With more than 6 million skateboarders in the US alone, it’s currently one of the most popular sports out there. Among these massive numbers of skateboarders (85 million worldwide), how many of them do you think are skinny or fatty?
To be honest, the majority of them have thin physiques. Hence, Do you have to be skinny to skateboard? Watching thin skaters around, you might be thinking that it’s a game of skinny people. But in reality, your weight is not a big problem for skating.
You indeed get some advantages if your physique is skinny, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t do skateboarding if you’re not. If you have a weight of up to 272.3 lbs (300 lbs for a longboard), skating can be your next big adventure.
If you weigh more, there’s still hope, and we’re about to find that out. Let’s dig in.
Do You Have to Be Skinny To Skateboard?
If you dedicate yourself to skateboarding, your weight is nothing but just a number. Surely, your physical condition has a role to play, but if you’re not skinny, it doesn’t mean you can’t go skateboard.
Every sport comes with a different physique, techniques, and requirements so that the players can give their maximum. Being skinny gives you more advantages while skateboarding. That’s why when most people newly learn about this sport they feel discouraged if they got some weight on them.
Although most skateboarders are skinny, the reality is, fat people, enjoy it just fine! The reason we think most skateboarders are skinny is, almost every skateboarder that we see in the park or internet has a skinny physique.
Consequently, our unconscious mind starts to believe that skateboarding is not a game of heavy people. However, do you have to be skinny to skateboard for real? As mentioned earlier, the answer is no. Let’s break the myth, see why skateboarders are skinny, and how you do it with extra weight.
Why Are Skateboarders Skinny?
The main reason skateboarders are skinny is, the skinner they’re, the more flexible they are in maneuvering around. Especially, people with slim or lean physiques enjoy more flexibility, agility, and mobility in skateboarding.
Besides, skateboarding is a kind of cardio activity that has more or less impact on your body. As a result, the more you play this sport, the thinner you become gradually.
You see, most of the skateboarders are skinny because they’re dedicated to this sport. They burn a lot of calories through skateboarding, and that changes their physiques.
Beyond them, if you look at the casual skateboarders who’re not much dedicated, playing this sport for fun, you’ll definitely see the people with different physiques.
Does Being Skinny Help With Skateboarding?
Yes! If your physique is skinny or lean, skateboarding becomes easier for you. The reason is pretty simple: if you’re thin, you have more control over your skateboard.
Therefore, when you ride a skateboard, you can balance yourself effortlessly, and your skateboard can carry you properly.
In addition, you can do different skateboarding tricks when you have a skinny physique. People with lean or thin bodies get more flexibility, agility, and mobility in skateboarding.
How To Choose A Skateboard For Heavy People?
It doesn’t matter; whether you’re a tall guy or a bit overweight, you always have this option if you love skateboarding. If you’re a heavily weighted person, you have to pay extra attention to the technology and quality used in your skateboard deck and the hardness of bushings. If you keep three important things in mind while selecting your skateboard, your weight won’t cause any problems. They are:
- You shouldn’t go for a skateboard that has less than 8.5 inches wide deck
- Carefully check the bushings of your skateboard to ensure it can handle your weight.
- High-quality trucks that can cope up with the impacts.
Things That You Should Consider Before Getting A Skateboard Heavy People
There are certain things that you should consider while choosing Skateboards for heavy riders. Let’s talk about some of them.
1. Deck Material
When you are going to select a skateboard for heavy-weight people, deck material is the first thing that you should consider. Hardwood maple, bamboo, fiberglass are the best option as skateboard deck materials for heavily weighted people.
If you want to go for a wooden skateboard, look at the number of layers it offers. Make sure the skateboard outboard is in between 8 and 11 layers as they can effectively handle the weight of a heavy person.
Besides, fiberglass and bamboo material deck skateboards can provide you extra support. You can even perform different types of stunts and tricks with them.
2. Deck Width
To select the right skateboard for heavy-weight people, you must ensure adequate deck width. Remember, the wider the width of the skateboard, the more control, and balance heavy riders will feel (especially when riding at high speed or doing stunts).
An 8-inch deck is suitable for heavy people, but we’ll recommend you to go for a 10-inch width deck.
3. Weight Limit
Weight limit is the most crucial thing while selecting a deck for a heavy person. Most skateboards that are designed for heavily weighted people can support 250 pounds or more.
So while selecting your skateboard, you should be mindful of your body weight and the max weight that your skateboard can handle.
4. Trucks And Wheels
The main complexity that heavy riders will encounter with their skateboard is speed controlling and balance. Therefore, while selecting a skateboard for heavy people, go for the trucks that can rotate between 40-degree angles. These types of trucks are popular for higher stability and excellent speed control.
Besides, the size of the wheel has a significant impact on skateboarding. A 70mm wheel is convenient for heavyweight people. But, the rule of thumbs is the wider your skateboard wheel, the better it can travel and provide you support.
5. Shape Of The Skateboard
Drop-through skateboards are an excellent choice for heavy-weight people. The unique shape and style of this type of skateboard assists in even weight distribution and keep the skateboard centered.
Tips To skateboarding For Heavy Guys To Avoid Skateboard Breakage
If you’re a heavily weighted person then there is always a higher risk of breaking your skateboard due to being overweight. It would be great if you learn some helpful hacks to avoid it.
Have a look at the following tips if you don’t want to break a skateboard every week and go for a new one.
Land Correctly
Improper landing is one of the main reasons for breaking skateboards for heavy-weighted people. But, when you have mastered the proper landing technique, you’ll rarely face this issue. Bend your knees and try to position the legs over the skateboard trucks.
By learning the proper techniques of these two movements you can effectively prevent damage to your skateboard deck.
Purchase A Skateboard That Maintains Pro-Grade Deck
When purchasing your skateboard, you must ensure that the board comes with excellent quality. Otherwise, it won’t last long. And, it’s not only applicable for heavily weighted people but all skateboard riders in general.
Hence, go for a skateboard that is manufactured by a well-reputed company and made with high-quality materials.
Buy Boards Regularly
If you’re not interested in investing in pro-grade skateboards then you have to purchase a skateboard regularly. It’s for sure that the cheaper-quality skateboard is going to break. Hence, it would be helpful for you if you purchase a few skateboards at a time so that once one breaks, you can use another.
Conclusion
Overweight people who love skateboarding are always disheartened, thinking that they can’t skate due to their weight. However, as you already have the answer to this question: Do you have to be skinny to skateboard? Things should be clear by now.
As it turns out, most skateboarders are skinny because it’s significantly easier for them to maneuver the board. On that note, if you become regular to skating, you’ll also get in shape, as skating is great cardio itself. So, stop worrying and get on with your board today.
