Sport
Skateboarding is short bursts of pushing, jumping and landing: an ollie loads your feet at nearly five times body weight, and an hour at the skate park keeps your heart rate up at a moderate to hard level. The injuries follow the falls: wrists and forearms from landing on your hands, ankles from landings, and heads, which cause most of the serious harm, above all when skaters collide with traffic.
In US trauma centres, skaters wearing helmets had about half the odds of a severe brain injury, yet only about 1 in 20 injured skaters wore one, and wrist guards cut wrist injuries by about three-quarters in snowboarding trials. This guide covers the kit, how to fall, where to skate, the common injuries and the training that helps, with a 12-minute warm-up and a strength and landing workout, each with a 3D demo of every move.
In 24,903 US skaters treated in trauma centres, those in helmets had about half the odds of a severe brain injury, but only about 5% wore one. World Skate requires helmets for every park skater and for street skaters under 18 in its competitions.
In-line skaters without wrist guards had about 10 times the odds of a wrist injury, and in snowboarding trials, guards cut wrist injuries by about three-quarters. No trial has been done in skateboarders.
A crash with a vehicle made a hospital admission about 11 times as likely, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) says: never ride in the road.
RoSPA's advice: crouch if you're losing your balance, land on the fleshy parts of your body and roll rather than taking the force on your arms, and relax. In laboratory falls, squatting, bending the elbows and rolling all cut the impact; no trial has tested fall training on skateboard injuries.
Wrists and hands made up over half of skaters' arm injuries, and ankles nearly half of leg injuries; in a Spanish survey, 70% of ankle sprains came back.
World Skate's competition rule: no return for 14 days, and medical clearance before competing. In the UK, the grassroots guidelines put competition no earlier than day 21.
In 71 young skaters at US community skate parks, sessions lasted about 55 minutes at an average heart rate of 140 beats a minute, and in 55 adults about 66 minutes at 72% of their predicted maximum, both enough to meet activity guidelines. Popping an ollie loaded the feet at 2.2 times body weight, and landing one from a 46 cm drop at 4.7 times.
The Compendium of Physical Activities gives skateboarding 5.0 metabolic equivalents (METs) in general and 6.0 when competitive, both estimated rather than measured; longboarding measured 6.8 to 10.5 METs, depending on speed.
A 2024 review found no study linking physical qualities to success in competition, though leg flexibility and fast leg force may matter for ollie height. In 45 skaters, balance, leg strength and endurance best separated the more promising skaters from the rest, and professional skaters had better ankle control and balance than amateurs. These are associations.
In a Swedish hospital series, 37% of injuries came from losing balance and 26% from a failed trick, and bumps and cracks in the surface caused a large share of the worse ones. Falls from the board caused 77% of head and face injuries in US emergency data. In videos of skateboard falls, the wrists bent back about 80° as the hands hit the ground, and backward falls bring impacts to the back of the head.
Leg power and soft landings, single-leg strength, ankle strength and balance, wrist and forearm strength, a strong trunk, and falling practice on soft ground.
Each study counted injuries its own way, so figures in different lines aren't comparable. Most studies come from the US, Australia and Europe.
The numbers, by group:
Arm injuries were 44% of US children's emergency visits, and wrists and hands 57% of arm injuries at an Australian hospital. In adults, the wrist was the commonest fracture. In children, 48% of skateboard fractures were in the forearm, nearly all at the wrist end. Our broken wrist, scaphoid fracture and wrist sprain guides cover these.
In 197 Spanish skaters, a sprained ankle was the commonest injury (39.3%), the most likely to come back (70.1%) and most often from gaps and stairs. Ankles were 45% of leg injuries at an Australian hospital. Our sprained ankle, chronic ankle instability and broken ankle guides cover these.
Of skaters admitted to US trauma centres, 24% under 10, 33% aged 10 to 16 and 46% over 16 had a brain injury. In admitted skaters aged 15 and over, 75% had a head injury, mostly from the back of the head hitting the ground, and 14% needed brain surgery. Skull fractures were 31% of head and face fractures. Our concussion guide covers the graduated return.
A pattern of elbow fracture was typical enough of skateboarding to be called "skateboard elbow" in Sweden's fracture register. On electric skateboards, the collarbone was the commonest fracture (20.7%). Our broken elbow, elbow dislocation, broken collarbone and shoulder dislocation guides cover these.
Of head and face fractures in US emergency data, 29% were broken noses and 18% broken jaws; 7% followed a collision with a vehicle. We don't have a guide to facial injuries; the National Health Service's (NHS) advice is in the warning signs below.
