Training for the Olympics – Skateboarding

Thinking of participating in the next Olympics?

Skateboarders train for the summer Olympics for years prior to competing. This training includes years of mental and physical preparation. How can you train like an Olympic athlete or how can you join them in the next games?

Exactly, how does one qualify for the USA Skateboarding Team?

In this article we will discuss:

  • Injury Prevention
  • Practice
  • Mental Training
  • Physical Training
  • Competitions
  • Qualifying for the Olympic Team

Injury Prevention

Competitive skateboarders must learn new tricks and also minimize injury. Despite skill, one injury can incapacitate a skater for months or years. The best skaters, who are training for the Olympic Games, know how to….

-Properly Care for Injuries
-Correctly Falling to Minimize Severe Injury
-Practicing with Proper Safety Gear

 

Practice
Practice is the largest element of proper Olympic Skateboarding Preparation. Often practice takes up tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of hours prior to the games.

-Practice is essential for mind-muscle connection.
-Olympic runs must be practiced hundreds of times in advance of the games.

 

Mental Training
The mental wear and tear of falling can torture a skater. Studies show that Olympic Athletes perform best under low-stress conditions. Upon signs of stress, cortisol levels rise, reducing the amount of testosterone. Testosterone is a vital hormone for mental strength and risk. The mind is clearer when cortisol levels are at their lowest.

-Meditation can be helpful to some skaters before competitions.

Physical Training

One of the most neglected components of getting ready for the Olympics is weight lifting. Skateboarding places a massive strain on the joints and tendons. To support such harsh movements, athletes should spend 1-3 days a week in the gym.

Popular Exercises

-Squat

-Leg Extensions

-Calf Raises

-Leg Curls

Competitions

Popular competitions for prepare and qualify for the USA Skateboarding Team.

-Battle of The Berrics

-X Games

-Dew Tour

-Skatepark of Tampa – Tampa Am

Requirements to be in the Olympics:

  • Skaters must listed in the World Skateboarding Rankings at http://www.worldskate.org 
  • Hold a valid license or be recognized by their National Federation.

WorldSkate.org details the official qualification process for the Olympics for skateboarding. In qualified competitions, skaters must achieve a score of 85% or higher.

Available Events for Qualification:

Men’s Events (2)Women’s Events (2)
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Are you looking for Olympian Training?

Perhaps, one of the most well-known resources for those looking to improve their skateboarding is Go Skate Skateboard School.

www.GoSkate.com trains aspiring athletes nationwide. It has several pros and has been working with Olympians in the past. Check their site for more info.

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What do kids learn in Skateboarding Lessons?

Skateboarding may seem like a sport to most folks but it goes beyond that and this article show reasons why every child should take skateboarding lessons.

They Learn Vital Life Lessons
skate_day_40

The very first and most important thing when it comes to what kids learn in skateboarding lesson is the fact that it teaches them life lessons. Skateboarding for some kids provides an opportunity for them to establish a positive relationship in an unfriendly environment. Taking lessons teaches the kids principles of skateboarding and how it goes beyond just a sport, it keeps them off the streets, keeps them away from crime and drugs. It teaches them above every other thing perseverance which is a vital life lesson. The very first time they get on a skateboard can be scary but it teaches that it is okay to fall in life, that in life you are going to fall a lot of the time but you are going to get back up each time you fall. The good thing is that at the end of the day, you are going to get a reward and the reward is the fun that comes with skating while learning life lessons at the same time.

They learn to build self confidence
4

Another important thing when it comes to what kids learn in skateboarding lesson is that it helps them build their confidence. Every child that skates at some point in their skating life builds a certain amount of confidence whether consciously or unconsciously. Basically, a dedicated skater who is a kid even as an adult can accept that skating helps you overcome challenges and all it takes is just hard work. With skateboarding, you know that it is usually hard the first time, but you also know that you have to keep trying until you improve and that attitude is what instills confidence in you. You learn from taking proper skateboard lessons that you can build your confidence overtime.

