Putting on your helmet is what you always hear from your mom whenever you grab your skateboard out on the street.
We are all acknowledged about safety on the board but have you wondered if it is a must to wear skateboard helmet?
Some skaters defend themselves on wearing a helmet in their ride session. What’s making the helmet such an ignorance?
Since skateboarding has become more popular and had a growing community, we will get to discuss the point in which what people think about riding with a helmet and is it mandatory.
Why not all skateboarders wear helmets?
A large group of board skaters claims that whenever they wear a helmet, they got the feeling that people were looking and judging at them.
This should sound nonsense to those who devote to safety, but they do have a point.
In a rink or a skate park, there are badass boys who enjoy taunting people unlike them.
Such humiliation has an impact on teenage and junior skaters who are not aware enough of their confidence. That attaches to their feet throughout the years and becomes a bad habit.
In the other situation, many skaters are convincible with their own skills that they can get rid of the helmet without any concern. This habit also forms negativity in the long run.
Why are there skaters stick with the helmets?
It is the human instinct to protect the head. Those people who cherish their lives would not give up their safety for dull glory.
The best skateboarders in the world always skate with their helmets and more safety gears.
When you skate with a mindful skate mate, he or she will never let you get on the board without securing your vulnerable parts.
And if you are a junior skater, your parents will not stop the chorus of helmet every time before you join a ride.
In some skate parks, you are allowed to skate only with a helmet on. Even your state law indicates that on the paper. You don’t want to disobey the rule.
Maybe the skaters with helmets on have heard or witnessed severe accidents happened because the guys wanted to keep their hair cool. They don’t want to end up in the hospital.
What can happen without a helmet?
Skateboarding is fun and sporty but dangerous at some points.
Besides the skills and confidence needed, you can’t skip the safety element.
Without a helmet, things only get worse.
Skateparks or the streets are always filled with obstacles.
You can’t predict what will happen when you skate helmetless on the ramps and bowls.
Or the streets with curbs, sewage covers, and vehicles.
If you don’t wear safety gears like limp pads, you may get minor cuts or bruises that can heal with time. But catastrophic incident to the brain can be unfixable.
Even the flesh wounds can cause extreme pain may lead to surgery.
Nonetheless, it will cost you time and money to get back to skating (if you still want it).
Statics has shown a number of 50,000 emergencies related to skateboarding was sent to hospitals in 2002 with most cases involved with the head.
The sequel includes loss of senses in the eyes, ears speech or paralysis.
Stories of non-helmeted skater that hit their heads are countless; but yet, it not enough to warn people. I believe we don’t need more.
How to wear your skateboard helmet correctly?
Having a helmet is extremely vital for skateboarding, longboarding or snowboarding where slips and falls are quite common.
Let’s see how to size a helmet to fit your head to have you protected in the next slide and shred another day.
Size
The biggest thing is getting the right size making sure that it’s not going slide out of the way at the most inopportune moment.
First of all, the helmets should fit snug without snapping in the strap just yet.
You can try it on and shake your head a little bit around while the helmet stays in place.
You don’t want it too tight to where it feels like your head is being cramped.
When the helmet is on, place two fingers between your eyes and the helmet to ensure the visibility. It shouldn’t be sitting way above, or it can go wobble, while way too down would limit your eyesight and it means too loose.
Strap
When snapping the strap, you want to be able to fit at least one finger between your chin and the straps to make sure it’s snug and unloose.
There is no distinction for longboard helmet or skateboard helmet.
They all apply the same technique and purpose of use.
Most helmets are made for multiple impacts at slow speed.
Even after having a collision or two, you can still keep using the helmet as long as nothing has broken.
But at the end of the day, you need to inspect it in case something not visible is broken. Check the inside if there is any crack. When everything looks scuffs and stuff, you can use it for the next time.
One important factor is that your helmet should be certified for use with skateboarding.
How to measure your head size?
Since a lot of manufacturers gives different measurements, when you decide to buy a helmet, make sure you check out the websites to figure out the most fitting size.
You can get a soft flexible measuring tape and wrap it around your head.
Or you can take a shoestring, wrap around your dome and mark how long it is, measure that and compare to the size chart to give you a good estimation for what size you should get in that particular provider.
Injury prevention when skateboarding
Board skating is considered a dangerous sport for both amateurs and experienced.
You can’t deny accident but can try to avoid it with the least possibility.
Use a quality skateboard
It doesn’t matter how much your board is; you need to always inspect the deck, trucks, and wheels any time before the ride.
If anything looks suspicious for repairing, you should not ignore it.
Some common problems like cracked parts, jagged edges, less traction grip tape, cracks and nicks on wheels are likely to happen with any skateboarder.
Wear protective equipment
Essential safety gears include:
Special additional equipment for advanced rides is wrist guards, slide gloves and proper apparels.
Don’t skim your money for buying poor quality gears. These things can save your life and a lot more money to spend on the hospital.
For the helmets, make sure that it conforms to the American Society for testing and materials, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and European Conformity.
You should see the three logos on stickers inside of your helmet. Don’t pick the ones with stamps only on the packages.
With the limp pads, you also want to ensure everything fit well.
Well protection is good, but make yourself as much comfortable to have no bug in the butt in the middle of the ride.
Final line
At last, when you’ve got everything settled ready for a safe ride, you can enjoy the sport with optimal security possible.
At any level, you should not skip the safety chapter.
Have yourself under proper protection is a smart way to have fun with the skateboard.
It will give you more concentration on upgrading your levels. You will able to perform the cool tricks in no time.
Quality Content Writer
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