A skateboard Deck is a flat board usually made up of Maple wood or Birch. It is the most important part in a skateboard. A skateboarder puts their foot or stand on it while skateboarding.

If you wan't to assemble your own skateboard and cant't decide what type of "Deck" is suitable for you to buy. Then some of the questions might run to your mind, like: What skateboard size do i need?

what material to choose for a skateboard deck?

How to choose a deck according to your riding style?

Wait, Wait:

Here i will try to answer all your questions.

Also if you already have a skateboard, then you might be thinking that When should i replace/change my skate deck? or something like that.

You might also wonder that how often should you change your skateboard? but it is totally up to you, It depends upon your riding style or how hard you skate and in what place you skate.

Lets move on to the guide:

Choose Skateboard deck style first

This is the first thing you should consider before buying a skateboard deck. Skateboard decks come mainly in four shapes.

Each shape has its own style of skateboarding. These Styles of skateboard decks are:

Shortboards:

A Shortboard is the smallest type of skateboard. Its shape and size is mainly designed for performing tricks and air tricks. If you want to skate park and or street skating then this kind of skateboard is that you need.

Cruisers:

Cruisers are designed for cruising around. It has Kicktails but it's not suitable for Tricks and street skating. There are also Short cruisers available(Like: Penny) but the specially designed for cruising purpose.

Old School:

Old school boards have asymmetric shape, It have broad & flat nose and kicktails. It is suitable for Carving the streets, Skating Ramps and Pools.

Longboard:

Longboards are the longest among all the boards. It provides great stability. It is suitable for Cruising around and transportation purpose. You can't perform tricks on it. Some Longboards are specially designed for downhill racing,for downhill riding it is made symmetric.

Choosing the right size

What should be the ideal size for me to get a skateboard?

Most people ask this question and they keep unanswered sometimes. Because, there is no exact answer for this.

Deck width is a factor which should be considered while choosing a skateboard deck for you. Length is not a factor that matters much.

A skateboard deck width that you need is based on your height, Age and Shoe size.

Here we have some data regarding size of skateboard according to you Height, Age, Shoe size.

Consider this Skateboard deck Sizing chart:

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Remember, these Sizing suggestions are only indicative. you can also ride skateboard larger or smaller than the size which is recommended in this chart. But the Deck of the board must be in good quality.

Skateboard size according to style:

7.5" to 8" - Standard board for adult riders skating streets or doing more technical tricks
8.0" to 8.25" - Skating pool, ramp, rail, and parks
8.25" and larger - Vert, pools, cruising, and just going old school

Deck Features

Width

You should buy your skateboard deck according to it's width, not length. Average size of the decks lie between 7.5" to 8.75". If you ride skate ramp or vert ramp or if your height and shoe size is large then you should go with a wider deck. If you like to perform trick or you are a street rider then you should prefer a narrow deck.

Length

A skateboard deck length is measured from its Nose to its tail. Mostly decks of a traditional skateboard are 28" to 32" long. The longer a board is, the wider it will be. So keep in mind that size is based on its width not its lenght. Except it is a longboard.

WheelBase

Wheelbase is the distance between the inner mounting holes that are drilled on the deck. It's average distance is from 13" to 15". It's distance is determined according to the riders choice or the height of the rider. The Taller a rider is, the broader wheelbase they prefer.

Nose

The Nose of the deck is the front end of the deck, it is thicker and a little longer than the tail.

Tail

Tail is the Back end of the deck. Some companies stick a sticker to differentiate between the nose and the tail.

Deck Shape

There are Various Shapes of Skateboards to choose from. A skateboard Shape is not it's design. It's Deck's Shape is depended on your riding Style- Radial, progressive, w-concave, flat-cave, asymmetric, convex etc. are shapes of skateboard that is helpful for those riders who prefer doing Tricks.

Concave

Concave improve the riders performance and it also provides the rider more foothold than a flat deck. That's the reason why companies keep experimenting on concave to improve and invent a new kind of concave.

Here are the Main types of concave available these days:

Radial Concave

Radial concave Subtle U shaped and most common concave. It provides a better grip to your foot and is suitable for all kind of riding styles.

Progressive

Similar to the radial concave. The steep wall on the rail combined with the wider base allows more secure footing and a more locked-in feel.

W-Concave

It makes the board more responsive. Helps in making quick and sharp turns easily.

Flatcave

It is somewhat similar to Progressive but the rails extend at a sharp angle instead of gentle curve.

Asymmetric

When a skateboard deck rail rise at different angles, it is asymmetric.

Convex

An upward arching deck shape is called Convex. These are not common and skaters usually don't prefer it.

Flat

Flat deck has no Concave and kicktail. It is rare. Boardwalking and other showy tricks can be performed.

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Material and Quality

The material that you choose for your skateboard deck will define the quality of the board. Choosing the right material is very important. Of course, you don't want your skateboard to be broken while you try some tricks, as it may get you injured hard.

Also if the material is not good enough then you would not experience the Stability and smoothness while Cruising around.

If you don't know what materials are ideal for each skateboard part, No worry ! We will provide all information that you need to choose a good quality skateboard.

Let's go:

Most popular and the most common material used to make a skateboard deck is Canadian Maple. Another Popular material used are Bamboo and Baltic Birch Plywood. You can go for any of these material they all are ideal materials for the deck.

The Popularity that maple wood gain is the highest among them, This is because of the stability a experience that it provides.

Plastic is an alternative material that is used these days widely to make short cruisers. Penny started making first Plastic skateboards. Fiberglass and Aluminium deck are also available that works in a similar way.

