Thanks for calling out "easy" trick videos. Most of the folks posting them have been skating since childhood, and they learned them when they had unlimited time, courage, and were less fragile. As someone who started at 35, I can safely say nothing is easy 🥴

As someone who skated on longboards and cruised around for a decade after not doing tricks since i was 12-13. I just winged it and showed up to a park when i wanted to get back into it. I was obviously incapable to everyone else there, but had no problems riding my board and at least attempting a bunch of stuff. Without ollies i tried everything from ride-on grinds, riding off decent sized ledges, dropping in on a 5 ft slope, manuals, and of course kept trying my ollies and shuvits. Everyone was nice to me, i made new friends and the experienced ones came by and gave me some tips, and it turned into a big circle where literally everyone started helping each other. The guys that wanted to improve their kickfipls got advice and the beginners got advice as well. Maybe i just live in a good area with friendly skaters, but the only time i ever experienced any gatekeeping was way back in school. My advice is just dont be scared of the crowd. If you are an honest person and willing to try your best, you will absolutely not face any social pressures and have fun even if you cant do tricks.

Skating is the hardest easy thing to do, haha! It's crazy because, when you're doing it right, it is easy. It takes very little effort to flip a board. You can do it with one finger. It's physics. It's all physics. When done right, you should be using minimal effort. The hard part is figuring that out, battling out the timing, when and where to flick or pop or turn, figuring out where you head needs to be to find the balance between centrifugal and centripetal forces, developing the balance, required muscles, and muscle memory. That stuff. That's all the hard stuff. That stuff takes time. You can be as fearless and ambitious as you want, but if you haven't figured out all that stuff, the board will humble you quite quickly, haha. Great vid, as always!!!

It took me years to learn a good Noseslide because I was always scared to completely throw myself onto my front foot and allow my back foot to push and guide the slide, crooks took me about 3 years and Noseslide about 6 years but now I can do Noseslides on anything even down handrails. Skateboarding takes a lot of time but if you focus on learning tricks for the first few years you discover if you prefer Bs grinds or fs grinds, what tricks work best for you and if you land sloppy for the first few just remember there are more to come 💯🙌🏾

Dear Sarah, I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say a massive thank you for your videos. When I want to learn something new, your videos are the ones I go to! What sets you apart is your ability to explain things from the perspective of a total beginner. You help so much with minor adjustments since you analyze greatly the errors beginners make. Without you, I wouldn't be able to do my shove-its while rolling; you've helped me a lot to find out why I always landed primo. I'm a 24-year-old woman who started to skate 6 months ago. You didn't only help me with my skills but also with my mindset. I remember your video about going to a skatepark as a beginner, especially as a female, and I could relate so hard. You gave me the confidence to stop overthinking things and to remember that skateboarding is a seriously tough sport that takes a ton of practice. A lot of other skaters on KZfaq act like skateboarding is the easiest thing, and that you're doing something wrong when you can't Ollie after 1 week of practice! I still can't Ollie perfectly, but because of you, I know that's not that big of a deal. I'll get there eventually; instead I just have to focus on my overall progress. Now, every time I hit the skatepark, I see those small improvements in my skills that make me really happy. Skateboarding has become such an important thing in my life because it really helps me with my mental health. I'm really proud of the progress that I've made in the past six months. I can already drop in, roll off higher curbs, kickturn and pump in the half-pipe, noseslide a little bit, do a no-comply, do a 50/50 rail grind, shove it while rolling, do a Fakie-shove it, almost powerslide and I feel completely at home on my board. So yeah, thank you, Sarah! I'm so happy that there's finally a woman who explains skateboarding as awesomely as you do. It's even better knowing you started your skate journey at a similar age. Sending you lots of love and greetings from Germany!

