Skimboard Lesson

Skim boarding nowadays is becoming more and more popular. Not like surfing you need waves, but in skim boarding, wave's or no wave's you can still ride and glide. Skim boarding also uses ramps if your up to it for more tricks. Here's a thing or two for a beginner that can help you with skim boarding.

Basic about riding skim board

In learning skim boarding for a beginner, basically its just run, drop and slide (and smile hehe). For a beginner it is better to start with a woodie since you use it at flatland.

Basically all you need to remember is run, drop and slide. First hold your board using one hand at the tail part and the other hand somewhere in the middle part of your board at edge. Then wait for the right time, look for thin water if your at beach, you can also play skim board at a shallow bed of water like the lake. Next is run slowly if your a beginner then eventually put up some speed if  your familiar now in riding skim board. So while holding the board and running, drop the board just in front of you, don't throw it forward and away from you. Then hop on the board placing your first foot at front of the board just a split second ahead then put your second foot at the tail of the board. While gliding maintain your balance at the board.

And if bored with flat land and you think your ready for the next level, try using now a foamie skim board. Foamie is best used in wave riding.

Wave Riding

Wave riding in skim board is like surfing but you can do areal moves. But in wave riding you need a wave that breaks near the shore. Because you need to get near the wave by gliding on to it.

The most important part of skimboarding is picking the right wave. Without good wave judgment, even the best skimboarder will have problems. When first learning to skim it is best to choose a flat beach like the one pictured.  The best time to begin running for a wave is right after the wave breaks.  If the skimmer does not run at the right time, they will have trouble once they get on their board.

Once the skimmer reaches the water or the wet sand, they throw down the board so they can jump on it. This is the first physically challenging obstacle to beginners. It is more difficult then it looks at first and many people don't stick with skimboarding because this step is too hard. However, with persistence, and patience, even the most uncoordinated person can learn to skimboard. Everyone takes a 'few' bruises learning how to get on the board.

Once on the board, the skimmer must be equally careful not to fall off! They must keep their weight centered over the board and keep the board pointed towards the ocean. It is common to accelerate too quickly and lose control so it important not to run too fast. The skimmer must also prepare for the wave. When the skimboard meets the ocean, the riders weight must be on their back foot so the nose of the board does not catch on the water.  Notice how the pictured rider has all of his weight on his back foot so he can glide up over the water instead of plowing through it.

If all of the previous steps are completed flawlessly, the rider might have the opportunity to actually ride a wave. Depending on if the rider has enough speed, balance and ability to turn, the rider can do various maneuvers while banking off the wave a

nd riding towards the shore. Unlike surfing, skimboarding allows for the ability to spin, greatly increasing the possibilities.

Beginner Skim boarding Moves

360 On The Sand - This is a very simple move where the skimboarder spins 360 degrees while sliding on the sand. The easiest way to initiate rotation is to bend over and drag your hand in the sand. The rotation is not easy to control once it is started so make sure you are not sliding toward rocks or anything else that might cause injury. Note: You can spin around more than once, twice would be a 720 et cetera, just have fun!

Ollie - Borrowed from skateboarding. A skimboarder traveling over water can push down with his or her back foot and lift up with the front foot. In doing this the skimboarder is able to pull the skimboard into the air with him as he jumps, for a short period of time anyway.

Fire Hydrant - This is a kind of silly move that you might try for kicks. While sliding along the sand put your hand on the nose of the board and lift your front leg up behind you so that you are supported only by your hand and your back foot. The move got its name because when you do it you look like a dog taking a leak on a fire hydrant. Be careful not to fall on your head!

Flyaway - This is basically a name to describe when a skimboarder launches himself straight of the top of a wave. The skimboarder usually approaches the wave straight on and jumps when he reaches the top. This has the effect of hurling the skimboarder through the air, often uncontrollably. It is very popular with beginners, but wont make you a better skimboarder.

