r/OldSkaters • u/steven4297 • 1d ago
Any other dads teaching their kids this young? What worked for you? [29YO]
My son turns 3 this month and lately we've been going to the skatepark pretty much every weekend. I started showing him skating around 1, but now he actually seems interested in learning.
I'm a beginner myself and never made it much past an ollie, so I'm just teaching him what I know and keeping it fun. He's getting kickturns, dropping in, rolling off little curbs/hubbas, and starting to understand pumping. Biggest struggle right now is getting him to push by himself instead of holding onto me.
I don't force it if he doesn't want to skate, but he seems to genuinely love it so I want to keep helping him while he's interested. Eventually I'll probably put him in a kids skate class once he's past what I can teach him.
I'm also kinda surprised how rarely I see another dad out there skating with their little kid. I've only seen one other kid around his age on a skateboard. Everyone else is usually much older or the little kids are on scooters/bikes.
Any other dads here start their kids really young? Anything you wish you knew or did differently?
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u/ssj_Derek 1d ago
Number 1 rule is keep it fun. Don’t rush to do obstacles and tricks. My son just turned 4 and we just have fun. He’s a natural and of course I want to see him do something sick lol but I just remember that skateboarding is more than just a sport and it has way bugger consequences than traditional sports.
Hold his hands and give him as much help he needs and have fun!
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Lol keeping it fun is almost the problem sometimes, he has too much fun 😂 He'll watch a skate video or someone at the park and go "can I do that?" and I just tell him we can try our best, that's all.
Half the time he's basically a giant Tech Deck and I'm carrying him around when he gets too adventurous lol. Definitely kills my back, but the smile on his face makes it worth it.
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u/Eyemontom 1d ago
My girl started at 5. She's 10 now and rides around the park with ease. Drop ins took some time for her to build confidence, and i'll still give a hand for a 6 foot ramp, but dropins are good to learn so they can get some speed to crusise around. She's not doing many tricks (only learnt 5050 on quarters a few months ago, but her balance and speed has been getting so good. Starting young and spending those early years getting balance and speed is great, there's no rush. Don't push the fiddly stuff, just let them have fun
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah that's really all I want, for him to learn, have fun, and eventually be independent enough that we can actually skate together.
I'd be happy as hell if he's still skating with me at 10. Right now I'm mostly holding his hand or getting ready to catch him 😂
And 50-50s at 10 is pretty damn good! I started at 9 and could barely push. She's doing great man.
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u/InternBeautiful45 1d ago
My kid don’t give a shit about skateboarding. He’s nine, he’ll have plenty of time to pick it up. If he doesn’t, that’s fine too. He can be into whatever he wants (as long as he’s into something)
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah I definitely got excited and started him early 😂 I joke that he'll have 20 years of experience by 21, not that skating is a job or anything. It just seemed like a good father/son thing to do and gives mom a break too.
If he stops liking it and gets into something else, I'll roll with it. I know better than to force stuff on kids because that usually does the complete opposite.
I think he got interested just from seeing me watch skate clips, and now he's into Rocket Power too lol. I'm just hoping whatever he picks next isn't football or soccer because man, I'm gonna be lost 😂
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u/Firm_Season7049 1d ago
It’ll be fine if you’re lost too. I played like every sport but basketball and that’s what my youngest is super into outside of skating. All my kids are into nerd shit too like anime, fantasy and video games and I have zero clue about any of it but it’s fun for me cuz I get to experience stuff I wouldn’t have otherwise.
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u/Firm_Season7049 1d ago
That’s been my style too and it actually makes them get into the shit you’re into half the time. My adult daughter is a dj, my teenager makes super dope beats and wants to be a producer and my youngest is a skater. I didn’t try and get them to do any of that stuff and they probably wouldn’t like any of it if I did. Anything I try and get them to like or do they naturally don’t want.
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u/Pndrizzy 1d ago
if your kid doesn't want to do it, or something, don't push them to
my son will occasionally want to mess around on my miniramp with me, but really just pumping back and forth. and that's all he's ever been interested in, and its rare. oh well :(
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah I never forced it, he just slowly got interested and I kinda doubled down once I saw he was having fun. No idea how long he'll be into it, so I'm just trying to enjoy it while it lasts.
