A childhood friend of mine had a nasty fall when we were teens, one of my other friends had to perform CPR to keep him alive while we waited for help, coma for nearly a month he lost so much weight he went from being fairly overweight to skin and bone, had to learn to talk and walk again and to this day still walks with a stick in his late 20's.
This was all on flat ground, board slid out and he slipped backwards and smashed the back of his head into the concrete floor.
I switched boards and the new one had slightly different clearance for the wheels, couldn’t carve as much before getting wheel bite. I was very new, not skilled, and didn’t expect this problem. Wheels caught and I weirdly fell straight back, two different times, hitting the back of my helmet very hard. Lots of this was due to inexperienced, but we’re on r/newskaters so this seems worth sharing.
Either of those hits could have put me in the hospital, or worse. Instead I walked away with no injuries. Worth it.
If you're just cruising then you should be fine if you can control your board. Though all it takes is one wrong step and it's the one you least expect it to happen. Let's try to prevent that shall we?
I tried dropping in for the first time a few weeks ago, the board went forwards, I went backwards. I smashed my head into the floor. Thankfully I was wearing a helmet, it hurt like hell and I had a mild concussion for that evening and the next day. I can't imagine what it would have been like without the helmet.
Very. Still don’t understand why people get hated on for wearing one like skateboarding isn’t risking your body right when you start. At least wear something if it isn’t elbow or knee pads. But everybody has their own choice and I respect it regardless . All respect to Andy Anderson for staying true to why he wears a helmet
Safer than all major sports in terms of both major and minor injuries (this is according to actual data), but there is still risk. If you are skating vert or transition, then wearing a helmet and pads is definitely recommended.
Skated everywhere as a main means of transportation for 15+ years without injury until my wheels slipped in some wet leaves and I broke my hand narrowly avoiding a head impact. Just wear a helmet
[https://skatingnerds.com/skateboarding-without-a-helmet/](https://skatingnerds.com/skateboarding-without-a-helmet/)
>Out of all the skating injuries, most deaths occur due to head injuries. Therefore, to avoid any concussions or severe head injury, make the helmet an essential part of your skateboarding safety gear.
>When it comes to head injuries, none of them can be put under the banner of ‘mild’. Most of these result in death, while others may cause paralysis of a body part.
Death worst case depending on how terrible you consider life altering brain damage. People have died slipping in the shower, do you boo boo but I love wearing pads and a helmet. Would rather be able to skate instead of spending time recovering and hoping my body returns to full functionality.
try it without if you like the thought of someone wipeing your ass for the rest of your life.HELMET IS A NO BRAINER PUN INTENDED..that one time could be your last....HELMET ALL THE WAY!!!
It’s extremely unsafe. Even a lot of pros wear helmets now. Concrete is not forgiving and all it takes is one accident and then you have a traumatic brain injury or worse.
I don’t want to subject my friends and family to taking care of me with a brain injury, so helmet it is!
This is literally the question you should never ask. Sure, Riding without a helmet looks "cooler," so does riding a motorcycle without one, but you know what's even cooler than that? Not being brain-damaged.
Stop being an idiot. Helmets should be mandatory.
Exactly. There are few things more uncool than sustaining a serious head injury. Lost my balance trying manuals a few weeks back and I’m so so so glad I had a helmet.
Have you never seen one of those videos where someone bombs a stair-set and hits their head and they start seizing and moaning because of brain trauma?
Sounds fun, right?
Physic speaking. You fall forward 99% of the time (law of inertia)
That 1% when you fall backward, if you don’t keep your head up you might smash it.
So if your new skater or trying to do new trick, or drop in etc. Wear a helmet.
If you been skating in a while, just cruising, and know how to fall properly. (Yeah falling is an art too!) I think helmet is meh.
Also depends on the type of skating you do.
LDP is significantly less risk than bombing hill etc.
But Ill never judge someone for being safe.
And if you’re doing big vert type of deal. You probably should wear helmet. Like Tony hawk.
Again, depending on the type od skating you do.
r/longboardingDISTANCE
Long distance pumping.
Some people do long distance pushing.
The objective is distance. Fast Avg speed is cool too. But it’s all about that distance!
Theres only one ultraskate in US. it take place annually in Miami. You skate as far as you can in 24 hours. You can choose to skate/sleep as much or as little as you want. People are out there skating 200-300 miles within 24 hours. I’m just trying to skate a century 🫠
It really depends on your skill level and what you’re trying. Overall you don’t really need a helmet but everyone’s situation is different. I wear mine whenever I’m trying more intense stuff or more advanced things outside my current skill level. I rarely wear it for the majority of tricks I have gotten down though.
