Before the skate session

Here are a few recommendations that will help you prepare before going for your skate session.

Equipment

Clothes: if needed, put some shoegoo on your shoes the day before the session, so you will not come back home with holes in your socks ! And while we’re at it, an extra pair of laces in case you break yours. You can also bring a replacement T-shirt if you have room in your bag.

Phone and cameras: if you plan to film a trick today, make sure you leave with your phone fully charged. The best thing to do is to take an external battery with you, so you don’t have to worry about whether you’ll have enough battery power until you get home. And for cameras, also make sure you have place on your memory card.

Here are for example, some good quality and resistant backpack models, with plenty of storage space and the possibility to attach your skateboard:

Nutrition

It may seem obvious, but I can only recommend you to have balanced diet, especially before leaving for a session. Bring the essential elements to your body so that it can be on top form throughout the session. Be careful not to eat too much either, as this could be counter-productive.

Do not hesitate to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, they will bring to your body a great source of vitamins and have unique nutritional qualities. Also I recommend you, whenever possible, to choose unprocessed products.

Take a little snack with you that will give you a little boost and allow your body not to draw too much from its reserves. For example bananas, dried fruit…

It is very important to stay hydrated during your physical activities. Bring a large bottle of water, ideally a glass bottle or flask that can be reused!

If you are a fan of energy drinks, drink them in moderation. They can be dangerous to your health. Instead, choose an isotonic drink, which will provide your body with energy in the form of carbohydrates and mineral salts lost during activity.

And if you’d rather have a small beer with your friends, save it for the end of the session!

Choose the spot

Now that you have all your equipment ready, you need to decide where you are going to skate, and with whom? If it’s your first time skateboarding, maybe you won’t know too much people. I reassure you, you will make new friends very quickly.

Very often I prefer to do a quite long training session in the skatepark on saturday, which allows you to change your mind after the week. It also allows you to practice your tricks on easier ramps, before reproducing them on the street. For the street, I generally prefer Sundays, because a lot of shops are closed and there is less problem with the neighborhood.

If you’re from Barcelona, I give you a link to the Barcelona Skate Spots Map. Where you will find some of the best skate spots of the city!

If you’re part of a group of friends, you’ll know that everyone has their own preferences for the spots. Make everyone happy and don’t always go to the same place. On top of that, you’ll gain versatility. It’s interesting to touch all types of skateboarding, try new things and discover new places.

Motivation

Remember that skateboarding is above all about having fun. For yourself, but also by sharing good times with your friends.

Now that you have already planned the spots where you will ride, try to imagine you, as you would be there. Which tricks would you like to learn or improve? This will allow you to visualize yourself, and when you arrive on the spot, you will already be well prepared mentally. Because yes, skateboarding is very mental… I would say approximately 70% mental and 30% physical.

The skate video parts are perfect to motivate you before the session. In addition to occupy an important place in the skateboarding world, they can give you ideas, and maybe help you to better understand some tricks.

Check out for the 10th time your favorite skaters video part. For example the part of Ishod Wair from the Nike Sb Chronicles:

If you want to learn a new trick in your next session, you can also watch tutorials on Youtube.

Warm up

Last important element before getting on your skateboard, the warm up! It can sometimes seem boring, but I guarantee you that a good warm-up is the key to a successful session. Indeed, you will give the signal to your body that it must prepare all its muscles.

Stretching is generally recommended after the session, if you do some, don’t pull too hard. The muscle is cold and you could hurt yourself.

If the spot is close to your home, go skateboarding there. It’s a good way to get your muscles moving, rather than walking or taking your car.

Two accessories that I recommend: a foam roller, especially for use after the session. And an elastic band, with which you can do several exercises, especially to work the ankles.

I leave you below a video of a warm-up that details quite well the different movements related to the practice of skateboarding.

Once you’ve done these few exercises, then you can start the session. Start by doing simple tricks in the park, and step by step your tricks that you master. For example, I usually do 5 minutes of mini-ramp, on tricks that I control well so that I don’t get shocks at the beginning of the session.

With a good warm-up, you’ll also get a little less tired, and consequently, you’ll be less likely to get hurt!

I will come back very soon with two new articles : ” During the skate session “, an article that will help people who are new to know how to act for the first time in a skatepark or on a spot. And “After the skate session”, to recover after the sport and rest.