July 2023
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Get better faster by doing fewer tricks.
Here, I want to introduce to skateboarders a useful concept that I’ve come across in my own life and noticed in skateboarding that can help them become better faster. The 80/20 Principle: most of the rewards come from only a few things you do very well. In other words, you do not need to master Continue reading
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A simple system to become a professional skateboarder.
Skateboard every day. Experiment with different tricks. Practice the tricks that feel best for you. Stop doing the tricks that you’re not getting better at. Track your progress. How many times you tried a trick today. How many times you landed the trick. Tracking your progress will give you insights into which tricks you’re getting Continue reading
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Exploration before optimization.
Once you understand the basics, it will be very tempting to focus in on some complicated trick. In my own case, I spent years focusing in on a few technical tricks. Even after a few years, those tricks are still difficult for me and, some days, it feels like I haven’t made progress on them. Continue reading
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Focus first on mastering the basics.
I’ve started to notice now how often new skateboarders want to jump right to a more technical trick. Barely getting the basics, someone quickly decides to move on to the more complicated thing, usually before they can understand what it is they’re trying to do. And it’s a waste. They’ll land a boardslide once or Continue reading
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Once, or first?
I sat watching and filming a friend who was trying a trick down a six-stair handrail. Attempt after attempt, it didn’t seem like he was getting the hang of it. Occasionally, he would get lucky and stick the trick. This fueled his drive to try again. But after another 45 minutes or so of getting Continue reading
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Failing, not breaking.
If failure is an essential part of getting better, then how do you do it well? How do you get better at failing? When I was a younger skateboarder, I believed in the mantra, “Go big or go home.” I thought if something wasn’t all or nothing on any attempt, then it wasn’t worth doing. Continue reading
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Failure is an essential part of getting better.
Many years ago, I visited some friends and, as always, brought my skateboard along. At this point, I had been skateboarding for several years. My friends asked me to show them a few tricks and when I did, I failed on most of the attempts. One of my friends looked at me and said, “I Continue reading
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About this blog
In recent years, I’ve noticed many of the principles I’m learning for success in one domain or another also come up in skateboarding. Perhaps this is because skateboarding is a central part of my life and I’m inclined to connect everything back to it. Or, perhaps, it is because skateboarding is unique as a sport Continue reading
the Practical Skateboarder 