SKateboarding Is Hard: five frustrating things about skateboarding

Here's the thing about this skateboarding shit: it's not, nor has ever been easy. No matter how many years someone skates, no matter what level they're at, they'll always have the days where they come face to face with their personal demons. Whether it's battling a trick, skidding on a pebble, or civilians sitting atop a ramp, we all have some common frustrations with this whole thing. And while skateboarding is usually fun most times, there are definitely times where we've all said "Fuck this. This is dumb". Before I give my generic, cliche, "Top 10 whatever-the-fuck" internet list, I want to note that, these are in fact generic and may not entirely encapsulate your specific troubles with skateboarding. This is with purpose, as I want this article to be slightly more interactive while you guys to give more of your input. That said, I implore you to give feedback and tell me what YOUR hardest battles with skateboarding tend to be, and I'll update the list in the future!

Falling

Probably, most skateboarders biggest crutch, least favorite occurrence, and one of the leading deterrent for new skaters is falling. Falling has its place as probably the top 3 most frustrating aspects of skateboarding for simple, self explanatory reasons: falling sucks. It hurts, it sets you back, you lose your groove and momentum, and if you're not careful in how you fall, it could lead to much more severe damage. Depending on how long you've been trying a trick, it can also be exhausting. It makes getting back up harder, especially if you're going for something that requires a large amount of build up such as gaining speed, going down a significant drop, or completing a line of tricks. It can also have an impact on confidence, which is a key component, not just in skateboarding, but in all things requiring physical performance. The less confident you are, the less likely you are to do anything, let alone landing a trick. All in all, falling is ass. It's also commonly known for ending interest and/or careers in skateboarding. Lots of people who have quit tend to recall the time they took a bad spill and ultimately changed their views on skateboarding. However, falling in skateboarding is incredibly common, for obvious reasons. That said, if you want to really get into skateboarding you're gonna have to learn to get used to slamming over and over again. You should also learn how to fall in order to decrease chances of any real damage (tuck and roll!). It's inherently a part of the learning process. You try, you fail, you slam, you get up and assess what went wrong, and try again. It's similar to one of those old (and highly unethical) psychological conditioning experiments, where the subject specimen (like a rat or whatever) was shocked to avert them from doing a particular thing or going in certain direction, only you're the specimen and the control of the experiment.

Struggling with One Trick

We've all been there. Whether, you're learning how to ollie, or you're trying to Backside Bigspin a 10 stair you've had your eye on, we've all struggled with a trick for some vague but long amount of time. Sometimes it's hours, sometimes it's days, weeks, months. You get close, sometimes you might even land it but don't roll away. Then when you're so close, you end up losing your progress for whatever reason. Maybe you're mentally or physically exhausted, or you're being distracted by those around you. That last slam might've hurt and it's made you cautious. Maybe you're just over this trick already and wanna be done with it but you can't because you have to land it, especially after all this effort you put in. Many have either seen, or been the person screaming their eyes out or throw their board around after going for yet another attempt for this same goddamn trick. This is where having a relentless can-do attitude can bite ya cheeks, especially if you're getting to a point of anger and overwhelming frustration. While you have the mental tenacity to push through the hard parts of skateboarding, you delve a little into a mad cycle as you keep trying the same methods that weren't working for you. What's the saying? "Repetition without change is insanity?" or something like that? Regardless, the truth is you'll do more harm than good if you're constantly trying the same thing without changing how you're doing it. In the event this happens, it's always best to give it a rest for a bit and come back to it. Try something different in the meantime, or just sit down, breathe, stretch, shake, let it go *Harlem shakes* Coming back to a trick or line with a fresh mind is always good for progress.

Injuries

This is probably the factor that pushes people away the most, and of course with good reason. As I explained before, slamming is a terrible time, despite being a learning component of skateboarding. But, if falling is done incorrectly or, if shit honestly just happens and you slam hard enough, you can definitely face some injuries, some severe if you're not careful. Most common are ankle and foot injuries (ankle rolls, heel bruises, etc) that happen pretty much any day for any reason, hence why they're so common. "I rolled my ankle on some dumb shit", should be a catchphrase of skateboarding, since half the time people have these types of injuries, it's from them doing something they always do. It'll be a small misstep or, slight slack that'll set them up for failure. However, with injuries like these, depending on the magnitude of the injury, healing is typically easy and quick. Keeping that ankle or foot raised, treated (iced or medicated), and wrapped for a few days to month or so at max (again, depending on how bad it was), and you'll be back with an even stronger ankle or foot. It's injuries that involve torn ligaments, broken bones, and open gashes that are the rarity and are of course, encouraged to be treated by a professional. These typically happen when there's an attempt at something absolutely crazy, a freak accident, or lack of commitment, making them less frequent but crazy when they happen. That said, skate within your capabilities until you can work your way up, commit, and always keep an open mind to learning.

Weather

This one is pretty self explanatory. Skateboarding has a fairly specific weather window, and anything outside of this window can either be dangerous for you or your board. That window: Sunny or cloudy, with a enough light that you can see your board and obstacles (this especially goes for people like me who have T E R R I B L E night vision).Temperatures between about 30 degrees to 90 degrees fahrenheit. Anything higher and you're susceptible to overheating and dehydration since you're generating so much body heat and kinetic energy. Anything lower, you're more prone to injury due to the body's fragility to cold as well as the tensing of joints and muscles, making it - if not harder - weirder to do tricks. Also, precipitation is a complete no go. Water has a way completely ruining skateboards. Not only does it ruin the metal in skateboards (trucks, bearings, hardware, etc.), but it also ruins the wooden deck, expanding and softening the wood in a way that weakens its impact on the ground when you go to pop a trick. Hence why sometimes you may see a skateboarder with a trash bag over their skateboard if they're caught in the rain. Some people brave the weather, but they also tend to have "brave the weather" money or extra boards of their own. All in all, weather can be a real son of a bitch, and if it's not right outside you may not catch anyone skating at all.

Distractions

Distractions come in all shapes and sizes. Anything can sike you out. It's the tiny crack on the floor, or the wind, or those kids over there watching you. Anything can be a distraction. They throw you off your game, they make you second guess how capable you are, they can even bring your learning process to a screeching halt. These are extra frustrating because despite however many distractions are in front of you, they aren't the real thing holding you back. Ultimately, it's you. As "distracting" as the world can be around you, especially in cities like New York City, none of those things actually hold you back, but rather you think they do so they end up doing so. This isn't to say that occasionally some things that may actually be in your way aren't legit, like security guards, civilians, traffic, kids on bikes and shit, you know things outside of your control. But, many times it's all in your head. And that's normal. Skateboarding is exhilarating, adrenaline pumping fun, but it's scary, and a constant mind battle. Because of that, you must find a way to cancel out the noise both outside and inside. Whether that's listening to music, zoning out and not talking to anyone, or even brief meditation and breathing, find the state of mind that allows you to focus regardless of your outside or inside noises. Suddenly, the word "distraction" will seem like a abstract concept to you.

Skateboarding is mad fun. But there are days when it can tick off even a 20+ year veteran. It happens. But no matter what happens, no matter how many times we fall, and hurt, and kick, and scream, we get right back on the shit, and I think that's what, in a way, separates skateboarders from the rest of the world. That said, next time you're out there getting broke, getting mad, or not even able to get out there, just know that we've all been there. Just hop back on it as soon as you can!