How to Choose a Skateboard for a Child of 10 Years Old?
At the age of 10, the child is active, cheerful, energetic. To channel energy in a useful direction, many parents teach him to play sports. So, a popular hobby among modern teens is skateboarding. For the child to be passionate about this occupation, it is essential to choose the board correctly.
How to Choose a Skateboard for kids?
There are several steps that you will definitely have to go through before choosing a skate for your child.
Step 1: Find out what type of skating your child wants to master
The first and most important question when choosing a skateboard – what will the board be used for? You must make sure that the purchase will perform the appropriate functions.
If the board is designed solely for riding, children will want a Skateboard or longboard. If you want to do tricks, buy a traditional skateboard – a shortboard. Choosing a penny, longboard or skateboard can be difficult if you don’t know what kind of ride it is purchased for.
If you are not sure which skateboard to choose, take a shortboard. You can just ride it and do tricks on the board. As for the longboard, it is too heavy and bulky to twist the tricks.
Step 2: Choose the correct board shape
You might think that all the boards are flat, but it’s worth a little understanding of the issue and it will become clear that there are many options to choose from.
Radial, progressive, concave, flat, asymmetric, convex … all this was created for experienced skaters who want to perform certain tricks better, but for the first boards such characteristics mean nothing.\
If you do not know how to choose a skateboard for beginners, then take the easiest option.
Step 3: Choose the correct board size
There are four mainboard sizes: micro, mini, medium, and full size. Microboards with a width of 6.5 – 6.75 inches are designed for children from 5 years old and younger, and how to choose a skateboard for a child mini-boards with a width of 7 inches are ideal for older children. The most common size of the first skate for children is the average size, which corresponds to the size of shoes 7 and 8.
For newer adults, it’s best to take a 7.5-inch or larger full-size board.
Step 4: Select Material
In creating skateboard decks, Canadian maple is the most common material. Two other most popular materials for the manufacture of boards for many years remain plywood from bamboo and Baltic birch. The popularity of Canadian maple largely depends on the quality of the wood and the stability that it provides.
Plastic is a good alternative, which is much cheaper in cost, most often made of penny boards .. There are also aluminum and fiberglass decks that work in a similar way.
Step 5: Check Board Quality
On a board of good quality, the wheels will roll easier, it will be easier to turn, which means that maneuverability will be good and it will be more stable than cheap options. Before making a purchase, check the quality of the deck; there should be no defects on it.
Step 6: Get Ready To Know The Price
It is immediately worth noting that before choosing a skateboard for a child of 10 years old, you need to understand that you have to spend a lot of money. Although you should not exclude the option of buying on sales, in this case, the price will be significantly lower.
Get ready to find out the price.
On the Internet, prices for shortboards range from 50 to 100 dollars, while for longboards you will need to pay from 100 to 150 bucks. A penny board can also be found for $ 90, um for 125.
We know that skateboarding can require a lot of money, but it is important to consider the ratio of quality and safety.
A few tips for beginners
When you have already decided how to choose the right skateboard, you should know about a few more important things that a beginner should consider.
A child who is first skateboarding must do this in the right shoes. No matter what the weather, and no matter how many degrees of heat, there is only shoes that have flat soles.
Sandals and slippers are best left for hiking. Skateboarding people are more likely to favor brands like Airwalk or Vans. Such shoes are designed just for such exercises, it is easier to stay on the board, the sole does not slip, and the first lessons will bring much more pleasure. The child’s feet should be in maximum comfort, this is the key to successful learning.
The second important aspect is protection. It just so happened that skateboarding is a very extreme and traumatic activity, especially for a beginner. The first unsuccessful fall on the asphalt can forever discourage riding. Therefore, when buying a skate, also purchase a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads.
This is an important point, and if the child does not understand why this is necessary, referring to the fact that he saw older children without such uniforms, explain to him that protecting your body is important. Trying on the protection is mandatory, as it should ideally sit, not hamper the movements, and not create discomfort.
Features
Adults and children’s skateboards are board on wheels on which the athlete rides, pushing his foot off the asphalt. The design has a deck – a board made of wood, aluminum, or polymers; its length is usually 27.2–29 inches, width – 6.5–8.25 inches.
Another mandatory element of the unit is the track, which is an aluminum or steel suspension located in the front and rear parts. Skateboard wheels usually have a diameter of 52-60 mm and are equipped with two bearings.
Lastly, the design is equipped with abrasive skin called glue. This coating is applied to the surface of the deck; it has anti-slip properties, improves adhesion between shoes and the board, doing training tricks, and jumps more accessible.
Next, we note the benefits of riding a child on a children’s skateboard:
- this projectile develops coordination of movements and trains the vestibular apparatus;
- in the event of an obstacle, it is easier to jump off a skate than, for example, on a bicycle;
- models for 10-year-olds are usually designed not only for children but also for youth and adults, that is, such an aggregate is universal – the child will not be able to “grow” out of it, unlike, for example, rollers or skates;
- this attribute is equipped with a minimum number of dangerous parts compared to a gyro scooter, bicycle, scooter.
Despite the advantages of children’s models, among their features, there are also disadvantages. So, first of all, a flaw is manifested at the very beginning of the sports path – learning to ride a skateboard is quite difficult. In addition, like any sport, skateboarding is traumatic, although in this case, reliable protective equipment is provided for skateboarders.
Another disadvantage is the difficulty of choosing a good quality board. Let’s try to deal with this issue.
Related: How to Learn to Ride a Skateboard From Scratch?
Popular models
Some popular children’s skateboards deserve attention.