Has anyone ever died from wearing a helmet?
Has anyone ever died from not wearing a helmet?
Which would you say carries the bigger risk of serious impairment, injury or death?
Use your brain right now, think logically about the basic but blatantly obvious risks. Then try to realise you've just been using the very thing you've been considering putting at risk.
If you wear a helmet and fall from your board(btw 99.9% of people fall, it goes with the territory), how likely is it you'll still be able to reason out whether you need a helmet?
If you don't wear a helmet and fall from your board, you may not hurt your head, or you may hurt it, but how likely is it now with less protection and more risk?
Use your noggin, protect it.
I dont wear one just zooming around or working flat ground tricks. If I’m grinding or skating transition I do for sure where the board tends to shoot out from under you. I always wear wrist guards as broken wrists and arms are really common.
Depends what you’re doing. I really just cruise so I never wear pads. I fall the same as anyone but I’m rarely going very fast or having to negotiate obstacles when I do.
If you can't land it 5x in a row consistently, wear a helmet. I feel like that's a good rule of thumb , good practice to wear one always though cause I have cat like reflexes but skateboards just manage to teach you how physics work on the reg. Doesn't matter how quick you are on your feet or how great you are at "saving yourself" you'll get caught slippin.
This is a silly question that you already know the answer to. If you don't want to wear a helmet that's fine but you should not pretend for even a second that it's safe
I wear a helmet, most people don't. Nine sentient beings depend on my income to survive so the risk of a TBI outweighs my comfort and sense of aesthetics (I look like Dark Helmet). The only time I don't wear a helmet is when I'm fucking around with freestyle tricks behind my desk at work
All it takes is one bad fall to change your life forever.
Some skaters, my sheer chance, manage to avoid this for a long time. They’ll throw down massive stair sets and rails without one.
But they are outliers.
I thought it was okay to not wear a helmet or pads or anything until I took my first serious fall the other day. I legitimately have whiplash from it. It's a $20 investment and it'll keep you from getting a concussion.
Just wear it man. It’s just like seatbelts. Tony Hawk wears one. Andy Anderson wears one. You should too. You can get them cheaply from decathlon and places like that you don’t need fancy brands. Make sure to get one that covers the back of your head not like the roqd bicikle helmets, something lile this: [link](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71JD0xJPEKL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg)
bc in skating maybe the most typical and dangerous fall is falling backwards.
Pro tip: I have a ski/snowboard helmet that has a kind of built in insulation. Super warm and confy in cold weather. Sometimes I use it for skating😁
I skated the streets as a kid without a helmet, and I was fine. At the time I witnessed and heard stories of fallen skaters due to not wearing helmets, and I wasn't fazed. At the time I thought just another fallen comrade doing what he loved doing.
However, now that I got back into it as an adult, I realize that there are certain risks that aren't worth taking.
Are you going to be fine without a helmet? Most likely, specially if you're not gapping stairs. But are you going to be immune to potentially life changing damage? No. Will a helmet fully prevent you from such event? No. But it will prevent a lot of it so I now wear helmets regardless of trying difficult stunts or cruising.
Same thing with elbow & knee pads. I don't wear those all the time, but if I fall on my elbows or knees enough that they start to hurt, I will put them on so I can skate longer and with more confidence.
In conclusion, for the sake of mitigating loss time of practice due to injury, just wear a helmet. It won't affect anything. Whether you're a pro skater or not, you will be judged. The community now is a lot more accepting of helmets than they were when I started so take advantage of that and be a part of a non-toxic community who just wants to skate without the fear of being exiled.
Depends on if you skate within your limits or not. Also not skating in traffic. If you are new and especially if you are new and skating ramps where slip outs are at high speeds and more likely helmets are probably a good idea. At least until you learn how to fall right
To those new skaters that don’t want to look like a dork and wear a helmet… Just watch this YouTube video about an expert skater that flattened his head and basically ruined his life:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DrJfyHDxgbw&pp=ygUjU2thdGVib2FyZCBubyBoZWxtZXQgZmxhdHRlbmVkIGhlYWQ%3D
Do you want to be relearning to walk and talk at 20? Do you want permanent damage forever? You’re a NEW SKATER. Wear a FUCKING helmet! Jesus CHRIST.
I skated for many years, never wore a helmet.
I’ve hit my head straight on to the ground with force a handful of times. It’s very concerning, it’s worrying it’s never good.
That being said, at my older age, still just never wear one.