Source 20
Leg injuries made up about a sixth to a quarter of injuries in a review. Heavy landings load the heels, and backward falls land on the tailbone (our reading). Our knee pain, broken leg, heel fat pad, Sever's disease and tailbone pain guides cover these.
In young people, longboard riders had about twice the head and neck injuries and twice the severe neurological injuries of skateboarders, and at one children's trauma centre, 80% of those treated after longboard crashes had a brain injury. Adults hurt on motorised boards were older and more often had several fractures and were admitted to hospital. On electric skateboards, internal organ injuries made up 15.5% of diagnoses. Speed is the likely reason (our reading).
Associations in the studies:
No helmet, wrist-guard or fall-training trial has been done in skateboarders. The helmet evidence comes from skateboard trauma records and bicycle and ski studies; the wrist-guard trials are in snowboarders. Each note says which.
Crashes with vehicles cause the worst injuries: in US data, a crash with a vehicle made a hospital admission about 11 times as likely, and RoSPA notes that US skateboard deaths were almost all collisions with vehicles. RoSPA: "Never ride in the road"; the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): no riding in or near traffic.
In 24,903 US skaters in trauma centres, those wearing helmets had about half the odds of a severe brain injury; only 5% to 6% wore one. In children hurt on bikes, scooters and skateboards, those without helmets were more likely to have concussion symptoms. Across helmet sports, helmets went with less severe brain injury and about a third the odds of a skull fracture. In cyclists, helmets halved the odds of a head injury, and in skiers and snowboarders cut them by about a third, with no rise in neck injuries. These are associations, consistent across sports; there's no trial. Across 17 studies, 0% to 42% of skaters wore helmets.
The evidence, mostly borrowed from other board and wheel sports:
Elbow pads went with far fewer elbow injuries in in-line skaters; knee pads' link wasn't clear. Skateboard GB recommends pads and guards when learning, and notes most skaters who ride ramps and bowls use pads all their lives.
Parks keep you away from traffic, which causes the worst injuries. In US trauma data, injuries at skate parks went with lower odds of a severe brain injury, though the study doesn't say clearly what it compared parks with. But in Irish children, skate-park fractures were more severe, with only 5% wearing limb protection, and a UK emergency department saw skate-park injuries rise from 7 to 32 in the 12 weeks after a park opened nearby. RoSPA rates skate parks as high risk but supports them, because accidents would be much higher without them.
RoSPA: check the surface for holes, bumps and loose debris, as "over half of the injuries to skateboarders are due to uneven surfaces", and check your board for loose or broken parts. Build up to complicated tricks in stages, after careful practice in a place designed for it.
RoSPA: "Learn how to fall in the case of an accident. It may well reduce the risk of serious injury." Across 13 small laboratory studies in young adults, squatting in backward falls, bending the elbows in forward falls and rolling in sideways falls all cut the impact, while the martial arts slapping technique didn't. Five young men cut the force through their wrists by 27% by controlling their arms as they landed, and older adults learned martial arts falls in 5 sessions. No trial has tested fall training on injuries.
In 522 athletes from other sports with a recent ankle sprain, an 8-week home balance programme cut repeat sprains from 33% to 22%, and across 7 trials balance training cut ankle sprains by about a third, most clearly in people who'd sprained an ankle before. It hasn't been tested in skaters. Our sprained ankle guide has the programme.
Measures without good evidence in skateboarding:
A 2024 review of competitive skateboarding found no study linking physical qualities to results, and only hints that leg flexibility and fast leg force matter for ollie height, from tests of standing ollies, not rolling ones.
Source 16
In 45 skaters, balance, leg strength and endurance best separated the more promising from the less, and professional skaters had steadier ankles and better balance than amateurs; skaters with past injuries balanced worse. Landing an ollie loads the feet at nearly 5 times body weight, so landing practice and leg strength fit the sport (our reading). These are associations; no training trial has measured skating skill.
Skate-park sessions averaged about an hour at moderate to hard effort in young people and adults. In 22 young adults randomised for 8 weeks, three 60-minute sessions a week on a surf skateboard improved leg strength, endurance and balance against a group who didn't train, and aerobic fitness compared with before. The NHS gives skateboarding as an example of moderate activity for children and young people, with protective equipment.
Strength and landing work twice a week, on days you don't skate or after skating, not before, because tired legs land badly (our suggestion). After any ankle sprain, the balance programme in our sprained ankle guide comes before tricks.