They Learn to Keep their Balance
Pacific Northwest Magazine. Fitness story. Skateboard instructor Kristin Ebeling assists 4-year-old Frankie Gonzales during a skateboard class at the indoor All Together Skatepark in Wallingford.

You shouldn’t look at this superficially; it holds a deep meaning in the sense that it’s not just about physical balance but a deeper meaning. When you take skateboarding lessons, you will be taught not to lean too much on every side whether forward, backwards or to the sides. This means that you are taught to stay exactly on the middle of the skateboard so that you don’t fall. Balance basically in skateboarding means you staying up on your feet without leaning too much on every side and not falling. This balance also applies to life in general not just on the skate board, don’t lean forward too much which is basically you living in the future or in the past when you lean backward too much.

They learn to take good risks
Dont-be-Afraid-to-Fail

Skateboarding is about taking risks and well, let’s just says it’s the same when it comes to life in general. You hardly go by without taking risks and when it comes to skateboarding, your very first step is a risk because you can get hurt but that is the fun in it. It’s a risk you have to take, if you fall down, you can get back up. It’s about you leaving your comfort zone and taking a risk, that’s what life, is about and that’s what kids learn from skateboarding lessons that they may not learn anywhere else. It’s okay to be scared and get shaky knees, that’s what leaving your comfort zone and taking risks feels like but you will take that step and find out that its fun all the way.

Read More

They learn to take good risks

Skateboarding is about taking risks and well, let’s just says it’s the same when it comes to life in general. You hardly go by without taking risks and when it comes to skateboarding, your very first step is a risk because you can get hurt but that is the fun in it. It’s a risk you have to take, if you fall down, you can get back up. It’s about you leaving your comfort zone and taking a risk, that’s what life, is about and that’s what kids learn from skateboarding lessons that they may not learn anywhere else. It’s okay to be scared and get shaky knees, that’s what leaving your comfort zone and taking risks feels like but you will take that step and find out that its fun all the way.

Read More

They Learn to Keep their Balance

You shouldn’t look at this superficially; it holds a deep meaning in the sense that it’s not just about physical balance but a deeper meaning. When you take skateboarding lessons, you will be taught not to lean too much on every side whether forward, backwards or to the sides. This means that you are taught to stay exactly on the middle of the skateboard so that you don’t fall. Balance basically in skateboarding means you staying up on your feet without leaning too much on every side and not falling. This balance also applies to life in general not just on the skate board, don’t lean forward too much which is basically you living in the future or in the past when you lean backward too much.

Read More

They learn to build self confidence

Another important thing when it comes to what kids learn in skateboarding lesson is that it helps them build their confidence. Every child that skates at some point in their skating life builds a certain amount of confidence whether consciously or unconsciously. Basically, a dedicated skater who is a kid even as an adult can accept that skating helps you overcome challenges and all it takes is just hard work. With skateboarding, you know that it is usually hard the first time, but you also know that you have to keep trying until you improve and that attitude is what instills confidence in you. You learn from taking proper skateboard lessons that you can build your confidence overtime.

Read More

They Learn Vital Life Lessons

The very first and most important thing when it comes to what kids learn in skateboarding lesson is the fact that it teaches them life lessons. Skateboarding for some kids provides an opportunity for them to establish a positive relationship in an unfriendly environment. Taking lessons teaches the kids principles of skateboarding and how it goes beyond just a sport, it keeps them off the streets, keeps them away from crime and drugs. It teaches them above every other thing perseverance which is a vital life lesson. The very first time they get on a skateboard can be scary but it teaches that it is okay to fall in life, that in life you are going to fall a lot of the time but you are going to get back up each time you fall. The good thing is that at the end of the day, you are going to get a reward and the reward is the fun that comes with skating while learning life lessons at the same time.

Read More