Freestyle Skateboarding (What Is It & How To Do It)

The freestyle skateboarding style has been the longest compared to any other style today. Though other styles like park or street skating have taken freestyle’s place, it still appeals to the skating enthusiastic out there.

So, whether you are a newcomer in the skate scene or want to get a taste of this good-old style, here I am to help you with the ins and outs of freestyle skateboarding.

How freestyle Is Different From Other Styles

The name freestyle might seem unfamiliar, but you are already familiar with different parts of this style. So, freestyle is technical skating, like vert, street, or park skating.

However, the critical difference is that freestyle is done on flat ground, while the rest of the styles involve structures to pull off the tricks.

Back then, skate legends like Rodney Mullen and Russ Howell made freestyle skateboarding popular. While exclusive freestyle is not very common these days, you’ll see skaters perform street and freestyle tricks.

Often, freestyle skating has music and choreography involved too.

How To Do Freestyle Skateboarding (Steps & Tips)

Freestyle skateboarding has uncountable tricks up its sleeve. However, once you get hold of some basic ones, you can go on your own and freely make trick combos of your own.

Assuming you are a beginner, here are some steps to help you.

• Step 1

Start with the basics, even if it sounds obvious, and learn how to push, accelerate and control the brake.

• Step 2

Some more advanced maneuvers can help a lot, like carving and tic-tac.

• Step 3

Once you have learned the basics, it’s time to engage with some basic freestyle tricks. You can start with wheelies, heel-side rail, and endeavor. These tricks will help to learn more advanced tricks in the future.

• Step 4

At this point, you have learned the primary tricks. Now it’s time to practice common tricks like walking the dog, finger flips, and Casper. Don’t worry about the step up, as most of these are extensions of the primary tips.

• Step 5

Now, you should be pretty familiar with freestyle skateboarding. Now that the confidence is boosted, you can try the most advanced tricks like rail-flips, kickflips, 50-the 50s, etc., or even try to make something on your own.

What Safety Measures To Ensure

Skateboarding is safe and fun if you take the necessary safety precautions. Unfortunately, thousands of injuries happen yearly, including broken bones, fractures, bruises, and strains, because of the lack of safety measures.

Here are some standard safety measures to take in freestyle skateboarding.

• Earing safety gears is a must in any skateboarding style, especially in technical styles like freestyle. In addition, you should wear helmets, wrist, knee, and elbow pads at all times.
• Try to pick a place without any traffic or people around. For example, vacant car parking can be a great spot to practice and perform freestyle. If that’s not possible, make sure there is less traffic around.
• Lastly, if you are a beginner, have someone experienced to teach you. Freestyle can be challenging, but the proper guidance can make the learning experience fun and enjoyable.

Do You Need Unique Skateboards For Freestyle Skateboarding?

Proper skateboard setup is essential for any style of skateboarding, and freestyle is no different. If you want to have an enjoyable freestyling experience, there are several things you need to get right.

First comes the length. The length is freestyling, so a subjective matter. You can either go for a short board for better footwork or longer boards for better jump tricks.

As for the width, wider boards are easier to land on as they flip slowly. On the other hand, narrower ones flip quickly, which looks good. But you have to be able to catch the board on time.

Lastly, the axle length should be slightly smaller than the deck width, giving better stability.

Last Words

That’s a wrap for today. But, I hope my article was helpful enough to give you a brief idea about freestyle skateboarding. Freestyle skateboarding might not be the latest trend, but it can be a great idea to relive the old trend with amazing tricks.

So, if you are up for the challenge, go out there, follow my instructions, and you’ll love the freestyle skating experience.