Too Old to Learn Skateboarding? Tips for Aged Skaters (2024)

You’re never too old to learn skateboarding, at least when you’re still healthy and in reasonable physical shape. There is no age limit, whether you’re in your twenties, thirties, forties or even fifties. It might be a little embarrassing when you start skateboarding at your 30’s or 40’s but practice makes perfect.

If you’re a little bit older and wonder if it’s too late to learn skateboarding, just go for it. There are many older skaters that never skated before their 30’s. You’re probably not as flexible as you used to be and your body can’t take impacts like a 20-year-old.

Your first days will be awkward but as soon as you start finding the right balance you’re in for a ton of fun. Learning a new skill takes time so think about when and where you’re you’ll be practicing.

If you only practice once a week it will take a significant amount of time before you start seeing results. Try to practice at least two times a week depending on your personal goals. If you just want to be able to ride you should be fine. Once you have the hang of it you might want to learn some tricks, but I wouldn’t force anything and wait until you’re ready.

Learning tricks is physically demanding and incredibly complex. Only do this when you’re in good shape and master the basics! Being able to ride confidently is very satisfying, don’t pressure yourself into anything you might regret. Keep this in mind when your older and start skateboarding

• Respect your body and don’t take too much risk.
• Wear protection at all time, you will fall!
• You have an increased risk of injury and healing takes longer.

If you’re picking up skateboarding again after a long time (like 10-15 years you’ll probably not be able to get back on your old level right away. I had a break for 8 years and it took me a while to get back to where I left off. To be honest I’m not as skilled as I used to be but the feeling of freedom and accomplishment gets me motivated.

If this is you, take it easy! I learned the hard way and had some nasty injuries. I’m not in my twenties anymore and healing takes a lot longer than it used to. I injured my heel and bruised my ribs before I decided to take it easy.

Nowadays I just keep it at the basics, only when I feel in control I try to do the harder tricks. I learned I can enjoy myself just as much while keeping myself safe.

Here’s a madlad learning to skate at 41.

And here is someone at 55 ripping a vert.

It Takes Time

Skateboarding isn’t something you’ll learn in a few days, especially as an adult. Younger people pick up skateboarding faster (in general) but you need time and dedication before you get anywhere. While it’s a good idea to start skateboarding at the right age, some might missed out in their youth, which is not a problem.

Try to skate at least 3 times a week for an hour or two, more is better but that might be difficult because of responsibilities like work and family.

Never start doing tricks if you’re not ready because you’ll hurt yourself. Stop trying to pull off a trick if you’ve been doing it for over an hour without success. Frustration will make it harder and you’ll lose focus, go do something else and try again later.

How fit are you?

Your physical condition matters a lot. If you’re in good shape and have a strong core it’s going to be easier to learn skateboarding. If you’re in bad shape consider getting in shape by going to the gym or workout at home, train your core and legs and improve flexibility. Even when you are in good shape make sure you wear protective gear.

Beginners are more vulnerable and get injured more often. Ankles, knees, hips, and elbows are common to injure. Don’t forget your head, you’ll need a brain to skateboard so wear protective gear. Also, you’ll fall harder if you carry a bit more weight.

Skateboarding in Your Twenties

You might think you’re too old to skate but really, don’t worry about that. You’re still in prime and (I hope) in good shape. Learning to skateboard in your early twenties is perfectly fine. You probably won’t become a pro but that doesn’t mean you can have a lot of fun. There’s still plenty of time to learn aggressive skateboarding, stop saying you’re too old!

Skateboarding in Your Thirties and Forties

Here’s where age starts to matter. Maybe a little early for hair growing out of your ears but you need to take some extra precautions. I’m in my thirties and when I fall, it usually hurts. I bruised some ribs and injured my heel in a short period and realized I had to slow down. I just keep it at the basics and only do hard tricks when I have a great day.

Skateboarding in Your Fifties

I only know one skateboarder in his fifties but he started when he was young. I would recommend to pick up longboarding if you’re in your fifties and want to start skateboarding. There’s less risk involved and at that age, you want to avoid risk as much as possible.

You also could consider an electric skateboard, very easy to learn and not physically demanding but it’s just not the same. Please gear up for the sake of keeping your body in one piece.

Even people over 50 still shred! I got this awesome comment from Steve a while ago, before I was forced to disable them because of all the spam.

I’m nearly 61, started skateboarding when I was 59. Some background fitness from running and cycling.
Skating transition – miniramps and bowls (when I can find one) early morning as you suggest or outside schools holidays (part retired). Dropping in now 6-7 foot and mainly carving.
Need all the padding I can get including hip and back protectors as my falls are unpredictable!
Younger skaters generally really supportive.
Needless to say, really great fun. Progress is slow but gains are SO satisfying.
Certainly wouldn’t put 60 as an age limit, but patience definitely needed!
Thanks again,
Steve

10 Tips to Learn Skateboarding When You’re Older

Here are 10 tips for older aspiring skateboarders. These tips come from my own experience and observation. At the end of this post, I’ll suggest a couple of boards for older skaters.

