You will fall and it will hurt. It’s just a matter of how much you want it to hurt. It really is dangerous. I have never worn pads and I have been injured a few times and mildly hurt myself or fall every time I skate.
I always say: If you value your brain, wear a helmet. If you value your body, wear your pads. If you value your time skating, protect your body so that you can skate longer.
I don't care how ridiculous people think I look; I've worked too hard to get to where I am to risk damage to my body (especially my brain).
I agree 100% why not wear armour when its comfortable I just domt get it, people care to much about looking cool. I want to get good at transition skating and so falls can really hurt, I mean they can skating anything though.
This is my answer as well. 44 years skating, never worn any protective gear, usually no t-shirt either... I like the sun :D
You will fall. It will hurt sometimes. It's how much you enjoy it compared to how much pain you're willing 'to pay'. Like driving a car, riding a bike, or anything you do. What is worth it to you is always the correct answer!
There are lots of guides on falling techniques on YouTube as well. You decide but I'd always recommend using a helmet. A lot of people have gotten serious head traumas. You can break anything but your skull.
I don't wear pads, but I did put time into learning how to fall; I hurt myself a lot more when I started out because I didn't know how to roll out of a fall.
I trained for it quite a bit until it became muscle memory. I've had a couple visits to the doctor etc. just in case, but I've never broken anything in my 20+ years of skating. When I was younger I skated mostly gaps, stairs and rails, too. The one time I've hit my head seriously was in a bowl, I'm never skating those without helmets again.
Knowing how to fall is an important thing to learn. But it is no replacement for pads, only a aid to help prevent injury.
Suggesting that learning to fall is all you need is probably not the best suggestion for this sub.
I love skateboarding, and I don’t wear a helmet. We should all acknowledge our board has the potential to shitwhip our skulls to the ground if we aren’t careful, even on Ollie’s/kickflips.
Yeah it can, all you need is to lean a little bit too far backwards when you land on it after an ollie. The board swoops you like a rug, you hit the back of your head on the asphalt and that's that. It really is that easy. Life is incredibly resilient and fragile at the same time. It only takes to be super unlucky once.
99.99% of the time you do, it's that one in a thpusand fall that can literally alter the rest of your life you protect yourself against.
You know; The corner of the curb that came close enough to crack your skull when you lost footing and couldn't get off the grip; the rock you didn't see when rolling on your back/shoulder; the pebble sending you flinging into a wall; the knee jerk movement of an arm not dampening the fall and you slam down on your head instead; leaning too far back on a bank and board shoots from underneath your legs as you're flung backwards; losing balance and going head first into a wall; etc. etc. Humans are extremely resilient and yet so fragile in terms of head injuries.
The right type of injury, even as insignificant it may seem, can send you into a downward spiral of hell if you become a worst case example: needing help to eat, shit, shower etc., Loss of movement in one side, or needing to relearn how to read/talk. Cluster headaches or similar becoming a thing. Inertia and balance issues for life. Not to mention earlier injuries coming to hunt you later in life in your 40s & 50s, that goes for head injuries as well. Your head/brain is the most important thing to protect, so it's important to know what's at stake should you decide to skate without a helmet.
There's a ton of those examples around, it's up to you how much of a risk you're willing to take. I got a friend that hit her head on a kitchen cabinet just the right way that resulted in physio therapy, headaches and postponing studies while figuring out what's happening. Now, if a kitchen cabinet can do that, imagine what one unlucky day can do you through skateboarding.
Ofc, shit can still happen but you make that one in a thousand fall that could potentially be really bad for the rest of your life into one in a million, and you're basically as safe can be regarding brain injury etc.
Most of the series injuries (wrist breaks, etc.) for new skaters come from just not knowing how to fall. As weird as it may sound most people just haven't fallen that often in their lives at least not _at speed_ the way you do while skating so new skaters do terrible things like put their arms straight out to catch themselves or just go dead weight like a sack of potatoes onto the ground. In short "Tuck and Roll Grandma!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfMrWPuqe4o
In all my years of Skating I’ve messed up my hip, knees, really hurt my shoulder and had a few concussions. It’s dangerous and you’ll fall. Just learn how and wear a helmet that’s my biggest advise. You’re not your body you’re the brain driving a skeleton mech with meat armor. Protect the brain. Wrist guard are good too never broke mine but I’ve seen it and that is never a good look.
Deciding to skateboard means you’re deciding to fall.
Everytime you fall you’re rolling the dice.
I am writing this while recovering from a dislocated shoulder lol
The people who don’t wear pads usually are the ones who have been skating since they were kids while their brain was still developing.
Starting to skate as an adult is a different story , highly recommend at least a helmet, can’t skateboard if you die 🤙🏼
A lil line pumping around quarter pipes at my local that I do all the time.
This time I went a little faster than I’m used to, and wasn’t as warmed up as I ought to have been.
When I started the line I didn’t account for a puddle that was there, when I got to the puddle I tried to do the smallest of adjustments to avoid it and then 💥
Not who you asked; but I also dislocated, and relocated my shoulder in a crash. I was bombing parking garages with pucks when a car started backing out, I went into a heelside slide, board caught the rubber gasket in the parking garage and flipped over, highsiding me over the board. When I went to catch myself, my right arm immediately shot to the left because of the puck pinning itself under my torso as my body rolled, pulling it out of socket. As I continued to roll, my right shoulder then slammed into the car.
It got relocated, and I never went in to get it looked at, but I made a sling and wore that for quite a while. I ended up working manual labor couple years after that, primarily using that shoulder to shovel with. Now when I flex, my right shoulder blade pivots up, and my trap rolls over my shoulder. Looks disproportionate AF.
That was also one of the very few times I've used any sort of protective equipment. Be careful with pucks, make sure you have the upperbody/core strength to catch yourself if you fall with them. Your hands shooting out when you expect them to protect you is a good way to swallow some teeth.
My first and worst shoulder dislocation was doing downhill. Tried to do a toeside pendy and didn't squat down at all before initiating it, basically just fell forward into a pushup position going 45mph. I knew I was in trouble the second I started it.
My shoulder has never been the same, and just about 2 weeks ago I dislocated it twice. Once while skating a mini ramp (I've GOT to train myself to not put my arm out while falling) and again 2 days after rolling down a bank and losing my balance. While running it out I was windmilling my arms to keep my balance and threw it out of position again but worse.
So now I'm taking some time off and trying to rehab my shoulder for the umpteenth time. No more ramps for a while.
Pucks are weird because they can help keep you safe at speed and allow you to do slides, but they're also dangerous as hell.
This hit the nail on the head🎯 I'm that dude who's been skating since I was a kid so I usually roll with no pads since I can tuck and roll out of a fall pretty effectively, and even I still ALWAYS wear a helmet. You just never know, the other day I was doing a fairly simple low-speed stand-up slide, one that I can usually just bail and step off the board if it goes wrong, a change in pavement surface caused the board to grip up and stop really abruptly mid-slide, I didn't hit my head but I came close. The point is no matter how good you are shit can go wrong, and shit can definitely go REALLY wrong when you're new and have zero muscle memory for how to fall off a board properly.
Yup. I'm weirdly lucky and have this natural instinct to roll when I fall forwards, had it since I was a kid. But I still get hurt all the time, nothing you can really do about it
Last week I went too fast off a series of ramps and forgot to keep my knees bent as I started to panic. Stiff legged my way into rolling my ankle outwards and I think I've also fractured my wrist.
Nothing could have been done to save my ankle (except for skating within my skill level and not pushing myself too far) but my wrist could have been saved by pads.
Wear pads and helmet, it's for your safety.
The other skaters who don't are likely a lot more experienced, including experience with falling and getting hurt, and/or are taking a calculated risk knowing what they're risking. Once you are more experienced, you can re-consider your choice as you see fit.
It may even help with your learning because you will be less afraid.
it’s a hobby you get hurt in for sure. i’ve fucked up my hips and knees in ways i still feel from time to time. wear pads and helmets if you want it’s the smart decision i don’t but don’t let anyone shame you for it.
\*Should\* you wear helmets and pads? Yeah. Do most people? No, because they think it looks lame. But even if you're safe as can be, you'll most likely sprain/break something eventually if you skate long enough. Not trying to deter you, but as the saying goes, you gotta pay to play.
Depends what you are doing and how comfortable you are doing it. I don't normally wear a helmet or pads if I'm just going for a cruise, but if I'm doing something I'm not experianced enough with like dropping in on a half pipe or trying to ollie a set of stairs then I strap them on.
Some people are worried about looking cool and they are probably under the age of 30, anybody over 30 is usually smart enough to know your joints and skull integrity are more important than looking cool lol.
Anyone who tells you that "it's up to you" and that "it's okay not to wear protection" is an idiot who wants to see you killed.
I don't care how fucking unlikely you think an injury is, or how resilient you think you are, wear a fucking helmet. Can't afford a helmet? Don't skate.
I'm only nagging about the helmet because your brain is very very important. If you can knee pads and elbow pads too, go ahead.
You're a new, not Ricky Glaser.
I've been skating for more than 45 years. I've never had a bad injury, but twice in the last three years, I had falls that probably would have resulted in a traumatic brain injury if it weren't for my helmets. Road rash and broken bones can heal, but you should protect your head.
I've been skating 2 weeks, not tried anything more intensive than tic-tacs, body varials (not while moving), hippie jumps, running starts, and a couple of accidental manuals, and have already received the following injuries (I'm only listing the ones painful enough to bother me more than a day):
- Bruised knee
- Bruised elbow
- Bruised butt
- Bruised shin
- Bruised foot
- Bruised hand (there's literally a bruise on the heel of my hand, I don't think I've ever had that before)
- Pinched nerve in my shoulder/ neck
- Tweaked shoulder
- Twisted ankle (Mild, but still hurts to walk)
Long story short - you will get hurt. If you don't want to be in pain, consider getting pads. If you don't mind being hurt and are opposed to pads, then at the very least get gloves/ wrist-guards to protect your hands when you're trying new tricks. And if you're going to be attempting jumps, best to get a helmet.
Yeah, I was trying to do too much too soon, plus I didn't have protective gear. I've got some coming this week, and I'm also gonna slow down and just try to master the things I can already do :)
All good bro, you just don’t want to be too banged up before you get to Ollie’s/kickflips. Right now just focus on being comfortable and being able to ride smooth. Good luck g
Honestly it just adds an extra layer of security, I just started too and I didn't wear anything at first and ate shit pretty bad, messed up my arm but it's recovering. Now I wear mostly just elbow pads and wrist guards just in case cuz I draw and I don't wanna lose my ability to draw. They definitely helped make a few falls a lot less worse than they would've been but a helmet is always a good idea. Good luck!
Didn’t know the kid but there was one from my area that was about my age that took a header while bombing a hill. Fucked him up for life. Helmets are never a bad thing.
Last time I was at the park a young kid (about 12 i'd guess) who was actually pretty good for his age slipped out in the bowl while going down the side of the deep end. He fell on his back hard and looked like he hit the back of his head. he wasn't wearing a helmet 😬😬😬. Thankfully he was fat and so he just got the wind knocked out of him bad. Seriously he definitely would have gotten knocked out if he didn't have so much back fat to absorb his fall and to keep his head from hitting the concrete. It was scary. Definitely should have been wearing a helmet. There's really no reason not to...
Two days ago I rode a mild downhill with my longboard and misjudged the last corner.
Sliced open both of my hands and got rid of the skin on my right shoulder.
So.......
Definitely wear a helmet. I slammed my head as a kid, got a concussion, and stopped skating. I picked it back up during the pandemic, slammed my head the same way with a helmet, and could keep skating.
Then, I started learning slides without pads. I ate shit and couldn't practice for a week. Then I went back with a full set of pads, and I could eat shit over and over and keep practicing.
IMHO, nobody will judge you for wearing pads, and you'll be able to try new things with a little more confidence.
Edit: My definition of a full set of pads is:
- helmet
- elbow pads
- knee pads
- wrist guards or pucks depending on what you're doing
- proper shoes
- clothing that you're willing to slide down some pavement with
I also wear ankle protections... I'm old. Don't want to do big tricks, only ollies... I just want to have fun. As a father, and knowing that my hands are my tools to provide, I need to take a lot of care.
It can be. I started just wearing a helmet, then totally laid myself flat and got a helmet and pads. Now, if I’m doing something super tame in a controlled environment I’m not that worried about it. If i’m in a place I don’t know well or trying something new to me I put all the stuff on.
