More Than a Sport – Skateboarding is a Way of Life
Tony Hawk once said “Skateboarding is an art, a lifestyle, and only in the end a sport.”, and he is totally right. The skateboarding culture has been present for over 70 years now and has enabled many young people to express themselves, their creativity and their athleticism. It has had many ups and downs until it has become what it is today, but luckily, it doesn’t seem to go be going away anytime soon as nowadays it is more popular than ever.
Skateboarding first came to be around the fifties, as a way for Californian surfers to express themselves outside the water. Shortly thereafter, it turned into a subculture and a way for young people to express anger and rebellion. Even nowadays skaters are usually portrayed as vandals and rebels in most movies, but that can’t be farther from the truth.
Skateboarding is a progression oriented, innovative activity with unique characteristics which helps a lot of young people to feel like they belong somewhere. It’s a multi-dimensional lifestyle which incorporates a rather open state of mind. You can see skaters talking for hours about how skateboarding has touched their lives or discussing the newest skateboards and streetwear they saw in some skateboard shop online.
All that aside, skateboarding has a lot of health benefits, including: increasing your overall fitness level, physical endurance, flexibility, balance, precision and stress relief. It’s great for burning some calories and staying in shape. Depending on the intensity of your skating and your size, you might burn anywhere from 150 to 500 calories in an hour.
The fact that it’s fun, it makes you forget about everyday problems and focus on doing that kick flip you’ve been trying to do since you first picked up a skateboard from your favourite skateboard shop online and watched a Tony Hawk video. And you know that in order to execute it, you need the right momentum, speed, balance and flexibility.
Skateboarding makes your entire body work when performing tricks. You move your body in different directions for specific purposes – your feet and legs for speed while kicking the skateboard and your arms and upper body for balance. And every time you fail, you get up and try to do it again, this time something slightly different – place your feet on the board differently, change timings and speed and change the way you land.
Simply put, it’s one of the most beneficial activities you can do for your body and mind. You’ll make new friends down at the skate park and improve your overall health. Yeah sure, you’ll fall down and hurt yourself a couple of times, but you’ll learn that only by getting up and keeping on trying, you’ll succeed. The best part is, all you need is a skateboard, some protective wear and a strong will. Now go and skate your worries away!
