Skateboarding is an incredibly creative and fun sport to utilize your free time. You can spend long hours skateboarding as a refreshment activity or as a form of exercise, depending on what you want. However, it can be extremely dangerous if you are not being extra careful. Hence, you should always use the best skateboard protective gear as a precaution. While skateboarding, you are bound to fall sometimes regardless of being a beginner or a proficient one. While most of these falls can result in minor injuries, you never know which one to be life-threatening for you! Wearing suitable protective gear will help you to ride comfortably and without any fear of accidents as well.
In this article, we’ll take a deep look at the best skateboard protective gear for both adults and children.
7 Types of Best Skateboard Protective Gear for Adults
The first step of skateboarding is getting a quality skateboard depending on your purpose. You can buy a traditional or electric skateboard for your practice or street session. No matter the type you are purchasing, a skateboard protective gear set should also be on your buying list.
While skating, several parts of your body can be injured if you fall, unfortunately. Hence, various body parts require distinct protective gear to ensure your full safety. Some of them are must-haves, while some of those tools are optional. You can always check which one you find essential for you and buy accordingly.
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1) Skateboarding Helmet
While a sprained wrist or broken bones can heal over time, a cracked skull is more fatal than any other wounds. Hence, the helmet is a mandatory safety gear, especially if you are buying skating protective gear for a child. As slipping from your skateboard is inevitable sometimes, why take any risk if you can prevent it by wearing a simple helmet?But not any helmet is usable for skateboarding. You have to choose one that is specially built for skateboarders. They usually have a special safeguard at the backside to prevent and shock or pain. Some also have cushioning to provide extra protection and comfort. These days, lights and reflectors are also being featured to make commuting in the dark easier.
Always wear your helmet the correct way, so your forehead is protected completely. And purchase a helmet fitting for your head and tight the chinstrap to prevent any shakes. As for riding an e-skateboard, always get the best electric skateboard helmet for the safest riding experience.
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2) Knee and Elbow Pads for Skateboarding
Right after your head, the next commonplace to get wounded is your knee. So, it is not unusual to put on safety gear in that area for protection. Knee pads can be of different varieties, some are small-sized and protect only a limited area. While some have full padding to ensure complete protection.Skilled skateboarders can skip wearing knee pads as they know how to fall, reducing the risk. But rookie skateboarders should use knee pads as they will be hurting their knees during the practice session. Expert Vert skateboarders usually wear knee pads as their skateboarding style includes high standing ramp and vert pools.
One wrong move and everything can get ruined. Kneepads are essential for them as they slide on their knees for a safe landing. While the elbow is not very much involved in riding the skateboard, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to protect them. Wearing cushioned elbow pads can decrease the damage and protect you from bruises.
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3.)Wrist Pads for Skateboarding
Wrist pads, gloves, and wrist guards are three varieties that you should carefully consider before buying. If you only want to protect your skin from injuries, a wrist pad is perfect for you. The best wrist guards for skateboarding come with plastic or metal pieces to save your wrist from fractures and twists.Downhill skateboarders wear slide gloves as they have to slide the hand over the asphalt for maneuverability. As for e-skateboarding, you can also wear specific electric skateboard gloves for a better ride.
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4) Skateboard Shorts (Crash Pants)
Crash pants are basically a type of safety clothing that you can wear under your regular outfit. These pants protect the pelvis, coccyx, and hips of your body. The quality ones are made with standard materials with padding to prevent injuries.These are great if you prefer skateboarding at high speed. The premium quality ones come with breathable air netting, providing you extra comfort.
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5) Electric Skateboard Lights & Reflectors
If you like to skate or skateboarding at night, you would know how having lights and reflectors can help you tremendously. It can be very dangerous if motor vehicles or pedestrians fail to spot you on roads. Hence, having lights and reflectors as your protective gear can make a huge difference.
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6) Skateboard Shoes
While shoes may seem insignificant at first, wearing the right pair of shoes actually helps to balance yourself on the board. You can stick to the board for a crucial trick or speedy downhill skateboarding. These specific shoes are built with flat soles to stick to the skateboard surface.You can wear regular sneakers as well, but skateboard shoes are better performers and wouldn’t cost much.
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7) Shin Guards and Ankle Protection
Skateboarding on curbs and rail can be intense sometimes, hurting your shin and ankle suddenly. You can also wear ankle guards or shin guards to protect those parts from damage.
Skating Protective Gear for A Child
A complete protective gear for kids should have a properly fitted helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, wrist guards, flat sole shoes, and a right-sized skateboard. When you are buying protective gear for a child, make sure to get the kid-friendly one so that the child can easily put them on without anyone’s help.
- For kids under 3.5 ft, the board length should be between 27.2”- 27.6”
- For kids between 3.5 – 4.4 ft, the board length of 28” would be perfect.
Why Is It Necessary To Wear Protection?
When you are riding a skateboard for commuting or performing tricks, the whole thing depends on how well balanced you are on the board. A wrong step or movement, and you will lose balance and fall. Although falling is an unavoidable situation, you can always make the outcome more enduring by wearing protective gear.
While skateboarding is fun, you can easily get hurt or end up with grave wounds. In the worst-case scenario, you can hit your head badly, which can be life-threatening. All these scary situations can be easily avoided, if you wear some simple protective equipment like a helmet, knee pads, wrist gear, etc.
As skateboarding is relatively fun and can be attempted by anyone, everyone should maintain the security measures by wearing appropriate safety gear. Especially kids and rookies, as they are more vulnerable to harm.
Why Don’t People Wear Protection?
Generally, most expert skaters suggest wearing protective gear to ensure a safe ride. However, if you look around, you would see many skateboarders not wearing any protection when riding their board. While some of them feel it looks uncool to wear safety gear, some find these uncomfortable or suffocating.
In bowl or vert skating, it is necessary to wear a helmet to prevent major accidents. There is no guarantee that you won’t fracture your skull when you fall from the skateboard. Moreover, you have to learn about falling correctly to avoid fractures as well. Wearing minimum protection would be a wise choice for your own benefits.
Proper Sizing And Fit
While wearing safety gear is crucial, you would want them to fit you perfectly. Your knee pads are supposed to cover your knees properly to protect them. If they slip down after wearing them for a few minutes, they won’t be able to aid you when you need them the most. Moreover, you can’t keep taking breaks to fix them repeatedly.
The same goes for the helmets. A helmet should be wrapped under your chin with sufficient space for one finger or two, while the top part would cover your forehead. A loose helmet will tip back and expose your head, meaning you wouldn’t be safe from possible brain injuries. Many BMX riders, skaters put on a full-face helmet to shield their jaws and teeth as well.
Where You Can Buy Your Safety Gear
Getting the right safety gear isn’t a difficult task. You can buy them from any skateboard shop available in your area. However, getting the right size may take some time. But never hesitate to search around, as wearing fitted protection gear is fairly important for your safety. You can buy them from separate manufacturers or the same one if they have the perfect sized gear.
If you can’t find any item in the local store, there are plenty of online stores you can search through. You can have them delivered to you or pick them up from their store if possible.
See Also: Best Cruiser Skateboards for Beginners (Buyer’s Guide)
Final Words
While free skating on the streets seems a fun way to commute or entertainment for most people, you can’t deny the sense of speed and freedom you can feel during the skating. However, no matter how easy and effortless it seems, skating is a tough cookie to crack. Hence, as a beginner skater, you have to practice a lot for better riding performance. After going through the whole write up, you must have understood why and how using the best skateboard protective gear is in your best interest. Hence, along with the skateboard costing and features, you have to know about the skateboard protective gear for adults as well. Thus, your safety won’t be compromised.