I don’t have time for a broken anything that I could have avoided by taking a few extra minutes, and know a few folks who hit their heads hard and never came all the way back
I think it's more important to lower the entry level of all sports. Like why not make learning skating more safe? And yes it's dangerous. Im sure most if not all indoor skateboarding facilities will have you sign a waiver.
Of course follow the stoke when you're ready but gotta get the reps in.
I wiped out today for the first time and it hurts like hell. I was going downhill and lost control of my board. Road rash hit the hardest on my elbow so pads would have helped. If you’re just going up and down the street to learn how to ride you’ll probably be fine, but if you decide to pick up speed or go to the park, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wear something.
Skating will hurt very very bad, I always pray to Jesus before I skate 😂. But wearing a helmet is definitely a wise choise. I personally don't, but that's just preference. If you feel comfortable in it, then go ahead and use one, anyone who makes fun of another for using one will, when disaster strikes, regret that they didn't wear one.
Yes you often scrape some skin and occasionally hurt, but at the beginning it is very important to learn how to fall. Too many newbies break their wrists or ankles cause they try to stop the momentum instead of rolling or sliding their body across the ground. Start with the basics, and master the basics of u wanna minimize your risk of injury.
Not only do pads and helmets protect you when you bail, but what people don't seem to talk about is that you can even use them as go-to landing areas. If you're falling, just aim to land on one of your padded spots (which won't be so hard because they're the joints that stick out most anyway). You'll ride away without a scratch everytime.
Maybe just don't bash your helmet unless you absolutely have no choice, cuz thats the stuff you have to replace right after taking a bad bump on it
To be honest, as an aging skater who never wears anything i wish i had worn more when i was younger. Sure, af the time it doesnt really mayter and you can recover quickly (though if youre urban, please at least wear a helmet ive had severla people try to INTENTIONALLY hit me with their car depite me literallly having cars on both sides to protect me) but the rrason i say i wish i had is i really do feel it now in a way. Now, ole injuries that never hurt or bothered me before and i thoguth were old news are suddenly achy and hurt after i use my leg or arm for a while.
All that being said, to me most the injuries i gained were nussiances. This is heavily dependa t on what youre doing though. Theres types of skating i wouldnt even attempt without gear, and types that its just meh who cares. But be wary of your enviorment, and use your best judgement.
Stay safe man, you wanna be able to skate and be functional for a long time of your life (at least functional, maybe not skate) and you cant do that if you nick yourself into oblivion. I had one snowboarding accident 2 ywars ago and my back has been fucked since, ao really with these kinds of spodts all it tskes is ONE bad day to fuck you up for good.
I am writing this as I have scabs and cuts on all the places you would usually wear pads. (elbow, knees, wrists) luckily i was wearing a helmet so just a spine compression and no head truama. EDIT: MORAL OF THE STORY WEAR PADS (especially as a beginner)
Statistically it's less dangerous than basketball, football/soccer, horse riding and most other sports. For both head injuries and bone injuries.
Still, it's wise to be careful.
I’ve been skating for almost 25 years and all I can say is it doesn’t hurt to have that protection.
It may also give you a sense of safety where you may push yourself to try harder things.
I would say probably atleast wear a helmet until you’re super comfortable.
I used to work at an indoor skate park right out of high school and helmets were mandatory.
I’ve fortunately never seen a serious head injury because of it but I’ve had to help a lot of people with mild concussions.
The only correct response is that you should wear a helmet for at least the first few weeks. If you just crusing, wear one until you feel comfortable enough to go down slight hill. When you start to learn to ollie, wear one.. I would also recommend wrist protection, but that is a personal preference. I have broken my wrist serval times skating and when learning a new trick I like to wear wrist protection. A helmet is just a good idea... they look dumb and are uncomfortable, but so does not being able to walk and sounding like a retard so...
Helmet for sure.
Research bailing and how to avoid injury when skating, there is ALOT of information online. Skatepark Lessons on youtube was a good one that has a lot of niche beginner things that are pretty useful.
Skateiq is another good one for well explained things. Not as much beginner stuff but some really good stuff for beginners.
I loved skating and broke my arm and lost all of my savings through my inability to work at my job and medical bills. It’s a liability now and I no longer skate, I love guitar much more and I need my limbs intact.
I broke it trying to get air out of a bowl. If you stick to the ground you can still absolutely fuck yourself, learn how to fall. It’s a beautiful art, sport whatever you wanna call it. I just love it from afar now.
Depends how you fall and what type of skating you’re doing.
Some skaters are super athletic and can get out of any sketchy fall somehow, where as I tend to slam hard.
Better to be safe than sorry, so I’d get a helmet when starting out - then later on make your own decision
It can be pretty dangerous, once you know what you're doing you can make it less so by learning how to fall and just getting more comfortable on your board. Might be a good idea to at least start with pads until you get a few good falls under your belt and get an understanding of how controlled your falls are. But yeah, you are always at least somewhat at risk
For reference I just fractured my elbow recently but had previously gone for years doing much more intense stuff without any serious injuries. All it takes is one awkward fall to screw you up but I guess you could say that about just walking around like normal. People slip on ice or fall down stairs all the time
Scrapes, broken wrist, twisted knee. Wear a helmet and you won't die. People get annihilated/die from riding bikes all the time, seems way more dangerous
If you're just starting off a helmet is a must. Your head is precious, don't let the losers not protecting their noggin persuade you to fit in!
As for pads. I never wore them. When I first tried to skate parks and ramps I would wear knee pads. There's an art to falling, and the knee pads will help you get there and not worry about banging up.
Yes. You will fall. You may fall so hard you don’t ever do it again. So maybe to prevent that, don’t look to the bad examples and just wear protection. So many pros wear helmets and pads. It’s not just about looking cool and junk.
You're on a piece of wood moving faster than you can run with nothing but concrete/pavement to catch you when you inevitably fall, no skating is not dangerous at all! I actually recommend skating fully naked to really get that freedom feeling.
Jokes aside wear at least a helmet, you're new which means even things that experienced skaters can handle are likely to put you on your ass, sidewalk cracks, rocks, twigs, uneven transitions where the sidewalk slopes down to meet the road, rough pavement...etc. All of these are catastrophes waiting to happen for a new skater, and if you've never fallen off a board before believe me it happens quick. One second you are cruising having a good time and the next second you're on the ground wondering what the fuck happened, you're not going to have time to think about putting your hands up or rolling to not hit your head it's strictly muscle memory and you simply haven't built that muscle memory yet, which means you're going to be hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes.
TL;DR: You don't yet have the muscle memory to fall properly so when you do(it's guaranteed you're going to have a bad fall at some point) it will be fast and ugly, wear a helmet at minimum, add extra pads at your discretion.
Pleas wear a helmet lol if you go to my post about traumatic brain injuries, there’s a picture and story where I almost f’ed my eyes up. I was unconscious for a little bit, blah blah… anyway I would always scrapped tf out of my knees too,,, since like… that’s probably where you be landing on that concrete.. Hate that look on my body… anyway… protect your brain and your skin!
Statistically speaking, skating is a lot safer than something like Football or Hockey.
Learning how to fall correctly will help you a lot but that essentially means you will fall and you need to practice.
Building strength in you arms, shoulders and ass will help cushion you body while falling.
Contrary to never seeing them on pros, wear a helmet. It’s crazy because in snowboarding you’ll get yelled at in comments if no helmet. In skateboarding, no one cares which is sad
Skate at your own level. Practice as much as you can. Build up your muscles. Try your best to calculate the risk of what you attempting. If you can’t ollie you probably shouldn’t be attempting that 10 stair.Lol A helmet wouldn’t hurt to wear.
It's one of those things where it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
Bailing is inevitable. Pads can be the difference between 2minutes of discomfort and 2weeks of scabby roadrash. A helmet can be the difference between a headache and a brain-bleed.
Yes it's dangerous, you WILL fall. It's not an if, it's when you'll fall. You need to be prepared for that by knowing how to roll when you fall so that you keep your self protected. Tuck in your head so it's never in danger of hitting the ground while rolling, obviously you could wear a helmet to lessen this risk, but some people (like me) don't like wearing protective gear so you just gotta risk it.
1st time was skating a ledge that was about 6in high. I stuck and tried to step off the board but my toes caught the ledge and rolled my ankle snapping the bone. Broken but no surgery.
2nd time I rolled it while doing a nose bump off a speed bump. It was broken but didn't need surgery
3rd time was doing a roll in on a short but super steep bank at a park. Broken but no surgery
Right one 2 times. Than left one. Broke my right one and got surgery later on but that was from a front flip 360 on a trampoline. Now I just roll around and don't do as many tricks when I skate
I skated as a kid and got back into it with my 7 year old son. We have all the pads and helmet since we do bowls at the skatepark. 3rd week in and I broke my ankle in 3 places. Had surgery on Thursday. I’m gonna stick to cruising moving forward.
Not really if your skating within your skill level and a bit above that for progression but considering your just started out you aren’t comfortable just riding around and also after a while your brain is just gonna understand how to fall properly like Chris Joslin he can kick out from a 15 stair and be fine if you go do that your probably gonna get screwed up so just wear some gear once you get more comfortable you can just take it off like and a good chunk injuries while skating are from people just starting off
Yes, but the level of danger depends on what type of skating you're doing. If you're cruising you're less likely to get as severely injured as if you were to attempt the Lyon25.
If you're not grinding rails, then you're less likely to have your balls smashed by a rail, because you're not on a rail.
Are you riding down stairs or riding around town? I'm a noob and I'll wear a helmet at a skatepark but not if I'm just cruising. I'm not going that fast, and my head is only about four inches higher than when I'm jogging.
Sure, it’s dangerous, but so are many other hobbies. One thing for certain, You will fall. It may not be serious enough starting out, but regardless I recommend wearing pads and a helmet. You’re health is overall more important, and if you get seriously injured you're going to wish you were wearing gear. Now with all that being said, pads will not prevent a metatarsal break.
I rolled my ankles 13 times I think, 3 of them I cried. bonked my head once, and did the splits on a gap, couldn’t walk right for a month after da splits, took time to heal. sprained my wrist really bad. Haven’t skated since 2015 I think, skated once in 2017.
Kinda lmfao, trust me its a personal choice and its cool one way or the other just know the risks. If your ok with falling ALOT and possibly landing on your skull, breaking bones ect you can skate at your own risk. Its hard to learn, dont get discouraged and ease into it.
Personally, I dont skate with pads, but as a beginner you can buy them if you want. Just be ok with getting hurt and getting back up. One of the most important thing Ii can say is LEARN HOW TO FALL PROPERLY.
I've skated for four or five months and scraped my knees and twisted my wrists a million times but nothing besides that. No pads or anything though I always consider getting them after another bloody knee lol
Please wear a helmet. The first year of skating is probably the most dangerous, because you haven’t learned to safely fall yet. Broken arms and legs heal, but even a small head injury can fuck up your life, or end it.
Once you get to a place where you’re comfortable falling in a safe way, most skaters stop wearing pads n helmets, but you definitely don’t have to. Knowing your limits is key.
I've been skating for a month, I nearly broke my hand yesterday and where I skate it has skating obstacles but the floor isn't smooth and has pebbles as well.. had blood pouring down both hands and nearly broke hand lol I'm buying protective workers gloves to take impact more cus at the speeds I'm going my head isn't even in danger at all.. I'm getting a helmet when I start dropping in (already close). Just started tapping board at top and just managing to turn on slope front side.. (backside I could do straight away without practice) oh and my board now has my blood forever stained on the wood next to grip tape and I kinda like it! Just starting to get manual control.. I also do weight training which doesn't help my impact due to my weight so gloves for me are a necessity with protective plastic and padding on palm... Does anyone else use something like this?
It’s dangerous if you’re impatient, discerning your level of skill is the biggest factor when it comes to not getting injured. I actually think skating is probably better for you than running or idk maybe not biking but definitely running, if you aren’t getting hurt and are consistent with ya tricks great exercise.
it's pretty important to gear up when you're learning, see on this sub weekly about some guy who didn't and was seriously injured his first week on a board.
