So… I've decided to larn to skateboard in my 40s. That's absurd, right? It'south not going to hurt at all, correct? We'll run across. It should definitely be a fun ride anyway.

Skateboarding has been something that I've admired all my life, although I've never been immersed in it. I've always loved the culture, the fine art, the attitude. I've loved movies similar Gleaming the Cube and Thrashin'. I've loved video games like 720, Skate or Dice and Tony Hawk'south Pro Skater. Simply I've never really tried it myself. Information technology was just never really present in my life in Glasgow in the 80s and early 90s. I never saw skateboarders anywhere. I didn't know of whatsoever skateparks. I didn't know anyone at schoolhouse at all that had a skateboard. BMX was much more of a thing, so I absolutely had one of them. Skateboarding, as a physical activity, unfortunately passed me by. But equally I said to a higher place, I've e'er been a fan of it, and that's never died. Information technology's only a shame I missed out on information technology back in the twenty-four hour period.

Fast forward about 30 years and now my vi year old daughter has get obsessed with the thought of skateboarding. She has pleaded for weeks to get a skateboard. And there seem to be skateparks literally everywhere we look where we live now in Southend. Plus a friend of ours has just started to get back into skateboarding with his son. And my 8 year old son'south best friends all skateboard, then my son is up for learning at present as well. And then after not having an easy opportunity to skate in my youth because I didn't know anyone else who skated, I at present do! My children! And before anyone says it, it's certainly not a mid-life crunch. It's finding fun new opportunities in adulthood whilst spending quality time with my kids and supporting their interests. And too, y'all can't have a mid-life crisis when you never abound upwards can you lot?!

This has all happened during the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020 and we're lucky to have a small patio in our back garden that is just long enough to exercise basic skating techniques. And then it was the perfect new hobby to get into during lockdown.

Research
The first thing I did was immerse myself into skating stuff. Here are the various resources that I have tapped for information…

YouTube
There are soooo many amazing skateboarding videos on YouTube. What a time for the kids to larn a skill similar this, with and so many tutorials available on the internet.

Braille Skateboarding
Later all my online research these were the guys that I went with for the main tutorials. At that place are loads of swell ones for costless on YouTube, including this one beneath, but I also paid for their introductory lesson videos which goes over the basics and all the way upwardly to boot flips.

Tony Hawk videos
Plainly Tony Hawk has been the poster boy for skateboarding for years and in that location are a tonne of videos of him showing how to do stuff. I constitute this ane particularly useful for watching some of the basic tricks.

The Berrics Instagram
I had loads of people recommend me the Berrics Instagram channel. It's certainly a adept resource for lots of amazing skateboarding videos. Some of the tricks these guys do are astonishing. Not necessarily neat for learning stuff but certainly skillful for inspiration.

Bones Brigade documentary
This is a fantastic documentary. I obviously knew of Tony Hawk and the Bones Brigade but I didn't know all the members well and I didn't know all about their history. Very interesting and very well made, with some incredible footage. I watched it on Amazon Prime number but I have since ordered the Blu-ray and so that I can ever have information technology on hand even if it drops off the streaming services.

Book – Surf, Skate, Rock Fine art of Jim Phillips
I'd always liked the Screaming Hand Santa Cruz logo, and didn't realise that I actually knew some other fine art by Jim Phillips, and then information technology inspired me to get this absurd book.

Book – The Mutt: How to Skateboard and Not Kill Yourself – Rodney Mullen
Rodney Mullen was definitely one of the skateboarding names that I knew, only I didn't really have a true appreciation of his skills until I saw the Bones Brigade documentary. Absolutely unbelievable. Some of his stuff defies the laws of gravity. And he seems similar a fascinating guy too, and so I had to buy his volume too.

