If you can push your board, keep your balance, and maybe do an ollie or two, then you can learn to do some real skateboard tricks.

This article is not going to teach you skateboard tricks. It won’t be a magical end all cure to the reason you can’t do a kickflip. I hope to help you understand what it takes to land some new skateboard tricks or get better at an old one.

I will show you a method and some tips to help you learn some new tricks. Skateboarding is all about having fun. It’s unlikely you will get very good at skateboarding if you don’t enjoy it. So if you are just skateboarding so that you can be better than someone else, please just stop. You’re ruining skateboarding for yourself and for the people around you.

You need to enjoy skateboarding and have the passion to learn tricks just to have fun in order to develop a good style all of your own. You will need some time and dedication to learn how to do your skateboard tricks. I will give you some tips here on how to make your learning process more enjoyable and hopefully shorter. First you’re going to need a trick, which you want to learn how to do. Anyone who skateboards has a trick they are working on learning.

In the beginning it may seem hard to choose just one, but it will make the process faster in the end. Pick your trick and do a little research. Perhaps watch a how to video or ask a friend to see how they do it.

Make sure you understand the basics behind the trick before attempting to land it.

Next comes the part where you will need time and patience. Skateboard tricks often can’t be learned in a day.

At first you will probably have lots of fun trying to land the trick. You will see that you go from having no control over your board to understanding how the trick works. You will probably see great improvement and begin getting some basics of the trick down. The really hard part is when you come to a plateau with the trick.

You will likely become tired or frustrated with the trick. You’ll probably see someone else land it and they will be really happy. You’ll probably think, “I’m doing the same motions. Why can’t I land this? Maybe I’m just not good enough.” But this isn’t true. You need to realize what’s wrong with learning the trick. You may be tired and need a break. You may be too negative and need some confidence.

A lot of times, you just need to take a break from skating. It’s been proven scientifically that after you sleep your body encodes repeated actions in your brain. This means that if you’ve practiced a trick a lot the day before your body and muscles will have a better understanding of the trick the next day. So, lay off that new trick once you’re tired and declared that you will need more time to work on it. Often times you can end up making the process longer if you just keep going at it.

Don’t hurt yourself over a trick. It’s just not worth getting hurt over a trick that is far out of your reach. I’m not saying don’t push your limits higher and higher. I am just saying that you need to know what is far beyond your limits. Please don’t throw yourself down a 10 stair when you can’t even do your local 5 stair.

Don’t get mad. Getting mad can ruin skateboarding. Not just for you, but for all of your friends too. It’s not fun to skateboard with the guy (or girl) who hogs the camera for a hundred and ninety tries to land a kickflip down a stair set. And each time he gets mad and throws his board, even though it’s obvious he isn’t going to land it. It just makes it less fun when people take everything so seriously.

Most likely, skateboarding is not your job and never will be. It is probably just your hobby and a good time with your buddies. Don’t ruin what could be the most fun thing in your life by getting too serious about it. This can lead to extending learning time greatly. You can waste a lot of time on tricks far out of your reach.

Learn slowly and ask for help often. Don’t blindly try tricks you can’t do. Have fun and don’t ruin skateboarding for your friends, who are just trying to land their new skateboard tricks too!