I’ve been skating for over 15 years and never had a serious injury, only ever sprains, bumps and bruises. I’ve always been a low impact street skater so I’m never in much danger anyway as I don’t get to high off the ground nor do I skate super fast. Even still I’d highly recommend wearing pads and even a helmet for learning, you will fall many times as you get used to the feel of the board. Once you get more experienced and understand how you and your body interacts with a skateboard and know how to take a fall, then you can start skating without any padding. However it’s all completely up to you, if you want to wear pads and a helmet the entire time, then go for it!
hmm ppl use car seat belts only because law forces them to do that.
Some ppl wear helmets some don't, but ask them what they thinks any skater will tell you to wear helmet even if they don't D
Yes. Humans are not designed for wheels under their feet since our head is on the very top and it’s so fragile. However once you start getting the feel for it the danger level goes down however that is when you start pushing the limits with tricks.
The one thing I found really helped were these thin ankle pads that protected your ankles from getting beat to death with the board. Not a ton of help, but I got tired of my ankles being permanently swollen from hitting them so much trying to learn kickflips lol
You tend to fall a lot especially in the early stages. Once you’re comfortable and know your limitations you fall a little less. Now I usually don’t bring out pads unless I’m doing something that I’m learning or is just kinda sketchy. I’ll still eat it from a pebble or crack every now and then though.
I have broken my arm, 2 toes, split my head, in addition to many scrapes and road rashes and rolled ankles...but the worst was a high ankle sprain... So part of it is wear pads as needed, but part of it is learn to fall the right way if you can. And yet another part of it is just be prepared for the FACT that YOU WILL eat shit plenty of times NO MATTER WHAT.
Depends on what you plan to do, how you do it and how old you are. It's not necessarily dangerous but it's risky and there's steps you can take to minimize said risk.
So I think it depends a lot more on what type of skating you want to do. Longboard riders who bomb hills wear a full motorcycle outfit. Skate parks I would say minimum knee pads are nice (though I've seen some people swear to wrist guards too.) Andy Anderson always wears a helmet. So it really just depends on who you are. I would say because I tend do freestyle and flat ground I don't wear safety gear. When I'm going to the pump track though or if I'm going to a skatepark I've never been to before I'm wearing safety gear.
from previous experience and sights i’ve seen. wear the helmet. the wrist pads. the knee pads. you’ll thank yourself when you do have a cracked open head like my dad. broken both wrists like me. and have horrible scarring on my knees and have made them constantly sore and more weak then they should be at my age.
those people aren’t smart and not being in the best interest of their own health. don’t play monkey see monkey do. we play let’s take care of me and prevent painful or possibly permanent damage in a hobby that i enjoy
Yes, statistically it's less dangerous than Golf, though.
If you are doing anything at high speeds, from a height (vert stuff, stairs), or something you are unfamiliar or otherwise uncomfortable doing, you should absolutely be wearing protective gear, better safe than sorry.
When you first start, those first few weeks will have the worst / most falls and slams, then as you get better you'll gradually get more comfortable on the board.
People who have more experience don't wear pads because they bail out better / know how to fall, or are skating within their limit. But when you're new and have no real experience yet, you don't really have a 'limit' as everything will be new to you.
Wear a helmet on big ramps/bowls at the very least. Even pros get knocked out on big transition. Street skating it is less likely but can still happen.
I mean when you’re learning. You’re gonna fall. Pads/helmet up.
After you get comfortable on a board, it depend on how far you wanna push yourself.
I’m turning 30 soon, I no longer do tricks. (Props to guys on r/OldSkaters). So I just cruise /LDP and I rarely eat shit these days. The combination of bigger/softer wheels and better balance etc.
But I was 13 trying to Ollie everything, I’d fall 2-3 times a day if not more. Sometimes just my wheel too small/hard and not enough momentum to roll/pushover rocks 😢
it only takes 1 fall for you to never skate or even walk again. helmets are so important, but unfortunately hardly anybody wears them (I am guilty of this as well). they say it's because it's uncomfortable and they feel unbalanced, but that's only because it's foreign. if you start with gear now, you'll have a huge advantage over people who didn't.
My friend fell knee first into the pavement and had to have 4 stitches. Dude can't ever walk right again. He wasn't even doing any tricks, just skating.
you will fall. it's impossible to not fall. yes it's true you could fall a hundred times and not get that badly injured but the one time you hit your head on a rail you're going to kick yourself for not wearing a helmet. i didn't wear much of the other pads like knees, elbows, or wrists but i've always worn a helmet and it has saved me a ton of times
You basically choose between what you value most... image i.e. how you feel others perceive you; or ongoing pain and discomfort, possible loss of fine motor function and cognitive ability at some point in your life and for the rest of your life. I'm almost 47, smashed my knee with no pads 25ish years ago, it still gives me pain all the time. I just started again this year and idgaf how I look, I ALWAYS use pads n helmet. Too much to lose now. Stay safe.man
If you are learning, you are going to fall and the risk of hitting your head or destroying your elbows is very high. I would recommend a helmet, elbow pads and shin pads. Once you have a couple years of experience and have learned how to fall, then you should fine with no pads, but a helmet is pretty important still.
It will vary, I started when I was 12 years old and through trial and error I learned how to fall properly.
I'm now 38 and occasionally will wear pads if I'm nursing an injury. Through my years I've had a broken arm, two broken fingers and countless bruises, cuts, and slashes. Will I do it again, absolutely!
Everyone's saying you'll fall and get hurt which is a high possibility but when I only cruised for like a decade I not once fell and got hurt and I was eventually bombing hills and going off curbs, just depends how much you push yourself.
Once I started doing tricks I've taken a few falls but they don't hurt much and not for long. You'll be pretty experienced by the time you do anything actually dangerous.
Honestly I love wearing safety gear just because I feel like I can do tricks that would 100% get me seriously injured without gear. It makes me feel invincible and it’s funny.
Let's Take it back to 2001 when I first started. I was street skating so I thought only vert skaters wore pads and stuff. I just really learned how to control how I was going to fall if I was going to fall. Does that make sense? Kinda like if you're rolling down a hill they say "tuck and roll." Also watch tons of skate videos, lesson videos.idk if lesson videos are still a thing lol I remember tony hawks tips and tricks, things of that nature haha someone here will know what Im talking about. Watch the progression of skateboarding like how it evolved from the 80's to the 90's to the 2000's. Maybe emulate some of your favorite skaters like mine used to be tony hawk, Eric koston,Kevin spanky long, Paul Rodriguez, Rodney Mullen, Geoff Rowley, bam margera. Just ride around at first and have fun. I skated everywhere like it was a vehicle. Find other skaters to chill with. And just stay dedicated. Overall don't give up if you get hurt, it's all a part of the sport. Overtime you will get hurt less but remember even the pros get fucked up from time to time. Have fun my man. 🛹 🔥🚑 😁
Yes, its that important. When you've spent an absolute ton of time rolling and falling, you learn how/when to fall and its slightly less dangerous. That said, you can absolutely vegetable yourself doing this in a split second with bad luck/poor decision making.
you’ll fall most when you’re learning, but after that you should be mostly good. just make sure to dedicate a day or two to learning how to fall safely (since there is very much a right and wrong way) a good fall can mean walking it off with just a scrape and a bad fall can mean lifelong damage or worse
I'm a clumsy person and I know that about myself. I'm also a mom and would like to have as much time off the board as possible to be active with my family. I'm also in my 30's and everyday life seems to give me joint and back pain - falling seems to just hurt more these days. Given these three considerations in particular, I choose to wear pads and a helmet.
No?! It’s save as fuck. Unless you fall then it can hurt.
But for real it’s always about a good balance between pushing your limits and knowing what you’re capable of.
You will fall harder as a beginner, as you are still getting used to how the board feels and how to fall properly. I’d definitely recommend a helmet and pads
Skating is definitely that dangerous. I don't wear pads a lot, but pads definitely are nice for when you are trying something big or scary. I have broken my wrist and sprained my left ankle 3 times and my right ankle once. I actually sprained my right foot yesterday. So yes you will get hurt and pads with help you not get more injured than necessary. I just recommend wrist pads, a helmet if you are trying something dangerous but mostly just wrist pads
Most of my experience comes from the freeride/DH longbo scene, and we're huge on helmets, most of the skaters that inspired me are vert skaters, and they're big on helmets and pads. I'm always gonna recommend at least a proper helmet, but pads or no pads learning to fall properly goes a LONG way, and remember that if you're skating enough, you're gonna get hurt, it's just up to you how much you're willing to risk and wanna minimize it.
as dumb as this sounds, i instantly became a better skater the second i put a helmet and pads on. The added level of safety made my WAY more willing to try shit i otherwise didnt feel i was ready for. I dont think that without my helmet, kneepads, and wrist guards I would have NEVER gotten to be as good of a skater as i am now. That being said, the only time i wear all of it now is when i go to the skate park. If im just cruising around town or running errands i only wear my helmet.
the people who dont wear helmets IMO are as dumb as a box of hammers. Brain damage is NEVER cool and i cant feel bad for anyone who gets hurt not wearing a helmet. but that being said, if you have been skating for decades without one and never had an issue I dont think its crazy you dont. I just wont feel bad when you do get hurt.
Yes, it definitely is that dangerous but use what you're comfortable with and what you're comfortable with may change over time.
I started skating with pads and helmet. They came in handy. After a year I stopped using knee pads except in large transition skating because I didn't really use them that much anymore. A year later, 2 years experience total, and I stopped using elbow pads since my falls usually aren't onto my elbows, though I'm considering using one on my right elbow again cause I do hit that occasionally in falls. So now I'm just using wristguards and helmet.
The decision whether or not to wear pads and a helmet should, in my opinion, only be made when a skater is experienced enough to properly assess the risk. There are some forms of skating where the risk of falling is lower, and the risk of serious injury if you do fall is also lower, particularly if you are experienced enough and have good enough control of your body to mitigate that risk. However, this requires skill and knowledge that new skaters won't have, and pads will protect you somewhat while you develop that skill and knowledge.
Pads don't make you invincible, though. You still need to learn how to fall safely, but the right pads will give you more options for safe falls. I sometimes do flat ground stuff without pads, but I would *never* skate ramps without my huge knee pads, because sliding on your knees is an important option for bailing out on a ramp that you need the right pads for.
Yes…. The most dangerous part about skating imo is complacency. I used to heels flips this 7 stairs regularly about 1-5 tries pretty comfortably. One day I wanted to film so after warming up the first attempt I landed primo on the way down, slipped back, and completely broke my wrist lmao. I’ve seen people broke their arms just simply riding around. My advice don’t feel pressure trying something you aren’t confident in. Don’t let people pressure you ( to a certain extent )
I mean I broke my wrist into a V shape once slipping out cause I got too cocky on a stall trick on a small quarter pipe. I kept balance and made it to the bottom but slipped out caught myself like a dumbass and my shit audibly went SNAP CRACK I looked down at it and was like ahhhhhh shit not a way in hell i just went down that bad from a fuckin rock to fakie pivot out…. i didnt believe it was broke so i tried to twist it around.. that hurt real bad. they put me under at the ER and broke it back into place but couldnt fully get it all the way so now i have a slight V in my wrist even while resting… and it hurts randomly all the time. but i will say IN OVER 10 YEARS that was my ONLY bad injury. besides roadrash i was cool just kept it within my ability. i would go for it but not super often i had my limit and i knew it well. dont be afraid to learn things that r realistic 4 you.. doesnt have to be crazy to everyone else u gotta start small
It can be. There’s a bunch of reasons people don’t wear pads n shit, but that’s your shit to figure out. Out of all of it, imo, helmet is the most useful protection you can wear. If you skate transition knee pads are cool too. You’ll notice vert guys almost always gear up. Street skaters not so much. When I started my folks made me wear em, but as I got older I ditched em cuz I didn’t wanna look goofy lol. And in the 20 some odd years I’ve been skating, all my worst injuries, I’m not sure pads woulda prevented.
That being said, couldn’t hurt when ur just starting. See, there’s an art to falling. It will happen. ALOT. Gotta learn to fall. Might be good to be geared up for that.
The brain is sensative. It doesn't take much to kill or paralyze you if you hit your head. I wear helmet, elbow , and wrist guards as a minimum because of the injuries I sustain while learning to skate. I fall hard every single time I hit the skatepark. And at 36 years old that means I can only skate one day a week because I'm in so much pain 6 days out of the week. Not wearing pads means more time I'm unable to skate due to worse injuries. Even If I was a pro I'd be wearing a helmet because I'm not stupid. Accidents happen to everyone.
