A good skateboarder focuses on the fundamentals, such as developing agility, balance and basic skateboarding skills. Once you can perform simple maneuvers, expand your skill set by following the tried and true advice of the professional skateboarding community. For example, find a community skate park and ask its staff or some experienced regulars for tips on how to improve your skateboarding.
Watch the Pros
Improve your skateboarding skills by observing professional skateboarders, who use a variety of styles and techniques honed during years of practice. Watch their body stances to get an idea of how they establish a center of gravity. Note how they adjust their upper body during a jump and after a landing. Watch their feet during a trick to see if their placement on the board changes during certain tricks. Don't get distracted by flashy maneuvers that take place high in the air. Good skateboarders build on the basics and rely on steady improvement in the areas of balance and agility. With practice, you will gain the skills necessary to accomplish difficult maneuvers.
Try Different Boards
If you have difficulty performing certain tricks, try out some different skateboards. The design of your skateboard or its hardware might not be optimal for your riding style. For example, if you have difficulty turning quickly, try a skateboard with looser trucks, which are the two metal pieces that hold the wheels. Other important design features include board size, wheel bearings and grip tape, which is the sandpaper-like adhesive strip that helps your feet maintain position. To determine which features work best for your riding style, test out as many boards as possible and ask other skateboarders for advice.
Pumping in a Half Pipe
The simplest way to achieve forward motion on a skateboard is to push off the ground with your foot. But body stance also affects your speed. If you watch professional skateboarders in a half-pipe, you will see them crouch while they pass over the flat bottom. When they reach the bottom of the incline, they straighten their legs and rise up. The name for this technique is pumping, and it's similar to how you might pump on a swing. By altering your body's center of mass at the right times, you can achieve higher speeds. In a half pipe, higher speed means more air, which gives you more time to perform aerial tricks. Start off slow to get an idea of the rhythm you need to maintain. Over time, pumping will become second nature.
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