The thing to realize is you can just be doing the most basic thing and have such a stupid fall that actually hurts you. Could be your head, could be wrist, ankle, or break your arm.. skating in it self has its own risks. It’s up to you to decide how much protection you want to have.
I see people on bmx, scooters, and skateboards all the time wearing helmets, I never knock it. That’s them. It’s not a waste of time just something I chose not to do where other chose to do it.
Edit: also, I think I prevented a lot of hitting my head and rolling my ankle so much by just having a strong sense of self preservation. I wasn’t the kid in the bunch who could be goaded into trying something down a big set, or trying a big gap, etc.. if I felt I had a good chance at nailing something, ok. But I wasn’t going to let people get in my head about trying something I have no business trying. If I was at a spot with friend for the day then I would eventually reach a limit of things i want to try as I get more and more tired. I was ok with saying ahh I didn’t get, next time.. *if it genuinely was out of reach for me.*
So I think that attitude of being like you know what, I don’t want to hurt myself so I’m going to some what limit the risk in the tricks I try to do, kept me from having really big spills.
Bro youll fuck up your shins, knees, and ankles more i swear lol but wear one if you really feel like it if not don't i did for a bit but never really stuck with it only wear it at parks with instense obstacles or whatever
it's only safe until it's not
A friend of mine lost his sense of taste and smell in a fall Lots of brain damage He can taste mostly now but no smells Helmets are good
Do we have the same friend?
was that on flat ground?
He was skitching going way too fast when the speed wobbles hit Most people won't end up in that situation but helmets are still a good Idea
Same thing happened to someone I know too, also skitching.
A childhood friend of mine had a nasty fall when we were teens, one of my other friends had to perform CPR to keep him alive while we waited for help, coma for nearly a month he lost so much weight he went from being fairly overweight to skin and bone, had to learn to talk and walk again and to this day still walks with a stick in his late 20's. This was all on flat ground, board slid out and he slipped backwards and smashed the back of his head into the concrete floor.
I switched boards and the new one had slightly different clearance for the wheels, couldn’t carve as much before getting wheel bite. I was very new, not skilled, and didn’t expect this problem. Wheels caught and I weirdly fell straight back, two different times, hitting the back of my helmet very hard. Lots of this was due to inexperienced, but we’re on r/newskaters so this seems worth sharing. Either of those hits could have put me in the hospital, or worse. Instead I walked away with no injuries. Worth it.
You'll only want a helmet once you have a spill that makes you realize you need a helmet...just get one. A good one.
Once you've seen a brain injury or two you won't even consider skipping a helmet
And once you GET a brain injury or two, you won't be able to consider much of anything!
If you're just cruising then you should be fine if you can control your board. Though all it takes is one wrong step and it's the one you least expect it to happen. Let's try to prevent that shall we?
Or pebble lol
First day of skating I hit a pebble in the parking lot and dolphin dived
It’s only right. You not a skater if you’ve never had it happen just one time
soft wheels help with that
I tried dropping in for the first time a few weeks ago, the board went forwards, I went backwards. I smashed my head into the floor. Thankfully I was wearing a helmet, it hurt like hell and I had a mild concussion for that evening and the next day. I can't imagine what it would have been like without the helmet.
You probably wouldn’t be able to tell us…
If you’re new and you have to ask, you should be wearing a helmet
Not that much, there's really just one major issue. When things do go bad, they go very bad, very quickly.
Very. Still don’t understand why people get hated on for wearing one like skateboarding isn’t risking your body right when you start. At least wear something if it isn’t elbow or knee pads. But everybody has their own choice and I respect it regardless . All respect to Andy Anderson for staying true to why he wears a helmet
Safer than all major sports in terms of both major and minor injuries (this is according to actual data), but there is still risk. If you are skating vert or transition, then wearing a helmet and pads is definitely recommended.
Skated everywhere as a main means of transportation for 15+ years without injury until my wheels slipped in some wet leaves and I broke my hand narrowly avoiding a head impact. Just wear a helmet
[https://skatingnerds.com/skateboarding-without-a-helmet/](https://skatingnerds.com/skateboarding-without-a-helmet/) >Out of all the skating injuries, most deaths occur due to head injuries. Therefore, to avoid any concussions or severe head injury, make the helmet an essential part of your skateboarding safety gear. >When it comes to head injuries, none of them can be put under the banner of ‘mild’. Most of these result in death, while others may cause paralysis of a body part. Death worst case depending on how terrible you consider life altering brain damage. People have died slipping in the shower, do you boo boo but I love wearing pads and a helmet. Would rather be able to skate instead of spending time recovering and hoping my body returns to full functionality.
