Hi All,
I’ve been doing brazillian JiuJitsu for the last 7 years and recently got a pretty bad shoulder injury that’s going to keep me out for a while. I will likely be on the mats again at some point but not sure when.
I’m looking for something else to do in the meantime (and maybe for the long term). If your dad was in the same position as me, would you advise him for or against skateboarding? And if for it, how long should I try it before i decide if its for me or not?
Thanks!
Don’t do it.
It’s one thing to be forty with a bad shoulder injury. It’s another thing to be forty with a foot or ankle injury.
It’s like in Forrest Gump when they’re in Vietnam: you take good care of your feet. Your shoulders aren’t going to do shit for you if your feet can’t carry them and all the rest of you.
Don’t get a foot injury.
Haha, love the Forrest Gump quote.
I messed up my ankle in 2019 in a freak moped racing in the grass accident. My right ankle was dislocated; my foot was torqued inward and rotated toward the left. I put it back in place immediately before the adrenaline wore off. It was about 3 months recovery before i felt really good again.
I always get hurt when i’m trying to have some good clean fun. Thats why i look like Homer Simpson, lol.
Injuries take longer to heal when you are >30 and even more when >40. Learning to skateboard means a lot of injuries… Just sayin’
The last two guys I know who are over 40 and got back on the board broke something pretty serious.
I don’t have an answer. But I’m 41 and kind of regret never picking it up beyond the extremely basic stuff. If you decide to pick it up, let me know of any progress, and I’ll be your online airmchair skate group of one.
Thanks! Yeah, i’m not sure if i can even stand on one and move forward. I bought my son a good skateboard a couple years ago and he hasn’t touched it. So evertime i see it sitting there in the garage, i think about trying it out.
Yes, definitely take it up. There was a dude skateboarding in the Olympics who is fifty-one, so on that basis, you’ve got nearly a decade to make it as an Olympic-level skateboarder!
In terms of when to quit, I would say only quit if you don’t like it. There’s no particular standard you need to reach to prove yourself to anyone.
Just my experience, I picked it up at 28 and got comfy riding easily. That’s fun and safe. Particularly longboarding.
Once I started going for tricks, I quickly injured my wrist and shoulder and noticed my one knee having issues. Had to switch sports to bicycling (which I’m enjoying even more)
It actually has a really long learning curve, if you didn’t skate as a kid it will take you a long time to even be comfortable rolling around, let alone doing anything more. Kids have an infinite amount of time to practice and can take their boards with them basically everywhere, adults don’t have the same luxury.
And the other part is, you will get injured. You might get lucky and be fine, or you might get unlucky and fuck your knee or ankle or wrist or collarbone for months or life.
It’s a young person’s hobby. If you’re really keen then go for it, but if its an idle curiosity I think there are other things that you’d find more satisfying.
I’m gonna recommend a bicycle. A lot easier on the feet ankles and knees, less prone to injury over all, and can be great cardio. Nice payoff after climbing a hill and heading down the other side. WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Bicycle is a good idea. I just wish there’s hills here in Florida. Anything that looks like a hill is really a landfill.
My bicycle is 20 years old and I haven’t touched it in probably 5 years. Maybe I can think about getting a new one
Wear protection and do daily exercises that strengthen your overal physique. If you indeed practised Brazilian jiu-jitsu then you already know how to fall, therefore you’re less likely to be hurt by trivial stumbles that would hurt other beginners completely new to any kind of intensive sport.
You can still learn it if you want to. However your shoulder could be an issue, because you do use the entire body when skating and especially when falling. Avoiding falling should be your first priority. Don’t take chances. Only you can judge what is safe for you to try. Keep your knees bend and always be prepared to jump off safely.
I’d advise you to go to a skatepark to check out if it’s something for you.
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My son guffawed at that Iron Man comment
Started skating at 24, every time I fracture or break a part of me it takes so long to heal that I lose all my skating muscle memory.
Seems almost pointless to me to try and be good at skateboarding when you start this late. But if you have passion for it and enjoy rolling around, I still think it’s tons of fun. Don’t expect to do almost any sick tricks tbh
I’m 37 and have been considering getting an electric skateboard to speed up my daily commute. Currently it’s a 25 minute walk with a set of steps, my thinking is I’d be able to carry it on them.
