help

Get him some pads and go with him to some hills or something, it will help his balance alot.

Itll probably help him stay with it if you got one yourself to try, since you surf you'll probably be a natural at riding.

But most importantly make sure he has fun :), Hope Ive helped a little.

Just keep in mind that Tony Hawk is about as far from real skateboarding as you can get and if he's expecting that right away, he's going to be really disappointed. Just a gentle reminder for him.

I'd try it with him. For me, surfing is hardest so you'd prolly pick it up alright. Surfing > Skateboarding > Snowboarding. And you've got the right idea about the basics. But before he pushes, make sure he can ride it well, like with you pushing or something. And then get him to start leaning and turning. Really, just becoming comfortable with the motion and all.

I wouldn't suggest hills for a beginner. The speed can be too much too fast. A slight incline would be nice though, like a smooth parking lot that's on a bit of a slope. If he can't handle riding it without pushing, then he'll just get frustrated with pushing since it can be tricky for some people with timing and shifting your weight.

He's not trying to push mongo right? When I was teaching my friend, she started like that but it's really better balance-wise to push with the backfoot, center of balance and all that. It's tricky to realign your feet after a push. Make sure as soon as he pushes and brings his backfoot back onto the tail that his front foot returns perpendicular to the board. It's much harder to keep balanced if your front foot is aligned with the board.

And make sure the bushings aren't too soft and/or the trucks aren't loose.

Otherwise, you're on the right track. Once he's got pushing down, he can start on kickturns and stopping then tictacs. Then manuals. Manuals are great for balance. Then finally, the ollie. If he tries for tricks right away, it's gonna suck big time cos he'll never learn. It's like trying to do cutbacks before even learning how to paddle. ;) Just patience and baby steps.

Good luck! :)

Thanks....He is trying to do tricks first and I am telling him that he has to wait for that. Thank you so much for the input. I was thinking about skating with him .... I havent bought a board yet though :)

Again, Thanks, Sama

I know a few kids who skate with their dads, in most cases, Dad skates only to support son, really not doing too much, but it's enough to keep him encouraged.

I can't really disagree with eskimo_jo, it's all about taking it a little at a time and getting comfortable with riding before trying to do anything more complex.

As regards pushing mongo (front foot) compared to normal, it's largely down to personal preference really, I push mongo, and yes it does mean you have to be a little more sure of your balance and slightly quicker-footed getting into riding stance, but it has never really slowed me down any.

It's often best to get him a "low and slow" setup to start with, rather than a more expensive one, their bearings tend to be slower and the wheels softer, making for an easier ride for a beginner.Something often overlooked is the deck size, at 7, I'm guessing that a full-size (over 30 inch) deck is gonna be too long for him. Most skate shops carry shorter boards designer for smaller feet if he finds a larger deck to be problemmatic.

In the end, the trick is to just keep encouraging him, he will inevitably fall off, you just have to help him learn to just get back up again without letting it put him off.

Good luck, and have fun, both of ya!

Thanks, for all of the advice. I am sure he'll get it cause he is so determined...I really appreciate the advice...He wants to ride mongo too...I think that is what he naturally did...so if it wont slow him down I will let him flow with it.

Thanks! Sama

My son is 10 and has been skateboarding with his cousin. They like to go to skateboard parks. That might be a good place to take him if you can find one in your area. That way he can watch other people and see how things are done. Hope this helps.