“What makes you stand up after every fall?”

That’s a very common question posed to us skaters. I would like to know your take on this.

Are you on the side of those who gave up and stopped, or are you one of us who chose to move forward?

The number one rule in skateboarding/longboarding is to NEVER GIVE UP.

I would like to quote an old saying here, which is so true for us skaters, “The first thing skateboarding teaches us is how to deal with pain.”

Most skaters bail out because of their mistakes and the most common root of mistakes is ‘doubt’– we doubt our ability to successfully pull of off a stunt.

You can’t just do a trick in mid-air then suddenly back out, you can potentially get yourself killed. You know what they say, you have to be committed to your board and to yourself.

If you are going to perform a trick, finish it, and don’t back out. Yes, you might fall a few times, but with patience and sheer commitment to what you’re doing; you will eventually be able to see past the pain.

Practice indeed makes perfect, my dear friend, just be patient.

I’ve broken boards, trucks, wheels, bearings, and all sort of things but do you know one thing that I never broke?

It’s my hope. Hope empowers us, it makes our eyes sparkle despite the pain that we endure. Hope for what, you ask?

Hope, that you can do it. This hope perfectly accompanies the commitment we embed into our tricks, into our boards, and into our hearts.

There was this one time where I was trying to pull off a very difficult trick. Several days passed and I couldn’t do it right.

I could not understand what I was doing wrong, and was about to give up when I remembered this skating hack that said,

“If you feel frustrated about a trick, take a break, cool yourself down and try again.”

I sat down, relaxed, thought about the trick a couple of times. After a few minutes I stood up and tried again, and noticed myself progressing with each attempt. With every try I made, I could see myself getting another step closer to a proper landing, and then, bingo!

I landed it perfectly. I was so happy to have finally nailed the trick, and then I asked myself,

“Now what? What am I going to do now that I’ve landed it.”

And then I thought of what my father used to say,

“You’ve made it this far, so why stop now?”

And so my passion for longboarding continued to grow.

We all experience the moment of frustration where we can’t pull off a certain trick, and then we just accept defeat because we feel the challenge is too hard.

But for me, I see every challenge as an opportunity to get better. This challenge was put in front of us not to stop us, but for us to accomplish and get over it.

We have this feeling of thirst every time we want to try out a new trick, and once we are able to land it nicely, we feel even more motivated and perform other, more advanced tricks.

Our mindset should be

“If he/she can do it, I can do it as well.”

Yes, your limitations will slow you down in some cases, but never, I mean never, let it stop you.

I have a bunch of quotes in store for you but maybe what really suits this matter is this one,

“When you think about stopping, remember why you started,”

which is a great motivation for us never to give up.

Longboarding/skateboarding wasn’t invented for only one person, but for all of us. We are all capable of doing tricks and performing stunts; we just have to believe.

I’ve thought about quitting longboarding a lot of times now, because I thought I would get stuck in the process because of my chubby body.

But no, I stood up, practiced harder, and finally adapted to these tricks despite my body mass, which really makes me proud of myself.

Like what I said earlier, never let your limitations stop you. Remember that every time you doubt yourself.

Another factor that makes you fail at a trick is fear. Fear of getting hurt. Let’s accept the fact that this fear just adds up to our bail rate.

Whenever I get scared I tell myself, “Man up Earl! Don’t be scared. You can do this,”

…and yes, it helps me out quite a bit so you should try it too. Change your mindset and be confident whatever the challenge may be. Big risks make big progress, don’t ever forget that.

Now I’m quite sure what to reply to that question, because longboarding/skateboarding is not just a sport but also a journey. A journey of ups and downs, of victory and sorrow, of fulfillment and pain. This is what makes me feel alive.

So, what makes me stand up? It’s determination.

by Earl Pasajol

You also have writing skills?

Share your longboard expierence with us. We pay you! Click HERE and read more.



Related Posts For You