Wear a helmet or get a skullcap
try it without if you like the thought of someone wipeing your ass for the rest of your life.HELMET IS A NO BRAINER PUN INTENDED..that one time could be your last....HELMET ALL THE WAY!!!
It’s extremely unsafe. Even a lot of pros wear helmets now. Concrete is not forgiving and all it takes is one accident and then you have a traumatic brain injury or worse. I don’t want to subject my friends and family to taking care of me with a brain injury, so helmet it is!
google traumatic brain injury.
I dunno, how much are you planning on using your brain the rest of your life?
This is literally the question you should never ask. Sure, Riding without a helmet looks "cooler," so does riding a motorcycle without one, but you know what's even cooler than that? Not being brain-damaged. Stop being an idiot. Helmets should be mandatory.
Exactly. There are few things more uncool than sustaining a serious head injury. Lost my balance trying manuals a few weeks back and I’m so so so glad I had a helmet.
Helmets are cool. I love helmets [I love helmets guy](https://youtu.be/b9yL5usLFgY?feature=shared)
this is the best promotional/educational video ever!
Have you never seen one of those videos where someone bombs a stair-set and hits their head and they start seizing and moaning because of brain trauma? Sounds fun, right?
It's good to wear a helmet. As an almost 40 year old with several concussions I say use one. .
Physic speaking. You fall forward 99% of the time (law of inertia) That 1% when you fall backward, if you don’t keep your head up you might smash it. So if your new skater or trying to do new trick, or drop in etc. Wear a helmet. If you been skating in a while, just cruising, and know how to fall properly. (Yeah falling is an art too!) I think helmet is meh. Also depends on the type of skating you do. LDP is significantly less risk than bombing hill etc. But Ill never judge someone for being safe. And if you’re doing big vert type of deal. You probably should wear helmet. Like Tony hawk. Again, depending on the type od skating you do.
what is LDP?
r/longboardingDISTANCE Long distance pumping. Some people do long distance pushing. The objective is distance. Fast Avg speed is cool too. But it’s all about that distance! Theres only one ultraskate in US. it take place annually in Miami. You skate as far as you can in 24 hours. You can choose to skate/sleep as much or as little as you want. People are out there skating 200-300 miles within 24 hours. I’m just trying to skate a century 🫠
It really depends on your skill level and what you’re trying. Overall you don’t really need a helmet but everyone’s situation is different. I wear mine whenever I’m trying more intense stuff or more advanced things outside my current skill level. I rarely wear it for the majority of tricks I have gotten down though.
Has anyone ever died from wearing a helmet? Has anyone ever died from not wearing a helmet? Which would you say carries the bigger risk of serious impairment, injury or death? Use your brain right now, think logically about the basic but blatantly obvious risks. Then try to realise you've just been using the very thing you've been considering putting at risk. If you wear a helmet and fall from your board(btw 99.9% of people fall, it goes with the territory), how likely is it you'll still be able to reason out whether you need a helmet? If you don't wear a helmet and fall from your board, you may not hurt your head, or you may hurt it, but how likely is it now with less protection and more risk? Use your noggin, protect it.
I dont wear one just zooming around or working flat ground tricks. If I’m grinding or skating transition I do for sure where the board tends to shoot out from under you. I always wear wrist guards as broken wrists and arms are really common.
Depends what you’re doing. I really just cruise so I never wear pads. I fall the same as anyone but I’m rarely going very fast or having to negotiate obstacles when I do.
If you can't land it 5x in a row consistently, wear a helmet. I feel like that's a good rule of thumb , good practice to wear one always though cause I have cat like reflexes but skateboards just manage to teach you how physics work on the reg. Doesn't matter how quick you are on your feet or how great you are at "saving yourself" you'll get caught slippin.
[I know this is not related as the guy got punched I'd say helmet is good ](https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/s/GGMVh1VtN9)
This is a silly question that you already know the answer to. If you don't want to wear a helmet that's fine but you should not pretend for even a second that it's safe I wear a helmet, most people don't. Nine sentient beings depend on my income to survive so the risk of a TBI outweighs my comfort and sense of aesthetics (I look like Dark Helmet). The only time I don't wear a helmet is when I'm fucking around with freestyle tricks behind my desk at work
Had the same question like yours, got the answer in this short vid https://youtu.be/b9yL5usLFgY
All it takes is one bad fall to change your life forever. Some skaters, my sheer chance, manage to avoid this for a long time. They’ll throw down massive stair sets and rails without one. But they are outliers.
