Skateboarding has developed quite a bit in recent years. For decades when skateboarding was in its infancy, it was seen as an activity performed by youngsters, mainly rebel kids. In these earlier years skateboarders were perceived as outcasts who went around vandalizing other people's property by skating on it. It is becoming more understood these days but it still has a long way to go before people will fully understand the skill and dedication that goes into this sport.

The basics of skateboarding like pushing yourself along the street are easy to learn but once you get into the tricks and manoeuvres such as the most basic trick, the ollie, it takes quite a bit more practice to master. You need to learn the ollie as it's a fundamental move that is combined into the majority of tricks where the board leaves the ground. The ollie is what could be considered a "jump" where the skateboard and the rider leave the ground with the board under their feet. To really master this basic move it can take a natural skater up to a year to really get it down.

When learning to skateboard some protective gear can go a long way to ensuring your safety as you can expect to take many falls when first starting out. A decent helmet, some elbow pads and knee pads will give you the safety you're looking for and a little extra confidence knowing you won't get too hurt when you fall. You can buy this protective gear fairly cheap from most skate shops and even some general purpose stores.

It's easy to get nervous when first starting out on a skateboard because your balance will most likely be very out of tune. But don't worry, every single skater you see out there on the skate park doing all those big moves, grinding rails, doing big grabs on the half pipe, they were all just like you when they started out. It's a sport that takes a lot of dedication, and it relies on practice. If you put in the hours you'll be popping kick flips in a matter of months. So go out there and get practicing, it'll keep you busy for many years to come.