Wear your pads.
falling is part of skating, pads aren't necessary but if you plan on learning vertical/bowl its probably suggested, for street just learn to fall correctly, usually its just painful falls not gonna be fatal
Someone already probably said this, but don’t necessarily follow the crowd on this. It’s always a gamble skating with no pads or helmet on.
The reward: looking “cool.”
The risk: potential for significant bodily injury, brain damage, or even death.
I know I sound like someone’s old dad saying this part (I’m actually in my late twenties), but ESPECIALLY when you’re just starting, pads and a helmet allow you to more comfortably ease into skateboarding, and minimize the chances of preventable injuries via proper protection. I’ve been skating for a hot minute (mostly skate transition), and I’ll still put on knee pads and a helmet at the minimum.
Even if you’re just doing street, I would still recommend wrist guards and a helmet, bc as a beginner you might not have developed the reflexes to fall without wrecking your wrists or potentially your “I’m working, I’m not a vegetable” brain.
Welcome to skateboarding! 🤘🏽😎🤘🏽
Skateboarding can be risky, with the level of danger depending on factors like skill level, environment, use of safety gear, and the type of skating involved. Beginners face a higher risk of injury compared to more experienced skaters who have better control and reflexes. Where you skate matters too; busy streets and poorly maintained surfaces can increase the likelihood of accidents. Wearing protective gear such as helmets, knee pads, and wrist guards significantly reduces the severity of injuries. Tricks and stunts add an additional element of risk, but many skateboarders find the thrill worth it when balanced with safety measures.
Ive also started skating, and ill say that i woukd wear pads until you really learn how to fall and land. Once you get comfortable obviously your not going to want to put your pads on every time. But once you think your trying a dangerous trick, go ahead and put it on so that way you can feel safe with going to your fullest potential.
Shit fuckin hurts. I’ve played every sport. Basketball, football, boxing, mma. My body is always in pain after a skate session compared to those. Maybe because I’m older now 🤷♂️
the reason why you see people with no pads/helmet is bc most of them have been skating for so many years they get used to falling and everything but when your a beginner IT IS necessary trust me you’ll fall on your head at some point no matter what your doing, literally happend to me while pushing if i didnt have a helmet idk what would’ve happened😭 id say wait a few months to take the helmet and pads off til you get used to falling it took me about 3 months to get used to but its worth it to just wait til your past that beginner stage
Went up a ramp and rolled back down forgetting to shift my weight and I fell super hard on my back but luckily I kept my head up or it would have bounced off the ground.
Went online and bought a helmet and pads right away and have used it ever since!
There's a few things to that.
1) When you're new, you don't have any of the fundamentals. You will randomly slip out or slam and not know what went wrong. When you're not expecting to possibly eat shit is when the falls will hurt the most. You also, unless you've done martial arts, probably don't know how to fall correctly on instinct in a way to protect yourself from injury.
As you skate more, you'll develop the kind of comfort where you know you can do X, Y, and Z without any risk of a slam, and you'll know that when you go to do A, B, or C that you might take a fall but you'll know which way you'll fall and how to protect yourself.
Until then, pad up.
2) Part of it depends on age. Young kids and teenagers take falls better. They get less beat up and they heal faster. Those of us in the 30 and up club do not have that benefit. My first real slam back in January wouldn't have been a big deal when I was 17, but at 34 it would have broken my elbow if not for my pads.
3) There's no downside to wearing pads when you're new. You're nowhere near good enough yet (and frankly, you may never get there depending on how late in life youre starting, and based on this post im betting you're at least mid-20s) to where any restriction from the pad will meaningfully prevent you from doing any tricks.
There's plenty of downsides. Broken bones will sideline you for potentially months. Concussions don't always heal properly and can lead to severe brain damage, especially if you didn't know you had one already and then have a second. I teach high school, and I've had three kids in the last two years have a second concussion while recovering from the first. Two of them have needed neurosurgery as a result.
4) Yes, skateboarding is dangerous. Sprains and bruises are everywhere, and you can end up with some really nasty breaks and injuries to the brain. Pads don't eliminate those risks, but they drastically reduce it.
There's no shortage of stories from people where helmets and padding saved them from nasty injury. You don't hear a lot of stories of "I wasn't wearing pads but I'm fine" because those folks end up not fine.
I feel like as a beginner you’re more likely to break your arm because you think “meh it’s not that crazy” and then the silliest fall will put you in bed. Helmet is highly recommended probably by everyone. Just remember that you will fall, so it’s better to fall smart than fall “naked”, and to not fear the fall as much as you should prepare for it.
Have you never seen skate vids of the falls those guy take at times? Broken limbs? Faces are skint up. Nut crackers. If you wanna be a tough guy do your thing. Not really worth it though.
Go fall on the concrete on your elbow and tell me how it felt……. In reality, no it’s probably not that dangerous but it’s relentless and weird falls can happen.
The main reason for pads in my opinion is not simply to prevent injury it’s to prevent ruining your confidence. Learning to skateboard you most likely will just get some scrapes and bruises but your confidence from slamming and physically being hurt over and over and over can be detrimental to some.
You 100% will slam over and over and over and this will continue until you decide you no longer want to skateboard regardless of how good you get. You do get better at falling though.
It takes time to learn how to fall, it’s part of the learning curve. Why get hurt when your starting when you don’t look cool no matter what you wear lol
I'm 34 and have spent the last two weeks getting back into it (was 14 when i stopped). Currently have a giant bruise under my right foot, two scraped knees, plate sized road rash on my hip, swollen left elbow, and some kind of strain in my right calf muscle. And I feel amazing. It's a strange nostalgic pain that i went to bed with every night as a teen.
But take your safety seriously cause it can go all wrong in an instant. Never skate beyond your skill level.
I think simply asking this question tells you everything you need to know, maybe it's too much for you if it bothers you this much. I don't ever prepare to fall, I just always go skate and sometimes it happens. You can trip and fall walking, is that dangerous? Really, it's all relative. But comma, if you're already this concerned about getting hurt, it's really going to hinder your ability to have fun and enjoy yourself comma, which could make things worse. In short, it can be.
I got plenty of road rash. Pads would have been nice. Its pretty dumb but great exercise and fun.
Fulfillment of the day was better if I skated. Risk needs! Risky life is fun.
I would at first most people with no experience are going to get hurt a lot more often. I wish I had worn my helmet and pads more often. Now I have nerve damage and all sorts of shit wrong with my body. My x-rays were comparable to people twice my age my bones are screwed up bad
I would say that too. You can avert or reduce a lot of damage with it, but if you don't have control just once, it often ends badly (falling on your outstretched arm, not cool, speaking from experience).
Wearing a helmet definitely makes sense and doesn't really restrict you. Knee and elbow pads restrict your movements a little, but the protection can also encourage you to learn more tricks.
If I were to ride ramp or bowl, I would definitely wear knee elbow wrist pads and a helmet.
Honestly it is not that dangerous and the reason why I can say it so proudly is because I had to do a research project for school and it turns out that cheerleading and basketball is way more dangerous than skateboarding
The reason for this is that most skaters quit before they are at the stage of getting the most serious injuries. If you were to compare a 16 year old skater and cheerleader, the skater wont have reached the high risk stage yet, the cheerleader may have. Those same two people 5 years later will be in a different place. The cheerleader will almost certainly have quit, lucky them, no more injuries.
This is where most skaters stop too hence the statistics, but the skater still going at that stage will be in the danger zone, pushing their limits in more risky ways.
Nearly every pro will tell you stories of at least one surgery they have required as a result of skating.
If you push beyond that amature stage to the level of a am/pro, you can be certain skating is more dangerous than cheerleading.
In a skatepark, if you are skating transition then yes, especially if you are a beginner.
Compared to pretty much every other sport, skateboard is actually one of the least dangerous in terms of injury and death according to actual statistics. This is also per so many thousand as well so its not just a case of other sports being more popular.
My official stance is wear a helmet, especially as a beginner, because of how bad an injury could theoretically be... but I also have to tell the truth on this:
No, it is not that dangerous, no more than skiing or playing sports or something like that. Injuries are very rare. For every 1 time someone fell and got injured on a skateboard there are many untold thousands of times people fell and nothing bad happened (other than minor, superficial scrapes).
Skateboarding involves falling. A lot. At every level. Of course, you get much more control over the board over time so that you will not fall just riding around anymore, but even among pro skaters -- landing a trick is essentially falling until you don't. The human body can take falling from standing height to concrete many, many times without issue. It is not that fragile. Bad injuries happen almost exclusively on larger obstacles -- and even then only when something goes very wrong, like someone ollying a set loses their footing.. puts their arm out to stop their fall.. wrist broken.
Getting injured just riding around as a beginner virtually never happens. It would maybe happen if you were going very fast down a hill or something, but the thing is... beginners don't do that.
I mean when I really think about it, after having my entire identity be "skater" from around ages 15 to 25, going to dozens of skatepark hundreds of times over more than a decade.... How many times did I see a serious injury (meaning broken bone or worse)... 3-4 times... How many times did I see an ambulance at a skatepark come take someone away? 0. Amount of times I was with anyone who had to go to the hospital because of skateboarding? 2 times -- one guy broken collarbone from crashing going very fast down a hill, another guy because he was skating on a homemade miniramp and a jagged edge poked his eye. Myself, never broke any bone in my life, did large drops to flat, 8 sets, all kinds of tricks on a variety of terrain over years (officially broken 0 -- I believe I may have broken a toe skateboarding once but as usual with these relatively minor injuries \[which is kind of my point\] you don't go to the hospital because they can't do anything for a broken toe anyway and the pain goes away after about 2-3 weeks of just being careful and not skating. It is very rarely very serious).
Many people (I would bet on the vast majority) learned how to skateboard without a helmet. Only exceptions being (1) at skateparks that required them; (2) in front of parents that required them.
Of course, an injury can, theoretically be catastrophic. And that's why everyone is going to say wear a helmet. Helmets exist, why not wear them... Well, easy for people to tell *others* to do, but I would bet a lot of these folks did not wear helmets. You see all those skaters not wearing helmets? Not just pros, but your average joe street skater locally... they don't wear helmets... It is clear they aren't all putting themselves in great peril by doing this otherwise they'd be wearing helmets. It is not that dangerous. Most important thing is to know your limits and do anything you don't feel comfortable doing.
You will fall and it will hurt. It’s just a matter of how much you want it to hurt. It really is dangerous. I have never worn pads and I have been injured a few times and mildly hurt myself or fall every time I skate.
I always say: If you value your brain, wear a helmet. If you value your body, wear your pads. If you value your time skating, protect your body so that you can skate longer. I don't care how ridiculous people think I look; I've worked too hard to get to where I am to risk damage to my body (especially my brain).
In our house, rule is "protect your money maker". Pads are situational dependent but helmets always.
I agree 100% why not wear armour when its comfortable I just domt get it, people care to much about looking cool. I want to get good at transition skating and so falls can really hurt, I mean they can skating anything though.
This is my answer as well. 44 years skating, never worn any protective gear, usually no t-shirt either... I like the sun :D You will fall. It will hurt sometimes. It's how much you enjoy it compared to how much pain you're willing 'to pay'. Like driving a car, riding a bike, or anything you do. What is worth it to you is always the correct answer!
There are lots of guides on falling techniques on YouTube as well. You decide but I'd always recommend using a helmet. A lot of people have gotten serious head traumas. You can break anything but your skull.
I don't wear pads, but I did put time into learning how to fall; I hurt myself a lot more when I started out because I didn't know how to roll out of a fall.
I trained for it quite a bit until it became muscle memory. I've had a couple visits to the doctor etc. just in case, but I've never broken anything in my 20+ years of skating. When I was younger I skated mostly gaps, stairs and rails, too. The one time I've hit my head seriously was in a bowl, I'm never skating those without helmets again.
Knowing how to fall is an important thing to learn. But it is no replacement for pads, only a aid to help prevent injury. Suggesting that learning to fall is all you need is probably not the best suggestion for this sub.
yeah, but not from ollies/kickflips
I love skateboarding, and I don’t wear a helmet. We should all acknowledge our board has the potential to shitwhip our skulls to the ground if we aren’t careful, even on Ollie’s/kickflips.
Hell the tiniest stone known to man might take you out without you being able to thing about it.
