Skimboarding is a popular sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It involves riding a board on the surface of the water, and can be a lot of fun.
However, one of the things that makes skimboarding more difficult is the need for grip. This is because you need to keep your balance while you’re riding the board.
BUT, it IS possible to skimboard without grip. All you need is a little bit of practice and some patience. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
You can skimboard without grip but it’s really difficult because the point is riding it on water, but that gets it wet and really slippery. Waxing your board helps a lot, but the right stance will help as well, even without grip and wax.
In this post we'll cover:
What makes skimboarding difficult without grip?
The main reason that skimboarding without grip is more difficult is that you lose your balance more easily.
This is because you don’t have the same level of control that you would have with grip.
In order to compensate for this, it’s important to practice a lot and to be patient. It may take some time before you’re able to ride the board without losing your balance.
Why do you slide off a skimboard without grip?
When you’re skimboarding without grip, you’re relying on your balance to stay on the board.
If you lose your balance, you will naturally slide off the board.
That will lead to epic wipeouts and fails like these:
Is a skimboard slippery when wet?
The surface of a skimboard can be slippery when it’s wet. This is because the water causes the board to slide more easily.
However, if you’re able to stay on the board, you will be able to ride faster.
So here are a few tips to get you skimboarding on your board without grip:
Tips for beginners who want to try skimboarding without grip
There are a few different ways that you can try to skimboard without grip.
The most obvious one is waxing your skimboard to get grip.
But you probably already know that and either are already using it and still have a hard time staying on the board, OR you don’t have any of that on hand.
So here are some actual useful tips to get started:
1. Try not to use too much speed. When you’re first starting out, it’s important to use a slower speed so that you can stay on the board.
2. Use a wider stance. When you’re standing on the board, try to widen your stance so that you have more stability. You should be crouching down low and keeping your body as close to the board as possible.
3. Lean back. This will help you stay on the board if you lose your balance.
4. Practice in a shallow area. This will help you get comfortable with the board and the motion of skimboarding without grip. Plus it won’t get wet as easily so it’ll slide out from under you.
5. Use a smaller board. A smaller board will be easier to control and will be less likely to slide out from under you.
6. Keep your arms and legs close to your body. This will help you stay balanced and will make it more difficult for you to lose your balance.
7. Be patient. It takes time to learn how to skimboard without grip. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t master it right away. Just keep practicing and you’ll be able to do it eventually.
Remember, practice makes perfect! So keep at it and you’ll be riding without grip in no time!
Also read: these are the 9 best skimboards you can get for your money
Advanced skimboarding without grip
If you want to continue practicing without grip, there are a few things that you can do to make it more difficult:
1. Try riding in rougher water. This will make it more difficult for you to stay on the board.
2. Try using a bigger board. This will be more difficult to control and will be more likely to slide out from under you.
3. Try riding on a steeper slope. This will make it harder for you to stay on the board.
4. Try doing tricks. This will require more balance and coordination, which will be difficult without grip.
The benefits of skimboarding without grip
Even though it’s more difficult to skimboard without grip, there are a few benefits that come with it:
1. You’ll improve your balance. This is essential for any type of skimboarding.
2. You’ll learn how to control the board better. This is important for doing tricks and riding in rougher water.
3. You’ll be able to ride faster. This may not seem like a benefit, but it is if you want to start doing competitions or try out more difficult tricks.
4. It’s more challenging and fun. Skimboarding without grip is more challenging than riding with grip, so it’s a lot more fun!
As you can see, there are a few benefits of practicing without grip as well, even if you normally ride with grip.
I like to compare it to practicing playing guitar on a really bad guitar where the strings are set up way high so you have to press real hard.
If you’re practicing like that and all of a sudden change back to your normal guitar, you’ll be amazed at how much you’ve improved!
Conclusion
Learning to skimboard without grip can be a fun and challenging experience.
It takes time and practice to master, but once you do, you’ll have improved balance and coordination that will help you take your skills to the next level.
Even if you’re an experienced rider, practicing without grip can still be beneficial – it’ll make you faster and more skilled at doing tricks.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your board and get started!
Also read: the pros and cons of wooden skimboards, are they any good?
