Overview.
Once you have everything you need to skim board, the next step is to learn how to do it. Be sure to check out our beginner tips for skim boarding if you’re just getting started. Here we are going to go over the steps to skim boarding from start to finish.
Make sure you’re prepared.
Be physically prepared.
- Skim boarding can be an arduous activity. To be able to skim, you need to be in good enough shape where you can comfortably run, jump, and balance on a skim board.
- While learning as a beginner, you should expect to have your fair share of falls.
Stretch
- It is important to stretch before starting. This will help loosen up and prepare your muscles for what is to come.
- Stretch your back muscles, hamstrings, and calves beforehand. Prepare for higher impact on your ankles and knees.
Wear the right gear.
- What size your skim board should be
- The general rule is making sure the skim board you have stands near the height of your chest when it is resting on the ground. Some skim board manufacturers like Zap Skim Boards provide specific measurements for their boards depending on your height and weight.
- Which type of skim board you should have
- Flatland skim boarding: This type of skim boarding is best for the beginner. Here you will want to have smaller wood boards to use.
- Wave skim boarding: This is for more advanced skim boarders. Here you would use newer foam and carbon fiber boards. They typically are curved making it easier to glide on the breaking waves.
- Waterproof clothing: Be prepared to fall and get wet.
Find the right location.
Flat land
The flatter the land is, the easier it will be to maintain balance on the skim board and glide in a straight path.
Long stretch of land
You will need a lot of room to maneuver because you will need space to run up when throwing the skim board in addition to the space for skimming.
Away from crowds
It can be tough around groups of people, especially when you’re trying to learn. The more room you have to operate, the easier it’ll be to begin.
Shallow water
The want shallow water that is a few millimeters deep when getting started. The deeper the water gets, the harder it’ll be to maintain speed and skim across it.
Avoid surfaces with small rocks or bumps
A small rock can significantly alter your intended path when skimming and often cause you to wipe out. You should thoroughly check your area out for any potential hazards before trying to skim board on it.
Throw your board
- When throwing the skim board, have one hand holding in the center of the back and the other on the side nearest to you.
- When you throw, you will use the back hand to push the skim board forward.
- The hand on the side of the board will be used to guide the board in the right direction.
- Hold the skim board parallel to the ground
- This is important because you do not want to throw it at an angle because it may get stuck in the sand or will simply go slower than it would had you thrown it correctly.
- Practice throwing your board some before jumping onto the skim board.
- Eventually when you’re comfortable throwing the board, you’ll need to make sure you’re timing the throw correctly.
- For flatland skim boarding if you’re on the beach, you want to throw the skim board when the waves are receding.
- For wave skim boarding, you would aim to throw the board when the waves are about to break.
Jump onto the board and skim across the water!
- Start with stationary throws
- Once you’re comfortable practicing jumping onto the board, begin practicing without a running start.
- Once you’re comfortable, you can begin practicing jumping onto the board
- Practice by drawing a straight line in the sand and running along that line before jumping onto the board
- Make sure to lean forwards onto the board rather than jumping upwards and then onto it.
- Your last step before jumping onto the board, should be with your back foot.
- Put more pressure on your back foot.
- Center your weight on the board and bend your knees.
- Aim to have your back foot towards the back end of the skim board with your front foot shoulder with apart. This would put your front foot close to about two-thirds the boards length.
Final thoughts.
And there you have it! Now you know how to skim board. Within no time, these steps will become muscle memory and you won’t need to read this over again. Have patience while you’re starting out. Below is a great video to watch on the process.
Now that you know how to skim board, learn more about the history of skim boarding, why you should skim board, and where are the best locations to skim board.