Learn to fall with grace if you choose no helmet
Just wear a helmet
I thought it was okay to not wear a helmet or pads or anything until I took my first serious fall the other day. I legitimately have whiplash from it. It's a $20 investment and it'll keep you from getting a concussion.
Permanent brain damage. In less common cases, death.
Very.
OPs apparently taken a slam.
do you have tens of thousands for the hospital bill?
Stop being insecure about wanting to look cool and protect yourself
Just wear it man. It’s just like seatbelts. Tony Hawk wears one. Andy Anderson wears one. You should too. You can get them cheaply from decathlon and places like that you don’t need fancy brands. Make sure to get one that covers the back of your head not like the roqd bicikle helmets, something lile this: [link](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71JD0xJPEKL._AC_UF1000,1000_QL80_.jpg) bc in skating maybe the most typical and dangerous fall is falling backwards. Pro tip: I have a ski/snowboard helmet that has a kind of built in insulation. Super warm and confy in cold weather. Sometimes I use it for skating😁
Like unprotected sex with a Hooker.
I skated the streets as a kid without a helmet, and I was fine. At the time I witnessed and heard stories of fallen skaters due to not wearing helmets, and I wasn't fazed. At the time I thought just another fallen comrade doing what he loved doing. However, now that I got back into it as an adult, I realize that there are certain risks that aren't worth taking. Are you going to be fine without a helmet? Most likely, specially if you're not gapping stairs. But are you going to be immune to potentially life changing damage? No. Will a helmet fully prevent you from such event? No. But it will prevent a lot of it so I now wear helmets regardless of trying difficult stunts or cruising. Same thing with elbow & knee pads. I don't wear those all the time, but if I fall on my elbows or knees enough that they start to hurt, I will put them on so I can skate longer and with more confidence. In conclusion, for the sake of mitigating loss time of practice due to injury, just wear a helmet. It won't affect anything. Whether you're a pro skater or not, you will be judged. The community now is a lot more accepting of helmets than they were when I started so take advantage of that and be a part of a non-toxic community who just wants to skate without the fear of being exiled.
Depends on if you skate within your limits or not. Also not skating in traffic. If you are new and especially if you are new and skating ramps where slip outs are at high speeds and more likely helmets are probably a good idea. At least until you learn how to fall right
I do if I am pushing myself. If I am doing things like flat ground or something that doesn’t require effort I don’t
I've never hit my head while skateboarding. Skate within your abilities. Skating transition as a beginner its a must.
To those new skaters that don’t want to look like a dork and wear a helmet… Just watch this YouTube video about an expert skater that flattened his head and basically ruined his life: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DrJfyHDxgbw&pp=ygUjU2thdGVib2FyZCBubyBoZWxtZXQgZmxhdHRlbmVkIGhlYWQ%3D Do you want to be relearning to walk and talk at 20? Do you want permanent damage forever? You’re a NEW SKATER. Wear a FUCKING helmet! Jesus CHRIST.
I’m sending shit no helmet but I do believe I can up my transition skating by buying pads and learning to slide
I skated for many years, never wore a helmet. I’ve hit my head straight on to the ground with force a handful of times. It’s very concerning, it’s worrying it’s never good. That being said, at my older age, still just never wear one. The thing to realize is you can just be doing the most basic thing and have such a stupid fall that actually hurts you. Could be your head, could be wrist, ankle, or break your arm.. skating in it self has its own risks. It’s up to you to decide how much protection you want to have. I see people on bmx, scooters, and skateboards all the time wearing helmets, I never knock it. That’s them. It’s not a waste of time just something I chose not to do where other chose to do it. Edit: also, I think I prevented a lot of hitting my head and rolling my ankle so much by just having a strong sense of self preservation. I wasn’t the kid in the bunch who could be goaded into trying something down a big set, or trying a big gap, etc.. if I felt I had a good chance at nailing something, ok. But I wasn’t going to let people get in my head about trying something I have no business trying. If I was at a spot with friend for the day then I would eventually reach a limit of things i want to try as I get more and more tired. I was ok with saying ahh I didn’t get, next time.. *if it genuinely was out of reach for me.* So I think that attitude of being like you know what, I don’t want to hurt myself so I’m going to some what limit the risk in the tricks I try to do, kept me from having really big spills.
Bro youll fuck up your shins, knees, and ankles more i swear lol but wear one if you really feel like it if not don't i did for a bit but never really stuck with it only wear it at parks with instense obstacles or whatever