I just started getting back into skating after skating heavily in the 80s and 90s. Back then I skated all day, everyday and things came rapidly. I won contests and was a shop sponsored skater so I thought I'd be able to pick it up pretty easily. I'm 53 now and when I get home from work I go in the driveway and practice ollies. I thought it would be easy but my legs have forgotten what to do. It was almost like starting over but at least I knew how the mechanics worked. I still can't ollie that well and not nearly like I used to over trash cans and benches. Skateboarding has a way of humbling you but if you maintain persistence it can reward you greatly. I'm still working on ollies and I started toward the beginning of the year. I'm only starting to get comfortable with them again but my body gives out before anything these days.

Yes! I "restarted" learning 3 years ago at age 49, and I still feel like a beginner.. this helps confirm I can do this in my own time! And, hopefully, I'll still have plenty of time to keep learning! ;)

Love this. So many videos on YT giving some "beginner advice" saying doing a 'shuv it' is trivial. Most people forget the basics, which is standing on a board, pushing and riding comfortably.

I really appreciate your approach to learning. Thank you for sharing with us.

This is so true.. im a relatively slow learner but at a certain critical point i start progressing much faster 👍 Working out how we all learn individually is the only thing thats important, not making time comparisons to other skates who progress faster or learn a certain trick quickly...as an adult im now so thankful to be aware of these things when trying to learn anything 😊 thanks Sarah and keep up the great work ❤🎉❤

Haha yeah, as someone who just started at 42 my expectations were pretty low but I've been putting in the time getting comfortable. I've ate it way harder on the 'easiest' tricks than any others I've tried 🤣

9:31 This point is probably the most important thing to know for every skater, but despite that, it is still probably the hardest to do for me. It's hard not to compare myself, especially in this age of social media, when I see people on the internet who probably started skating just a few years ago (kids/teens especially), but have landed tricks that are far beyond what I can do. It made me think if what I was doing all this time was the wrong way. But like you said, we should not be comparing ourselves to others. For a majority of skateboarders like me, it is just a hobby and should not be taken too seriously. Everyone has their own situations and circumstances. And social media, despite the negatives that come with it (unnecessary comparison, reduction of self-esteem, counting likes etc), is a platform that can be used to connect with other people around the world. For a small community like freestyle skateboarding, social media helps a lot to be in touch. In contests too, where "comparison of skill among skaters" is the main objective, the results should not be taken too seriously, especially for the average everyday skater like me. The judges might have their own biases and favouritisms and that could affect the final score. No matter what the score is, I shouldn't let other people's (or judge's) perception affect my skateboarding. If I truly care about "what other people think" or "what boxes I need to tick to impress the judges", I would have stopped skateboarding years ago. Maybe some healthy dose of comparison does help to motivate someone to improve their skills. That's why we have Pros who are always trying to one-up each other. But for the most of us, I think comparison only kills the fun of skateboarding. (sorry for the long rant, because this point that you made really struck with me haha)

Oh my goodness... you just flipped my mind (in a good way). Thank you for this gem of skateboarding wisdom - it's exactly what I needed to hear 🙂

Absolutely! And I like the creative location for your video, it's a cute spot.

I love this talk, thank you. Everyone is built different, and what's easy for you can be hard for me, and vice versa. I'm a DH skater more than street, but I really enjoy your vibe, the wholesome low pressure atmosphere you create - I wish there was something like that in DH(especially online).

Amen to this! Every trick is hard, and some are SO much harder than I expected (for me: kickflips, backside 180s, front shuvs, and ledge 50-50s). Something helpful to me has been to just trying to keep in mind that it’s a gift to go out to skate, even if I don’t achieve the new things I’m trying that day. And, I try to stay attuned to the progress I’m making in other areas. It took me months to get a single kickflip, and it’s been almost a year more of trying to get them at all consistent (like, 1-2 per session lately, if I try hard). But, along the way, I’ve gotten way better at my ollies and riding my board with flow, and I have way better cardio health than before I started trying. If it had been easy, I wouldn’t have made those outside gains!

My boyfriend and I are just starting out and we are terrified, excited, intimidated, but hopeful ag the same time! Your calm approach to skating really helps us digest all of this uncertainty very easily! I hope you make a video about how to fall correctly because that's our #1 fear is just irreversible injury. Please keep up the great content!

