Skateboarding

I get what you're saying!
Still, at the end of the day it's just a learning by doing / try-and-error thing, you figure it out as you learn how to climb a tree or how to work on a frozen sidewalk.

Like I said balance exercises will probably make things easier a bit but they do need to figure out how do do the thing themselves, with the balancing and pushing off the ground at the same time - and they will fall sooner or later, probably repeatedly, and most likely hurt themselves - that really is part of skateboarding frankly.
Wristguards are probably a good investment if you're really worried!

My 2p worth after skating since '86 and teaching various small people how to learn pushing: they may well have a dominant leg - i.e. left foot forward is regular, right foot forward goofy. As adults most of us will have one stance that feels more comfortable than the other, but try to steer them away from this so they can use either stance. Switch didn't really exist when I started, and I find pushing switch very counterintuitive now alas. If they're used to riding a scooter they'll probably have a stance already, so good to teach them that you can push with both feet. Get them to angle their front foot at about 45deg, then once rolling turn it to about 80deg when the back foot is on (typically at near 90deg).

Most important is to deter them from pushing mongo (an outdated term I know, but it's one all skaters recognise) where they position their rear foot straight on at the tail, then once moving bring the front foot up to the middle of the board. It's hands-down the worst technique to learn, as they'll be immediately unbalanced, with all the weight on the tail. One technique I used with an initially reluctant nephew was to tighten the wheel nuts all the way down so the board doesn't actually roll, then get them to stand on it to get used to how they'll move the board, much like learning how to surf by just standing on the sand. As mentioned above, getting them to balance on just their front foot is pretty much the principle behind rolling. Check how tight the trucks are too, as if they're too loose they'll need more balance to keep the board straight. Once they get the hang of it, loosen the nuts so the board rolls and this is where the fun begins, and it's also a good way of teaching them ollies.

I've taught dozens of wee nippers these techniques, and with varying degrees of success. One nephew had a blast until he slammed, and, despite being made of rubber at age 6, it wasn't for him. Another niece quite liked the danger aspect so quite literally pushed through the bruises, but it's entirely random.

thanks, they started out with right foot forward when I started pulling them along, and now will alternate between right foot forward and left foot forward. Left foot forward is starting to get better still not as good as right foot forward, but the gap is closing.
I swapped out the original bushes (sp?) on their board as before they were too hard and they couldn't get the board to turn, now they're softer and can turn more easily. Not sure how they'd get on with balancing on one foot on the board with the current bushes, will see.
Will send all this across to uncle who skates more than I do so when he looks after them he can get them to do some more of it. Think it will carry a bit more weight from uncle possibly than me.

Also thanks to everyone for responding, its appreciated

No bother at all; am mildly jealous that they (and you) are just starting out; skating still makes me feel like a little kid (with added injuries..) but nothing beats the first unassisted push, the first ollie, first drop-in etc.

I remember my first ollie up a curb, but not my first kickflip

I remember heelflip feeling super natural, but it took me fucking forever to do a kickflip 💁

Opposite! I remember there being kickflip people and heelflip people.

https://youtube.com/shorts/B_8ZTPlqC_Y?si=8OnabAle2EsLT59e

Love the level of sketch here. Right on the edge of disaster.

Fucking hell, yea!

😅

https://rollersnakes.co.uk/collections/complete-skateboards?filter.v.availability=1&sort_by=price-ascending

Some decent bargz here

Just wanted to post this here. Thanks for all the advice, haven’t had a chance to put any of it into practice, and then they’ve only gone and started doing this…

Video uploaded.

1 Attachment

• First Push.MP4

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3FzG2bN8AC/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1yFDa1bqoY&t=95

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is1a0GU2m80&t=235

Does anyone have experience with the bones bearing cleaning unit or cleaning bearings in general?

Our son’s skateboard has a bad bearing and I’m wondering whether I should replace the bearings or clean the current bearings and apply lube. Personally I rather fix stuff than buy new, but only if it is worth it.

Currently we have three skateboards in our household and a single kickbike. So lots of those wheel bearings which possibly need attention.

They’re fairly easy to clean them without that bones kit. Especially if it’s just one. I guess whether it’s worth cleaning or replacing depends on how good the bearing is and how knackered it is.

I’ve used rubbing alcohol to clean and sewing machine oil to lubricate, with good results.

I've cleaned bearings before, it's not too difficult. Worth a shot if you have some cleaning solvent around already and some grease. However, if they're from cheap completes, they might not be worth saving and some reasonable quality bearings can be had for not a lot.

Thanks. My idea was to make a cleaning jar myself based on the Bones one using hardware I have.

I have sewing machine oil, so I’ll give it a go! Just need to search for a proper solvent within our inventory of bottles.

I recently got some really cheap bearings and I had never understood how horrible they can be. I wish I had understood 30 years earlier that the bearings matter. I'm running Bronsons and some ceramic ones now. They make the world of difference. It is just so much easier to pickup speed in the park and transition tricks become easier when you can actually pump up to them and don't have to get the speed just right on the approach.

I've always run bearings dry no lube with no shield.

Yeah, I always used to get the cheapest bearings I could. Since starting skating again as an adult and getting some Bones Reds, I realised how much of a difference it makes getting even basic good bearings.

Good bearings are great, for sure.
What I inferred from Wouter's post though, is that they have at least one child who isn't at an age yet to buy or maintain their own equipment, and as such might not want or need their offspring zooming around at mach1. I could be wrong though; I made a big assumption.
Aren't good bearings for dinosaurs with the expenditure and a need to conserve energy?

When Freeline Skates first got imported into the UK a friend ordered in a bunch of them. I immediately swapped the basic bearings for a really silky set I’d been saving for one of the longboards.

Huge mistake. Suddenly those freelines had a mind of their own, accelerating at minimal input.

Definitely worthwhile having good bearings, but only if you want the zoomies.

Correct, he is seven. At seven he is definitely too young to do the necessary maintenance.

He is eager though, so I’ll show him stuff. I don’t feel comfortable yet when he is working with cleaning fluid. Wood, nails and screws will do for now as well as assisting when we put a picture frame on the wall.