I was 16 when I got into skating. I worked a farm job where I had an accident lifting a heavy object, and the accident happened a week after I learned how to kickflip. Fast forward three and a half years of being bed ridden, 3 herniated disks, 2 more herniating at year two, multiple tests, physical therapy and chiropractic treatment, I just finally bought a new fresh skateboard. Started to skate again, just rolling up and down my street but its done wonderous things for my mental health. Thank you skateboarding, and also this advice really helps so thank you Joa and Ben. Baker 4 life baby
Same boat! I've been skating and snowboarding for 20 years. 4 years ago I bent down to put on my shoes and my back gave out. I ruptured my disk and couldn't stand up any longer. I got a microdiscotomany 6 months after the accident and 4 years later I'm back skateboarding after spine surgery. Health is everything. Skateborading is everything. Be careful out there. It could be done in a second.
@@sh1elds Fuck yeah man! Glad to hear you got back on the board. Hope you stay in good health. Its also nice to hear a story similar to mine, thanks for sharing.
Holy crap, that's crazy. I broke my wrist in my mid 20s and it was enough for me to stop. While I still ride my board to the cafe a few times a week I haven't attempted a real trick in over a decade. Luckily I've found other ways to get my adrenaline rush and keep my spirits lifted, but if that's what does it for you, keep doing it. Burgers, fries and no complies
I just started taking skating "seriously" again a year ago after a long hiatus. My thing was different interests. I started playing soccer the same tike I started skateboarding (6/7 years old). I got decent at skating, but I got seriously good at soccer. So good in fact that I was scouted by Chicago Fire when I was 16. So I chose soccer over skating. Literally 2 months into my soccer "career" working with high level trainers and a pro coach, I was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. and just like that I didn't have a soccer career anymore. It wrecked me. Depressed me to no end. I picked skating back up when I was 18, but by that time I had to accept reality, and join the work force. I just stopped skating and playing soccer. Eventually I realized I was so depressed because I didn't have a release outside of work, and I let my depression get the best of me. I'm 28 now, and have never felt more motivated to skate more often. I know it's too late for me to do anything with it, but I'm having my first child in January, and I just want to pass something onto my son that has given me the best moments of my life.
broo our stories are so similar. As a little kid I loved skating and playing soccer and into my teen years I decided that soccer could realistically bring me more opportunities in the future so I stuck to that and ended up playing D1. After my senior season ended I didn't play or do any sport regularly for 2 years. Then my wife said she wanted to learn to ride and I told her I would teach her since i knew some basics from back then. A month after starting to teach her I got my own board and skate regularly like 3-4 times a week. I know i'm not going pro or anything and I just skate for fun and its soo awesome.
@gravess Hey it is what it is now. I'm married, and having my son. That's what keeps me going, and that's good enough for me. Everything else I just a bonus now. Luckily marfans hasn't been a major issue so far, but it definitely weighs on me sometimes. Best part is the likelihood of my son getting it is practically zero, so I'm okay. I can still skate. I can still work. And I can still go hiking, and despite it, I at least have my arms and legs and can still skate. So I consider myself lucky. Thanks for kind words. Keep skating if you do!
I know this is a year late dog but never doubt what you can do at any given age. The greats of skateboarding Tony Hawk, Lance Mountain, Steve Caballero are all ripping it well into their 50s. You got at least another 20 years if you take care of yourself, and medicine only keeps getting better.
As kooky as Andy Anderson is he is the epitome of anti boredom skateboarding. He literally skates every single discipline because that’s how he has the most fun. Sure I hate his style but anytime I see a clip of him skating a park he just effortlessly rides around doing everything from tech, to transition, to freestyle and you can tell he’s having fun the entire time
I really like his dork flow. It's so genuine and it's clear that he's got everything so dialed in that he can just pull out some rad shit on reaction. I also don't really care about switch tricks like... at all.
