The typical price for a wooden skimboard is around $100. You can buy wooden skimboards at most sporting goods stores and many mass retailers.
The typical price for a foam skimboard is around $200, though some may be as much as $600.
If you want to focus mainly on wave skimming instead of sand skimming, then it might be better to go to a beach with a steep slope. Some of the more popular beaches to skim at are located in San Diego, England, and Florida.
Keep your leg and back muscles stretched, warm, and strong while you’re learning to skimboard to avoid injury.
While you’re holding the skimboard, put 1 hand on the back tail and 1 hand on the side rail halfway up the board. Hold the board so that it’s parallel to the ground. One of the most common mistakes in skimboarding is pointing the board upwards before you throw it, which will result in a significantly slower skim.
Make sure you throw the board parallel to the shoreline to give yourself a longer ride. You can also opt to get a running head start before you throw the board, in order to pick up more speed. However, this isn’t strictly necessary if you can throw the board hard enough. When you’re just starting out, practice throwing the board from the starting position a few times to get the feel of it down and to learn how hard you need to throw it.
Using this method ensures that the board loses no speed as you get onto it (whereas if you jump onto it, the board is forced to break the surface tension of the water and thus stops skimming). Aim to take about 3 running steps before you jump onto your skimboard. Do not push off hard with your first foot when getting on the board; this will make the board shoot forward and fly away from you. Be sure to wear a helmet the first few times you try to run onto the board, just in case you fall off the board. It’ll be difficult to learn how to run onto the board without falling, but you’ll be able to master this move with enough practice!
Maintaining a low stance on the skimboard is also a good technique for staying balanced while skimming. Your knees not only play an important role in skimboarding, but they’re also one of the more at-risk parts of your body when you’re skimming. Stop skimboarding immediately if your knees start to hurt to avoid giving yourself a serious injury.
You generally won’t need to turn much if you’re sticking to sand skimming. However, turning is essential for riding waves and performing most tricks.
Bend your knees when you’re at the bottom of the wave to help keep your balance.
Although it sounds simple, it’s a bit more complex to physically perform, so don’t try it unless you’ve gotten the hang of turning on a skimboard. Once you’re able to perform a 180-degree turn, try spinning the skimboard all the way around to do a 360 turn!
Although the full trick involves landing back on the board, even being able to jump and spin above your skimboard is pretty impressive.