Love the box! And of course the advice is extremely solid too. Managing expectations is great for any and all areas of life; it's important to have goals naturally but the difference between quitting and reaching them is a simple ratio between how big you expect the increments towards that goal to be vs. how you perceive yourself to actually be progressing. At the end of the day, just skate. It's great fun :)

I love how optimistic and layed back you are as a skater

Nice! This is physical learning. It doesn't matter what our heads try to tell us.

My advice to everyone right now, if you’re just starting to skate, or you’ve been skating for awhile, do. not. stop.

Every single beginner skater needs this advice! But many experienced and intermediate skaters need it too, in order to get over those plateaus…

Awesome advice! As an older beginner skateboarder I appreciate hearing this at a good time for me

I needed to hear this for sure, thanks!

Thank you so much for this! Your channel has helped me a lot :D

was really helpful. love u

Those are three good pieces of advice. Everybody’s body is definitely different. At my age, I lack explosiveness and flexibility. While I’m actively working on improving those deficiencies, my expectations for what I can accomplish in the near future are shaped by my awareness.

As someone who taught people to skate for a living, the best advice I can give is to get comfortable with and on your board Take it everywhere with you, always on your person Ride, stand and sit on your board every chance you get Your whole body and your brain are trying to reorient itself to the new normal r riding a board

Simply put, this video came right when I needed to hear this! Great video, I think there also is something to be said about the connection that I feel there is a connotation between ‘beginner’ and ‘younger’ in the skate community, and up until recently, uncommon for people to start skating in their 20’s or late teens

Great advice! I often find the "Super Easy Trick" is not near as easy to approach as it looks. The only tutorials that have been the clearest and up front are yours!

Really appreciate your approach to videos and skateboarding! Keep up the good work😎💪

Thoughtful, honest, and accessible video. Top notch!

you are consistently so inspiring and your insight is so powerful and I am very thankful for your experience upon skateboarding and life. helps me keeps going and centered in just putting in the work and having fun. big thanks to you

Shoutout VA 🙌 I'm a local outside of Richmond. The parks here are so intimidating for me as a new skater. Great advice and thank you for your insight 🙏🛹

so real. i love this

Im going though watching all your motivational videos again lol this one is great and good advice on goal setting, calling out easy tricks (yep especially for us older learners ) and that grind and slip out at the end must have hurt ! I’ve gotta hella bruise on my leg right now and I’m looking for a kerb now to try that slappy one. Thanks Sarah!

I absolutely love your wisdom. I am 39 and going to pick up my first skateboard this week :D Your videos give me a feeling of safety with what i can expect and i am so looking forward to progressing reeeeally slowly :)

couldnt have come at a better time. thank you!

I’m the same way with bs nose slide. It’s never felt right for me. The crazy thing is, I started messing around with FS nose slide and now I can actually do it even though it should be the harder one. The point is, try all sorts of stuff. You never know when you might gravitate more naturally to a certain trick, even if it might be “harder” for most people.

Lol it took me a long time to get into toeside rail. I could actually flip ouy of it before I could get into it. I finally figured out my shoulders are forward from my ankles. Started putting my arms straight back and looking up anf finally mastered it. Posture plays a huge role.

Happy I found your channel ❤

Took me a year and a half to learn fakie bigspins although most consider it an easy trick

YOO that park in Syracuse is where I learned drop in while I was staying with some friends a couple weeks ago 🙌 i knew I recognized that quarter and those triangle banks.

Like with anything else, some things will be much easker than others. Whats hard for you might.be easy for others, and vice versa. I try to not pressure myself while skating.

fairly new to your channel and to freestyle - and only recently got back into skating after 10 years, so there was a lot that I had to relearn, which came with its own frustrations. Not being able to ollie despite once being really good at them, really sucked but I just kept trying when I had time and I got them back. This video is very helpful and definitely makes me feel better and has given me ideas that I will keep in mind in the future to try and avoid frustration. Thank you so much for this video and your channel as a whole

Here’s a tip for your slappy nose slides, your commitment is super good, but commit more! Don’t be afraid to put the nose all the way on top, and have your heel drag on the ledge a little, when you get up there you kinda just wanna throw yourself into it, put most of your weight on that leg, and lean forward a little. But your biggest issues is speed, go faster, and commit!! That’s the best motto there is, speed is key.