Adults starting or coming back: lessons with a coach qualified by Skateboard GB, flat ground before skate parks, full pads, and a longer warm-up (our suggestion).
"Street athletes under the age of 18 must wear a helmet during practice and competition", and "All park athletes, regardless of their age, must wear a helmet". Skaters without one when required may be disqualified. Helmets must have "a one-piece hard shell that cradles the occipital", the back of the head, with padding that absorbs impacts.
Source 2
Skateboard GB: "Always wear a helmet when learning & pads can help too (especially wrist guards)", and a helmet should fit snugly, because a loose one won't protect you. RoSPA: children should wear a helmet meeting BS EN 1078 and wrist, elbow and knee protection. The AAP advises that children under 10 skate only with close adult supervision.
The standards World Skate suggests include bicycle helmet standards, such as EN 1078 and the US one, and RoSPA names BS EN 1078 for children. What matters is a certified hard shell that covers the back of the head and fits snugly. In laboratory tests, skate-style helmets protected less on a second impact, so replace a helmet after a hard knock (our suggestion).
Comfort and inconvenience were the main reasons skaters gave for not wearing helmets, and almost half of teenagers in one survey said nothing would convince them to wear protective gear. Parents, friends and rules were what made them wear it: RoSPA notes that when one child at a skate park wears a helmet, the next is much more likely to as well.
Skateboard GB's nine rules:
Source 62
RoSPA notes that about a third of those injured have less than a week's experience, so it advises keeping a close eye when a new park opens, and asking experienced skaters to show beginners how to fall. A UK hospital saw skate-park injuries rise sharply in the weeks after a park opened nearby.
Young longboard riders had about twice the head and neck injuries of skateboarders, and adults hurt on motorised boards more often had several fractures and were admitted. Wear a helmet every ride (our suggestion).
The UK government treats "powered transporters" as motor vehicles: it's illegal to use them on pavements, in cycle lanes and on bridleways, and the requirements for public roads are ones users "will find very difficult" to meet, so in practice they can't be used there either. They're legal on private land with the landowner's permission. The guidance names e-scooters, Segways, hoverboards and similar devices, not electric skateboards; our reading is that the same rules apply to them. Rules differ in other countries.
Source 63
Anyone suspected of concussion "MUST be removed from training and competition and not allowed to return for the following 14 days", whatever they, a coach or a parent say, and must be cleared by a medical practitioner before competing again. They shouldn't be left alone for at least 2 hours, drink alcohol, take aspirin or ibuprofen, or drive.
Source 2
The UK guidelines for grassroots sport: if in doubt, sit them out; no return that day; assessed within 24 hours by a healthcare professional or NHS 111 (the National Health Service's urgent advice line); relative rest for 24 to 48 hours, not bed rest; a graduated return; and no competition before day 21. We didn't find a Skateboard GB concussion policy. Our concussion guide sets out each stage.
Source 10
Built on the site's warm-up guide (editorial): no warm-up has been tested on injuries in skateboarding. The falling practice follows RoSPA's advice, and the doses come from the site's dynamic, foot and ankle, wrist, knee control and martial arts warm-ups.
Loading the 3D figure…
The movement on the figure: Rolling like a ball (Pilates rolling back)
The strength and landing workout's jumps, legs, ankles, wrists and trunk, and the warm-up's falling practice. Each has a 3D demo.
3D demoJump squatIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoBox drop landingIntermediate · A step
3D demoSingle-leg hop and stickIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoLateral bound (skater jump)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoDumbbell goblet squatIntermediate · A dumbbell
3D demoRear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)Intermediate · A bench or box
3D demoSingle-leg Romanian deadliftAdvanced · A dumbbell
3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wall
3D demoBand ankle eversionBeginner · A band + A bench or box
3D demoSingle-leg calf raise from a stepIntermediate · A step + A wall
3D demoWrist curlsBeginner · A dumbbell
3D demoReverse wrist curlBeginner · A dumbbell + A bench or box
3D demoSide plankIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoRolling like a ball (Pilates rolling back)Intermediate · No equipmentThe first two are new: the warm-up and a strength and landing workout. The others add wrist, ankle and knee work, leg strength, landings from skiing, breakfall practice from martial arts, grip, and light exercise after a concussion.
A 12-minute skateboarding warm-up: skipping, ankle circles, knee-to-wall rocks, hip circles, a wrist flow, single-leg balance, soft landings and fall practice.
12 minBeginner10 movesA wallA 45-minute session for skaters: jump squats, drop landings, hops and bounds, squats, split squats and single-leg hinges, ankle balance, wrist work and trunk.
