Choosing the Right Skateboarding Shoes

Choosing the Right Skateboarding Shoes for a Great and Safe Skateboard Experience

Skateboarding is one of the most popular pastimes in America. Several decades have already passed and it seems that this activity, which was just once a fad, will never lose its popularity. While skateboarding is indeed fun and exciting, it is not devoid of hazards as any pursuit that involves wheels. Special precautions must be made when riding the skateboard and one of the most important things to do is to wear an appropriate pair of skateboarding shoes.

Skateboarding seems to be a very uncomplicated pastime because practically one just needs a skateboard and a paved surface to go about it. For safety, skateboarders are required to wear helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads. But that is not actually enough because one also has to protect a very important part of the body used in skateboarding – the feet. This is where skateboarding shoes come into the picture.

Usually, people would think that any sport shoes would do for skateboarding. However, this is not true. While regular sneakers may seem to work, they might not be able to provide the right protection and maneuverability that skateboarding shoes can offer. And it is not enough to just get the next pair of skateboarding shoes you see off the rack. You have to be careful about buying new skateboarding shoes.

When buying skateboarding shoes you have to look at four important things: the ability of the shoes to give protection, the shoelaces, comfort, and grip.
Protection Features - The most essential role of skateboarding shoes is protecting the skateboarder. Being protective, the shoes simply have to be durable and flexible enough to withstand the rigors of skateboarding. Good skateboarding shoes should have Ollie protection to allow the rider to do those backbreaking tricks. Moreover an excellent pair of skateboarding shoes should have great coverage of Ollie protection, preferably the a large bulk of the toe area, if not the whole area entirely and nothing less.

Shoelaces – skateboarding shoes need special laces that do not easily fall apart especially when subjected to pressure. Normal shoelaces would easily rip off after just a few hours of skateboarding, especially for advanced skateboarders. Thus skateboarding shoes should have laces made of more durable materials than other kinds of shoes. Also, it is also better if the skateboarding shoes have laces that are arranged inside to avoid any accidental tripping due to lose laces.

Comfort – just like any kind of shoes, skateboarding shoes should be comfortable for the wearer, otherwise, it will be difficult to be wearing them for long periods. Uncomfortable shoes may cause sores or blisters when worn during skateboarding for over two hours. Uncomfortable shoes may also make it difficult, if not impossible to do certain tricks during skateboarding.

Grip – last, but not the last, skateboarding shoes should be able to have strong grip on the surface of the skateboard. Shoes that do not have enough gripping power might cause the rider to slip off the board accidentally. The soles should be made of materials with good gripping capacity. Experts recommend skateboarding shoes with soles that are made of gum.

A Look into Professional Skateboarding

Skateboarding has become one of the most popular activities of the youth nowadays. It has evolved from being just a rebellious activity back in its older days to a fully-blown extreme sport that it is today.

According to recent statistics, there are over twelve million skateboarders worldwide and more than 80 percent of these skateboarders are under 18 years old. It has touched the younger markets quite well and has a firm grip on them. Some of these skateboarders skate as a hobby or as a means of transportation, but very few of these skaters go on into the big leagues to become a professional skateboarder.

The industry of skateboarding is a big one. Armed with a huge market, skateboarding has become a multi-billion dollar industry. The mere fact that it is very popular with the young generations and getting into skateboarding is quite easy, there is a lot of money to be made from selling products, advertising and events organizing.

What does being a professional skateboarder exactly mean? Well, as in any other sport, going professional means using the sport as a means to earn money. If you get paid for your skateboarding abilities and skills, then you are a pro skateboarder.

Many of the great skateboarders such as Reese Forbes, Kareem Campbell and Ron Bertino began their careers from humble beginnings. The dynamics of commercialism really gives the much needed financial value to the sport that is skateboarding. But, how does one earn from skateboarding?

One popular way of earning from skateboarding, as many people would see it, is to join and win skateboarding tournaments. Yes, indeed, there is some money to be made from regularly joining these tournaments and these tournaments provide avenues for skateboarders to be recognized, but in reality, the real money in professional skateboarding does not lie in winning tournaments. The bulk of the money comes from deals arising from the endorsements of skateboarding products.

The journey of a professional skateboarder would start in the streets, where he would take endless attempts to do new tricks and perform new stunts. These tricks and stunts are to be displayed in tournaments which the different sponsors are carefully keeping an eye on. If a certain company sees a skateboarder with much talent and has a promising career, they would give him free stuff for him to use. This move is also advantageous for the company since the skateboarder will sort of “endorse” their products. When a skateboarder has become a crowd favorite and catches the attention of everyone, then talks are usually made for endorsement deals, and the money will come in.

Skateboarding shoes and other apparels are the real cash cows in the skateboarding industry and not the skateboards themselves. Actually, other shoe lines have suffered losses because of the rise in popularity of “urban” shoes which cater to the lifestyle of skateboarders.
If you really love the sport that is skateboarding, you’d probably dreaming of being a professional skateboarder someday. There’s no harm in dreaming such things since being a professional skateboarder can really bring in lots of benefits. Going pro can bring things like money and fame into the table, but at the end of the day, what really matters is that you enjoy what you are doing.