3 Tips For Electric Skateboard Beginners
Electric skateboarding is a sport that takes the best bits of other sports and mashes them into one to create a fantastic sense of free-flowing shredding fun. But don't forget that it is a sport, and like all sports, there's a period of learning and practice where basic skills need to be picked up. This is for a few reasons. Like any sport, you'll have a lot more fun once you know what you're doing and how to play. The same goes for electric skateboarding. But equally as important, if you're an electric skateboard beginner, then there's an element of safety that comes with having more skill on the board. So we've made a list of some things to consider as a beginner boarder to help you out.
How to Ride a Skateboard for Beginners
Electric skateboards take the core concepts of regular skateboarding and pair them with elements of other sports like snowboarding and surfing (hence why we call it the endless wave!). There are already thousands of step by steps on how to ride a skateboard, so here are just some quick tips that are tailored to e-skating.
The first thing you need to think about even before you get on the board is that we want to be starting off smooth. Smooth when we accelerate, smooth when we lean, and smooth when we brake. So give yourself some space and remember to judge your braking distances with plenty of room for error during these early stages.
The second thing you need to remember when riding an electric skateboard is that weight – and where you put that weight – is everything. If you want to stay on the board when you accelerate then you'll need to lean forwards with your head roughly over the line of your front foot. This stops you from falling backward as you take off. The opposite applies to braking.
Preemptively put your weight on your back foot so that the application of the brakes doesn't send you forward. The amount you lean forwards and backwards is directly related to how fast you're accelerating or decelerating. Take your time while getting a feel for these things!
What is the Best Skateboard for Beginners?
The best beginner electric skateboard is one that has a combination of high build quality that can be relied on by a novice rider and one that isn't intimidating to ride. Thankfully at Evolve, it doesn't matter what board you go with really. Because they all fit the above criteria. Every board is crafted using the very best materials we could get our hands on. So you can rely on them to not let you down. Then as far as intimidation goes, even our most powerful board – The Hadean Series – makes use of the finest controls and motor commutation technology to deliver power (and braking) in a way that is manageable and confidence-inspiring.
Be Serious About Safety
Sorry to be boring but this one really does matter. It's super common in the world of skating to see people riding around with no pads, no helmet and basically no protection whatsoever. Even in videos of people doing wild stunts. But remember, those people are not riding a board capable of 50 km/h top speeds, you are. So do take the time to gear up properly. This means riding with a helmet as a bare minimum (which is also the law in most parts of Australia) but also as a beginner, knee pads, elbow pads, and even skate gloves are a good baseline to start with.
Be Seen On The Street
Electric skateboards are super sweet during the daytime, don't get us wrong, but there is something else about shredding in the evening that has to be experienced. Take your time building up to this while you’re learning but once you're confident enough, it's a blast. In order to see where you're going and equally as important, to be seen by others, it's a good idea to trick your board (and yourself) out with some lighting for those darker hours. There are a tonne of lighting options available here at Evolve to help you out with this. Front, back, and side lighting can all be customised to suit your liking.
Look Where You Want To Go
I was taught this while learning to ride motorcycles, but this is still entirely true for electric skateboarding, just as it is for snowboarding, surfing, cycling and any other sport that involves leaning to turn direction. As an electric skateboard beginner, making mistakes is all part of the game. And at some point in your e-skate journey, it's pretty likely that you might take a turn and feel like you're going in too fast. When this happens, you have two choices. Either ditch the board and hope that you or it don't get hurt. Or, lean harder until you can make the corner. If you're looking at the outside of the turn and the thing you really don't want to hit, it's already too late. But if you look at the inside and where you would like to be going, you'll be amazed at the turns you can make.
The reasons for this are both mental and scientific. Mentally, if you're looking in the direction of the turn you want to make, you'll feel more comfortable when leaning towards it. This will allow you to gradually turn sharper and is an all-round great confidence booster. The scientific reason is that the head is a heavy thing (about 5kgs) and if it isn't leaning inside the corner, then there’s a fair amount of weight working against you when you need it most.
Where to Buy an Electric Skateboard
Well this one is easy, at Evolve! We have a range of premium-quality electric skateboards for beginners and pros alike! For any beginner looking to get started with e-boarding, we're a one-stop shop for boards, parts, safety gear and accessories.
We'll see you out there! 😉