45 minIntermediate20 movesA step, A dumbbellWrist mobility and forearm strength for desk work, climbing, push-ups and handstands.
10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 15-minute barefoot routine for stronger toes, arches, calves and ankles, finishing with balance. You need only a towel, a wall and a resistance band.
15 minBeginner11 movesA wall, Other / check instructionsA 20-minute warm-up that trains your knees to track over your toes: side-hip strength, squats and lunges with alignment practice, balance and quiet landings.
20 minBeginner10 movesA wall, A bandA lower body workout at home: split squats, slider hamstring curls, single-leg bridges, step-ups, band walks and calf raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate12 movesA wall, A stepA 40-minute pre-season workout for skiers and snowboarders: squats, split squats, single-leg hinges, side-to-side strength, landings and balance.
40 minIntermediate17 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 15-minute martial arts warm-up: easy running, forward rolls and breakfall practice, leg swings, balance and hops, crawls, squats, side planks and bridges.
15 minBeginner17 movesCardio machine, A wallA gymnastics warm-up: skips, wrist circles and rocks, shoulder work, cat-cow, hollow and arch holds, leg swings, short splits holds and landings.
15 minBeginner18 movesA band, A wallA 10-minute warm-up for any workout: raise your heart rate, move each joint through its range, rehearse the main movements, then ramp up to your first lift.
10 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bandA 20-minute grip session: warm up the wrists and fingers, train the hand and forearm muscles, then carry and hang to load your grip the way everyday life does.
20 minBeginner10 movesOther / check instructions, A bandA 20-minute light session after a concussion: a symptom check, 10 to 15 minutes of easy cycling or walking, gentle bodyweight moves and a cool-down.
20 minBeginner8 movesCardio machine, A bench or boxTwo sessions a week of strength and landing work sit well alongside skating.
Your first four weeks: two, then three short strength sessions a week at home plus walks, building gently to a full routine.
2 training days20 minBeginner2 days a weekTwo full-body strength sessions a week: the minimum that meets health guidelines, with every set, rep and rest, and an 8-week progression.
2 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekThree full-body home workouts a week with dumbbells or no equipment at all, plus walks and an 8-week plan to keep progressing.
3 training days35 minBeginnerThe PAR-Q+ (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone) asks about a heart condition or high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or losing consciousness, other long-term conditions and their medicines, a bone or joint problem that activity could make worse, and being told to exercise only under supervision. If you answer yes to any, check with your doctor or a qualified exercise professional first. If you're over 45 and not used to hard exercise, ask a qualified exercise professional before the hardest sessions, and delay if you're ill.
Source 64
The AAP advises close adult supervision for under-10s. RoSPA: a helmet and wrist, elbow and knee protection, and never skating alone, in the road or near water. RoSPA notes head injuries make up more of younger children's injuries.
Injuries were more severe with age among skaters admitted to hospital. Take lessons, start on flat ground, and wear a helmet, wrist guards and pads.
Wrists take most of skateboarding's fractures. Wear wrist guards, and see our broken wrist, scaphoid fracture and wrist sprain guides if it still hurts.
Most skaters' ankle sprains came back. Do the balance programme in our sprained ankle guide first; a brace or tape helps while it settles, as the guide explains.
A second knock before the brain has recovered risks a more serious injury. No skating until you're cleared under the UK guidelines' graduated return.
Our epilepsy guide explains that in the International League Against Epilepsy's grouping, skateboarding is a sport where a seizure could injure you but not others. Wear a helmet and don't skate alone (our suggestion).
Falls are part of skateboarding, and the NHS advises against sports where you could fall or bump your tummy. Stop skating, and talk to your midwife; our pregnancy guide has safer options.
Source 65
Higher speeds bring worse injuries. Wear a helmet every ride, and in the UK keep electric boards to private land (our reading of the law).
The NHS says to call 999 if someone has hit their head and:
Source 66
Off the board: if in doubt, sit them out. No return that day, and an assessment within 24 hours by a healthcare professional or NHS 111. Neck pain, double vision, weakness or tingling in the arms or legs, a severe or worsening headache, a fit, getting drowsier, being sick, or growing restless or aggressive need urgent medical help. Contact NHS 111 straight away if they feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood.
Go to A&E (accident and emergency) or call 999 if the arm or wrist is numb or tingling, there's a bad cut that's bleeding heavily, a bone is sticking out, or it has changed colour or shape or is at an odd angle. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful, badly swollen or bruised, or stiff. Pain in the hollow at the base of the thumb needs an X-ray, even if the wrist moves: see our scaphoid fracture guide.
