Skateboard Safety (1976)

[Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] It's exciting and thrilling and it's the best sport around. But I use it mainly as a let's say a means of expression. And I decided I'd try like another way of surfing cuz I'm getting into surfing really a lot. And skating is a way of getting into it and really expressing when there's no way. I like skateboarding because you get to meet other people. Cuz there's nothing else to do. I like skateboards cuz it's has a lot of action to it. Cuz I like to skateboarding cuz it's fun. Skateboarding is a sport and like many sports it requires a certain degree of skill, experience, and training. And like many sports, it can be dangerous. A fall on a skateboard can cause [Music] injury. But injuries can be avoided. First of all, protective clothing should be worn by the skateboard rider. A skateboard rider should wear proper shoes and he should wear clothing with adequate padding on his knees, hands, hips, lower spine, elbows, and shoulders. A proper fitting helmet can be worn to protect your head. You may think wearing all of this protective clothing is going a bit too far. But when you do have a fall, wearing protective clothing will greatly reduce injuries. Can you imagine a football player going into a game without any protective clothing? Protective clothing makes you more confident, and with confidence, you become better at your sport. A skateboarder's next concern should be for his equipment. Make sure that you have a safe board. Check your wheels or trucks to make sure that they are not too loose or too tight. And look to see that your wheels are secured properly to the axle. Replace any worn or broken wheels. All hard and pointed objects should be removed from your pockets. The condition of the skateboarding surface in which you're going to use should be your third concern. Skate on a clean, dry surface free from obstacles and debris. Make sure that the surface is free from cracks and holes. After you have learned about the three basic safety precautions, you will want to learn something about the techniques in skateboard riding. Place one foot on the board, whichever foot feels most comfortable. While leaning with your weight slightly forward, push off with the other foot. Stride in a smooth, rhythmical manner, making sure that your push foot does not go beyond the front of the board. Your shoulders are held perpendicular to the forward direction of the board. Turning in skateboarding is much the same as in surfing. Your weight is shifted from side to side, causing the board to turn. The knees bend in coordination with the hips to place your weight on different sides of the board. Turning requires space. Make sure that you skate in an area that is not crowded. A beginner should always have someone with experience teaching basic skills as well as more advanced tricks. [Music] I got injured when I was skateboarding and I was doing something a trick that I really shouldn't been doing yet until I had a little bit of practice and and knowing how to fall. But I'll have to wear this for about a month cuz I didn't have the practice. I think uh basically as far as safety, what you should do uh if you're a parent, you should get your uh son or daughter into a judo or gymnastics class. Teach them proper techniques of falling, rolling, tumbling, anything that's going to uh teach the child on how to break their fall properly. Not with straight forearms that are going to break their bones, but with curve techniques that are going to break their falls instead. The popularity of skateboarding has created a number of problems for the community. Therefore, skateboard safety training has become an important addition to our existing safety programs. One of the main problems is establishing places that are safe and practical for skateboards. Areas that skateboards do not interfere with traffic on the sidewalk or in the streets. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Skateboards are not designed to be ridden in the street. You cannot easily stop a skateboard when something unexpected happens. It doesn't matter how good a skateboarder you are. When you're skateboarding in the street, you have little control over unexpected dangers. [Music] [Music] Well, skateboarding is dangerous if you if you don't know how to do how to do something and then you try and do it. Just, you know, if you don't know what you're doing, it could be dangerous. It is dangerous if you do it wrong. You you shouldn't shoot hills and and travel in in heavily traveled areas. Skateboarding dangerous? I don't really think so. No, I think it's really dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. The program skateboard racing association was actually founded uh to pro promote safety in the sport of skateboarding. Our main purpose is to have competition take place under controlled conditions. Uh in our competition, we make sure that all the kids wear safety helmets to protect them and we run all the boards through a technical inspection and make sure that the equipment has passed certain requirements uh for safe running. [Music] The difference between freestyle and slalom is that slalom goes mainly for speed. Uh incorporating a lot of control but not as much as freestyle. Freestyle is where you can be innovative and incorporate different techniques whether it be from uh volleyball, gymnastics, judo, martial art forms or any other surfing style, snow skiing. But slalom basically has one thing in it and that's snow skiing for speed. Uh, I like freestyle because it's more creative for me. [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] boarding the sidewalk surfing. with me. [Music] Don't be afraid to try the newest sport around. Catch it on every single time. You can do the tricks the surfers do. Just tie a wing on the cropping with me. I think any kid should learn his limits. Do his limits, not go beyond them. Anytime uh you realize your limits, you know, and skate within harmony of them, you're not going to get yourself as hurt as someone [Music] else right through with me. [Music] You can do the tricks the surfers do. Just try or the coffin to every morning to me. [Music] So get your girl and take her tandem down the street. Don't you know you're as bad and I'll give you a kick. But if the sidewalks crack, you better pull out quick. [Music]