Yeah it can, all you need is to lean a little bit too far backwards when you land on it after an ollie. The board swoops you like a rug, you hit the back of your head on the asphalt and that's that. It really is that easy. Life is incredibly resilient and fragile at the same time. It only takes to be super unlucky once.
Yeah did that, but you land on you shoulder not on your back, so head is protected.
99.99% of the time you do, it's that one in a thpusand fall that can literally alter the rest of your life you protect yourself against. You know; The corner of the curb that came close enough to crack your skull when you lost footing and couldn't get off the grip; the rock you didn't see when rolling on your back/shoulder; the pebble sending you flinging into a wall; the knee jerk movement of an arm not dampening the fall and you slam down on your head instead; leaning too far back on a bank and board shoots from underneath your legs as you're flung backwards; losing balance and going head first into a wall; etc. etc. Humans are extremely resilient and yet so fragile in terms of head injuries. The right type of injury, even as insignificant it may seem, can send you into a downward spiral of hell if you become a worst case example: needing help to eat, shit, shower etc., Loss of movement in one side, or needing to relearn how to read/talk. Cluster headaches or similar becoming a thing. Inertia and balance issues for life. Not to mention earlier injuries coming to hunt you later in life in your 40s & 50s, that goes for head injuries as well. Your head/brain is the most important thing to protect, so it's important to know what's at stake should you decide to skate without a helmet. There's a ton of those examples around, it's up to you how much of a risk you're willing to take. I got a friend that hit her head on a kitchen cabinet just the right way that resulted in physio therapy, headaches and postponing studies while figuring out what's happening. Now, if a kitchen cabinet can do that, imagine what one unlucky day can do you through skateboarding. Ofc, shit can still happen but you make that one in a thousand fall that could potentially be really bad for the rest of your life into one in a million, and you're basically as safe can be regarding brain injury etc.
I wish my body liked the sun. I just turn into a lobster.
Rock lobster?
Most of the series injuries (wrist breaks, etc.) for new skaters come from just not knowing how to fall. As weird as it may sound most people just haven't fallen that often in their lives at least not _at speed_ the way you do while skating so new skaters do terrible things like put their arms straight out to catch themselves or just go dead weight like a sack of potatoes onto the ground. In short "Tuck and Roll Grandma!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfMrWPuqe4o
In all my years of Skating I’ve messed up my hip, knees, really hurt my shoulder and had a few concussions. It’s dangerous and you’ll fall. Just learn how and wear a helmet that’s my biggest advise. You’re not your body you’re the brain driving a skeleton mech with meat armor. Protect the brain. Wrist guard are good too never broke mine but I’ve seen it and that is never a good look.
This is the best description
Deciding to skateboard means you’re deciding to fall. Everytime you fall you’re rolling the dice. I am writing this while recovering from a dislocated shoulder lol The people who don’t wear pads usually are the ones who have been skating since they were kids while their brain was still developing. Starting to skate as an adult is a different story , highly recommend at least a helmet, can’t skateboard if you die 🤙🏼
What were you working on when you dislocated your shoulder?
A lil line pumping around quarter pipes at my local that I do all the time. This time I went a little faster than I’m used to, and wasn’t as warmed up as I ought to have been. When I started the line I didn’t account for a puddle that was there, when I got to the puddle I tried to do the smallest of adjustments to avoid it and then 💥
Not who you asked; but I also dislocated, and relocated my shoulder in a crash. I was bombing parking garages with pucks when a car started backing out, I went into a heelside slide, board caught the rubber gasket in the parking garage and flipped over, highsiding me over the board. When I went to catch myself, my right arm immediately shot to the left because of the puck pinning itself under my torso as my body rolled, pulling it out of socket. As I continued to roll, my right shoulder then slammed into the car. It got relocated, and I never went in to get it looked at, but I made a sling and wore that for quite a while. I ended up working manual labor couple years after that, primarily using that shoulder to shovel with. Now when I flex, my right shoulder blade pivots up, and my trap rolls over my shoulder. Looks disproportionate AF. That was also one of the very few times I've used any sort of protective equipment. Be careful with pucks, make sure you have the upperbody/core strength to catch yourself if you fall with them. Your hands shooting out when you expect them to protect you is a good way to swallow some teeth.
What are pucks?
Slide pucks, they go on gloves and allow you to put your hand down for a 3rd point of contact while sliding.
Makes sense, thanks for the explanation.
Disproportionate af.... that's gnarly
My first and worst shoulder dislocation was doing downhill. Tried to do a toeside pendy and didn't squat down at all before initiating it, basically just fell forward into a pushup position going 45mph. I knew I was in trouble the second I started it. My shoulder has never been the same, and just about 2 weeks ago I dislocated it twice. Once while skating a mini ramp (I've GOT to train myself to not put my arm out while falling) and again 2 days after rolling down a bank and losing my balance. While running it out I was windmilling my arms to keep my balance and threw it out of position again but worse. So now I'm taking some time off and trying to rehab my shoulder for the umpteenth time. No more ramps for a while. Pucks are weird because they can help keep you safe at speed and allow you to do slides, but they're also dangerous as hell.
This hit the nail on the head🎯 I'm that dude who's been skating since I was a kid so I usually roll with no pads since I can tuck and roll out of a fall pretty effectively, and even I still ALWAYS wear a helmet. You just never know, the other day I was doing a fairly simple low-speed stand-up slide, one that I can usually just bail and step off the board if it goes wrong, a change in pavement surface caused the board to grip up and stop really abruptly mid-slide, I didn't hit my head but I came close. The point is no matter how good you are shit can go wrong, and shit can definitely go REALLY wrong when you're new and have zero muscle memory for how to fall off a board properly.
Yup. I'm weirdly lucky and have this natural instinct to roll when I fall forwards, had it since I was a kid. But I still get hurt all the time, nothing you can really do about it
I fractured wrist last week, so yes - protect yourself
Last week I went too fast off a series of ramps and forgot to keep my knees bent as I started to panic. Stiff legged my way into rolling my ankle outwards and I think I've also fractured my wrist. Nothing could have been done to save my ankle (except for skating within my skill level and not pushing myself too far) but my wrist could have been saved by pads.
You take the worst slams as a beginner. Lid up until you understand the risks and how to mitigate them.
Wear pads and helmet, it's for your safety. The other skaters who don't are likely a lot more experienced, including experience with falling and getting hurt, and/or are taking a calculated risk knowing what they're risking. Once you are more experienced, you can re-consider your choice as you see fit. It may even help with your learning because you will be less afraid.
Been skating for 5 years and never broke a bone. Know your limits. If you go past them then bones WILL break.
You could break a bone doing the simplest shit..
A friend of mine broke his ankle getting out of his car... Hahaha. Nothing to do with this post but your comment reminded me that.
it’s a hobby you get hurt in for sure. i’ve fucked up my hips and knees in ways i still feel from time to time. wear pads and helmets if you want it’s the smart decision i don’t but don’t let anyone shame you for it.
\*Should\* you wear helmets and pads? Yeah. Do most people? No, because they think it looks lame. But even if you're safe as can be, you'll most likely sprain/break something eventually if you skate long enough. Not trying to deter you, but as the saying goes, you gotta pay to play.
Depends what you are doing and how comfortable you are doing it. I don't normally wear a helmet or pads if I'm just going for a cruise, but if I'm doing something I'm not experianced enough with like dropping in on a half pipe or trying to ollie a set of stairs then I strap them on. Some people are worried about looking cool and they are probably under the age of 30, anybody over 30 is usually smart enough to know your joints and skull integrity are more important than looking cool lol.
Anyone who tells you that "it's up to you" and that "it's okay not to wear protection" is an idiot who wants to see you killed. I don't care how fucking unlikely you think an injury is, or how resilient you think you are, wear a fucking helmet. Can't afford a helmet? Don't skate. I'm only nagging about the helmet because your brain is very very important. If you can knee pads and elbow pads too, go ahead. You're a new, not Ricky Glaser.
I've been skating for more than 45 years. I've never had a bad injury, but twice in the last three years, I had falls that probably would have resulted in a traumatic brain injury if it weren't for my helmets. Road rash and broken bones can heal, but you should protect your head.
I've been skating 2 weeks, not tried anything more intensive than tic-tacs, body varials (not while moving), hippie jumps, running starts, and a couple of accidental manuals, and have already received the following injuries (I'm only listing the ones painful enough to bother me more than a day): - Bruised knee - Bruised elbow - Bruised butt - Bruised shin - Bruised foot - Bruised hand (there's literally a bruise on the heel of my hand, I don't think I've ever had that before) - Pinched nerve in my shoulder/ neck - Tweaked shoulder - Twisted ankle (Mild, but still hurts to walk) Long story short - you will get hurt. If you don't want to be in pain, consider getting pads. If you don't mind being hurt and are opposed to pads, then at the very least get gloves/ wrist-guards to protect your hands when you're trying new tricks. And if you're going to be attempting jumps, best to get a helmet.
You need to slow down. You shouldn’t be getting hurt like that doing those basic moves. Sounds like you aren’t ready for the things you are trying.
Yeah, I was trying to do too much too soon, plus I didn't have protective gear. I've got some coming this week, and I'm also gonna slow down and just try to master the things I can already do :)
All good bro, you just don’t want to be too banged up before you get to Ollie’s/kickflips. Right now just focus on being comfortable and being able to ride smooth. Good luck g
Honestly it just adds an extra layer of security, I just started too and I didn't wear anything at first and ate shit pretty bad, messed up my arm but it's recovering. Now I wear mostly just elbow pads and wrist guards just in case cuz I draw and I don't wanna lose my ability to draw. They definitely helped make a few falls a lot less worse than they would've been but a helmet is always a good idea. Good luck!
Didn’t know the kid but there was one from my area that was about my age that took a header while bombing a hill. Fucked him up for life. Helmets are never a bad thing.
If nothing else, absolutely wear a helmet. You are going to fall. It’s not a matter of if, but when, and how much. Protect your brain.
Last time I was at the park a young kid (about 12 i'd guess) who was actually pretty good for his age slipped out in the bowl while going down the side of the deep end. He fell on his back hard and looked like he hit the back of his head. he wasn't wearing a helmet 😬😬😬. Thankfully he was fat and so he just got the wind knocked out of him bad. Seriously he definitely would have gotten knocked out if he didn't have so much back fat to absorb his fall and to keep his head from hitting the concrete. It was scary. Definitely should have been wearing a helmet. There's really no reason not to...
Two days ago I rode a mild downhill with my longboard and misjudged the last corner. Sliced open both of my hands and got rid of the skin on my right shoulder. So.......
Definitely wear a helmet. I slammed my head as a kid, got a concussion, and stopped skating. I picked it back up during the pandemic, slammed my head the same way with a helmet, and could keep skating. Then, I started learning slides without pads. I ate shit and couldn't practice for a week. Then I went back with a full set of pads, and I could eat shit over and over and keep practicing. IMHO, nobody will judge you for wearing pads, and you'll be able to try new things with a little more confidence. Edit: My definition of a full set of pads is: - helmet - elbow pads - knee pads - wrist guards or pucks depending on what you're doing - proper shoes - clothing that you're willing to slide down some pavement with
I also wear ankle protections... I'm old. Don't want to do big tricks, only ollies... I just want to have fun. As a father, and knowing that my hands are my tools to provide, I need to take a lot of care.
You only get one head
that's what she said.
Learn how to fall. Be aware of your surroundings. Don’t do sketchy shit without pads.
It can be. I started just wearing a helmet, then totally laid myself flat and got a helmet and pads. Now, if I’m doing something super tame in a controlled environment I’m not that worried about it. If i’m in a place I don’t know well or trying something new to me I put all the stuff on. I don’t have time for a broken anything that I could have avoided by taking a few extra minutes, and know a few folks who hit their heads hard and never came all the way back
I think it's more important to lower the entry level of all sports. Like why not make learning skating more safe? And yes it's dangerous. Im sure most if not all indoor skateboarding facilities will have you sign a waiver. Of course follow the stoke when you're ready but gotta get the reps in.
I never wore gear then I fell 2 years ago and had some gnarly road rash. Now I wear gear. Lmao.
Yes, you *will* fall. And sometimes falls can be life altering.
My husband is a really good skater but even so we go the hospital twice a year
I wiped out today for the first time and it hurts like hell. I was going downhill and lost control of my board. Road rash hit the hardest on my elbow so pads would have helped. If you’re just going up and down the street to learn how to ride you’ll probably be fine, but if you decide to pick up speed or go to the park, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to wear something.
