Skimboarding is the type of water sport that is just like surfing but is less risky and suitable for all ages and genders. Skimboarding is done on smaller waves as compared to surfing and is executed pretty close to the shore.
The boards used for Skimboarding are called Skimboards which are smaller in size supporting to ride the smaller waves. Skimboarding uses a mix of both skating and surfing stunts and tactics.
Skimboarding is quite unique in its own way as it doesn’t need any wind or wave support to be performed. It can be done with little to no wind support as well as water wave support.
Where did it originate from?
The seeds of its orientation are from Laguna Beach, South California. It’s quite hilarious how this sport embarked: In the 1920s there were a couple of lifeguards named George Griffeth and Jimmy who wanted to try out surfing on smaller waves, near to the shore, and here a new sport emerged known as `` SkimBoarding''. Initially, it was termed as Skid Boarding, but later in 1976, it got renamed as Skimboarding.
Currently, it is viewed as a popular sport with more and more people engaged in it and most imperatively it is played on a professional level with Lucas Fink being named as the top skimboarder in the year 2019 in the men’s division and Sophia Nguyen in the women’s division.
However, after understanding this intriguing sport, we need to thoroughly know how to play the sport, shouldn’t we? How should we ride the skimboard safely?
Obviously, as it is a sport Physics is going to be involved in how a skimboard works. The amount of water the skimboard displaces determines the velocity of the activity which means how fast you are going to move.
This is the main reason why skimboarding is done in shallow water as there is less water to move via the board and hence the energy expenditure is on the lower side as compared to surfing.
Apart from that, as you skim on the shallow water, swirling water is going to be formed beneath the board. As the skimmer pushes the water down the ground pushes the water upwards. This phenomenon is termed GROUND EFFECT.
Here are some steps on safely riding a Skimboard:
Choose your Skimboards accurately:
The first step towards skimboarding is choosing your skimboard and oh boy you got to be precise in this as they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, patterns, and materials.
WE at http://www.eastcoastskimboards.com/ have a variety of skimboards to choose from especially our ZAP Skimboards which are of top quality and best sellers.
Check out this ZAP Skimboard on our website:
https://www.eastcoastskimboards.com/zap-core-44-skimboard-rider-weight-limit-150-lbs.html
Safety and precautions:
It’s really infuriating when one is learning to skimboard. You fall, you might even get hurt, hence you need to be ready for the worst and buy the safety gear and use strict precautions when practising.
Sand Skimboarding for novice:
Choose an area of sand and consistent water, avoid sticky sand.
Run behind the skimboard as fast as you can and head on your board to gain momentum to ride smoothly.
When the wave reaches the shore drop your board on the sand and make sure you hold the board with one hand for safety precautions.
Lastly, step on your board on the wave and start balancing and controlling it with your feet.
Check out this blog at our website to understand how should you skimboard: https://www.eastcoastskimboards.com/how-to-skimboard.html
What are the risks involved in the sport?
Though the sport is less risky kids and novice athletes can perform it, but as we know with any sport comes the inherent risk of various injuries hence we need to consider this factor also.
Here is a list of injuries:
Knee injuries: which are most common in every sport. The knees are constantly under strain when we surf or skim as the entire balancing and controlling of the board is done with the help of your feet hence knee injuries like an ACL tear, meniscus tear, etc. can happen if you pursue the sport recklessly.
Eye problems: as the water in which the sport is performed is probably of an ocean it contains a lot of sodium and other harmful ingredients which can cause eye issues.
Foot and ankle injuries: These injuries vary from common injuries to serious sports injuries because of constant pounding, strain, twisting of the ankle as well as the foot.
Groin pulls: The adductors are another issue for skimmers as they can get stretched or pulled when you play the sport.
Broken Bones: Another excruciatingly painful aspect of Skimboarding is fracturing, dislocations in the bones and joints.
EastCoast Skimboards:
We at Eastcoast Skimboards offer a variety of Skimboards from Wood skimboards, the Exile, and our specialty Zap Skimboards. We have a special section on our website that evaluates your needs and level of experience so that you can choose the most appropriate Skimboard for you! Our ZAP-skimboards are the safest and most enjoyable skimboards which you can find on the market.
We believe that quality and customer safety is everything, hence all our products, not only the boards, but the accessories also are of top-notch quality and are affordable. The Zap boards are useful for all types of boarders ranging from professional to novice.
Zap Skimboards:
Our most important product from the customer’s perspective is the zap product. The product has a variety of choices available which are suitable for everyone. The segmentation is based on various sizes, weights, and patterns of the Boards.
We have got some high-end boards from zap which are useful for professional borders. For instance, the Zap Fuse-X52 is a high-end product but the cost is only 625$
https://www.eastcoastskimboards.com/Zap-Fuse-X-52-621_p_6213.html
We also have Zap Skimboard packages too which combine with the boards and Skimboarding pads which are vital for your safety.
https://www.eastcoastskimboards.com/Zap-44-Core-Skimboard--Teal--Package-wpads_p_6843.html