You guys touch on this with the going pro/how to make a career in skateboarding segment but it's really a shame how common it is to succumb to the pressure of monetizing your hobby. Do you like playing video games? Stream on Twitch and maybe you'll get enough subs to make some extra bucks. Do you like baking? Start a food blog and maybe it can grow into a full-blown lifestyle brand. Do you like hanging out with your friends and chatting? Start a podcast! I know this phenomenon is a byproduct of a system without proper safety nets, that people need to find alternative revenue streams to survive, ideally for something they actually enjoy versus a job that's sucking their soul away. But it's healthy to just do something for fun. To not have any career ambitions attached to it. To use it as an escape from the pressures of late-stage capitalism.
just like you said it's a double edged sword. Both GH and Ben live in some of the most expensive cities in the world (L.A and Vancouver), they need that extra income anyway they can earn it, and it's better than working on something soul crushing. I am happy for them on one hand, but on the other it's sad that it's seemingly necessary for people to try and monetize all their interests.
I'm 28 and I've fallen in and out of skating multiple times. Usually dependent on how rigorous my work is. My workload is light these days so I skate probably four times a week. It's awesome
Ben Degro spot on in that last part about working in the trades and avoiding debt and staying physical which will keep you skating forever. Great stuff guys really enjoyed this episode
Seriously Ben’s tip for trying 10 times on a trick you want to learn is the most incredible piece of advice I’ve ever heard. I have finally figured out tres after 15 years
Tres took me years too man it’s on up there with the slightly more advanced tricks. I honestly forgot how hard they were untill relearning to skate these last years.
This is great, GH. I wish seeking advice and transparency were normalized when i was a young bull. Like so many others, I was lost when I came out of my teens into my 20's. It's great that you guys are having these conversations.
I took a loooong hiatus from skating. I really regret it. Skated from 00-05 and then quit up until 2020 which COVID pushed me to get out and do something active due to the lockdown. Then had a back injury from September 2020 and just picked my board up last month. Now I am motivated to lose weight and take care of my body so I can continue to skate. Also teach my two kids how to skate as well!
I stayed motivated by learning tricks, skating different places and now as I’m getting old (33) I set up fun cruiser decks with Indy 215s and do different types of tricks on transition n curbs whatever, sometimes just don’t skate and do other stuff then come back fresher
@@tydaboi I gave up jumping down big rails and stuff years ago, I’ve had my gnarly fun now it’s about pure fun and cardio because I’m getting a bit rounder😂
as a working musician i really connected with the convo about how working in skateboarding affects your passion for the hobby, as it feels the same with music.
Im 37 and have been skating consistently since 18. Definitely not sponsored level but I get by. I have almost lost skating due to partying and lack of focus on my body. Recently I became sober and have a newfound passion for the board. Feeling like a kid again and now have new energy and focus. You don't have to smoke weed and drink beer all day people.
I'm an old guy who skated street, who is now trying to get the time to learn more transition (small transition). It is just as exciting as it was when I was a young teen. Even having the daydreams about it. 🤘🏼
I had such a similar experience to Ben that I find his RU-vid really compelling. Obsessed with skating 11-18. Not gonna go pro, need a career, skate occasionally: 18-32. Established career, more free time, no expectation for skating beyond surprising myself: 32 onward. Now I'm skating frequently, progressing (slowly), and having the most fun ever. Enjoying skating really is about your attitude toward it rather than how good you are compared to pros.
It’s really hard to “progress” in skating after you hit 30, nearly impossible after 35. Unless you’re skating transition. As for street skating, just look at how awful top pros look on their skateboards after 40. Reynolds is really the outlier. Fucking Koston looks like he’s spasmodic doing kick flips nowadays. All this to say: just enjoy yourself. I have more fun now in my late 30s than I did in my teens when I was “good” at skating. Just cruising, popping little manuals, doing nose bonk nollie thingies off of cracks, slappy noseslides; I’m having a great time and could not care less about “getting good”.
@@tomgann9383 i have a mixed reaction to this. On the one hand, I agree that progression is hard since there’s less time and your body heals more slowly. On the other hand, if you never reached your athletic limits when you were younger, then the infinite number of tricks allows for a ton of learning. To me, that’s progression. I learn new tricks all the time by virtue of simply not having tried them before. Ben touched on this describing slappies: not necessarily hard but progression for him. I think pros are a special case because they found their absolute limit and of course have since been capped by their athletic decline.