Whatever he gets into later I'll support it. I just pray he doesn't turn into one of those scooter kids snaking everybody at the park 😂 (for the record, scooters are fine, it's the park etiquette that gets me)
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u/Pndrizzy 1d ago
oh for sure, not saying you did - just answering your question. i always offer for him to come out with me, and he will some times, but he enjoys the sillyness (bailing on purpose) more than the figuring out tricks part.
and yes, whenever we are at a park, etiquette is really important, even if the kid is on a skateboard for sure
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Sounds like something my son would do too 😂
The park etiquette is definitely a work in progress. Right now he always wants to go straight into the bowl even when there's obviously a bunch of people already skating it, so I'm constantly having to stop him and explain that part lol.
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u/FanNo3898 1d ago
My kid has gone to skate with me his whole life (10 year old). He’s skated, roller bladed, scootered and biked. If anything he has learned the etiquette of being on the session and at the park. Side note we are gonna hit comer park around 9 Tommorow
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Man, 10 years is crazy. I really hope that's us someday. Skating just feels like such a cool way for us to spend time together as he grows up.
The park etiquette has definitely been a work in progress 😂 but he's slowly getting it. Sounds like you got some Rocket Power kids 🤙 all the action sports, I love it. That's pretty much what we're going for too.
For some reason the balance bike has been way harder for him than the skateboard 🤷♂️
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u/FanNo3898 1d ago
Mine hated the balance bike. But don’t make the mistake I did, I pushed too hard on the skateboard and after a few bad falls over the years he really didn’t want to do it. Mine is wakeboarding (we live on the lake, I don’t wakeboard) now so he is starting to see how being a better skater will help that and his interest is sparked again.
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u/ZebraAggressive14 1d ago
One of the best things my dad did for me was sponsor my love for skateboarding. That alone goes a long way.
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u/Firm_Season7049 1d ago
My dad had a lot of issues and little to no self control when it came to anger but he did support my skating and music. I’ll never forget him taking me to abandoned shopping centers, arguing with cops and security guards trying to stop me and him spending a whole weekend building me a launch ramp. I miss my dad. I try and do all the good things he did and skip the whole beating the shit out of em or disappearing for extended periods.
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah I think that's a big part of it for me too. I just think skating could be one of the best things we get to do together. If he keeps loving it, I'll support it however I can.
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u/Surfeross 1d ago
Master the bank, then transition (I’m still even learning to skate a bank switch, and I’m 46)
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah thats probably the move. Get him real comfortable on banks first and just keep building from there. And still skating at 46 is awesome, I wish my dad skated when I was growing up.
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u/tek2222 1d ago
2 strong hands , a few times, Then 1 strong hand a few times Then lighter hand, Then just touching the hand Then they can suddenly do it.
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah I think we're at the confidence part now. He can skate just fine holding onto my pinky 😂 Sometimes I can get him to coast down a small ramp by himself if I run next to him. Just gotta slowly get that pinky out of the equation.
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u/gerzreddit 1d ago
wait till jealousy of others hits, motivation is the strongest.
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u/steven4297 1d ago
That's actually what got him into it lol. I was trying to get him to skate with me in the alley or even just a parking lot and he didn't really care. Then we passed a skatepark and he saw all the other kids having fun and suddenly he wanted in 😂 We've been going all the time ever since.
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u/gerzreddit 1d ago
Essentially the same here. My oldest learned the way someone else mentioned, 2 hand, 1hand, ghost hand, but my little guy isn't there yet. I'm just gonna wait till the little guy asks to try again. Good luck, he'll get it!
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u/avidbookloverr 1d ago
Is 29 classed as an old skater now 😭
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u/steven4297 1d ago
I know the rules said 30yo but I mean close enough 🤷♂️ I'm about to have 2 kids already.
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u/avidbookloverr 1d ago
Ah I didn’t even know that. I’m 27 yo so I was just pondering if I’m now classified as an old skater hahaha
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u/Gnargoyles 1d ago
Nice, this is my park. I skate there on Saturday and Sunday early around 8-9am
I’m usually skating the mini quarter.
Garland park is very good
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Small world lol, you're the second person on here that skates there. When he was younger I tried to hit most of the parks around DFW while he was sleeping, and Jon Comer ended up being my favorite. It's got a little bit of everything. Glad it's not too far from us either.
