Skateboarding is one of the most fabulous fun activities in the United States. People ride skateboards for recreation, transportation, and also during competitions.
Sidewalking is really fun that it was banned in Norway at some point. The government decided to regulate the number of injuries people accrued when having fun skateboarding.
Unlike any other sport, skateboarding doesn’t require much investment in gear. All you need is a skateboard and a pair of nice shoes to keep you moving.
Converse shoes are common among skaters. Read on to learn about these shoes besides other incredible information about skating.
Are Converse Good For Skating?
Yes. Converse design features a unique light, durable, and comfortable material. You’re surely going to ride easily while performing cool tricks with them. Furthermore, converse enhances your speed since they’re light.
They are reinforced and thus last longer. Consequently, your shoes won’t wear out faster, and you will find it easy performing the ollie tricks. Ultimately, the converse has padding at the heel to keep your feet in one position.
Ankle Protection Converse Options
Your ankles take a heavy beating during the process of skating. These are some of the ankle protection options you should consider.
1. Low-Top Ankle Protection
Low-top Converse shoes provide skaters with efficient movement ranges. They are flexible and allow the ankle to move freely. Moreover, these shoes are lighter, thus allowing for faster skating.
However, these kinds of converse shoes do not protect the ankle. Your ankle remains exposed and can pick up abrasions from the board. You’ll enjoy the ergonomics that come with them, but you’re still susceptible to bruises and injuries.
2. Mid-Top Ankle Protection
Mid-top converse provides skaters with some ankle protection. This ankle protection cushions you from board injuries. The padding at the bottom is thick enough to absorb low-impact shocks effectively.
However, the mid-top converse limits the range of motion you can perform. For this reason, you won’t be able to perform many tricks.
3. High-Top Ankle Protection
High-top ankles provide a better cushion against impact. These shoes wrap protection around the ankle, minimizing the extent of damage that your ankle receives.
However, high-top converse limits the ranges of motion you can perform significantly. You won’t be able to perform many tricks while using them.
Why Are Converse Shoes Popular In Skating?
Not all sneakers will let you enjoy skating. A pair of good shoes should suffice. Most skateboarders prefer this shoe brand due to its light, durable, and ergonomic design. Is that all it takes to entice skaters to wear converse?
Converse shoes are designed with premium rubber, cons traction rubber. The cons traction rubber is tough, making the shoes durable and increasing converse shoes’ grip.
The converse models effectively absorb the shock skaters expose themselves when performing tricks. The cozy design increases comfort hence making skating flawless.
Skaters also enjoy the reinforced aspects of these shoes. Converse features padding at the heel’s tongue that locks your ankles in place. The padding prevents wobbling, thus guaranteeing a steady and comfortable ride.
Basically, converse shoes provide skaters with an optimal skating experience. They’re light hence making it easier to ride on them. Moreover, the converse is stable, and you won’t need to stress much about correcting your balance.
Basics Of Skateboarding
Some people find it challenging to skateboard despite the sport’s unprecedented fame. Therefore, understanding the basics will improve your skating.
In this section, you’ll find a simple guide on how to skateboard, even if you’re an absolute beginner. Below is the breakdown of skateboarding.
1. Feet Positioning And Stance
Figuring out your foot’s positioning is the absolute basic in skateboarding. It is imperative to note which of your feet stays forward when skating. You’ll know you’re at the right stance when you feel comfortable on your skateboard.
Regular and goofy feet are the two available stances in skating. A goofy-footed skater positions the right foot at the front of the skateboard and uses the left leg to push.
A regular-footed individual assumes the opposite stance of a goofy skater. Left foot forward while the right one pushes against the ground.
It is advisable to use your dominant foot to push if you’re trying out skating for the first time. This approach will make skating easier, and you’ll feel totally in control.
Figuring out the right stance will prevent you from the troubles of learning how to push. Before attempting the other one, take enough time to figure out your natural stance.
2. Learn How To Push
Pushing provides the thrust force necessary to propel you. You should expect trouble with your balance if it’s your first time skating.
Move towards your skateboard, take your stance, then give your board a gentle push. You will notice that your front foot’s position varies when you’re riding and when pushing.
Skating is quite similar to walking. Your front foot stays straight on the board, just like walking. However, the front foot goes sideways when riding on the board.
Take some time to learn how to transition your body from the side to the front of the board. Engaging in more practice will provide you with the muscle memory necessary to cruise with your skateboard.
Using the back of your foot is the proper way of pushing. Be sure to start off with this good form.
Starting off in a sloppy form will make skateboarding strenuous and uncomfortable. It’s, therefore, crucial to learn to push the right way during your first time.
Figure out which foot goes to the front and begin pushing with the back of your foot. Bear in mind that the front foot only goes forward during the push. Therefore, performing tricks with your board happens when your feet go sideways.
You can only master your pushing by repeated practice. Constant practice will transform your skating from awkward to become your second nature. Keep riding to ingrain these basics into your muscles.
3. Performing Turns
Experienced skateboarders have a fancy way of performing their maneuvers. You can perform these unique turns after mastering how to ride straight. There are two ways you can turn on your board; kickturn and curve turn.
During the kick turn, try lifting the front wheels off the ground and anchor the board in the direction you want to move. It is a valuable skill when skating at a higher speed.
You can perform the kickturn by applying some mechanics. First, you’ll need to maintain a straight back foot as most of your weights shift here. Then slightly bend your front leg to initiate the pivot you want.
Use your arms to kick turn on a stationary skateboard. When riding, use your shoulders to provide you with the pivot.
You don’t have to lift the board when performing a curve turn on the flip side. You only need to lean on the board and turn in the direction you want. You can enhance your curve turn by loosening the skateboard trucks.
Turning is a crucial step when skating. You might want to practice it regularly until you nail it. Subsequently, turning will come in handy when you’re riding.
Performing An Ollie
Tricks are what makes skating fun. The fantastic thing is that anyone can perform these tricks provided they have done enough practice. Ollie is a foundation trick in skating that is worth learning.
Essentially, you’ll have to learn how to roll your ankle up the board then pick the board up. The learning curve is steep but can be broken down into some steps.
First, you need to get the proper foot placement. Typical foot placement in an ollie involves resting the back foot at the center of your board’s tail.
The front foot sits somewhere in the middle of the board. Furthermore, ensure that your toes are lined up with the board’s edges.
The next step involves snapping the board to the ground. You’re going to need balance in the back truck of your board to perform the snap. Gently bend your front foot and let the back foot snap the board to the ground.
You’re going to need to jump with your board. Jump simultaneously with the board after snapping it.
Timing is critical when doing an ollie. Therefore, you’ll need to roll your front foot up to the nose of the board during the jump.
The front foot is the one that’ll pick up the board and level it out. Integrating these steps should enable you to perform an ollie.
Conclusion
Converse shoes are great for skating. They’re designed with premium rubber that cushions to cushion skaters from the impacts of landing.
They have a range of ankle protection options to suit the needs of different skaters. However, the level of ankle protection trades off with the range of motion one can get.
This post also includes an essential guide for skating. Stance, pushing, and turning are some basics you should master to ace your skateboarding.