One of the things that many new skateboarders don’t reckon on is how they will transport their skateboard to the skate park.
It may seem obvious. After all, you carry your board. Duh, right?
Yet, carrying or holding a skateboard is not that simple. There are different ways to carry a skateboard, and each has its own benefits and image.
Each person will choose a way to hold their skateboard that is comfortable and stylish to them. However, in skating circles, there are some ways of holding a skateboard that is frowned upon among the skating fraternity.
As for me, I do what is comfortable, but what is convenient to me may not be convenient to you. So here are the top ways to hold and carry a skateboard.
How to Hold a Skateboard
The first way to hold a skateboard is to carry it by the trucks or by a wheel. You can also the board deck between your thumb and index finger and hang it next to your side. You can also grip it against your body, parallel to the ground with the grip tape facing you. Lastly, you can use a special skateboard bag or carrier.
Ways to Carry and Hold a Skateboard
Here are some top ways to hold a skateboard and why.
Option One: The Professional Way
If you see someone with their skateboard held against their body with the trucks and graphics facing out, then chances are they are a professional skater.
This is the most effective way to carry your board as it balances the deck against your body while displaying the board graphics to the outside.
As an added benefit, the board is more secure when gripped like this. With your arm reaching over the board graphics to hold the bottom edge of the board in the cradle of your hand, you have less chance of dropping the board or tiring your hand.
One downside of holding the board grip tape in is that it will eventually wear your clothes as the rough tape will rub against your body. However, since most skaters I know tend to rock jeans and T’s, I don’t see this as much of a problem.
Option Two: The Mall Grab
The exact opposite of a body-against-the-board hold is the mall grab. This is what most beginners do.
It is a rather crude way of holding your skateboard that involves grabbing one of the trucks (or even worse, holding the board by a wheel) and resting this between your middle and ring fingers.
This is considered bad form for a skater as it’s not a very respectful way to hold your skateboard. In addition, you run the risk of catching the bottom of the board against the ground, leaving ugly scars on the back or front end of the board.
You will also be more likely to bump the board against obstacles when you carry it like this.
Don’t confuse this hold with the way skaters rest their boards on the toe of their shoe before they hit a half-pipe. Although, even there, most skaters will hold the front of the board and not the trucks or the kingpin.
Option Three: Pinch Grip
I have rarely seen this, but the pinch grip involves gripping the board side pinched between your thumb and index fingers.
There may be a few other fingers involved in gripping the board, but essentially it is a hold that relies on constant pressure from your fingers. This is bound to be uncomfortable.
When your hand gets tired, the chance of you dropping your board will increase.
Holding your board in a pinch grip will also reduce the impact of the graphics of your board, and it’s the skater’s equivalent of being shy.
Option Four: Trucks In Way
This is a reverse of the professional way of carrying a board. While also held against the body, the trucks face inward, cradling the skater’s body between the two sets of trucks.
This may be especially popular if you have graphics on your grip tape, which you want to display.
By carrying your board like this, you will reduce the rubbing of the grip tape against your clothes. Depending on where you skate, the grip tape of your board may also be quite dirty and you may want to keep that away from your body.
Option Five: Carry Your Board in a Backpack
For those who need to carry their board for a longer distance, such as hiking from home to the nearest skate park, the backpack option is a great way to carry your board while being hands-free.
There are several highly effective carrier systems available, and when I say a backpack option, I don’t mean you should just shove your board into your backpack with your gym clothes.
A board carrier is a series of straps that fits onto an existing backpack (or it can be a special backpack on its own), which you attach your board to.
The benefits of this way of carrying or holding your board are that your board will be protected, will be unlikely to drop, and you will have your hands free so you can munch on some burgers and fries as you head to the next skating destination.
If you rely on public transportation, this is also a better way to carry your board so you won’t accidentally knock into someone.
Frequently Asked Questions about How to Hold a Skateboard
How will you avoid looking a poser when holding a skateboard?
Real skateboarders carry and hold their skateboards by wrapping their arms over the middle of the board with the grip tape facing their body and the trucks facing out. The board rests on the bracket their hand’s fingers make.
How does holding a skateboard and picking it up differ?
In the world of skateboarding, holding the board is how you carry the board when you are not skating. Picking up your board is not as simple as just bending and picking it up with your hand. There are multiple ways to pick up your board that involve popping or flicking it.
The Last Grab
While skaters will tolerate any way to hold or carry your skateboard, the one thing that’s almost a cardinal sin is to grab your skateboard and flip it around like a common piece of cardboard.
Given the price that some professional boards go for and the cost of the graphics and decks, carrying your skateboard responsibly is important.