How To Fall On A Skateboard Correctly – A Complete Guide

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced skateboarder, there is no guarantee that you will not fall while you are skateboarding. With skills and experience, you can reduce the times you fall but accidents can happen. Learning how to fall on a skateboard correctly can help you minimize the damage and prevent any serious injury.

If you fall off a skateboard incorrectly, you can end up with broken bones, concussions, or a serious injury; however, when you fall correctly, you minimize the damage you take. Everyone falls no matter how experienced he/she is, so learning how to fall on a skateboard correctly can help you to minimize damage.

Don’t be afraid of failing or falling as experienced skateboarders have fallen off their skateboards more as compared to beginners. You will learn new things and when trying new tricks or things, you will end up falling while doing so. The only difference between a beginner and experienced falling is that the experienced ones know how to fall correctly so they end up with minimum injuries.

Before we dive into how to fall on a skateboard correctly, you must know about types of skateboards and which one is the most dangerous:

1. Falling Off: The most common type of skateboard fall is when you lose your board and stumble without hitting the ground.
2. Bailing: The one which minimizes fall damage is known as bail. If you know you are going to fall when you’re performing a trick, you just bail out before it’s too late.
3. Slamming: The worst type of fall is slamming, when you hit the ground after losing balance or tripping due to brakes, you slam into the ground resulting in injury.

Falling Off Skateboard Correctly

Most beginner skateboarders start to panic or frail when they start losing balance making them fall badly. It is harder to regain balance as your limbs can’t work properly when you are moving fast or in random directions.

The first step is to anticipate the fall as it is important, the most terrible fall is the one that skateboarders don’t anticipate. Then try to crouch lower on your board as it does not just keep you from falling off the skateboard but also reduces the distance between you and the ground. 

Be sure not to tense up your body while you’re falling, keep it relaxed as you fall with stiff joints your bones and muscles can absorb the impact minimizing the damage.

There comes a situation when you can’t land your feet on a skateboard, the optimal choice is to position your body in such a way that you land on areas that have flesh not bones. This will minimize the damage you take while falling.

The best way of falling is to tuck in your elbow and roll as you fall as it disperses the energy of the fall into rolling energy. It not only helps in getting better control but inertia helps to keep your bones and other body parts safe from permanent damage. Generally, there are two ways you can fall, either forward or backward. We will look at what you can do if you fall forward or backward. You will need to practice these before you can fully implement these falling techniques.

Falling Forward

There are two steps you can execute when you are falling forward:

1. Stationery Fall

For this step, no need to stand on a skateboard, just stand on a lawn or surface where you can fall without any damage. Use your palms as you are falling forward, your lower back must be pointing upwards while your foot and palms touch down. Keep your wrist, arms, and knees bent as you collapse and roll your body. You should use your dominant arm and shoulder while you are collapsing and rolling. Be sure to keep your limbs a bit loose as stiff limbs are more prone to damage as compared to loose ones.

2. Landing From Motion

When you bump into something while riding on a skateboard, it can throw you off. The best you can do in this situation is to fall and roll as soon as you hit the ground. However, if you just lose your balance and fall in front, try to push your skateboard to a safer place like grass or a smooth surface, and then try the first step.

Falling Backward

The two steps you can practice to ensure whenever you fall backward, you fall correctly:

1. Tuck Yourself In

Just like the first step of falling forward, the first step is to stand on a lawn or safe surface where there would be minimal damage. Tucking yourself in as you fall backward can help you in protecting an important part of your body like your back or brain.

Putting your leg first is optimal when the speed is low however at high speed you might not regain your balance. In this situation, you should bend your knees, and lower your core body with your hip touching the ground. Roll around after tightening your stomach and tucking in.

2. Rolling

Whenever you are falling, you should roll to keep the momentum and lower the fall damage. Be sure to lower yourself and then roll onto your back as it can help protect your bones from any damage. The best choice is to keep your hands to the sides instead of the back and use your dominant arm, hand, and shoulder for points of impact when rolling.

Wearing Protective Gears

Having safety gear can help you a lot when it comes to falling as it can protect the delicate part of your body and you can fall without worrying about heavy damage. The point is not to completely worry about falling but when you’re wearing protective gear, your brain automatically ensures you that you will be alright and this helps in pulling off falling techniques that you have learned. It also protects your body like your arm, knees, head, and elbow from any damage.

Conclusion

In the end, you will fall as you are learning new tricks and there is nothing bad with it as most sportsmen say. Without falling, you will never know the true meaning of a trick. Whenever you are performing a new trick, practicing it, or even doing a trick you are well versed in, you will fall sometimes.

Once you have learned how to fall correctly on a skateboard, you will not be afraid of falling and that will help you in trying new tricks that you weren’t ready for in the past. Knowing how to fall on a skateboard correctly, and wearing protective gear like a helmet, and pads can help you minimize the damage as much as possible.

FAQs

What is the proper way to fall on a skateboard?

The proper way of falling on a skateboard is to fall in a direction where your flesh takes the maximum weight instead of your bones. You must also try to land on your hands and not on straight arms to avoid the injury and get the control of your body as soon as your hands touch the ground. 

Is it normal to fall on a skateboard?

Yes, it is quite normal to fall on a skateboard to all riding levels. You can’t avoid it in skateboarding as it is inevitable. So eliminating it completely is not possible and learning to fall on a skateboard is crucial to avoid serious injuries. 

What is the most common skateboard injury?

If you don’t fall on a skateboard safely, the common injuries coming across are head, ankle, hand, arm, or shoulder injuries.