9 Common Skateboarding Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

^Making fun of "skate rats" and the Barney Zone in TWS' old skatepark^

2. Pushing mongo!

The most sacred rule! This is, quite simply, to push with your back foot while keeping your front foot on the board. To do the opposite will get you ridiculed, maybe for life. When skating switch, the jury is out, as legendary skaters like Josh Kalis and Eric Koston have been known to push "switch mongo" in their epic video parts. 

3. Putting on your trucks the wrong way.

This one will also get you ridiculed at the spot or the skate shop where you are setting up your board. The bushings go in toward the middle of the board. If you set up your trucks backward, good luck throwing down and trying to roll straight. You'll be pitched to the ground immediately. 

4. Not filing down your griptape before you cut it.

Applying griptape to a new deck is a practiced skill. Once you've got the sheet of grip down, with no bubbles, make sure you file around the entirety of the deck before cutting with a razor blade or box cutter. And make sure that blade is sharp! Both of these pieces will give you a nice, smooth cut. Then flip the deck over and rub it down on the sidewalk to prevent the grip from peeling up off the nose or tail if your board lands upside down. 

5. Not knowing you can learn how to Ollie by putting your wheels in a crack.

A trick as old as time. Wanna learn how to Ollie and/or get your pop a little higher? Find a nice sidewalk crack to set your wheels in and practice until your heart's content. 

6. Slamming on concrete when learning new flip tricks. (Tip: Learn Ollies and flip tricks landing in grass.)

Many a skater has learned myriad flip tricks by snapping them off concrete and landing into a patch of grass or their front lawn. Trust us, you can learn a lot when you're not worried about slipping out on concrete. 

7. Dropping into the biggest section of your local skatepark.

Start off in the smallest section of your local skatepark. This goes hand in hand with rule #1. Most parks (yeah, not Washington Street in San Diego) have sections with smaller obstacles or just some flatground. This is where you want to feel out your board and start off if you're new to this. 

8. Buying a setup at the mall.

A skater-owned core shop is the only place where a real skater will be working and will help you out in choosing the parts that are right for you and will hopefully make you into a lifer. Check out our buying guide below:

9. Biggest mistake: forgetting to have fun!

This whole activity, culture, sport—whatever you want to call it, is about having fun and enriching your life. The places you travel and the people you meet will be the memories you'll have forever. Sure you can get some clips along the way, skate a contest or two, maybe even live the sponsored life. But, to end this with some cheese, don't forget to have fun throughout it all.