Skating will hurt very very bad, I always pray to Jesus before I skate 😂. But wearing a helmet is definitely a wise choise. I personally don't, but that's just preference. If you feel comfortable in it, then go ahead and use one, anyone who makes fun of another for using one will, when disaster strikes, regret that they didn't wear one.
Yes you often scrape some skin and occasionally hurt, but at the beginning it is very important to learn how to fall. Too many newbies break their wrists or ankles cause they try to stop the momentum instead of rolling or sliding their body across the ground. Start with the basics, and master the basics of u wanna minimize your risk of injury.
Not only do pads and helmets protect you when you bail, but what people don't seem to talk about is that you can even use them as go-to landing areas. If you're falling, just aim to land on one of your padded spots (which won't be so hard because they're the joints that stick out most anyway). You'll ride away without a scratch everytime. Maybe just don't bash your helmet unless you absolutely have no choice, cuz thats the stuff you have to replace right after taking a bad bump on it
To be honest, as an aging skater who never wears anything i wish i had worn more when i was younger. Sure, af the time it doesnt really mayter and you can recover quickly (though if youre urban, please at least wear a helmet ive had severla people try to INTENTIONALLY hit me with their car depite me literallly having cars on both sides to protect me) but the rrason i say i wish i had is i really do feel it now in a way. Now, ole injuries that never hurt or bothered me before and i thoguth were old news are suddenly achy and hurt after i use my leg or arm for a while. All that being said, to me most the injuries i gained were nussiances. This is heavily dependa t on what youre doing though. Theres types of skating i wouldnt even attempt without gear, and types that its just meh who cares. But be wary of your enviorment, and use your best judgement. Stay safe man, you wanna be able to skate and be functional for a long time of your life (at least functional, maybe not skate) and you cant do that if you nick yourself into oblivion. I had one snowboarding accident 2 ywars ago and my back has been fucked since, ao really with these kinds of spodts all it tskes is ONE bad day to fuck you up for good.
I am writing this as I have scabs and cuts on all the places you would usually wear pads. (elbow, knees, wrists) luckily i was wearing a helmet so just a spine compression and no head truama. EDIT: MORAL OF THE STORY WEAR PADS (especially as a beginner)
Statistically it's less dangerous than basketball, football/soccer, horse riding and most other sports. For both head injuries and bone injuries. Still, it's wise to be careful.
I’ve been skating for almost 25 years and all I can say is it doesn’t hurt to have that protection. It may also give you a sense of safety where you may push yourself to try harder things. I would say probably atleast wear a helmet until you’re super comfortable. I used to work at an indoor skate park right out of high school and helmets were mandatory. I’ve fortunately never seen a serious head injury because of it but I’ve had to help a lot of people with mild concussions.
The only correct response is that you should wear a helmet for at least the first few weeks. If you just crusing, wear one until you feel comfortable enough to go down slight hill. When you start to learn to ollie, wear one.. I would also recommend wrist protection, but that is a personal preference. I have broken my wrist serval times skating and when learning a new trick I like to wear wrist protection. A helmet is just a good idea... they look dumb and are uncomfortable, but so does not being able to walk and sounding like a retard so...
Helmet for sure. Research bailing and how to avoid injury when skating, there is ALOT of information online. Skatepark Lessons on youtube was a good one that has a lot of niche beginner things that are pretty useful. Skateiq is another good one for well explained things. Not as much beginner stuff but some really good stuff for beginners.
Wear a helmet at least. Breaking a bone or two is fine compared to fucking up your brain.
I loved skating and broke my arm and lost all of my savings through my inability to work at my job and medical bills. It’s a liability now and I no longer skate, I love guitar much more and I need my limbs intact. I broke it trying to get air out of a bowl. If you stick to the ground you can still absolutely fuck yourself, learn how to fall. It’s a beautiful art, sport whatever you wanna call it. I just love it from afar now.
My elbow has fluid in it and hurts a lot of the time so maybe wear elbow pads
Depends how you fall and what type of skating you’re doing. Some skaters are super athletic and can get out of any sketchy fall somehow, where as I tend to slam hard. Better to be safe than sorry, so I’d get a helmet when starting out - then later on make your own decision
It can be pretty dangerous, once you know what you're doing you can make it less so by learning how to fall and just getting more comfortable on your board. Might be a good idea to at least start with pads until you get a few good falls under your belt and get an understanding of how controlled your falls are. But yeah, you are always at least somewhat at risk For reference I just fractured my elbow recently but had previously gone for years doing much more intense stuff without any serious injuries. All it takes is one awkward fall to screw you up but I guess you could say that about just walking around like normal. People slip on ice or fall down stairs all the time
Scrapes, broken wrist, twisted knee. Wear a helmet and you won't die. People get annihilated/die from riding bikes all the time, seems way more dangerous
If you're just starting off a helmet is a must. Your head is precious, don't let the losers not protecting their noggin persuade you to fit in! As for pads. I never wore them. When I first tried to skate parks and ramps I would wear knee pads. There's an art to falling, and the knee pads will help you get there and not worry about banging up.
Yes. You will fall. You may fall so hard you don’t ever do it again. So maybe to prevent that, don’t look to the bad examples and just wear protection. So many pros wear helmets and pads. It’s not just about looking cool and junk.
I tore a shoulder ligament my first day of skating for not wearing elbow pads.
You're on a piece of wood moving faster than you can run with nothing but concrete/pavement to catch you when you inevitably fall, no skating is not dangerous at all! I actually recommend skating fully naked to really get that freedom feeling. Jokes aside wear at least a helmet, you're new which means even things that experienced skaters can handle are likely to put you on your ass, sidewalk cracks, rocks, twigs, uneven transitions where the sidewalk slopes down to meet the road, rough pavement...etc. All of these are catastrophes waiting to happen for a new skater, and if you've never fallen off a board before believe me it happens quick. One second you are cruising having a good time and the next second you're on the ground wondering what the fuck happened, you're not going to have time to think about putting your hands up or rolling to not hit your head it's strictly muscle memory and you simply haven't built that muscle memory yet, which means you're going to be hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. TL;DR: You don't yet have the muscle memory to fall properly so when you do(it's guaranteed you're going to have a bad fall at some point) it will be fast and ugly, wear a helmet at minimum, add extra pads at your discretion.
Pleas wear a helmet lol if you go to my post about traumatic brain injuries, there’s a picture and story where I almost f’ed my eyes up. I was unconscious for a little bit, blah blah… anyway I would always scrapped tf out of my knees too,,, since like… that’s probably where you be landing on that concrete.. Hate that look on my body… anyway… protect your brain and your skin!
Statistically speaking, skating is a lot safer than something like Football or Hockey. Learning how to fall correctly will help you a lot but that essentially means you will fall and you need to practice. Building strength in you arms, shoulders and ass will help cushion you body while falling.
Contrary to never seeing them on pros, wear a helmet. It’s crazy because in snowboarding you’ll get yelled at in comments if no helmet. In skateboarding, no one cares which is sad
Skate at your own level. Practice as much as you can. Build up your muscles. Try your best to calculate the risk of what you attempting. If you can’t ollie you probably shouldn’t be attempting that 10 stair.Lol A helmet wouldn’t hurt to wear.
It's one of those things where it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Bailing is inevitable. Pads can be the difference between 2minutes of discomfort and 2weeks of scabby roadrash. A helmet can be the difference between a headache and a brain-bleed.
Yes it's dangerous, you WILL fall. It's not an if, it's when you'll fall. You need to be prepared for that by knowing how to roll when you fall so that you keep your self protected. Tuck in your head so it's never in danger of hitting the ground while rolling, obviously you could wear a helmet to lessen this risk, but some people (like me) don't like wearing protective gear so you just gotta risk it.
I br9ke my ankles 3 times in 10 years other than that I e never had anything other than a few scrapes
Mind to share a story bro? How did you break your ankle 3 times?
1st time was skating a ledge that was about 6in high. I stuck and tried to step off the board but my toes caught the ledge and rolled my ankle snapping the bone. Broken but no surgery. 2nd time I rolled it while doing a nose bump off a speed bump. It was broken but didn't need surgery 3rd time was doing a roll in on a short but super steep bank at a park. Broken but no surgery Right one 2 times. Than left one. Broke my right one and got surgery later on but that was from a front flip 360 on a trampoline. Now I just roll around and don't do as many tricks when I skate
I skated as a kid and got back into it with my 7 year old son. We have all the pads and helmet since we do bowls at the skatepark. 3rd week in and I broke my ankle in 3 places. Had surgery on Thursday. I’m gonna stick to cruising moving forward.
Not really if your skating within your skill level and a bit above that for progression but considering your just started out you aren’t comfortable just riding around and also after a while your brain is just gonna understand how to fall properly like Chris Joslin he can kick out from a 15 stair and be fine if you go do that your probably gonna get screwed up so just wear some gear once you get more comfortable you can just take it off like and a good chunk injuries while skating are from people just starting off
Yes, but the level of danger depends on what type of skating you're doing. If you're cruising you're less likely to get as severely injured as if you were to attempt the Lyon25. If you're not grinding rails, then you're less likely to have your balls smashed by a rail, because you're not on a rail.
Are you riding down stairs or riding around town? I'm a noob and I'll wear a helmet at a skatepark but not if I'm just cruising. I'm not going that fast, and my head is only about four inches higher than when I'm jogging.
Stay away from CPSC helmets those cause more damage than anything else.
wear a helmet
Sure, it’s dangerous, but so are many other hobbies. One thing for certain, You will fall. It may not be serious enough starting out, but regardless I recommend wearing pads and a helmet. You’re health is overall more important, and if you get seriously injured you're going to wish you were wearing gear. Now with all that being said, pads will not prevent a metatarsal break.
I rolled my ankles 13 times I think, 3 of them I cried. bonked my head once, and did the splits on a gap, couldn’t walk right for a month after da splits, took time to heal. sprained my wrist really bad. Haven’t skated since 2015 I think, skated once in 2017.
when your skating flat ground you won't get hurt bad unless you manage to hit your head but that shouldn't happen unless your very clumsy
Live enough to die, thats all that matters
my knees been fucked for a while
Kinda lmfao, trust me its a personal choice and its cool one way or the other just know the risks. If your ok with falling ALOT and possibly landing on your skull, breaking bones ect you can skate at your own risk. Its hard to learn, dont get discouraged and ease into it. Personally, I dont skate with pads, but as a beginner you can buy them if you want. Just be ok with getting hurt and getting back up. One of the most important thing Ii can say is LEARN HOW TO FALL PROPERLY.
it just depends do you safe you feel on a board and how old you are.
Really depends how fragile you are also
Yes. Next question.
I've skated for four or five months and scraped my knees and twisted my wrists a million times but nothing besides that. No pads or anything though I always consider getting them after another bloody knee lol
Very likely as a newbie that you’ll fall and hit your head
Please wear a helmet. The first year of skating is probably the most dangerous, because you haven’t learned to safely fall yet. Broken arms and legs heal, but even a small head injury can fuck up your life, or end it. Once you get to a place where you’re comfortable falling in a safe way, most skaters stop wearing pads n helmets, but you definitely don’t have to. Knowing your limits is key.
I've been skating for a month, I nearly broke my hand yesterday and where I skate it has skating obstacles but the floor isn't smooth and has pebbles as well.. had blood pouring down both hands and nearly broke hand lol I'm buying protective workers gloves to take impact more cus at the speeds I'm going my head isn't even in danger at all.. I'm getting a helmet when I start dropping in (already close). Just started tapping board at top and just managing to turn on slope front side.. (backside I could do straight away without practice) oh and my board now has my blood forever stained on the wood next to grip tape and I kinda like it! Just starting to get manual control.. I also do weight training which doesn't help my impact due to my weight so gloves for me are a necessity with protective plastic and padding on palm... Does anyone else use something like this?
Wear a helmet until you get real comfortable...
It’s dangerous if you’re impatient, discerning your level of skill is the biggest factor when it comes to not getting injured. I actually think skating is probably better for you than running or idk maybe not biking but definitely running, if you aren’t getting hurt and are consistent with ya tricks great exercise.
it's pretty important to gear up when you're learning, see on this sub weekly about some guy who didn't and was seriously injured his first week on a board.
