How to Skimboard
Find a good location., Buy a board and surf wax., Find a good skim spot., Get in shape!, Hold your board (preferably with one hand on the back tail and one hand on the side rail halfway up the board) out in front of you., When you have some speed...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find a good location.
You don't have to live on a beach, but it would be easier so you could get more practice.
Find a good beach, preferably one with either very little slope (for sand skimming) or very powerful shore break and steep slope (for wave skimming). -
Step 2: Buy a board and surf wax.
You should buy different types of boards for sand skimming and wave skimming.
Smaller, flatter, wooden boards (which are cheaper) are designed more so for sand skimming (sideways along the shore, where it's flat), whereas the newer high-tech foam/carbon fiber boards are shaped for reaching waves.
Some wooden boards arch in the middle, so that it only has about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of board touching the ground on each side of your skimboard.
These are very good for sand skimming, at good places, you can go at least 60 feet (18.3 m).
There are many types of wax (tropical for warm waters, cold for cold locations, etc.).
If in a cold location, use tropical or warm water wax for base coat.
Then cold water wax for top coat. , This can be tough, but once you have a few places figured out, you'll always have somewhere to skim.
San Diego, England, and Florida are some popular places. , You don't want to injure yourself doing this.
Make sure you can run, ride on a board, take a few falls, and get a little sand on your face when you learn to skim.
Keep your leg and back muscles stretched, warm, and strong. , If you're just going flat along the sand, wait until the last wave to come in is sucking back out.
When there's a thin coating of water, between a couple millimeters and no more than a half inch, start running. , The easiest way to do this is to get low to the ground and slide it out in front of you (to lead you just a little bit before you get on). , Do not jump or hop onto the board.
YOU WILL FALL and it will be boring.
The only correct way to get on the board is to 'run' onto it, by placing your front foot a few inches past the middle first, then placing your back foot behind it.
You may say, well I'll fall if I go one foot at a time.
This is not the case.
Properly done, you lose no speed as you get onto the board (Whereas if you jump onto it, the board is forced to break the surface tension of the water because of the sudden weight increase, taking away from the 'skim').
By gradually putting your weight onto the board, you will lose little or no speed.
It's very smooth, and actually easier than jumping on once you're used to it. , For sand skimming, it's simple...you just go, go, go...until you stop.
You can stay straight, or you can try to do a shoot, or a big spin if you're lucky.
Sand skimming is fun, but you can kick it up a notch by skimming waves. , You'll need a wave that you can A) Reach, and B) Turn off of, or do an air off of.
To help with speed as you go over deeper water, try side-slipping.
This involves turning the board sideways as you go over flat sections of water (physics says it makes it lose speed at a slower rate).
As you approach the wave, you'll need to start your turn by applying weight to your back inside/outside rail depending which way you're going.
To lose less speed, try using the side rail more towards the middle of the board (instead of the back).
This is much harder though, requires more practice and skill, and gives you less direct control of the wave.
As you go up the face of the wave, you can turn off of it and come back down the other way towards shore.
Eventually you may try aerials, grabs, and other tricks, too.
Make sure to kick your tail out hard at the top of the wave as it starts to crest over to change directions and get a good spray going.
This is all a very concise explanation of something very complicated and variable.
Every beach, wave, sand texture, board, person, and condition is different.
Experience is key in getting better. -
Step 3: Find a good skim spot.
-
Step 4: Get in shape!
-
Step 5: Hold your board (preferably with one hand on the back tail and one hand on the side rail halfway up the board) out in front of you.
-
Step 6: When you have some speed
-
Step 7: drop your board flat out in front of you on this thin coating of water (almost like dropping it on the sand itself).
-
Step 8: Get onto the board.
-
Step 9: Skim away.
-
Step 10: Pick out a good wave.
Detailed Guide
You don't have to live on a beach, but it would be easier so you could get more practice.
Find a good beach, preferably one with either very little slope (for sand skimming) or very powerful shore break and steep slope (for wave skimming).
You should buy different types of boards for sand skimming and wave skimming.
Smaller, flatter, wooden boards (which are cheaper) are designed more so for sand skimming (sideways along the shore, where it's flat), whereas the newer high-tech foam/carbon fiber boards are shaped for reaching waves.
Some wooden boards arch in the middle, so that it only has about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of board touching the ground on each side of your skimboard.
These are very good for sand skimming, at good places, you can go at least 60 feet (18.3 m).
There are many types of wax (tropical for warm waters, cold for cold locations, etc.).
If in a cold location, use tropical or warm water wax for base coat.
Then cold water wax for top coat. , This can be tough, but once you have a few places figured out, you'll always have somewhere to skim.
San Diego, England, and Florida are some popular places. , You don't want to injure yourself doing this.
Make sure you can run, ride on a board, take a few falls, and get a little sand on your face when you learn to skim.
Keep your leg and back muscles stretched, warm, and strong. , If you're just going flat along the sand, wait until the last wave to come in is sucking back out.
When there's a thin coating of water, between a couple millimeters and no more than a half inch, start running. , The easiest way to do this is to get low to the ground and slide it out in front of you (to lead you just a little bit before you get on). , Do not jump or hop onto the board.
YOU WILL FALL and it will be boring.
The only correct way to get on the board is to 'run' onto it, by placing your front foot a few inches past the middle first, then placing your back foot behind it.
You may say, well I'll fall if I go one foot at a time.
This is not the case.
Properly done, you lose no speed as you get onto the board (Whereas if you jump onto it, the board is forced to break the surface tension of the water because of the sudden weight increase, taking away from the 'skim').
By gradually putting your weight onto the board, you will lose little or no speed.
It's very smooth, and actually easier than jumping on once you're used to it. , For sand skimming, it's simple...you just go, go, go...until you stop.
You can stay straight, or you can try to do a shoot, or a big spin if you're lucky.
Sand skimming is fun, but you can kick it up a notch by skimming waves. , You'll need a wave that you can A) Reach, and B) Turn off of, or do an air off of.
To help with speed as you go over deeper water, try side-slipping.
This involves turning the board sideways as you go over flat sections of water (physics says it makes it lose speed at a slower rate).
As you approach the wave, you'll need to start your turn by applying weight to your back inside/outside rail depending which way you're going.
To lose less speed, try using the side rail more towards the middle of the board (instead of the back).
This is much harder though, requires more practice and skill, and gives you less direct control of the wave.
As you go up the face of the wave, you can turn off of it and come back down the other way towards shore.
Eventually you may try aerials, grabs, and other tricks, too.
Make sure to kick your tail out hard at the top of the wave as it starts to crest over to change directions and get a good spray going.
This is all a very concise explanation of something very complicated and variable.
Every beach, wave, sand texture, board, person, and condition is different.
Experience is key in getting better.
About the Author
Kathleen Alvarez
Specializes in breaking down complex cooking topics into simple steps.
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