thats a great niche tho

Hey Zack, love your channel (& vibe)! Also 55 yrs old- lifelong athlete, since 2019 been developing my training routines around skating. Have discovered some skateboard conditioning gems for 'mature' folks... lmk

I'd say the key is mostly in just not ever quitting sports in a general sense. You can't expect to be all flexible and somewhat impact resistent or capable of fast healing if your body gets zero exercise beyond the once a week or once a month at a skatepark. The other thing would probably be skateboarding too many days in a row at some point, without giving your body some rest. I'd also say that the older you become, the more important a decent warming up becomes. I'm 36 and it's the biggest thing I notice. My ollies are a good way to warm up in some sense. However, I can forget about doing ollies onto a high ledge first try if I didn't warm up. I also know a lot of people who swear by doing stretches first, before even getting on the board. I think depending on what your warming up looks like, you don't have to stretch. But can't deny how it works very well for some people. It's the same thing for outdoor team sports, like field hockey. I've played field hockey since I was 5 and never stopped played, even now. But I never stretch. I always do at least a short warming up or be careful not to go full berserk in terms of running or turning so my body can get into 'sport mode'. The other thing is probably diet, but I actually think it's kind of overrated. Most of my young adult life I ate the pastas and french fries and so on. I never made it a habit to go to McDonalds and definitely do not eat fast food that often at all, which helps. And I'm a fairly skinny dude. But especially as a guy, there's a lot you can make up for with just sports in general, work outs etc.

For me (52), a maximum of four days of skateboarding in a week, with warm up exercises and stretching before and after a sesh. The rest of the days, some stretching and light routines of exercises, specially for the core and lower body, legs and ankles. There are a few YT channels with very good content about conditioning for skaters. Stay hydrated, and listen to your body :-)

@@PHeMoX well said man... staying fit is critical. Unfortunately I learned that the hard way but rupturing my ACL. Another 6 months to go before I can get on the board.

yea respect man keep pushing an stay safe

That's awesome dude.. huge respect to you bro! I'm 40 still skating and already I'm noticing what you're talking about, brain processing , day ending slams etc. Guys like yourself are true inspiration for me. Keep it up , keep shredding 🤙

wisdom. but one solution is to master the trick even better, so its even easier to do. you may be slower mentally, so make it take less mentally :)

lol dude I'm 36 and that's how I feel whenever I fall. it seems to come out of left field and suddenly I'm on my back like a dead bug. I wear full set of pads but it still feels like a blowout whenever hit the ground. the subtle danger of this sport is truly underrated. and I feel like most people who are good have been doing it since a young age so they experienced the falls when their muscles and bones were at their peak. they can enjoy doing tricks at a later age with less danger of falling due to experience.

@@handdancin great point ! "muscle memory" is a factor with the more experienced skaters.

Same here... bit younger but 45 is still not that old. Mobility and stretching helps a lot too. Daewon Song is 45 too btw.

sounds like me too, skated back in the Iater eighties then stopped for like over twenty years. Got back on a regular popsicle deck but found surfskate and am glad to be outta retirement in my forties too! Just wish i had a real mini ramp in my country.

interesting . I'm 36 recently got back into learning how to skate with my new girlfriend. I always wear wrists and helmet but that's a good point. I always see the teens and early 20 somethings with no pads whatsoever just springing back up at the park after a wipeout and feel a little inadequate. but those wrist guards never come off. they have protected me many many times.

same!

Thanks for the kind words, you got this!

@@ZackDowdy Update: I received a Santacruz park set up from my adult kids as a bday present 3 days ago, bought my triple 8s gear and have already hit four parks in my area to get my “sea legs” back (been 40+ years) Being limber through BJJ & longboarding for many years is helping ease me back in to transition skating.

58 here. Was a 70’s-80’s park skater and returned to bowls just this week. I’ve been inching closer to park skating for years in long boards; finally got a park set up & safety gear. Stay limber by stretching!

Another 47 year old here. If I'm park skating I pad up but only helmet and wrist guards. Occasionally I'll toss on some knee sleeves from Old Bones Therapy. But if I'm just hitting curbs and low street type stuff then I'm still going padless. The wrist guards are a must though. I've taken too many falls and lost tons of skin or gotten palm bruises because I didn't wear them. Always remind myself to skate safe so I can skate longer.

@@notprochris I hear you on the wrists! If land hard on my palm, the underside of my wrist bruises usually (my right is a little yellow now, haha). I own wrist guards, helmet, knee and elbow pads... just have to form that habit to wear them. p.s. I know your cool... your name is Chris 🤙

Peter Van Schaack you might like these boards. hamboards.com/ they come with a push stick and it's super fun to ride on the paved trails. Sometimes on paved walking trails there are hidden hills so be careful!!! I had to bail a couple times last weekend but thank goodness my feet could keep up with my body or I would have ate some pavement!!! remember you don't have to be good at it to love it!!!!!!!!!! I am the same age as you i still skate with my son and we have a blast!!! do balance exercises everyday it helps a lot. Cheers and keep skating!!!

Legend

Yeah!! My dad gave me a good taste of music early on in life for sure.

@@ZackDowdy He's a Great Dad!

"...to my fellow OG skaters to use larger diameter & softer wheels." -- good tip to know. Been off a board for 30 years. Thinking about getting back to it.

@@backoffice5310 I am 47. last time I was on a skateboard was 96'. been back at it for the last 4 months, having a blast. dabbling at the skate parks but have been really enjoying wood ramps. if you can find a wood bowl I'd highly suggest it.

I moved from Bay Area middle of 10th grade back to the OC Brian, but will always remember “Go Skate” that was the shop I looked up to as a grom!

@@miked7374 We used to tell our parents I'm staying at johnny 🏠s tonight John tell his folks 10 of us would catch the Golden gate Transit from Santa Rosa go to San Fran skate all night. Cost us 2 bucks. Be home next day no harm no foul.

@@brianjacobsen5762 Incredible words and wow what a night that must of been in SF back then with your crew! I will always remember Bunji’s dad driving us over from Foster City, to skate Derby 8th grade!

Golf may be a fun game but it's used as a status symbol thing by sooooo many fundamentally uncool people.

Appreciate it AJ, hopefully I can afford a new lens soon!

Much love hope all is well!

Totally! I have some friends that love it too, maybe eventually I'll have the patience to learn.

Rub Brick!

Damn sorry to hear, I hope you have a speedy recovery.

Really is!

Dedication!

If there was no video there would be no comment though! Hope you and the son have a blast shredding!