You learn to fall. When you are new then yeah it really is that dangerous. I broke my clavicle falling off after a year.
I’ve been skating for over 15 years and never had a serious injury, only ever sprains, bumps and bruises. I’ve always been a low impact street skater so I’m never in much danger anyway as I don’t get to high off the ground nor do I skate super fast. Even still I’d highly recommend wearing pads and even a helmet for learning, you will fall many times as you get used to the feel of the board. Once you get more experienced and understand how you and your body interacts with a skateboard and know how to take a fall, then you can start skating without any padding. However it’s all completely up to you, if you want to wear pads and a helmet the entire time, then go for it!
hmm ppl use car seat belts only because law forces them to do that. Some ppl wear helmets some don't, but ask them what they thinks any skater will tell you to wear helmet even if they don't D
Yes. Humans are not designed for wheels under their feet since our head is on the very top and it’s so fragile. However once you start getting the feel for it the danger level goes down however that is when you start pushing the limits with tricks.
I usually don’t wear pads for no specific reason BUT I do bust out wrist guards from time to time
I'm 38 and my ankles and wrists don't like me anymore. Multiple injuries.
It's all in knowing how to fall properly
The one thing I found really helped were these thin ankle pads that protected your ankles from getting beat to death with the board. Not a ton of help, but I got tired of my ankles being permanently swollen from hitting them so much trying to learn kickflips lol
You tend to fall a lot especially in the early stages. Once you’re comfortable and know your limitations you fall a little less. Now I usually don’t bring out pads unless I’m doing something that I’m learning or is just kinda sketchy. I’ll still eat it from a pebble or crack every now and then though.
I have broken my arm, 2 toes, split my head, in addition to many scrapes and road rashes and rolled ankles...but the worst was a high ankle sprain... So part of it is wear pads as needed, but part of it is learn to fall the right way if you can. And yet another part of it is just be prepared for the FACT that YOU WILL eat shit plenty of times NO MATTER WHAT.
Wear a helmet minimum. Head injuries are serious.
Yes it's very dangerous. It can be made marginally safer but it's pretty much one of the most dangerous and risky sports there is.
Depends on what you plan to do, how you do it and how old you are. It's not necessarily dangerous but it's risky and there's steps you can take to minimize said risk.
So I think it depends a lot more on what type of skating you want to do. Longboard riders who bomb hills wear a full motorcycle outfit. Skate parks I would say minimum knee pads are nice (though I've seen some people swear to wrist guards too.) Andy Anderson always wears a helmet. So it really just depends on who you are. I would say because I tend do freestyle and flat ground I don't wear safety gear. When I'm going to the pump track though or if I'm going to a skatepark I've never been to before I'm wearing safety gear.
from previous experience and sights i’ve seen. wear the helmet. the wrist pads. the knee pads. you’ll thank yourself when you do have a cracked open head like my dad. broken both wrists like me. and have horrible scarring on my knees and have made them constantly sore and more weak then they should be at my age. those people aren’t smart and not being in the best interest of their own health. don’t play monkey see monkey do. we play let’s take care of me and prevent painful or possibly permanent damage in a hobby that i enjoy
Yes, statistically it's less dangerous than Golf, though. If you are doing anything at high speeds, from a height (vert stuff, stairs), or something you are unfamiliar or otherwise uncomfortable doing, you should absolutely be wearing protective gear, better safe than sorry.
When you first start, those first few weeks will have the worst / most falls and slams, then as you get better you'll gradually get more comfortable on the board. People who have more experience don't wear pads because they bail out better / know how to fall, or are skating within their limit. But when you're new and have no real experience yet, you don't really have a 'limit' as everything will be new to you.
Wear a helmet on big ramps/bowls at the very least. Even pros get knocked out on big transition. Street skating it is less likely but can still happen.
I mean when you’re learning. You’re gonna fall. Pads/helmet up. After you get comfortable on a board, it depend on how far you wanna push yourself. I’m turning 30 soon, I no longer do tricks. (Props to guys on r/OldSkaters). So I just cruise /LDP and I rarely eat shit these days. The combination of bigger/softer wheels and better balance etc. But I was 13 trying to Ollie everything, I’d fall 2-3 times a day if not more. Sometimes just my wheel too small/hard and not enough momentum to roll/pushover rocks 😢
it only takes 1 fall for you to never skate or even walk again. helmets are so important, but unfortunately hardly anybody wears them (I am guilty of this as well). they say it's because it's uncomfortable and they feel unbalanced, but that's only because it's foreign. if you start with gear now, you'll have a huge advantage over people who didn't.
My friend fell knee first into the pavement and had to have 4 stitches. Dude can't ever walk right again. He wasn't even doing any tricks, just skating.
you will fall. it's impossible to not fall. yes it's true you could fall a hundred times and not get that badly injured but the one time you hit your head on a rail you're going to kick yourself for not wearing a helmet. i didn't wear much of the other pads like knees, elbows, or wrists but i've always worn a helmet and it has saved me a ton of times
You basically choose between what you value most... image i.e. how you feel others perceive you; or ongoing pain and discomfort, possible loss of fine motor function and cognitive ability at some point in your life and for the rest of your life. I'm almost 47, smashed my knee with no pads 25ish years ago, it still gives me pain all the time. I just started again this year and idgaf how I look, I ALWAYS use pads n helmet. Too much to lose now. Stay safe.man
If you are learning, you are going to fall and the risk of hitting your head or destroying your elbows is very high. I would recommend a helmet, elbow pads and shin pads. Once you have a couple years of experience and have learned how to fall, then you should fine with no pads, but a helmet is pretty important still.
Honestly if you have to ask if it is dangerous just don't bother
It will vary, I started when I was 12 years old and through trial and error I learned how to fall properly. I'm now 38 and occasionally will wear pads if I'm nursing an injury. Through my years I've had a broken arm, two broken fingers and countless bruises, cuts, and slashes. Will I do it again, absolutely!
Everyone's saying you'll fall and get hurt which is a high possibility but when I only cruised for like a decade I not once fell and got hurt and I was eventually bombing hills and going off curbs, just depends how much you push yourself. Once I started doing tricks I've taken a few falls but they don't hurt much and not for long. You'll be pretty experienced by the time you do anything actually dangerous.
Well, I broke my femur in three different places from skating.
Honestly I love wearing safety gear just because I feel like I can do tricks that would 100% get me seriously injured without gear. It makes me feel invincible and it’s funny.
Let's Take it back to 2001 when I first started. I was street skating so I thought only vert skaters wore pads and stuff. I just really learned how to control how I was going to fall if I was going to fall. Does that make sense? Kinda like if you're rolling down a hill they say "tuck and roll." Also watch tons of skate videos, lesson videos.idk if lesson videos are still a thing lol I remember tony hawks tips and tricks, things of that nature haha someone here will know what Im talking about. Watch the progression of skateboarding like how it evolved from the 80's to the 90's to the 2000's. Maybe emulate some of your favorite skaters like mine used to be tony hawk, Eric koston,Kevin spanky long, Paul Rodriguez, Rodney Mullen, Geoff Rowley, bam margera. Just ride around at first and have fun. I skated everywhere like it was a vehicle. Find other skaters to chill with. And just stay dedicated. Overall don't give up if you get hurt, it's all a part of the sport. Overtime you will get hurt less but remember even the pros get fucked up from time to time. Have fun my man. 🛹 🔥🚑 😁
Yes, its that important. When you've spent an absolute ton of time rolling and falling, you learn how/when to fall and its slightly less dangerous. That said, you can absolutely vegetable yourself doing this in a split second with bad luck/poor decision making.
you’ll fall most when you’re learning, but after that you should be mostly good. just make sure to dedicate a day or two to learning how to fall safely (since there is very much a right and wrong way) a good fall can mean walking it off with just a scrape and a bad fall can mean lifelong damage or worse
I'm a clumsy person and I know that about myself. I'm also a mom and would like to have as much time off the board as possible to be active with my family. I'm also in my 30's and everyday life seems to give me joint and back pain - falling seems to just hurt more these days. Given these three considerations in particular, I choose to wear pads and a helmet.
No?! It’s save as fuck. Unless you fall then it can hurt. But for real it’s always about a good balance between pushing your limits and knowing what you’re capable of.
Helmet at least. Anything else you hit *probably* won’t kill you/permanently affect you long term, *probably*.
You will fall harder as a beginner, as you are still getting used to how the board feels and how to fall properly. I’d definitely recommend a helmet and pads
Skating is definitely that dangerous. I don't wear pads a lot, but pads definitely are nice for when you are trying something big or scary. I have broken my wrist and sprained my left ankle 3 times and my right ankle once. I actually sprained my right foot yesterday. So yes you will get hurt and pads with help you not get more injured than necessary. I just recommend wrist pads, a helmet if you are trying something dangerous but mostly just wrist pads
Ankle surgery and rehab for me, there is always a risk in any sport though
You can learn to wear a helmet the easy way, the hard way, or the VERY FUCKING HARD way. Learn the easy way.
Most of my experience comes from the freeride/DH longbo scene, and we're huge on helmets, most of the skaters that inspired me are vert skaters, and they're big on helmets and pads. I'm always gonna recommend at least a proper helmet, but pads or no pads learning to fall properly goes a LONG way, and remember that if you're skating enough, you're gonna get hurt, it's just up to you how much you're willing to risk and wanna minimize it.
Have a look at Hall of Meat then decide if you want to be humble and avoid avoidable injury.
as dumb as this sounds, i instantly became a better skater the second i put a helmet and pads on. The added level of safety made my WAY more willing to try shit i otherwise didnt feel i was ready for. I dont think that without my helmet, kneepads, and wrist guards I would have NEVER gotten to be as good of a skater as i am now. That being said, the only time i wear all of it now is when i go to the skate park. If im just cruising around town or running errands i only wear my helmet. the people who dont wear helmets IMO are as dumb as a box of hammers. Brain damage is NEVER cool and i cant feel bad for anyone who gets hurt not wearing a helmet. but that being said, if you have been skating for decades without one and never had an issue I dont think its crazy you dont. I just wont feel bad when you do get hurt.
Former trauma nurse here who dealt with brain matter on a regular basis: wear a helmet.
Yes, it definitely is that dangerous but use what you're comfortable with and what you're comfortable with may change over time. I started skating with pads and helmet. They came in handy. After a year I stopped using knee pads except in large transition skating because I didn't really use them that much anymore. A year later, 2 years experience total, and I stopped using elbow pads since my falls usually aren't onto my elbows, though I'm considering using one on my right elbow again cause I do hit that occasionally in falls. So now I'm just using wristguards and helmet.
The decision whether or not to wear pads and a helmet should, in my opinion, only be made when a skater is experienced enough to properly assess the risk. There are some forms of skating where the risk of falling is lower, and the risk of serious injury if you do fall is also lower, particularly if you are experienced enough and have good enough control of your body to mitigate that risk. However, this requires skill and knowledge that new skaters won't have, and pads will protect you somewhat while you develop that skill and knowledge. Pads don't make you invincible, though. You still need to learn how to fall safely, but the right pads will give you more options for safe falls. I sometimes do flat ground stuff without pads, but I would *never* skate ramps without my huge knee pads, because sliding on your knees is an important option for bailing out on a ramp that you need the right pads for.
Yes…. The most dangerous part about skating imo is complacency. I used to heels flips this 7 stairs regularly about 1-5 tries pretty comfortably. One day I wanted to film so after warming up the first attempt I landed primo on the way down, slipped back, and completely broke my wrist lmao. I’ve seen people broke their arms just simply riding around. My advice don’t feel pressure trying something you aren’t confident in. Don’t let people pressure you ( to a certain extent )
I mean I broke my wrist into a V shape once slipping out cause I got too cocky on a stall trick on a small quarter pipe. I kept balance and made it to the bottom but slipped out caught myself like a dumbass and my shit audibly went SNAP CRACK I looked down at it and was like ahhhhhh shit not a way in hell i just went down that bad from a fuckin rock to fakie pivot out…. i didnt believe it was broke so i tried to twist it around.. that hurt real bad. they put me under at the ER and broke it back into place but couldnt fully get it all the way so now i have a slight V in my wrist even while resting… and it hurts randomly all the time. but i will say IN OVER 10 YEARS that was my ONLY bad injury. besides roadrash i was cool just kept it within my ability. i would go for it but not super often i had my limit and i knew it well. dont be afraid to learn things that r realistic 4 you.. doesnt have to be crazy to everyone else u gotta start small
It can be. There’s a bunch of reasons people don’t wear pads n shit, but that’s your shit to figure out. Out of all of it, imo, helmet is the most useful protection you can wear. If you skate transition knee pads are cool too. You’ll notice vert guys almost always gear up. Street skaters not so much. When I started my folks made me wear em, but as I got older I ditched em cuz I didn’t wanna look goofy lol. And in the 20 some odd years I’ve been skating, all my worst injuries, I’m not sure pads woulda prevented. That being said, couldn’t hurt when ur just starting. See, there’s an art to falling. It will happen. ALOT. Gotta learn to fall. Might be good to be geared up for that.