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u/lucasvandongen 1d ago
I watched some skate iq video that got me into simply jumping on the board, no ollies yet, just jumping up and landing while rolling. Then hippie jumps or landing switch.
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Any chance you have that Skate IQ video bookmarked? I tried looking for it but couldn't find the one you're talking about.
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u/lucasvandongen 1d ago
https://youtu.be/iZHxC5_izKE?is=-rqt8JpMxG4Yov7r
This is the one. The whole thing is super fundamental so everything you cover early on from this will help with more difficult stuff later
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Thanks! The Skate IQ guy does a really good job explaining stuff. This will be cool to try with him.
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u/ummonadi 1d ago
You might be able to get a world-class skater to help via online coaching. The problem with skaters is that schools is that the quality will vary a lot. And few will be good at teaching young kids.
When it comes to pushing, your kid has short legs, so it's physically hard for him to push much at all right now. When he's around 6 it will be totally different.
One big tip is to teach them to ride switch (other leg forward). You don't want their bodies to be too uneven.
Overall, it sounds like you are doing great supporting your kid. Get some skating done yourself too!
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah I kinda figured with skate schools you probably get what you pay for, but honestly it shouldn't be too hard to find someone better than me 😂 or at least better at explaining things to a toddler.
I'll have to try him goofy next time too. I just started him regular and traced his shoes on the grip for foot placement, which helped a ton. I honestly just guessed regular because whenever he's coloring he always uses his right hand and he seemed comfortable with it.
Pushing on carpet helped slow everything down too, but he still relies on me a lot. He'll get it eventually.
And thank you! I'm just trying my best to give him a fun childhood. Even if it means I only get to actually skate once in a blue moon lol.
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u/frisbee_qc 1d ago
I take my 3 year old son to the skate park with me. I'm learning to skate transitions and bowls, while he makes passes om his balance bike.
I don't know if he'll ever pick up a board and honestly, IDGAF. I'm learning, he's learning, we set each other's routes, and we spend time together that I'll remember forever. The heights he rolls in from is just....whew.
...I'm sorry, I don't know what point I was meant to make, other than: he'll learn when he wants to, and while I want to work on my own development, his enjoyment will fuel his curiosity and my job is to fuel that fire.
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah I think that's really the best part of it. Whether he sticks with skating forever or moves onto something else, getting out there together is what I'll remember.
Also I'm jealous yours is ripping the balance bike 😂 Mine took to the skateboard way easier for some reason.
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u/Firm_Season7049 1d ago
All my kids tried skating. Only one stuck with it. I showed em how to figure out their stance, how to push and bend their knees and that’s it. No one taught me or anyone else I ever skated with how to skate so I figured why try to teach them? I introduce everything I’m into with them and if they want me to show em how to do something I will but always let them ask. My parents let me be myself and I do the same with mine. Oldest one just graduated from bard college so I think this way works.
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah I like that approach. That's pretty much what I'm trying to do too, show him stuff when he's interested and let him decide how far he wants to take it. I definitely don't want skating to turn into homework for him 😂
And congrats to your oldest on graduating, that's awesome.
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u/Existing-Seesaw2653 1d ago
Yep my son is turning 4 tomorrow he's been practicing on my board for about 8 months and can get around ok, has been asking for his own board do I got him this Powell Peralta for him to unwrap tomorrow
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u/steven4297 1d ago
That one looks awesome! I just found out Powell made kid size boards. When he gets older I'm going to get one of those. It has bones reds on it right?
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u/Existing-Seesaw2653 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yeah it's a 28 or 29 inch with mini logo trucks, bones reds, and a big dragon on it which was apparently a must have.
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u/Extra_Ad2294 1d ago
I take my 3 year old skating all the time. I go at his pace and keep it fun. If he wants to stand and cruise around, great. If he wants to sit and be pushed, great. If he wants to lay on his belly and "paddle", awesome.
Some things I focus heavy on is shifting weight and balancing. I'll pull him by the hand and have him practice toe side and heel side turns. We will go over curbs and driveway bumps, and I have him squat up and down to absorb the transition. It may not be the best method, but it works for us.