Source 67
Go to A&E if the ankle is at an odd angle, a bone is sticking out, there's a bad wound, the pain is severe, or your toes look blue or white or feel numb. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful, badly swollen or bruised, or it hurts to put weight on it.
Source 68
Go to A&E if the shoulder has changed shape or swollen very quickly, bone is sticking out of the skin, you're bleeding heavily, or you have difficulty breathing, chest pain or are coughing up blood.
Source 69
After a rib injury, call 999 or go to A&E if your breathlessness or chest pain is getting worse, you have pain in your tummy or shoulder, or you're coughing up blood.
Source 70
Call 999 or go to A&E for back pain after a serious accident, with pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs, or with changes in your bladder or bowels.
Source 71
A broken tooth needs a dentist: keep any piece in milk or saliva. Call 999 or go to A&E for a nosebleed that won't stop or clear fluid coming from the nose.
Call 999 if someone faints while exercising, or has chest pain that doesn't go away, spreads to the arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness.
Skaters over 16 had the highest share of brain injuries among those admitted to US trauma centres, and helmet wearers had about half the odds of a severe one. World Skate requires helmets for every park skater.
World Skate's suggested standards include bicycle helmet standards such as EN 1078, and RoSPA names BS EN 1078 for children. What matters is a certified hard shell that covers the back of the head and a snug fit.
In snowboarding trials, guards cut wrist injuries by about three-quarters without a clear rise in other injuries. Observational data raised the possibility of more elbow or shoulder injuries, which the trials didn't confirm.
RoSPA advises landing on the fleshy parts of your body and rolling, rather than absorbing the force with your arms. In the laboratory, bending the elbows and rolling cut the force of falls.
Crashes with vehicles cause the worst injuries and nearly all the deaths, and park injuries went with lower odds of a severe brain injury in US data. But parks bring falls from height, and one Irish study found more severe fractures there.
In our reading of UK law, they're powered transporters, which can't be used on pavements or cycle lanes or, in practice, on public roads. Rules differ in other countries.
Source 63
Skate-park sessions averaged about an hour at moderate to hard heart rates in young people and adults, enough to meet activity guidelines.
It's the best protection you have: in US trauma data, skaters in helmets had about half the odds of a severe brain injury. World Skate requires helmets for every park skater and for street skaters under 18 in its competitions, and Skateboard GB says always wear one when learning.
The standards World Skate suggests include bicycle helmet standards such as EN 1078, and RoSPA names BS EN 1078 for children. Look for a certified hard shell that covers the back of your head and fits snugly, and replace it after a hard knock.
In snowboarding trials, wrist guards cut wrist injuries by about three-quarters, preventing one for every 50 riders who wore them, and in-line skaters without them had about 10 times the odds of a wrist injury. There's no skateboard trial, but wrists take most of skateboarding's fractures.
RoSPA's advice: if you're losing your balance, crouch so you have less far to fall; land on the fleshy parts of your body and roll, rather than taking the force on your arms; and try to relax. Laboratory studies support squatting, bending the elbows and rolling. Practise on grass or a mat.
Wrist and forearm fractures, ankle sprains and fractures, and head injuries. Head injuries cause most of the serious harm: a quarter to nearly half of skaters admitted to US trauma centres had a brain injury, more with age.
For heads, probably: crashes with vehicles cause the worst injuries and nearly all the deaths, and park injuries went with lower odds of a severe brain injury in US data. But parks bring falls from height, and one Irish study found more severe fractures there. Wear the kit and follow the etiquette.
The UK government treats powered transporters as motor vehicles: not allowed on pavements or cycle lanes, in practice not on public roads, and legal on private land with permission. Electric skateboards aren't named in the guidance, but our reading is that the same rules apply. Rules differ in other countries.
Jump squats and landings, single-leg strength, ankle balance and strength, wrist and forearm work, and trunk exercises. Better skaters have better balance, leg strength and ankle control, though no training programme has been tested in skaters. Our strength and landing workout covers these.
No, but injuries tend to be more severe with age. Take lessons, start on flat ground before skate parks, and wear a helmet, wrist guards and pads.
Yes: skate-park sessions averaged about an hour at moderate to hard heart rates in both young people and adults. The NHS gives skateboarding as an example of moderate activity for children and young people, with protective equipment.
Exercise education for people who play sport, not a personal prescription or a diagnosis, and clinical review of these pages is pending. Check with a GP or physiotherapist before hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or an injury that isn't settling, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