Ownership BOARDS
Obviously the next matter to do was to buy the boards! I really didn't know where to start. I was sure that there are probably some rubbish boards available on Amazon, and also I'thou sure there are several overpriced ones or ones that are for people who really know what they're doing. And when I went on specialist skating websites information technology looked quite complex, with the diverse styles, widths and combinations of trucks and wheels. Our friend has just bought their boards from a local skating supplier and I decided to go the same route, to support our local businesses. I told the guy what our needs were and he had some complete boards from Fracture at a expert toll that were perfect. He didn't have a massive choice of designs to choose from (only about three each) but we didn't really intendance. I knew I was going to plaster stickers all over information technology anyway. It was a great opportunity to use some of the absurd retro stickers that I had and hadn't actually had anywhere to stick them until now.

My daughter's is the top one with the Thrasher sticker. My son's is the white and aureate one and mine is the obviously blue i with all the retro stickers, of grade.

IS MY AGE AN ISSUE?
In my head (or perhaps my heart), the respond to that question is 'absolutely not'. But it is something that often comes up with things like this when other people are talking nearly it. Aforementioned thing happened when I recently got a BMX to have a play about on. Firstly, are you e'er too former to skate? I really don't think and then, if you're physically ok to do it. I hate applying age restrictions to anything. Doing things like this is groovy for keeping people young. We should all try to stay mentally young, and also practise annihilation concrete help you stay fit. So 100% I'grand never i of those people that say you're too old to practice something or you should 'abound up'. Many people think that BMXs are just for kids, purely considering of the size and style of the wheel, but with skateboards information technology probably is partly also to do with the dangers of being more probable to injure yourself equally you get older. And that is certainly something I'k taking seriously. I'm obviously making my kids clothing total pads, wrist guards and helmets whilst learning, and I'm doing the same too, not just to set an example but to help myself not become injure too! I've been very conscientious for us all to build upwardly our nuts really well so far, before even trying whatever tricks. And none of us have actually properly fallen over still which is good. To exist honest if I fall over information technology's probably more my hips or bum that volition hurt the most only I don't think you can get hip or bum pads! I'm 44 years old just now and I've had friends of mine who have complained of stiffness and aches and pains since they turned 30 or when they turned 40. For me personally, I'd never had that yet, only as it happens this year has been the first yr that I've really been starting to go aware of age related aches and pains. But I think it has also coincided with me doing less exercise. And so I'm determined to make sure I exercise more exercise, more movement, more stretching and in general be more good for you. This volition be good for my overall life and playing with my kids but information technology'south also even more important if I'1000 going to exist learning to skateboard. I've found already that you need a strong core, because when you starting time to lose balance you really do tense upwardly all your core muscles to keep your balance. I'm sure my knees will benefit from extra strength work too.

At the moment we're just practising in our back patio, all decked out in all the pads, guards and helmet. I'll make the kids wearable information technology all when we start to go to the skate park. I'm sure I'll feel the pressure level to not wear all the condom gear when we're at the skate park in front of all the other youths who don't wear any pads or helmets. Who knows whether my condom will take priority or my 'coolness'. Information technology may well depend on my skating ability at the fourth dimension! I'm certain that pretty soon I will exist fine doing a certain level of skating or basic tricks, simply whenever I try new things I will definitely pad upwardly.

WHAT I WANT TO LEARN
I'm in this for some fun and some quality time with my kids. I don't want to be doing massive half pipes or big ramps or anything like that. Only I'd love to be able to do the basic tricks such equally shove-its, pop shove-its, ollies and ideally up to a kick flip. I'd really find it fun to endeavour to larn that. And if I tin go down the smallest ramps and bumps in the skate park with the kids so that would be cool. I think all that's very achievable and the kick flip is a nice goal to aim for. (I may have to invent a 'bum and hip pad' though).

I'chiliad not going to do a lot of video documenting of my learning but I'm sure I will certainly write more than posts about my skateboarding journeying and also post videos if I manage to nail any tricks. For now I'chiliad only practising simple pushing and small kick turns. I'thou probably only getting on the board well-nigh twice a week. This video below is a very early video during the first couple of weeks. That'south all you're getting for now!

Correct, I'm off to watch Gleaming the Cube once again.