Skateboard for girls: how to choose and learn to skate?

Many girls look at their peers and older girlfriends, with might and main dissecting on a skateboard, and then ask their dads and mothers to give them such a cool thing. Parents do not seem to mind: they have not come up with anything better than outdoor activities. And live communication with peers is better than endless gatherings on the Internet.

It seems that a skateboard for a girl can be picked up in any store... However, prices are often inflated, and the goods are of poor quality. Moreover, acquaintances tell "horror films" about the unthinkable danger of injury from a new hobby. And at the same time, they remember that the girl should sit in the sandbox / cross-stitch / read books, and not drive around on a skateboard. Do not deprive your child of the joy of movement. It is better to take a closer look at this sporting destination.

Skating improves coordination of movements and trains the vestibular apparatus. In order to stay on the board, the child has to use all the muscles in the body. If the girl skates often, her muscles will tone up, she will become stronger and more enduring. The child learns to control his actions, and even if something goes wrong, he always has time to jump off the board and avoid falling. While cycling, doing the same is much more difficult.

The skateboard contains no small or sharp parts. You just need to control so that the restless child does not begin to unscrew the bolts that attach the wheels to the board. Skateboarding is suitable for both teenagers and schoolchildren and 4-5 year olds. On the one hand, a small child is still poorly on his feet, and it is too early to put him on the board.On the other hand, he has a relatively low body weight and short stature.

The disadvantage of a skateboard, many rightly call injury. This is true, they fall from the board not only during tricks, but also while they are learning to keep balance. Nothing will work right away - to ride even a short distance on the board, you will have to practice. It is almost impossible to protect yourself from falls, but it is quite possible to provide protection from bruises and abrasions. To do this, you should buy a full set of protection for your child (knee pads, elbow pads, gloves and a helmet).

Skateboards are relatively inexpensive, but not every family can pay 5 thousand rubles for a skateboard for a child. There are skateboards on sale that have a more realistic price tag. Frankly cheap stuff is definitely not worth taking, since there is a risk of running into a fake. The difficulty is that a girl can "fall in love" with a beautiful pink skateboard, which in fact turns out to be a gross fake, difficult to control and with low quality wheels. Therefore, before going to the store, you need to agree with your child that you will not miss the first thing that catches your eye.

Before heading to the store, it's worth getting to know the leading skateboard manufacturers. Alien Workshop brings to the market strong skateboards with large curves. Skateboards Black label are considered the most comfortable models for those who take their first steps in the world of skateboarding. The middle part of these boards is strong and stable, which allows you to learn to balance without any problems.

Skateboards Blind They are lightweight and beautifully designed. Buyers are also attracted by the beautifully painted boards. Santa cruz - they are appreciated for their convenience and reliability. These boards are equipped with a slight bend. Another popular company is Penny board, which skates are bought for small children. But now you can go and choose the right model of a skateboard for a young athlete.

There is an opinion that it is impossible to grow out of a skateboard. Roughly speaking, you can buy a 5-year-old girl an adult board and she will ride until she gets bored. And mom and dad can also practice on such a board. In fact, it is worth choosing a skateboard taking into account age characteristics. For example, for children under 5 years old, you should buy micro-boards that are 27.2-27.6 x 6.5-6.75 inches.

For 6-8-year-old girls, they purchase mini-skates 28x7 inches. For 9-12 years, the so-called mid-size skateboards are designed, the size of which is 29x7.3 inches. Finally, for 14-year-old teenagers, they buy desks series skateboards. There is a gradation in height: less than a meter, up to a meter and up to one and a half meters. If you have to choose a skate for a teenager, you can pay attention not only to teenage, but also to adult models.

The most reliable are skateboards made of Canadian maple. Usually, a kid's skate takes 6-7 layers of this durable wood... Griptape must be glued to the board, which does not allow your feet to slip while moving. In appearance and to the touch, it should resemble sandpaper. The surface of the skateboard should be perfectly flat, the deck should be free of the slightest signs of delamination.

Polyurethane wheels should be approximately 52-70 cm in diameter. For beginners, it is worth picking up skateboards with small soft wheels: they do not allow you to develop high speed and are easier to control. If skateboarding gets involved, eventually it will be possible to purchase a model with rigid wheels for high-speed skiing.

You should carefully inspect the suspensions to which the wheels are attached. If you are buying a skate for a small child, it is enough to make sure that the harness does not "crawl" out of the board. For teenagers and schoolchildren, you need to choose a model with thick metal pendants. They make the skate heavier, but hold the wheels securely.

The year of manufacture of the product is important. The skateboard deforms slightly during storage, so it is worth buying a board released this year.

It should be borne in mind that the price is made up not only of the quality of materials, but also of the presence or absence of design... Painted or glowing skateboards are more expensive than regular plain boards. The latter can be independently painted in any colors or decorated with cool stickers.

First you need to pick up protective equipment. The protection should be tried on and make sure that the knee pads and elbow pads do not fidget, the gloves sit like gloved ones, and the helmet does not interfere with skiing and does not squeeze the head. No special clothing is required for skateboarding, but at first you should wear such clothes that you do not mind getting dirty or torn. You need to dress so that you can easily put on and take off protective equipment. Shoes should be comfortable. Sneakers or trainers are ideal.

When the clothes and protection are selected, you can go to the first training session. The first steps on a skateboard are best done under the guidance of an instructor. The specialist will tell you what to look for in order to stay on the board as long as possible. If this is not nearby, dads or moms will have to take on the role of an instructor.

To begin with, the girl must learn to stand on the board. The legs are slightly bent, the back is straight, the body is slightly tilted forward, looking straight ahead. Schoolchildren and adolescents can already control this situation on their own, but the little ones will have to be insured by their dad or mom. When the exercise "stand on the board" will be taken for granted, you can move on to skating.

To begin with, choose a jogging leg (this is the leg with which the child will push off when rolling). Then the girl learns to push off, put the jogging leg next to the pivot leg, without losing balance, ride on the board and stop... It is impossible to say in advance how long it will take to master the basic techniques of skateboarding. For some children it takes a couple of weeks, for others a couple of months.

When a girl can boast of confident skating in a straight line, you can invite her to master one of the basic tricks. This is ollie, when the skateboarder jumps with the board. The athlete places one leg on the rear bend of the board (tail), the other stands in the center. The legs are slightly bent. The leg on the tail makes a click on the ground, and the other leg immediately stretches out parallel to the board.

A similar trick is nollie. Only a click is made with the leg in front, and the other leg pulls the skate up. In addition, beginners actively master the manual and ollies with a turn.

The first is considered one of the simplest elements, when the athlete presses on the tail, raising the front of the skate, and then maintains balance by helping himself with his hands. The execution of the second is similar to a regular ollie, only it is performed with a twist: after clicking, you need to twist the board with your second foot and turn yourself. At first, you can help yourself with your hands.

The most difficult element is considered kickflip... It is only done when the allie is automatic, because both tricks start out the same. Only during the execution of the kickflip is it necessary to twist the board horizontally. First, they make an ollie, and when the front leg is at the level of the bend of the skate, it is sharply twisted. After the rotation, the board is stopped with two feet.

If you want to master more complex tricks, you should turn to experienced skaters who can give advice on how to complete the element and check the correctness of its implementation.

In the next video, the girl will demonstrate how to skate properly.