I think it all depends on your mindset and how well you have taken care of your body through out your life I know plenty of people 35 and older who progress after they stopped skating in there teens. Now if you tell your self I can never get any better or I’m too old to try tricks then that’s all your going to be able to do. Skateboarding has a lot to do with how much time you put in is what you will get out. I think what holds older skaters back is they are afraid of getting hurt so they only stick to trany, the reason you see older pros not pushing themselves like they use to is they have already put there work in and are basically just chilling and teaching younger kids on the team. But Reynolds’s is like 45 and he still rips better then dudes half his age. TL:DR: don’t limit yourself to your age not getting better in skateboarding skate for fun and you will progress
I’m a mechanic by trade and the segment on job vs hobby is true. I started out because of love for cars but now that’s all I do everyday and I hate cars. Making your hobby into a career is tricky waters
What was said about being in the trades was a great point. Started in non union electrical, now in the dyrwall lathers union as a metal stud framer & welder. Loving (almost) every minute of it
As a 27 year old, who loves skateboarding and hated like all jobs he did until now, I really would appreciate you guys talking more about jobs in skateboarding/ related to skateboarding for like a whole video. I think Ben says a lot true stuff in these few minutes, but I think you could easily fill a whole video about this topic, there are way more "meaningful" jobs we could think about I guess and hope :D Maybe you also could talk a bit more about jobs you think skateboarders fit in
I've been skating since '85 (and may possibly have the oldest semi-active skate channel on here, albeit a very micro sized account). Sponsorship just wasn't a mindset most of us had when I was coming up. I picked up a number of sponsors along the years, but never actually sought any out. No tapes, just being visible and doing different things in my local skate community. Hell, when I did product reviews on here I was getting so much free gear (outside of my sponsors) for review, I had the whole neighborhood hooked up. Now, not too far from being 50, I'm a DLX Known Associate and promote Deluxe brands just by being the old head of my skate family and making sure my locals have fresh gear (when I hit the park or the spots and see someone w/busted gear, Deluxe has given me the ability to open my car up and set the homie's up right (for free, obviously). Take skating seriously enough so that you can always say you "just skated the other day." Skating owes us nothing. We literally juggle planks on wheels with our feet for fun. The gifted heads will get discovered one way or the other, but don't go into skating with a career mindset... you're setting yourself up to fail. Pay those dues, and have a shit ton of fun. Roll forever.
i'd love to hear Ben talk more about working in the trades and that aspect of his life and how it has worked alongside his skating hobby, I'm in my late 20s and getting to the point where I could be running my own construction business but i sometimes feel my obsession with skateboarding hinders my motivation to take work more seriously.
Went from skating being about me progressing and always improving to being more about having fun and enjoying fresh air and exercise, camaraderie at the skatepark, and just enjoying being part of the culture
I agree with Ben, I'm in my teen years and any extra time I get is devoted to skating, my heart is just in it. But, I know I'm not as good as the top level pros so I have to find another job that's reliable in my adult years. Still researching.
All good advice..im 50 years old.. I have zero reasons to call myself a skater..but I do have a 30 some odd year fascination with being on 4 wheels bolted to maple..probably if i were to describe myself however, within the first few details, would be I skate..I love it, and that’s really it. I have had pro friends, and knowing early on, I was not the same level as them actually freed me up to just go, be there, and enjoy the view, no pressure to go work on my sponsor me vid, no cameras, and a lot of the time just by myself..often I would go back to a spot we visited with these next level ninjas, and do what Ben mentioned..15 20 try’s just to see if my ability could be stepped up a little..but i fully respected what you were saying about your own expectations and being honest about what’s realistic, what are you doing it for and is it worth it to put yourself into that kind of dance with your health and your reason for being on a plank to begin with. Ive said it before here, its refreshing to see the sport understood by the younger guys like yourselves. This is good for the little future rippers to understand. There are two ways to become a real skater, either be that good and show us all and that will be how people identify with you..or at least while you are viable..Or be good to yourself, skate always to have fun without all the posturing and pressure and learn to be comfortable doing it for nobody else but you. And learn to impossible before front ones
I remember hating helmets as a kid so I get it, but as an adult whose biggest investment in life was in my brain (at university) it just doesn’t make sense to take the risk of throwing that away because of a preventable head injury. Doesn’t matter how good you are, shit can happen.
this is a great video, i like this format and think it’s a great eye into your community and getting a better sense of what’s going on! great video, thank you gifted 🙏
I had the same trajectory as ben. 100%, then drugs, then trades, but throw in 5 years of surfcasting. Now I'm starting to get good again. I'm enjoying it. The goal is to be able to skate with my boys who are babies at this point. If I can keep this up through my 40s it will be possible.