Price Expectation

Don't ever try to buy a cheap skateboard. Never forget that you may showing of tricks on the board. Cheap Skateboards can't handles much weight and stroke.

Never think that if it is Expensive it must be good. No, Sometimes you may get fooled.

Just set a criteria and go for that criteria or you can also take Recommendation from an expert to buy your deck.

Conclusion

To choose a great skateboard deck you have to first know that style of skateboarding you want. Then choose a deck types according to your style.

Know what size is suitable for you. Consider the right shape, the right price and right material.

Once you find your desired deck, Don't think anymore, Go and Buy It.

Whether you have been Skateboarding for so long, or you are just beginning. You might have probably noticed that on the flat surface you usually just run out of speed or loose balance and just step off the board.

But:

Once you start rolling faster you will definitely want to know, how to stay safe whenever you have to get off your Skateboard.

One of the easiest ways is to stop on the board but also happens to be a great way to practice Bailing.

So Let’s learn to Prevent Falling or To fall with less or without Injuries.

Here we go:

How to fall on a Skateboard safely

1. Prevent Falling

Have grip

If you want to avoid falling from the board then first make sure you are wearing Proper Skateboarding Shoes that have enough grip, or it is labeled as slip-resistant. Your skateboard deck must have a Good Quality Grip-Tape applied to it, which provides the required grip to your foot.

Stop Your Skateboard

If You lose control over your Skateboard First try to Stop it if you can. This can prevent you from many falls. However, it is not easy to Stop the board in all conditions, but you can Stop it in many of them if you know Techniques to Stop Skateboard.

Be Attentive

As you are riding. Pay careful attention to the ground and your surrounding too. A small bump or crack on the ground can give you injuries that might not be small. If Surrounding where you a riding board is a place where there is a chance of getting someone in front of you and make you fall then you must be Attentive if you don’t want to fall.

Ride in Safe Environment

If you Ride Skateboard inside your home or in your classroom when the teacher is absent, or any other place which has Obstacles like a house or a classroom then be aware. Because these are the places that can get you injured severely.

In a Classroom, there are Desks, Chairs, and Benches that can get you injured on your waist, knees, or ankles. And a house is a too small place with lots of hazardous obstacles in it.

Improve your Balance and Strength

Having weak legs with poor balance can increase your chances of falling. Improve your Balance by practicing more.

There are also some Exercises that Helps to Improve your Balance and Strength, Try exercising for improvement.

2. Falling with less or without Injuries

Wearing Right Safety Gears

If you want to Stay Safe and Prevent Injuries, We Strongly recommend wearing all your safety gears you need.

Important Safety Gears are:

Helmet
Elbow Pads
Knee Pads
Wrist Guards
Padded Shorts
Shoes

Bailing is a technique in which if you have suspect feeling that you are going to fall, you can bail out of the trick to avoid getting severely injured. Unfortunately bailing is not going to be easy to learn for a beginner, but it is good to know about them and maybe giving them a try.

Here are Some of the Bailing Tricks you can use:

Runoff your Skateboard

If you are losing control, then you should immediately run off from your skateboard. Pretty much you will be taking your first step forward and then just running or jogging at speed in general direction you were going.You can

You can usually stay upright, and your board should come to a stop.

Note: If you are Running off from your skateboard and your skateboard trucks are loose then it can be dangerous for other skateboarders, In this case, you should warn them by yelling louder.

The Knee Slide

Another Bailing technique to fall without getting injured is the Sliding with you knees on the smooth surface(Try this only if you got knee Pads).

Remember to have your hands up when you are sliding, and do not reach out with your hands, even if you are wearing a wrist guard.

When skating on a Steep Transition or an Incline, you can go straight into a knee slide to avoid injuries.

Protect your head

When this is definite that you are going to fall then the most important body part that you need to protect is your head.

You can Tuck your chin down and lower your head. You can also bring your arms up to head level for additional protection

Spread out the force

When you fall, try to spread the impact force over a large area of the body. Falling on a single point will result in that area taking most of the damage.

Statistics show that most common injuries occur When Skateboarder try to stop them while falling and this may lead to a broken wrist.

Stay loose

The body part that is more likely to break in a fall is that one which was kept tensed. Loosening your body will allow the impact force to spread.

Roll out of the impact

how to fall on a skateboard — Source: Google

The best technique to dissipate the force of a fall is to roll into it. By rolling you convert the force of the fall into the roll which prevents from absorbing it to your body parts. However, this technique is not easy, but it is very effective. You may practice falling and roll on a padded surface.

Here are Steps to this Technique:

Start in a low squat position.
Lean forward and place your palms flat on the ground in front of you.
Push off the ground with your legs and move your weight forwards.
Your legs will go over your head.
Keep your back rounded and gently try to land on your shoulder.
Let the momentum carry you through the roll and stand up back onto your feet.

Nutshell:

We will always recommend that “Prevention is better than cure”. So always follow these Guidelines to Prevent yourself from Injuries:

Always wear Safety Gears and a Helmet,
Prevent yourself from falling by skating in the right place, Practising more, Working on your balance etc.
Learn Bailing.
Learn how to fall safely. You Should Practice falling, your garden can be a great place to practice falling.
Now you have learned all the Basics for skateboarding. Now you can start learning Tricks, we have a collection of Easiest tricks for beginners, consider learning it first before you try Advanced Tricks.

How to choose a Skateboard deck for you? Quick Buying guide

Choose Skateboard deck style first

Choosing the right size

Deck Features