Coffin - This is actually a really fun move just because it can be really scary if there are any waves coming at you. While sliding along the sand, bend down and put both hands on your board. Then slowly sit down and make sure you are centered on the board. Once you have done this lay down on your back with your arms straight at your sides like you are in a coffin. The trick is to do this really fast so that by the time you are actually laying down you are still moving at a reasonable speed. Be careful that you do not slide out of control into any rocks or other hard objects.

Shuvit or Shove It - A shuvit is a move where the skimmer jumps in the air while kicking his board around 180 degrees (or more). Here is how to do it, bend you legs ever so slightly and make a small jump. Just before your feet leave the board however, push the back end of the board (either out or in) so that the board will spin underneath you while you are in the air. It takes a little practice but the idea is to land on the board riding backwards. This trick is a beginner move when it is performed on flat sand but can be an intermediate or advanced move when performed on waves.

Basic Turn or Speed Run - This move is performed on the water. If you skim somewhere with waves, wait until the water has sucked out (exposing the sand) and the next wave is breaking. You want to time your run so that you reach the water just after it 'flattens out' so that you can make the transition up onto the top of the water with no problems. When you think its the right time to run, begin running at an angle (about 45 degrees) relative to the water line (this makes the turn easier, and it makes you go faster!). Drop your board and get on as you normally would. As you approach the water, put your weight on your back foot, thereby lifting the nose and allowing you to glide up onto the water as opposed to plowing through it. After you are on top of the water begin turning by applying weight to the back 'shore-side' rail. The more weight you put on your back foot throughout the turn the more control you will have. However, the more centered over the board you are (the more you use your side rail to turn rather than the back of the board) the faster you will go. It may help you to put your hand in the water or near it and use it as a pivot point to turn around. I think that 'backside' turns are easier (your back facing the ocean.

Intermediate Skim boarding Moves

Headstand - This move is probably very easy if you already know how to do a headstand. For the rest of us however, it is a little difficult to do a headstand on our living room floor, more or less a moving skimboard. I have only seen headstands performed on sand. I suppose they could be performed on water but besides being extremely hard I would see it as being very dangerous because you could hit a bump in the wave, or the wave itself, thereby inducing a large shock to your neck and possibly breaking it. Performing it is fairly straight forward. Just stand on the back of your board while sliding on the sand. Then lean over and put your head down in the middle of the board. When you are ready kick up your feet and support yourself with your hands on the skimboard if necessary. Be very careful not to hit the water (or anything else!) because it could really hurt your neck.

Flips - Do a flip, charge right at a wave and jump right when you reach the top. When you jump either tuck your head, or arch you back to do a front-flip or a back-flip. This is a sort of variation on the "flyaway" listed in the beginner moves section.

Frontside or Backside Down the Line - A backside or frontside "down the line" (liner) is when you approach the wave moving in one direction and after turning off of the wave continue in the same direction. The main thing that makes "liners" easy is running at an angle to the water line. The more parallel to shore you run, the less drastic your turn off of the wave has to be, and therefore, the more speed you have on the wave.

Floater - A floater is when the rider rides up onto the top of a breaking wave and then "jumps" back down in front of the whitewater. Floaters can be fairly easy or very hard depending on the wave.

Wrap - A wrap starts just like a "liner" except after you turn off of the wave you come back towards the point you started running from. Backside wraps are much easier, and more common than frontside wraps. Wraps can be much more than an "intermediate move" depending mainly on whether they are frontside or backside and how big/powerful the wave is.

Advanced Skim boarding Moves

Aerial - An aerial is a move where the skimboarder launches into the air, keeping the board under their feet and then lands back on or in front of the wave. Aerials can be either frontside or backside and usually occur when the skimboarder launches off the lip, soaring over the top of the wave. If the skimmer doesn't launch off part of the wave but merely 'ollies', that doesn't count.

Aerial Shuvit - Doing a shuvit while doing an aerial. Although you can do these straight off the back of the wave, it does not count as an advanced maneuver unless you land and keep on riding.

360 Aerial - A 360 Aerial is just like a regular aerial except the skimboarder spins 360 degrees with his board while in the air. You have to land back on the wave or in front of the wave. Landing behind the wave doesn't count.