I stopped skating for 10 years because I developed a form of arthritis in my legs, I'm lucky enough to have almost complete remission but it definitely limits my mobility. I totally suck at skating now compared to when I was 14 (I'm 29 now) but I still find pleasure in learning new tricks and even re-learning old ones
Tip for a fs crook is to just imagine doing a nosegrind and at the last second tweak it.. you'll be over the ledge like a nosegrind so you can lock in alot easier.. key is to have your toes and center of gravity over your pinched wheel.
7:42 36/m/usa - I started skating at 11 and skated consistently until mid 20s - got full time job/started playing in bands. Bands started to get serious, was able to quit job and do music/bands full time and ended up breaking my wrist skating at a local park while fucking around. Couldn't play guitar for 2-3 months - missed out on shows so I effectively stopped skating. It's been over ten years since I've actually gone to a park or street spot and done tricks, but during covid I bought a Zip Zinger and started rolling around again. Now I ride it down to the cafe a few times a week instead of walking. I don't know if I'll ever get back to where I was at my prime but it's still fun to just get out there and push and carve down the street.
this is actually a really thoughtful and interesting conversation you have here. you have a talent for interviewing/conversational content, and actually provide good advice when you're being genuine. i appreciate it. fires memes btw, the image at 6:20 is making me hard as hell
So I got in a bad bmx accident and obliterated my knee and took me 3 years to heal and then loose weight, bmxing was my side thing skating was my main thing, I would ride my bike to street spots and sometimes I’d ride my bike at the spot! But anyways the point is after three years away from the board and now coming back to it at 25 I’m better than I was right away!!!! I landed all my tricks and learned dolphin flips and hard flips first week back
I've been off the board here and there for months, sometimes years and I'm always drawn back in. I've been back on the board for a couple years now and I plan to keep it that way
I skated for decades without a helmet . . until. . . I fractured my skull at 41yo from my forehead all the way over the top to the back. . . yeah, seven full weeks of recovery and ZERO memory before the accident and post accident for 3 full days. I wear a helmet now because the pain and recovery isn't worth it. I was lucky to have a full recovery with no issues after my injury.
Bro I wore a helmet my whole childhood. Every time I skated, I just had it on. Even if I was just skating flat in my garage, I had a helmet. Didn't matter when I was 19 and not wearing a helmet and cracked my skull on a 13 stair. All those times wearing it didn't matter. They had to do brain surgery to stop my internal bleeding and put me in a medical coma for 5 days but I'm lucky to be alive and well now. Sucks though to worry sometimes that there is something wrong with my head that I maybe just can't see. Got a little psychological trauma from it, but when I focus on how lucky I am and fortunate to have recovered the way I did, that makes me feel better. I still skate. I got back into it months after my injury and wear a helmet again now. I'm better now than I have ever been, age 27 now. Low-key, I think the injury may have created a complex in my mind that makes me want to be really good at skating to... "make up" for it somehow..? Lol
@@brendancourage it's weird how things happen. Over all the years of skating ramps, bowls, pools, whatever. . . I never ever hit my head and never wore a helmet unless made to by the owner. . and I've taken some crazy slams. I honestly think I got cut off by a car and in the process bounced my head of the side of the car. my head impact was in the front but my back was all dirty. but no memory of any of it so it's just an educated guess. I almost needed surgery but after a week my internal swelling went down enough they released me from the hospital.
@@brendancourage i will say. . I totally have the same feeling about. . I'm I ok? I'm I normal? did something change? . . I've asked people that in all seriousness because I would have no clue after a head injury. . it for sure worried me for a while until I felt secure enough with the responses I received that , , Yup. . I'm good and as "normal" as I was before.
the comments about learning how to ride your board before you try more advanced tricks totally makes sense but at the same time I feel some peeps get stuck on learning certain things that never allows them to explore other types of tricks that might work for them better. For example; Ben Harper who is randomly friends with Rodney Mullen wanted to get into skating and was struggling with the basics. Rodney told him if he wanted more fun out of it don't focus so hard on things like that. He might enjoy it more if he goes straight for 360 flips. Ben Harper obviously thought he was crazy for telling him to try something like that when he couldn't even come close to a kickflip but if you think about it that makes sense too. Trying a different trick when you're stuck on something might open the doors to other ideas and muscle movements to the point where when you do come back to the basics you might have a better understanding to how those tricks would work. By all means learn to ride a skateboard to where you can push and fall in ways where you have control but don't let trivial ish take the fun out of it.