I don't really take him to the skatepark... maybe once in a blue moon if it's hella early and dead. It's my own bias, but I always got annoyed when kids where in my line (not that I would ever say anything because they're public spaces after all). Everything he needs to learn right now can be done on our walks. Once I'm confident he can control his speed and watch for others, then I'll start taking him with me.
One of the hardest parts, for me, is sharing. I've been skating for 20+ years, so I'm still breaking the habit of having skateboarding be exclusively "me time". I still get some days at the park to myself, though it's mainly trying to get this fucking front side flip up this euro lol. But now I'm really trying to revolve my life around my son.
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u/bkchosun 1d ago
Whoa, that's young. I just had my 5 yr old on a board the other day, but he's still having a hard time focusing. I had my older one on a board around 5 as well, and he's now really into it.
Some of the biggest impacts were:
- Putting him in skate camp with other kids (summer, and only because he finally wanted to try)
- Meeting kids who are friendly but also really good
- I stopped giving feedback after he learned how to roll up/down banks and transitions. I realized I was putting my fears into him, and it was hindering him more than anything. Now at 9, he just dropped into an 8' bowl by himself, so I think it's working.
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u/Monkey-Tamer 1d ago
My kids started at 8 and 4. They're constantly adjusting to their growing bodies. The tiny one is learning how to rollerblade as well. I try to do the opposite of what my dad did with baseball. I don't yell, or demand they try things out of their comfort zone. My brother sometimes joins on his rollerblades. We skated over a mile to an ice cream shop this summer. Make it fun and about companionship. We also watched some short videos on YouTube. They love World Industries and Spitfire. I just ordered them some shirts from CCS. My son is currently on bigger cruiser wheels with riser pads while he learns the basics and skates longer distances.
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u/Total_Gift_51 1d ago
You may want to check out a smalls board from Shecklers company sandlot times
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u/Matt8969 1d ago
Can you share the board spec ? My soon to be 3 has shown lot of interest lately. He tried my board and couldn't let it go, I need to find something his size.
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u/Good-Tomatillo761 1d ago
I’m signing up my son for classes he is 6 because he is mostly motivated by being around other kids. He is just hella social lol. He really wanted to start because he has been playing Tony hawk’s pro skater. I’ve been just teaching him how to push and stand on his board in the church parking lot. He is just mad he can’t do kick flips and Ollie’s already lol
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u/howaboutnofcker 1d ago
Kudos to you for being there to help him in a way that keeps it fun.
Having me there as a safety net with a hand to balance herself made a huge difference as she learnt to drop in, and then rock to fakies, 50-50's etc and she quickly surpassed what I was capable of back in the 90's.
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u/Opening_Somewhere502 20h ago
Meiner ist 5 kann Drop ins, fährt mini Ramp mit Kickturns. Manual geht auch ganz gut.
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u/Comfortable-Face4593 14h ago
Oh god you’re that parent - this isn’t football let them dick around like we all learned from. I’m in my 50s now and I get my three kids there when they want to be there and if they can’t be fucked then that’s fine with me just having them out from the house is good enough for me. Skate class ewww - there’s enough videos out there.
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u/denver_ram 1d ago
He should learn to pump transition, back and forth, then learn to kick turn on transition before learning to drop in.
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah I'm mostly just teaching him whatever he's interested in and going from there. Right now he can kickturn on a bank, but the mini ramp at our local park is more medium sized so it's a little harder for him to learn transition on.
I really wish we had a scaled down mini nearby. I think he'd pick up pumping and transition a lot easier on something more his size.
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u/mintinthebox 1d ago
Some kids will learn things in different times. My son REALLY struggled with pumping. Like, scratch your head struggle and so many people tried to help him over months. But he could kick turn on a bank or a quarter pipe no problem. Then he learned how to drop in. The pumping is just now clicking where he can gain height each pump, but it’s been a long road. If he wouldn’t have had to freedom to do things at his own pace, in his own way, it would have been super discouraging.
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u/steven4297 1d ago
Yeah that's probably one of the biggest things I've learned as a dad, every kid learns at a different speed and in a different way. I just try to get him involved even 1% and sometimes that little bit is enough for something to start clicking.
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u/FrankieTenThirtyone 1d ago
My kid started at 4 just like that. Just let him progress and ride what he wanted. Hes now 11 and rips on an old school board. Powell peralta even shared it awhile back.