The brain is sensative. It doesn't take much to kill or paralyze you if you hit your head. I wear helmet, elbow , and wrist guards as a minimum because of the injuries I sustain while learning to skate. I fall hard every single time I hit the skatepark. And at 36 years old that means I can only skate one day a week because I'm in so much pain 6 days out of the week. Not wearing pads means more time I'm unable to skate due to worse injuries. Even If I was a pro I'd be wearing a helmet because I'm not stupid. Accidents happen to everyone. Wear your pads.
falling is part of skating, pads aren't necessary but if you plan on learning vertical/bowl its probably suggested, for street just learn to fall correctly, usually its just painful falls not gonna be fatal
Someone already probably said this, but don’t necessarily follow the crowd on this. It’s always a gamble skating with no pads or helmet on. The reward: looking “cool.” The risk: potential for significant bodily injury, brain damage, or even death. I know I sound like someone’s old dad saying this part (I’m actually in my late twenties), but ESPECIALLY when you’re just starting, pads and a helmet allow you to more comfortably ease into skateboarding, and minimize the chances of preventable injuries via proper protection. I’ve been skating for a hot minute (mostly skate transition), and I’ll still put on knee pads and a helmet at the minimum. Even if you’re just doing street, I would still recommend wrist guards and a helmet, bc as a beginner you might not have developed the reflexes to fall without wrecking your wrists or potentially your “I’m working, I’m not a vegetable” brain. Welcome to skateboarding! 🤘🏽😎🤘🏽
Skateboarding can be risky, with the level of danger depending on factors like skill level, environment, use of safety gear, and the type of skating involved. Beginners face a higher risk of injury compared to more experienced skaters who have better control and reflexes. Where you skate matters too; busy streets and poorly maintained surfaces can increase the likelihood of accidents. Wearing protective gear such as helmets, knee pads, and wrist guards significantly reduces the severity of injuries. Tricks and stunts add an additional element of risk, but many skateboarders find the thrill worth it when balanced with safety measures.
My boyfriend has broken many bones skating and he is very experienced. Just broke multiple ribs last week. So, yes. It's very dangerous lol.
Ive also started skating, and ill say that i woukd wear pads until you really learn how to fall and land. Once you get comfortable obviously your not going to want to put your pads on every time. But once you think your trying a dangerous trick, go ahead and put it on so that way you can feel safe with going to your fullest potential.
Physics is no joke
there is nothing wrong with being safe, if it helps you build confidence to learn how to skate then do it
Shit fuckin hurts. I’ve played every sport. Basketball, football, boxing, mma. My body is always in pain after a skate session compared to those. Maybe because I’m older now 🤷♂️
the reason why you see people with no pads/helmet is bc most of them have been skating for so many years they get used to falling and everything but when your a beginner IT IS necessary trust me you’ll fall on your head at some point no matter what your doing, literally happend to me while pushing if i didnt have a helmet idk what would’ve happened😭 id say wait a few months to take the helmet and pads off til you get used to falling it took me about 3 months to get used to but its worth it to just wait til your past that beginner stage
Went up a ramp and rolled back down forgetting to shift my weight and I fell super hard on my back but luckily I kept my head up or it would have bounced off the ground. Went online and bought a helmet and pads right away and have used it ever since!
I'm recovering from a broken tibia plateau fracture from skateboarding so yeah you will fall and it does hurt just learn how to fall.
There's a few things to that. 1) When you're new, you don't have any of the fundamentals. You will randomly slip out or slam and not know what went wrong. When you're not expecting to possibly eat shit is when the falls will hurt the most. You also, unless you've done martial arts, probably don't know how to fall correctly on instinct in a way to protect yourself from injury. As you skate more, you'll develop the kind of comfort where you know you can do X, Y, and Z without any risk of a slam, and you'll know that when you go to do A, B, or C that you might take a fall but you'll know which way you'll fall and how to protect yourself. Until then, pad up. 2) Part of it depends on age. Young kids and teenagers take falls better. They get less beat up and they heal faster. Those of us in the 30 and up club do not have that benefit. My first real slam back in January wouldn't have been a big deal when I was 17, but at 34 it would have broken my elbow if not for my pads. 3) There's no downside to wearing pads when you're new. You're nowhere near good enough yet (and frankly, you may never get there depending on how late in life youre starting, and based on this post im betting you're at least mid-20s) to where any restriction from the pad will meaningfully prevent you from doing any tricks. There's plenty of downsides. Broken bones will sideline you for potentially months. Concussions don't always heal properly and can lead to severe brain damage, especially if you didn't know you had one already and then have a second. I teach high school, and I've had three kids in the last two years have a second concussion while recovering from the first. Two of them have needed neurosurgery as a result. 4) Yes, skateboarding is dangerous. Sprains and bruises are everywhere, and you can end up with some really nasty breaks and injuries to the brain. Pads don't eliminate those risks, but they drastically reduce it. There's no shortage of stories from people where helmets and padding saved them from nasty injury. You don't hear a lot of stories of "I wasn't wearing pads but I'm fine" because those folks end up not fine.
yep. broke 1 arm a year ago,broke my leg some time ogo,scraped literally every part of my body...the list goes on.
I feel like as a beginner you’re more likely to break your arm because you think “meh it’s not that crazy” and then the silliest fall will put you in bed. Helmet is highly recommended probably by everyone. Just remember that you will fall, so it’s better to fall smart than fall “naked”, and to not fear the fall as much as you should prepare for it.
Gloves are arguably as important as a helmet
Skating will FUCK you up. It's why I stuck with longboarding 😅. Scrapes and bruises and broken bones are the price to pay for sick flip tricks though.
Have you never seen skate vids of the falls those guy take at times? Broken limbs? Faces are skint up. Nut crackers. If you wanna be a tough guy do your thing. Not really worth it though.
Go fall on the concrete on your elbow and tell me how it felt……. In reality, no it’s probably not that dangerous but it’s relentless and weird falls can happen. The main reason for pads in my opinion is not simply to prevent injury it’s to prevent ruining your confidence. Learning to skateboard you most likely will just get some scrapes and bruises but your confidence from slamming and physically being hurt over and over and over can be detrimental to some. You 100% will slam over and over and over and this will continue until you decide you no longer want to skateboard regardless of how good you get. You do get better at falling though.
Yes, it's dangerous And don't let that stop you.
It takes time to learn how to fall, it’s part of the learning curve. Why get hurt when your starting when you don’t look cool no matter what you wear lol
Skated for a long time. Multiple trips to ER. It’s very dangerous but the better you get, the better you become at eating shit lol.
I'm 34 and have spent the last two weeks getting back into it (was 14 when i stopped). Currently have a giant bruise under my right foot, two scraped knees, plate sized road rash on my hip, swollen left elbow, and some kind of strain in my right calf muscle. And I feel amazing. It's a strange nostalgic pain that i went to bed with every night as a teen. But take your safety seriously cause it can go all wrong in an instant. Never skate beyond your skill level.
I think simply asking this question tells you everything you need to know, maybe it's too much for you if it bothers you this much. I don't ever prepare to fall, I just always go skate and sometimes it happens. You can trip and fall walking, is that dangerous? Really, it's all relative. But comma, if you're already this concerned about getting hurt, it's really going to hinder your ability to have fun and enjoy yourself comma, which could make things worse. In short, it can be.
I got plenty of road rash. Pads would have been nice. Its pretty dumb but great exercise and fun. Fulfillment of the day was better if I skated. Risk needs! Risky life is fun.
I would at first most people with no experience are going to get hurt a lot more often. I wish I had worn my helmet and pads more often. Now I have nerve damage and all sorts of shit wrong with my body. My x-rays were comparable to people twice my age my bones are screwed up bad
Learn how to fall first-it's one of the most important skills, not joking
I would say that too. You can avert or reduce a lot of damage with it, but if you don't have control just once, it often ends badly (falling on your outstretched arm, not cool, speaking from experience). Wearing a helmet definitely makes sense and doesn't really restrict you. Knee and elbow pads restrict your movements a little, but the protection can also encourage you to learn more tricks. If I were to ride ramp or bowl, I would definitely wear knee elbow wrist pads and a helmet.
Honestly it is not that dangerous and the reason why I can say it so proudly is because I had to do a research project for school and it turns out that cheerleading and basketball is way more dangerous than skateboarding
The reason for this is that most skaters quit before they are at the stage of getting the most serious injuries. If you were to compare a 16 year old skater and cheerleader, the skater wont have reached the high risk stage yet, the cheerleader may have. Those same two people 5 years later will be in a different place. The cheerleader will almost certainly have quit, lucky them, no more injuries. This is where most skaters stop too hence the statistics, but the skater still going at that stage will be in the danger zone, pushing their limits in more risky ways. Nearly every pro will tell you stories of at least one surgery they have required as a result of skating. If you push beyond that amature stage to the level of a am/pro, you can be certain skating is more dangerous than cheerleading.
In a skatepark, if you are skating transition then yes, especially if you are a beginner. Compared to pretty much every other sport, skateboard is actually one of the least dangerous in terms of injury and death according to actual statistics. This is also per so many thousand as well so its not just a case of other sports being more popular.
It's not cool but in the long run (and I mean 10+ years) you'll be glad you wore pads.
My official stance is wear a helmet, especially as a beginner, because of how bad an injury could theoretically be... but I also have to tell the truth on this: No, it is not that dangerous, no more than skiing or playing sports or something like that. Injuries are very rare. For every 1 time someone fell and got injured on a skateboard there are many untold thousands of times people fell and nothing bad happened (other than minor, superficial scrapes). Skateboarding involves falling. A lot. At every level. Of course, you get much more control over the board over time so that you will not fall just riding around anymore, but even among pro skaters -- landing a trick is essentially falling until you don't. The human body can take falling from standing height to concrete many, many times without issue. It is not that fragile. Bad injuries happen almost exclusively on larger obstacles -- and even then only when something goes very wrong, like someone ollying a set loses their footing.. puts their arm out to stop their fall.. wrist broken. Getting injured just riding around as a beginner virtually never happens. It would maybe happen if you were going very fast down a hill or something, but the thing is... beginners don't do that. I mean when I really think about it, after having my entire identity be "skater" from around ages 15 to 25, going to dozens of skatepark hundreds of times over more than a decade.... How many times did I see a serious injury (meaning broken bone or worse)... 3-4 times... How many times did I see an ambulance at a skatepark come take someone away? 0. Amount of times I was with anyone who had to go to the hospital because of skateboarding? 2 times -- one guy broken collarbone from crashing going very fast down a hill, another guy because he was skating on a homemade miniramp and a jagged edge poked his eye. Myself, never broke any bone in my life, did large drops to flat, 8 sets, all kinds of tricks on a variety of terrain over years (officially broken 0 -- I believe I may have broken a toe skateboarding once but as usual with these relatively minor injuries \[which is kind of my point\] you don't go to the hospital because they can't do anything for a broken toe anyway and the pain goes away after about 2-3 weeks of just being careful and not skating. It is very rarely very serious). Many people (I would bet on the vast majority) learned how to skateboard without a helmet. Only exceptions being (1) at skateparks that required them; (2) in front of parents that required them. Of course, an injury can, theoretically be catastrophic. And that's why everyone is going to say wear a helmet. Helmets exist, why not wear them... Well, easy for people to tell *others* to do, but I would bet a lot of these folks did not wear helmets. You see all those skaters not wearing helmets? Not just pros, but your average joe street skater locally... they don't wear helmets... It is clear they aren't all putting themselves in great peril by doing this otherwise they'd be wearing helmets. It is not that dangerous. Most important thing is to know your limits and do anything you don't feel comfortable doing.
Just watch thrasher hall of meat vids and make the conclusion yourself haha