Amir

How to become a Pro-Skater

The following steps will help you get started on becoming a professional skateboarder, or at least as good as one. However, these steps do not make this goal faster or easier to reach. Skateboarding is a very demanding sport that requires physical as well as mental strength and determination. If you are interested in becoming a true skater, the following steps show the general guidelines one would follow. But, skateboarding has many different aspects and reasons to exist, which are chosen by you, the skater. Thus, your personality, interests, beliefs, or lack of all these aspects will determine choosing to skate. Plus, you may find other ways that work best for you to become a good skater, but these steps are some of the simplest, easiest steps to follow.

1

Find a friend who skateboards. Ask this friend what it's like. Then, try out his skateboard and let him teach you the basics of basic tricks. If you like the sport and how it fits with you as a lifestyle, practice a little more when possible and proceed to the following step.

2

So, looks like you've decided to stick with skateboarding, eh? So I assume you've got the time and determination it takes, even if it hurts! Now, you need to go and buy yourself a skateboard. Purchase the following components of a complete skateboard at a Skate Shop, put them together or ask someone who knows how to. There are many brands for each of these items, ask your friend which ones are good quality, and which ones are for "posers" (wannabe skaters/not real).

Components of a skateboard:

-Deck (1), the wooden board you stand on.

-Grip Tape (1 sheet), the sandpaper-like tape that covers the top part of your board and that lets you "stick" to your Deck.

-Trucks (1 pair), the axles you screw onto your Deck.

-Wheels (set of 4), self explanatory, placed in axle bars of trucks.

-Bearings (set of 8), round devices stuck into wheels to allow rolling action to occur, two in each wheel.

-Nuts & Screws (1 packet), to screw Trucks onto Deck, screws go through holes made in Grip Tape so removal of Trucks can later be possible.

3

All right, now you're ready to work on learning as many tricks as possible and mastering them before you die. It may seem difficult to learn new tricks every once in a while, but if you stick to it, the results will be very rewarding. First you start off by learning the Ollie, then move on to the Shove it, Pop Shove It, Kick Flip, Varial Flips, Heel Flip, grinding in general, Manuals, 180/360... There's no order for tricks, no limit of combos. To learn how to do any trick, consult your skater friends, or visit skate web sites that show explanatory videos. Anyway, it's all up to you; if you skate no one cares. If you quit, who cares? Only you can provoke Spitfire! Now go out there in that cold cruel system, skate & destroy for life...

Images available thanks to www.photostogo.com