shay smith

day 3 – trick #1

so the first skateboarding trick i learned was called a strawberry milkshake. this trick is meant to be done while riding but we’re going to start just standing. stand at one end of your skateboard with your dominant foot (the one you place forward on your board) on the bottom left or right on the board. (right next to the screws) push with your foot and flip the skateboard onto its side so now your foot is on the ground with the inside of your foot resting against the the tape of the board. then push in with your foot and flip the skateboard onto the top of your foot so the board is resting upside down on the top of your shoe. bring your foot up high enough and the board will flip back right side up. hop back onto the board and there you go!

strawberry milkshake

this is what it looks like while riding. it has to be a smooth movement or else the board will get caught on the ground and it won’t rotate or flip right. it’s not as hard as it looks i promise lol. i’m not a very coordinated person and it only took me about a week of practicing to master it. once you’re comfortable doing it standing, start to add movement into it. start by riding forward slowly, stop or slow down, complete the trick, then step back on and keep moving. continue to do this until your body is used to the movement and then try to go faster. you won’t be able to do it as smoothly and with a bigger jump as the guy in the video most likely but you can definitely work your way up there. good luck, you’ll get it in no time!

day 2 – riding

so i’m just going to start with the very basics and catch you guys up to where i am on a longboard. when i first started skating, i remember keeping my balance and controlling which direction i went seemed impossible and now it’s second nature. how do we get there? well here are the VERY first steps. number one, have a longboard. number two, figure out which way you ride. i ride “goofy” that means i put my right foot forward and use my left foot to push off. most people ride opposite, hence the name “goofy”. most people say it should be your dominant foot forward but that wasn’t the case for me and everyone is different so just see what you like and see which way is most comfortable to stand on the board. once you figure that out, try to move forward by keeping your lead foot on the front of the board and use your back foot to gently push off the ground. you don’t have to go far or move fast yet, just move a foot or two at a time. practice that for a little until you can go farther, longer. the key to getting good at this is practice. the more you do it, the more your body will calibrate and get used to moving on a board. i hope this helped!

day 1 – intro

hey everyone, my name is shay, welcome to my blog! if you’re looking to learn simple skateboarding and long boarding tricks and techniques along with someone who’s ALSO learning, you’re in the right spot! first here’s a little about my skate/long boarding experience. i’ve always thought skateboarding was really cool because i watched my brother, dad, and friends get good at it. i wanted to do the same but skateboarding was hard. i thought i could try with a longboard first and work my way up to a skateboard. the longboard was a little difficult at first but i got the hang of it quickly. my sister and i will still go out in rides together whenever the weather is nice and we’re feeling it. i’m fairly decent at long boarding as well as 1 or two tricks and i’m okay at riding a skateboard as well as one trick i’ve learned. i’ll be sharing the tricks and techniques i’ve learned so far as well as some new ones. i’d like to learn and master boardwalking as well as some smaller skateboard tricks. hopefully my progress and advice can help you guys progress with me!