1. How to... Be A Skateboarder

2. LEARN HOW TO SKATEBOARD This should be obvious but it's worth emphasising. You'll never be accepted as a skater in the long run if you can't back up your behaviour with your skills. To learn how to skateboard, just ride as much as possible. To learn what a trick is, it might help to play skateboarding games. The Tony Hawk video game series is good, but only the MoCap games. American Wasteland, Project 8 and Proving Ground are the best, because real pro skateboarders motion captured it just for the game. EA Skate also helps, but it's a bit more complex. Just go out and skate 1.

3. 2. DRESS LIKE A SKATER Dress however you feel comfortable. Skate brands are an obvious choice, but remember, just because you dress like a skater doesn’t mean you are. If you only ever wear DC or Adio, you’ll probably get called a poser. Don’t be afraid to be different. Wear whatever your style is, skateboarding is all about being different, rebelling from the normal and having fun.

4. TALK LIKE A SKATER Every subculture has its own lingo. So do skateboarders. Become familiar with skateboarding vocab, hang out at the local skate shop or park and see what the kids are saying. Don’t over do it though. ‘Dude’ is a normal word to hear and you’ll often hear skateboarders say ‘like’ and ‘the’. 3.

5. BE YOURSELF Skateboarding is all about having fun while being a rebel. But don’t say dude in every sentence. Skateboarding is huge. There are punk skaters, rocker skaters, hip-hop skaters, emo skaters, normal skaters and various other skaters. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. 4.