What is the right board size for me?

What is the right board size for me?

We get asked this question here a lot and to be honest the best skateboard size for you is the skateboard that you feel most comfortable on. Skateboarding is all about personal preference and the right size for you might not be the right size for your friend (even if you are the same size). Finding the right skateboard size can be a bit daunting especially in the beginning but we have a few tips to help.

Is bigger always better? Not all the time. When you are deciding between a longboard or a cruiser board, there are many aspects you have to consider apart from the size difference. In this blog you'll learn whether a longboard or cruiser board suits you better. 
DECK SIZE:
Here's the most obvious difference. Longboards range between 32" to 59". On the other hand cruiser boards can range between 22 to 30 inches. The difference in size is what makes the difference between the two boards. 
Stability
Overall a longboard is more stable than a cruiser board. A longboard has a longer deck (and hence a longer wheelbase) and wider trucks. This provides added room for feet placement and higher shock absorption when rolling over cracks and crevices. 
Additionally, most longboards come with a degree of flex. Flex is a measure of how bendy a longboard deck is. Flex is an additional factor which makes your long cruiser more comfortable compared to a cruiser board. 
Another aspect not often considered is the turning radius. With wider truck and a longer deck, longboards will, of course, have a wider turning radius. However with significant better stability you'll be able to lean in on your turns further. Since cruisers have narrower trucks their turning radius is smaller and therefore can be easier to turn. 
To conclude this aspect: If you are planning a long cruising trip and will encounter several downhills, a longboard will be your best friend. But if you are only looking to commute within the city which takes a short time, cruiser boards may be more suitable. 
Portability
Given the larger deck, a longboard is definitely heavier than a cruiser board. Both its weight and size make it less portable than a cruiser board. A cruiser board weighs around 2.5kg while a longboard is 3.5 to 5 kg.
For this aspect, if you are looking to only commute, a cruiser board will suit you better. For example if you are skating from point to point on your campus, a cruiser board will be better. Or if you are travelling around, a cruiser board will be more portable. 
Tricks you can do 
The shape of your deck largely determines what kind of tricks you can do. For freestyle dance both the kicktail and dropthough longboards work.
On the flip side, cruiser boards aren't really meant for tricks, aside from the basic ollie, manual or power slides they are meant for getting around short distances. comfortably, smoothly and quickly 
So which is better?
In my personal opinion, a longboard is better if you area beginner. Firstly it is more stable. This gives you more confidence to solidify your foundations and build up to learn. Secondly you won't really be commuting in the city unless you are comfortable with skating. 
If you are already comfortable with skating around, a cruiser board will definitely be a good addition. 
What we recommend?

Cruiser Board: Age 5+ we recommend a cruiser so they can learn and grow up on it. But if you are an adult with good balance and have skated in the past, the cruiser board may be for you, as they are easier to carry and manoeuvrable. 

Great all around size. Looks and feels like a long board. Buy if you want to carve and are good at riding. Good for any height or weight. A little experience helps with this board.

Longboards

Dropthrough: Good for adults, all sizes, all experience. The go to board for anyone. It will be lower to the ground because the trucks sit through the board. This offers better balance, less effort to kick and push and made for speed. 

Kicktail: Good for adults, all sizes, all experience. The board is more rigid then the dropthrough so can be more stable.

Surf Skate: For a more experienced adult skater, or a kid or adult wanting to learn a new skill. 
It is a surf trainer and requires more hip movement to generate momentum and speed verse kicking and pushing off the ground. 
Happy Skating!
January 10, 2023 — Leigh Warner

How skateboarding helps kids have a growth mindset

 

I introduced my niece to skateboarding when she was two. We gifted her a cruiser skateboard for her 2nd birthday. At first, she just pushed the cruiser board around and would skate around on her bum.  Then I let her sit at the end of my longboard, wearing a bike helmet while I skated around the driveway. She loved it. By the time she was six, she wanted to skate on her own cruiser board. 

 

Skateboarding for a Growth Mindset

Skateboarding teaches two critical life lessons: with practice, she could get better at anything, and falling down is an unavoidable part of the process. These "get better" lessons are cornerstones of a "growth mindset;" that is, a mindset that leads one to persist despite lack of obvious talent and despite inevitable setbacks.
In a growth mindset students understand that their talents and abilities can be developed through effort, good teaching and persistence. They don't necessarily think everyone is the same or anyone can be Einstein, but they believe everyone can get smarter if they work at it. - Carol Dweck, author of Mindset, Stanford University

People have talents and strengths, but that's not the end of the story. In a fixed mindset, your qualities are carved in stone. You will never have capabilities beyond the ones you have today. In a growth mindset, your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts and everyone can change and grow through application and experience.”


I believe that skateboarding is uniquely capable of helping kids develop a growth mindset. Here's why.

 

1. Skateboarding accepts that everyone has their own learning pace

“Your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts: everyone can change and grow through application and experience.” - HBR, Do You Have a Growth Mindset?
While our niece mastered skating ramps faster than some of the other kids in her class, those kids were faster to master moves like ollying and jumping. Seeing other kids slowly master tricks that had previously been impossible for them had a powerful positive influence on my niece. She still can't ollie, but she can ride the bowl. 

 

 

2. Good effort deserves praise as much or more than outcome

In a Stanford newsletter, Dweck writes:
"One very common thing is that often very brilliant children stop working because they're praised so often that it's what they want to live as brilliant not as someone who ever makes mistakes. It really stunts their motivation."
That completely describes my niece. She often masters new tasks faster than her peers, for which she gets ample praise. But when the task gets harder and she starts to make mistakes, her motivation flags. Skate culture is super positive and focused on the process of learning. Skaters instinctively encourage each other every step of the way. Landing tricks gains praise, but so does crashing. The only thing that doesn't gain praise is hanging back. (Though kids that hang back are also encouraged to join in.) Don't get me wrong - friendly competition and one-upmanship is part of skate culture. But in my experience - and from what I've observed at dozens of skateparks - even the competition maintains a friendly, positive element. In the New York Times, Dweck says:
“Society is obsessed with the idea of talent and genius and people who are naturals with innate ability. People who believe in the power of talent tend not to fulfill their potential because they’re so concerned with looking smart and not making mistakes. But people who believe that talent can be developed are the ones who really push, stretch, confront their own mistakes and learn from them.”
To me, that perfectly describes skate culture.

 

 

3. You actually do get better with practice - and failing is part of it

"With a growth mindset, you focus on learning and development rather than failure and actively pursue the types of challenges that will likely lead to both learning and failure."
Learning to notice one's progress is an important element of a growth mindset. Skating is one of the first activities where our niece was aware of her progress. My wife and i are two ex high school teaches and from our experiences its so important to give positive feedback for effort and growth not just for success. Now when we talk about moving forward through setbacks, we can refer to how she learned how to skateboard despite wiping out many times.

 

 

Two other non-growth mindset values from skating...

Skate like a Girl

Skating reassured my niece that girls are as cool and capable as boys.

Before she started to skate, she was very bothered that men and women play in different professional sports leagues. To her, this could only mean that men were better than women at sports. While her mother and I tried to explain that men and women have different bodies and, therefore, play in different ways, she wasn't convinced. Skating, however, showed her that not only could girls keep up with boys, they could also completely match them.  

 

A sense of shared culture

Today, skateboarding is considered cool, and it's fully part of Australian culture. Skating provides an increasingly rare sense of belonging for kids.

 

July 12, 2021 — Leigh Warner