Great video! Is nice to see a realistic progress of being a good skater for once lol

Yay!🎉

thank u ❤️

Subbed! All the best to you and yours! Keep rolling! 🌍🌎🌏🌞👍🇨🇦

i remember first learning how to shuv and acknowledging the feeling of disappointment after seeing all these youtube videos boast how it's one of the easiest tricks you can learn. it took me about a month to learn after skating for one month prior, which felt like forever since i didn't have skate shoes at the time, so that was the only trick i was trying because i didn't wanna wreck my regular shoes. i also remember skating home from the shop on my first day and waking up the next with sore abdominals lol

your so real

yeah theyre "easy" to the person making the video because theyve been skating for 10 - 20 years. they say so in the video before they give you the how to's. have you ever tried a bubble shove-it? looks like a fun trick. i will be tryin to learn it soon.

Thanks for posting this video, you are 100% correct. Definitely is discouraging when you try a trick 100 times and maybe land it once or twice. And definitely everyone learns at their own speed. Great advice here in this video 🛹😊

on point vid ^_^ those shuv its aint easy hahahahaha.

Took me a year to learn to go forward a year and a half to ollie 2 year mark to kick flip i cant do a moving kick flip yet i have dyslexia and dyspraxia so not s very good combo im also learning to skate switch to last year i learnt to slappy nose slide how you did ot but woth my back going fowards when you do it its the angle you go at try put more of your waight on the nose and the rest ofnyour body in middle of the board as if your just moving forward this year i learnt to power slide foward till i teisted my ankle doing a kick flip i not been on a board in 5 months now a slick deck wpuld help you learn nose slide also maybe wax the curb to i actually have a video on here of me doing a nose slide kzfaq.info/get/bejne/eKypobxztLnQfIU.htmlsi=x6LcMa8b6FHNYW7G here's a link it took a while to learn i thought i had uploaded it to my KZfaq but hadnt i tried going both ways the way i went i felt more comfortable to it

I skate street since 3 month. My expectation: XGames next year. 😀

Nothing is easy..

I push regular (I can be with my back foot, the right one, on the air forever.. standing with only me front left foot) But I damn cannot push with my left foot... Cant be on my skate with only my right foot... And now about ticktocs or reverts... I can only do them goofy Y_Y .. what the hell, I'm so lost... I've been searching for this particularity everywhere "Push regular, trick only goofy" feels terrible Any comments, someone?

Maybe it's been on the internet since AOL but the concept of video titles being clickbait is extremely obvious to me and they should never be taken literally

If you want some advices from an old 45 fart here they are: Do not creat expectations. Skateboarding is ALL about fun. Go have fun! Yes. It´s a great exercise. I spent to much time trying hard tricks, but they came very slow. The hardest fact is that there are natural talented ones who will learn tricks in one day, while I take six months. I can´t be like them. So as the time passed (flied actually) I just go out to feel the board bellow my feet and nothing else. If I land a kickflip is good. If I didn´t is good too. Some days I land six tricks in a row, some days my back hurts and I have to spend a month recovering. It´s just like that, but it is as fun as it was in the late 80´s. Go skateboard and go have fun. Edit. Regarding progress, I always say the same: Learn the basics. Ollie is the first. Go street skating ollieing up, down and trough. Search for a high ollie and it will helps a lot. Practice plyometrics to jump higher.

I know you are trying and and it's beautiful to watch you progress and inspire me. It looks like you are putting to much weight on the nose when sliding. (I know that sounds wierd because that's the only foot engaging gravity. Think sliding on ice with one foot)

I wish I heard it's okay to suck.