Three Reasons To Use Wheel Covers As A Training Tool
If you've recently bought a Thrasher skateboard and are eager to perfect your skills, you have to be patient. Mastering the tricks that you see other teens performing at the local skate park will take time and lots of practice. Practice sessions with your board can be rough, as you'll end up wiping out more times than you might like. An effective training accessory for new skateboarders is a set of wheel covers. These simple devices slip over the wheels of your board to prevent it from rolling. You can then stand on it and perform all sorts of stationary tricks, including ollies and kick flips. Here are three reasons to use this skateboarding accessory.
Fewer Wipeouts
One of the biggest reasons for wipeouts while practicing skateboarding moves is that when you land on the board, you don't do so squarely — and this causes the board to roll forward or backward, often resulting in you falling to the ground. The wheel covers prevent the board from rolling at all, so even if you don't perform a perfect landing, the board will stay put. You'll find that you'll slowly get better with your tricks until you're able to start thinking about taking the wheel covers off.
Less Damage To Your Floor
It's common to practice your skateboarding moves outdoors, but if you're a true beginner and you feel a little self conscious about your lack of skills, you might prefer to do so in the privacy of your own home. Jumping up and slamming the board down on the floor can potentially damage it. For example, if you were to practice on a tile floor, it's possible that the impact of the wheel could crack or chip one of the tiles. Your skateboard's wheel covers do a good job at cushioning this impact, making your indoor practice sessions safer.
Better Than Other Methods
Novice skateboarders use all sorts of methods to learn basic tricks without wiping out, but some of these methods can be challenging. For example, some people will take the trucks and wheels off their boards so that it won't roll away when they land, but this is a poor choice. With this approach, the skateboard weighs significantly less than it would when you're riding, so it doesn't give you an authentic feeling. Wheel covers add little weight to the wheels, so you'll have a properly feeling board beneath your feet as you learn.
Visit a skate shop, like High Five Skateboards, for more help.