As a 90s skater when he talks about being obsessed with skating, until about 16, 17, then getting into drugs, is spot on. That was the grunge era too, and that gen x generation of kids got heavy into drugs in the 90s. I didn't really even do drugs but all my friends who skated didn't want to as much because of drugs and girls. I remember realizing it too when I would want to go skate and people didn't want to because they were more interested in drugs and girls and eventually everyone I knew who skated stopped, so I had no one to go with.
Adding to the end, try programming. Extremely similar to skating. Creative and technical, but a livable paycheck. Our advantage is that we’re stupid enough to keep trying until the damn thing works.
love when you and your dad do videos together 🤙🏼🛹 for real though this might be my favorite sh!t you uploaded I relate so much having taken a looong time off the board and coming back to it after all these years
I like to switch it up , like literally learn to ride switch and do switch tricks . That helps trigger that “ first time skating “ dopamine rush , plus yes trying different set ups helps a lot to revive
I remember people (and myself) seeing Josh Kasper at one of our local parks and he couldn’t skate any of the transition. Did it make him a shitty skater? Hell no. Yet, it seemed a detriment. Dude was hopping down 20 stairs and killing it. There was a dude called Punker Matt where I lived in Southern Oregon. He was one of the first pros for Baker (crazy right?). Pretty sure he was in the first two Baker videos and he told me he was one of the first Piss Drunx, getting his tattoo with Andrew Reynolds. We would talk and one day I asked him if he wanted to skate. Dude literally told me he only skates pools. Cool, but I love skateboarding and I’ll go do any of it. Kind of bummed me out.
@@ronniecreager2585 also, this isn’t the first time we’ve chatted. The skateboards in my house hang from red, black, and white Etc. hangers. Also have the ankle brace. You’re a legend.
He likes pools and doesn't want to skate anything else. Nothing wrong with that. I don't understand why you'd be bummed out on someone's personal preference
I mean, most profesional athletes are super specialized. Look at hockey for example. Every person on the team plays a specific position, i doubt you would see a centerman padding up to play goalie. Even in practice.
Oh wow I never knew this dudes story but it’s so so similar to mine. It was even Paul Rodrigues that I remember watching and thinking he’s younger than me and allready just so so much better. Drugs took over and I lost my drive for skating now after being sober for almost 3 years I’m obsessed with skating and I skater every night. I mean every night I’ve made so much progress and I’m so excited for the future.
been skating 14 years 3 years if back pain and no skating in between that its nice to take skating more serious again always go hardest in ur young teens to get good
I think a great way to get a job in the industry also is to try and get in with a local skate shop, it likely won’t be much money, but you can support your local scene and work in the skate industry.
And it is true that there's a phenomenon where once you go Pro you start to lose interest. Nobody thinks they'll end up the bitter oldhead skater but it can happen to anyone
Yeah I kinda enjoy how I’m not very naturally gifted with skating so the progression I have made is always super exciting, I had skated when I was younger but not much more than Ollies over pool noodles and fakie shuvs then pumping and kick turns but during the first lock down I got a refund from a festival ticket and was only aloud to leave to exercise so I got a new board and I’ve been back into since now I’m learning bs and fs nose slides/ ollies down 6 stairs, axle stalls and I’m enjoying skating everything from manny pads to vert and trying new tricks and new lines through the park with my friends, I’m 23 and the past 3 years have been made amazing by skateboarding
I think I started a yera before you (now 22) I have had a similar experience with being very shit for ages and making some pretty good progression regardless. Skate board is great epic win w I still cant really flip my board but skating is still le epic. also I have artheritis no cap in my left foot. but skating has helped with easing up tension in my ankle. my old man body is getting younger evday
The best part of this video is watching Ben just waiting the clock out. Ben is the personification of 30+ and GH is the personification of 15-29 years of age.
