much more from where that info came from. Needless to say, feel free to read the whole thing!
Table of Contents
10 Reasons why skateboarding is good for you
Without further ado, let’s start our list. Once you reach the southern margin of it, you’ll know why skateboarding is a perfect sport for everyone, regardless of sex, age, political preferences, etc. So, shall we begin?
#1 Skateboarding boosts your self-confidence
You might already know this, but any form of physical exercise leads to higher self-confidence. Skateboarding’s certainly no exception! And it’s not just the exercise, no! Skateboarding’s all about practicing old and mastering new tricks. The progress itself isn’t something you’d call a piece of cake, but it’s fairly easy to track it. Leaps in expertise are easily noticeable.
There have been numerous studies concerned with the way skateboarding affects the youngest. Even though parents might hate the fact their kids have picked up skateboarding, there’s no reason to worry that much. The results of the aforementioned studies have shown us skateboarding increases self-confidence in children. If parents are concerned with injuries that go hand-in-hand with this sport, they should ensure their kids are wearing protective gear. That one goes without mentioning!
Just remember the times when you were a kid. Your peers who rode the skateboard to school had a certain self-confident flow around them, right? Now, it’s not so hard to realize what was the reason behind their belief in themselves. The magic of the board has done what it has to do.
All in all: it’s never too late to learn skateboarding. You’re bound to see a boost in self-confidence levels as soon as you get a hold of things practicing this fantastic sport!
#2 Skateboarding’s a great physical exercise
Okay, so we’ve already (briefly) mentioned this in the previous paragraph. Let’s further elaborate on it! So, why is skateboarding such a great physical exercise? You might want to know skateboarders lose 150 to 500 kcal/hour, depending, of course, on the height and skill of the individual. For precise info, visit this page. Anyway, you’ll come across folks who claim there ain’t no better exercise than skateboarding.
Of course, everything depends on how much of your free time can you dedicate to practice. The more time you’ve got on your hands, the better the exercise. Who would’ve thought of that? Also, skateboarding does wonders for your core strength and flexibility. Not to mention the fact this awesome activity makes your legs bigger.
Lastly, we’ll use this opportunity to settle the score once and for all: no, skateboarding doesn’t make you flat-footed. For a more in-depth answer, you can follow this link.
#3 Skateboarding isn’t a competitive sport
Of course, one would want to argue about whether or not we can call skateboarding a non-competitive sport. To us, here at Go Extreme Sports, these things are nothing more than trivialities. And it’s not like we’re elitists acting all high above the discussion or something, no. It’s just that looking for a needle in a haystack isn’t really our thing.
Even though skateboarding tournaments and championships do exist, we can’t really picture this sport being the collective type. It’s basically only you and the board, and the whole who’s-the-winner thing is purely subjective. To be completely frank, most of the time you’ll compete against yourself. In other words: you will pose as your greatest threat to the throne. Outdoing yourself each day will become your primary objective once you start skateboarding.
#4 Skateboarding’s all about community
Aside from being an uncompetitive sport, skateboarding’s all about community and collectivism, in a non-utopian kind of way. Still, it doesn’t mean most skateboarders don’t share egalitarian values. Quite the contrary! Your financial situation, the clothes you wear, or your skateboarding equipment won’t make an impression (whether it’s of the positive or negative kind) in the skatepark.
The subculture is strong and most skateboarders are fun-loving folks. For instance, you’ll rarely see a skater not belonging to a certain skating group (or crew). You know, the ones that count 20+ “members” which are recruited just out of sheer friendliness and group spirit, regardless of their age and skill.
If you ever drove past a skatepark, you’ve certainly noticed the cool atmosphere it possesses. No hierarchy whatsoever.
#5 It will toughen you up
In other words: you’ll build up some tolerance for pain by learning how to fall properly. Of course, we’re not trying to demotivate you or somethin’. Pain from an injury is something you’ll probably have to face at certain times. Still, injuries never made anyone turn their back on this amazing sport.
Skateboarding will toughen you up. Subsequently, that will boost your self-confidence, as we already noted. As a beginner, you’ll get used to falling a lot. After a little while, you’ll just shrug it off as if nothing happened, the pain will be gone after a few seconds and you’ll be ready to give that ramp another try. Suddenly, the fear (if there was any) will go away and you’ll see yourself in a new light, as a more seasoned skateboarder.
A quick tip: as a beginner, you’ll want to wear skateboarding protective gear when practicing your new favorite sport. You can’t be tough from the very beginning.
#6 Skateboarding teaches patience
Needless to say, you won’t become an experienced skateboarder overnight. It will take a while before you find yourself completely adapted to the board. Now, as always, this shouldn’t discourage you from taking up skateboarding. Quite the contrary! We’re trying to tell you that riding a skateboard will teach you patience and gratitude.
If you happen to see more experienced skaters in the park, don’t let it bring you down or somethin’. No one says you can’t invest the same energy and motivation into becoming a skillful skateboarder someday. The folks you see flying through the air with their boards certainly weren’t born that way, or learned how to skate just a few days ago.
The virtue of patience will also help you in the other fields of life. For instance, you’ll be calmer when standing in a supermarket line.
#7 Transportation advantages
You won’t be using your board just to ride around the skatepark and do tricks. You’ll also be using it as a transportation device. There ain’t a more exciting and fun way to get from point A to B. If you’re still in high school, freely skate to school. There’s no way your coolness will go unnoticed.
The last two sentences of the paragraph above shouldn’t mean we disprove of adults taking the skateboard out to work, or the local market. Quite the contract! It’s more than recommended! Not only will keep your body in good shape, but you’ll also help the environment by keeping your car inside the garage.
#8 It keeps your thoughts in order
Some say skateboarding is much better than visiting a shrink. While we can’t really agree with that (there are issues even skateboarding can’t fix), it’s not that far from the truth. By focusing on your ride or the trick you’re about to try out, every other thought in the world (and of the world) becomes excessive. It’s only you and your board!
Every meditation-like pause is great for our brain. Constantly thinking about issues we can’t easily deal with isn’t gonna get us anywhere. That’s why every activity that keeps us focused is a blessing. A skateboard’s like a personal therapist you keep inside your home. Okay, that one doesn’t sound so good.
#9 Skateboarding will give you a new perspective on life
Once you hop on the board, your whole outlook will change. In other words: your perception of your surroundings will begin shifting. The city will turn into a gigantic playground for you to try out. For instance, the stairs transform into gaps, benches into ledges, and so on. In a way, skateboarding provides you with a fresh pair of eyes.
A quick assumption: in a matter of months you’ll be addicted to the board.
#10 Skateboarding is a form of art and inspires creativity
First of all, skateboarding doesn’t propose you follow any rules or limitations. Of course, you’ll have to go through a set of basic tricks to be able to follow your own impulses. Once the beginner phase is over, and you’ve learned the most basic tricks, you’ll enjoy being given the freedom to improvise and show off your artistic/creative side.
The thing is: skateboarding’s all about expressing yourself in ways that still haven’t been tested. So, yeah, you’ll have a lot of chances to show off what’s inside that mind of yours.
And that should do it, folks. These were the 10 reasons why skateboarding’s good for you. For more skateboarding-related info, visit this page.