1. Get Yourself a Wider Board and Decent Parts

Make sure to get a board that is between 8.25 and 8.5inch. Go for Independent 147 trucks if you want more stability. It will take a longer time to find your balance on a small board. A wider skateboard deck, trucks, and softer wheels will make a big difference. Skateboarding will feel very alien at first but a good setup can make quite a difference.

For wheels I would recommend softer and slightly bigger wheels. This makes it easier to balance on a skateboard and provides a smoother ride.

There is a huge differrence between hard and soft skateboard wheels, harder wheels are great for tricks but less suitable for a comfortable ride. Beginners should try softer wheels, like Ricta 55mm/92A or even 86A.

If you don’t know what skateboard you need, check out my recommendations for complete setups (great for beginners) orcheck my guide on how to assemble one yourself. If you really just want to cruise or commute, consider a cruiser skateboard.

2. Gear Up, Make Sure You Wear Protective Gear and Proper Shoes

To prevent injuries wearing protective gear is a no-brainer. As you’re older it’s harder to recover falling will have more impact. Not only should you wear a helmet, knee pads, wrist guards, padded shorts, and elbow pads. You might also want to consider butt pads. You can take a few hits, but you just don’t recover as fast as a 20-year-old.

Get some quality shoes with propercushioning, your feet will take many impacts and you could injure your heels and achilles.
Other than preventing pain and injuries, protective gear helps you to feel confident. Don’t cheap out if you can afford it. Proper equipment will last longer and good gear makes all the difference.

3. Start on a Patch of Grass or a Piece of Carpet

This may seem a little bit strange but it’s a great way to start. To get to know your board a little, just start out on a patch grass or a piece of carpet. Try to balance the board and lean forward and backward.

Jump on the board, jump off, even try to fall to see what it feels like. Do this for an hour or so to get familiar with the board and. The advantage is that the skateboard won’t take off without you. You can even practice this indoors if you have room for it, make sure to clear all near objects.

4. Take Some Lessons and Film Yourself

If possible take some lessons, maybe there’s someone you know that can help or consider paying for a couple of lessons. This will give you a head start and you don’t have to figure everything out yourself. Basics like foot position, posture, bending your knees and balance in general are the areas you should start working on.

After that film, yourself, could be your phone or a cheap GoPro knockoff. Observe yourself and analyze what you’re doing right and wrong.

5. Visit Skateparks Early in the Morning

Skateparks are great to learn skateboarding, the only downside is scooterkids that don’t pay attention.

Also, as a beginner, it’s hard to follow the rules and not get in the way. You might know the rules but it’s hard to skate park etiquette if you lack the skills. So go there early, there won’t be many people and sometimes you’re completely alone.

6. Inspect Your Gear, Bring Some Tools and an Old Phone

Make sure your wheels are spinning properly, inspect the bolts attached on both ends of your trucks. If they come off you might lose a wheel and come down crashing. Sometimes your trucks are a bit stiff or a tad lose.

Too loose means you’ll be all over your board and you’ll have a hard time finding your balance. Too tight and you’ll have a hard time controlling your board like it has a will of its own.

If you’re by yourself or don’t have anyone that can watch your stuff, bring an old phone. Leave your expensive smartphone at home or use a disposable in case of emergencies.You’ll need a phone just in case you have an accident and can’t move.

This might sound dramatic but accidents happen. If you don’t feel comfortable bringing a phone just use one you don’t mind losing. Let your spouse or friends know where you’re at.

7. Warm-up your muscles

Ever since I passed my 30’s I notice muscle ache after skateboarding. Before I start doing my routine I just cruise a little and warm up my muscles. Warming up enhances muscle temperature and circulation, leading to better exercise performance and lower chances of muscle and tendon injuries.

If you can’t ride yet just walk around a bit and loosen up. I notice this, even more, when I ride a bowl or mini ramp. Just take a couple of minutes and you’ll able to come back the next day, you’ll thank me later.

I recently started going to the gym and it really does wonders. I can handle impacts better and I recover much faster than before. If you can, try to work out a little.

8. Don’t Be Embarrassed

This probably goes for all ages but don’t feel embarrassed because you aren’t rocking it yet. It takes time before you feel comfortable riding a skateboard and everybody feels uncomfortable sometimes. It might even hold you back.

Expect people to make remarks. Last year I was skating with a couple of friends, all well in their thirties and an old lady walked by. “Hey, aren’t you a little bit too old to skateboard?” We looked at each other and laughed.

