Skateboarding Reviews - Videos & DVDs

So, you want to learn how to skateboard. Cool!
Skate camps didn't exist (as far as I know) when I was a kid. My options were the garden variety Summer Camp that seemed more like Friday the 13th than Meatballs. Skate camp seems like a great way to lean to skate. You're dropped into a complete sk8 environment with instructors to show you the ropes... which is a lot better than trying to learn skateboarding skills from a $20 DVD.

Learning any new skill always takes time and practice. Hanging out with people who already have some of the skills you want is always a good idea. That's where you'll learn the most. I haven't learned too much from watching TV - instructional or otherwise. The bottom line is instructional DVDs, whether you're learning skateboarding, guitar playing or hang gliding, usually suck.

That isn't to say they have no value, but in the overall scheme of things... people learn by DOING, not WATCHING. Skateboard "how-to" DVDs will often give you some good info you may not have previously known, but they won't replace getting out there and skating. You'll probably stumble onto more info in a short sk8 session than any instructional video could teach you.

So why are "how-to" videos produced? For entertainment. I love Tony Hawk's Trick Tip DVD's. He gets cool pros to demonstrate tricks mixed with entertaining or interesting skits and stuff. No one expects to make great skaters from instructional DVDs.

Skateboarding Explained should have been titled "Skateboarding Over-Explained". Mentality pro, Dan MacFarlane goes into a level of detail that made me want to punch my TV. His monotone delivery sounds like it's being read from a script. He should be expounding from his heart with enthusiasm for skating! There is little in this 60-minute lesson that I found motivating. Nothing made me want to grab my board and learn a new trick. What's the point of a sk8 vid if it doesn't make you want to go skate!?!

The excessive detail actually made it somewhat confusing - despite the lavish detail. Dan goes into so much detail over foot placement, on every trick, that I started loosing track of whether the trick was f/s, b/s or switch.

Someone in post-production should have realized this flick lacked zest and excitement. A guest appearance would have helped. An animated skit would have helped. Skateboarding is exciting. Going to skate camp would be exciting. Watching Dan do tricks in a vacant Lake Owen skate park was not. Hell, he could have told a few jokes or something - anything!

I've heard good things about Lake Owen skate camps, but this vid doesn't do them justice. They showed some footage of kids at the camp, but the instructional portion was pretty drab. This thing needs some stoke, pronto!

So, you want to learn how to skateboard. Cool!
Skate camps didn't exist (as far as I know) when I was a kid. My options were the fucking Summer Camp that seemed more like Friday the 13th than Meatballs. Skate camp seems like a great way to lean to skate. You're dropped into a complete sk8 environment with instructors to show you the ropes... which is a lot better than trying to learn skateboarding skills from a fucking $20 DVD.

Learning any new skill always takes time and practice. Hanging out with people who already have some of the skills you want is always a good idea. That's where you'll learn the most. I haven't learned shit from watching TV - instructional or otherwise. The bottom line is instructional DVDs, whether you're learning skateboarding, guitar playing or hang gliding, usually suck.

That isn't to say they have no value, but in the overall scheme of things... people learn by DOING, not fucking WATCHING. Skateboard "how-to" DVDs will often give you some good info you may not have previously known, but they won't replace getting out there and skating. You'll probably stumble onto more info in a short sk8 session than any instructional video could fucking teach you.

So why are "how-to" videos produced? Fucking entertainment. I love Tony Hawk's Trick Tip DVD's. He gets cool pros to demonstrate tricks mixed with entertaining or interesting skits and shit. No one expects to make great skaters from instructional DVDs.

Skateboarding Explained should have been titled "Skateboarding Over-Explained". Mentality pro, Dan MacFarlane goes into a level of detail that made me want to punch my fucking TV. His monotone delivery sounds like it's being read from a script. He should be expounding from his heart with enthusiasm for skating! There is little in this 60-minute lesson that I found motivating. Nothing made me want to grab my board and learn a new trick. What's the point of a fucking sk8 vid if it doesn't make you want to go skate!?!

The excessive detail actually made it somewhat confusing - despite the lavish detail. Dan goes into so much detail over foot placement, on every fucking trick, that I started loosing track of whether the trick was f/s, b/s or switch.

Someone in post-production should have realized this flick lacked zest and excitement. A guest appearance would have helped. An animated skit would have helped. Skateboarding is fucking exciting. Going to skate camp would be exciting. Watching Dan do tricks in a vacant Lake Owen skate park was not. Hell, he could have told fucking jokes or something - anything!

I've heard good things about Lake Owen skate camps, but this vid doesn't do them justice. They showed some footage of kids at the camp, but the instructional portion was pretty fucking drab. This thing needs some stoke, pronto!