Andy Malone
TwerkingWombat
Notes on skate boarding.
I have been skating again this summer. Up to the art center and back almost every day. I am 46. I built my first skate board last year. It's important to build it yourself, and become familiar with the parts. You want a good skateboard too. I had to change the bushings. They were too soft. I'm enjoying hard bushings with a flat washer and hard street wheels. I skated a ton last summer on that setup. I fell/flew off it a bunch. Injured myself badly too.
Im not trying to do any "tricks" this year. I'm focused on riding and dealing with cracks and rocks and other minor obstacles. My ability to do so has improved immensely. I don't know how I improved so tremendously. I feel much more comfortable riding the damn thing. I'm doing a lot of little tiny hops and focusing on staying in the ball/toes of my feet. My toes are always on the board, mostly. It's started to feel very natural. The feeling of fear when riding it is gone. It's really fun. Im practicing jumping while riding. It's a useful skill for getting accross spotty pavement.
What surprised me most was, I seemed to improve at it while not practicing. I didn't skate all winter. This summer, I'm just fine at it. I don't know how all this relates to taiji, but there is a synergy there.
I don't want to injure myself, so I'm focused on being low and staying in toes(nimble like cat). If you fly off the skateboard it's much better from a low nimble stance. Naturally. Last year I was all over the place with my feet.
It is fun, but fairly dangerous. I was previously riding a kick scooter to the art center to practice my tai chi. I wanted the skateboard to make that small journey more exciting, and interesting. It has.
I want to ollie over stuff while riding, but Im not in a hurry to get there. Much like tai chi, I have learned to just practice and not worry about it.
Andy
I have been skating again this summer. Up to the art center and back almost every day. I am 46. I built my first skate board last year. It's important to build it yourself, and become familiar with the parts. You want a good skateboard too. I had to change the bushings. They were too soft. I'm enjoying hard bushings with a flat washer and hard street wheels. I skated a ton last summer on that setup. I fell/flew off it a bunch. Injured myself badly too.
Im not trying to do any "tricks" this year. I'm focused on riding and dealing with cracks and rocks and other minor obstacles. My ability to do so has improved immensely. I don't know how I improved so tremendously. I feel much more comfortable riding the damn thing. I'm doing a lot of little tiny hops and focusing on staying in the ball/toes of my feet. My toes are always on the board, mostly. It's started to feel very natural. The feeling of fear when riding it is gone. It's really fun. Im practicing jumping while riding. It's a useful skill for getting accross spotty pavement.
What surprised me most was, I seemed to improve at it while not practicing. I didn't skate all winter. This summer, I'm just fine at it. I don't know how all this relates to taiji, but there is a synergy there.
I don't want to injure myself, so I'm focused on being low and staying in toes(nimble like cat). If you fly off the skateboard it's much better from a low nimble stance. Naturally. Last year I was all over the place with my feet.
It is fun, but fairly dangerous. I was previously riding a kick scooter to the art center to practice my tai chi. I wanted the skateboard to make that small journey more exciting, and interesting. It has.
I want to ollie over stuff while riding, but Im not in a hurry to get there. Much like tai chi, I have learned to just practice and not worry about it.
Andy