I wonder if she also says this when she sees adult men playing football. Meanwhile, we are still better than most of the younger kids out there (for now) so that’s comforting.

9. Respect the Culture

I probably shouldn’t have to explain this but it’s very important to be respectful to your fellow skaters. Skaters will be very supportive when you ask for guidance, like for example dropping in a mini ramp for the first time. Don’t just ride anywhere, make sure you observe the area to prevent collisions.

Don’t snake, or skate in someones lines. Make sure to follow skate park etiquette.

10. Once You’re Comfortable, Try Transition Skateboarding.

When you know how to ride a skateboard and want to move on, consider transition skateboarding. Transition skateboarding means skating quarter pipes and mini ramps. Mini ramps are great fun and are less risky than the street.

Start out by riding up and down quarter pipes and practice kick turns and fakies (riding backward). Once you are used to that you should try out a bowl or mini ramp.

I know a couple of older but fairly new skaters that can ride a bowl comfortably after only 2 years. It takes dedication, but it is possbile. For more tips I recommend visiting https://www.reddit.com/r/OldSkaters/ lots of older skaters there with tons of advice.

Recommended Skateboards

As I’m getting older and don’t do a lot of gnarly stuff anymore, I really fell in love with cruisers. There are a few that I tested and really like. Some offer a lot of stability but are less agile and others are very responsive. In the end, it’s all about feeling comfortable on a board and you keeping yourself in one piece.

Here are the boards I love, if you want a skateboard for specific purposes I suggest to head over to my recommended boards series for every style:

• Skateboards for Heavy Riders
• Skateboards for Street Riders
• Skateboards for Beginners
• Skateboards for Street
• Skateboards for Parks
• Skateboards for Transition
• Skateboards for Mini Ramps
• Skateboards for Cruising

If not and you’re older, you should really consider a cruiser. These boards are quite forgiving and don’t care for our arch-enemies such as pebbles, twigs, and cracks. You don’t have to push like a madman to get some speeds and they feel very comfortable riding rough roads.

Suggestion 1: Arbor Pilsner Cruiser

This is my second favorite cruiser, I have many cruisers but this is really is a very decent board. The reason is that you get the a quality board and components at a decent price. Some would say 160-180 bucks for a complete is a lot of money but if you pick the parts yourself, you will pay more. Arbor did a great job with this one, here’s a short video of what it can do.

I absolutely adore this board, I don’t know how the wheels will hold up in the long term but they are on par with some of the top cruiser wheels I tested. You get fancy Paris trucks and a board that just looks so rad, you have to ride it. Check out my full review and test ride.

I would like to add that this board might be a bit of a challenge if you are completely new to riding a skateboard/cruiser and would advice against buying it if this is the case. It’s rather small and it will be harder to learn to ride at first. Once you get the hang of it, you have a very fun cruiser. I selected a few more skateboards for adults that make learning to ride a lot easier.

Suggestion 2: Arbor Oso

The Arbor Oso series are about the most stable boards you can get. Stable is good, but it comes at a disadvantage. They aren’t very agile or responsive which also has to do with the rather hard stock bushings. Replace them with softer bushings and you got a really stable board that’s pretty responsive.

I Like how much you can lean into one direction without the board going out of control or losing balance. It’s about 10″ wide, has a huge kicktail, and has that old school feeling. You can even take this one for a pool ride and the Paris trucks can take a beating. If you would like to know more, check out my review.

Like the Pilsner, this board just looks rad and offers a very comfy ride, the updated version looks even better. Go for the Oso Foundation. If you are new to riding a board and want something that isn’t all over the place when you first learn how to ride. This board will not let you down.

Suggestion 3: Globe Big Blazer

This is the most stable cruiser and great for beginners. Mainly because it doesn’t have a lot of concave, the wider (Tensor) trucks, wide wheels, and length. It’s more responsive compared to the Oso and still easy to ride. It longer than the other boards

The wider contact patch on the wheels offer a lot of grip but still provide a pleasant cruising experience. The image below shows how it compares to a smaller cruiser. You still get the kicktail but a much flatter surface on the deck to keep your balance.

Very nice complete board for the money, if you are an absolute beginner who just wants to cruise and maybe hop a few curbs, this is your board.Check out my full review.

That’s all for now

So there it is, all the tips I can think of for now. If you want to know more about learning how to skateboard, check my guide for beginners. Remember you’re never too old to start skateboarding, it’s all in your head. Just make sure you’re safe and avoid risk. It will take months before you get the hang of it and it might even take years before you do your first ollie. It’s about fun, skateboarding is a great sport both physically and mentally.

If you have kids (6+) try to involve them, skateboarding is great for bonding and they will remember it for the rest of their lives. I’m currently in the process of teaching my son, he’s a bit impatient like me so I’ll be sure to write about that soon. Now go out there and skate! Make sure to check out my best skateboards for adults!