How to Start Skateboarding

A couple years ago I was hit by a car. It was one of my first times ever riding a skateboard and I was at California State Long Beach going downhill when this random Mercedes made a right turn and then stopped halfway through it like 2 feet in front of me. Trying to Avoid hitting them was practically impossible so I slowed down as much as I could but they were so close to me  that I couldn't stop in time and I ended up hitting them anyway. I went flying over their hood and onto the asphalt to their side. After that whole experience I decided to learn how to really skateboard and since then I've gotten much better. 

So I hope to show you the basics today, and learning how to skate is a lot more simple than it seems. It really only consists of 3 steps. The first being your stance, then how to start and how to stop.

Now skating is all about being comfortable with whatever step you are on, whether it's your stance on the board or you're doing tricks easily, it's just all about being comfortable on the board. A major part of that is wearing the right shoes, personally I think vans are fantastic for skating.

First, Your Stance

First you are going to want to find out if you are regular or goofy footed. Meaning if your left foot is the front foot being regular or if your right foot is the front foot meaning goofy. Personally I'm goofy footed.
Your dominant foot is what matters most, some people want their dominant foot to be in the front for balance, and personally that's what I like, but many like their dominant foot in the back since that's the foot that does the pushing and turning. 
You're going to keep your front foot in the center of the board and you can have it facing perfectly forward or you can have it turned slightly inwards, usually that positioning depends on the board but again you want to make sure that whatever you are doing is comfortable to you.

You should also practice standing on one foot in this position until you are comfortable with your body moving around while standing on the board.

Now You Start Moving Forward

To start you are going to push with the back foot against the ground just like the gif on the screen is showing you. Make sure your weight is in the front foot so that your center of mass is hovering over that front foot. You're also going to want to make sure that front knee is bent and stable. Keep pushing against the ground in that manner until you have reached the speed that you want to go. When you are cruising then you are going to want to bring that back foot back onto your board.

This back foot you are going to want it to be basically sideways on the board like the image shows you. It is sideways since this is the foot that will be doing most of the the turning. And turning is pretty simple, you are just going to put your weight on your toes or your heels, and push in that direction with your hips as well.

How Do I Stop?!

Now that you have finally reached your hypothetical destination you are probably going to want to know how to stop. This step probably seems like the scariest but it's all about balance and just being comfortable with your board and yourself. You are going to need to be sure that front foot is stable on your board and you are going a take that back foot off your board and have it slightly grazing the ground using the friction between your shoes and the ground to slow down to a stop. 

Now there are obviously some slight variations with different boards but for the most part this information is pretty much all you will really need to know about riding a skateboard.It's mainly about your stance, and then starting and stopping. But the most important part in my opinion is just being comfortable on your board.