Skate boarding brings a certain image to it. The skate boarding videos display hard music. The riders take brutal falls and get right back up. When a rider performs a perfect trick – they just ride off out of site.
I am not a skate boarder. I tried a few times. It was just too hard for me to do. That is why I am writing this article.
A friend and I were having this deep conversation about what sport is the most difficult to master. He is a Doctor as well, and is one of the smartest guys I know. He brought up skate boarding. I laughed at first.
He continued to talk about the extreme coordination needed to do the tricks. We discussed a little of the neurology involved. And after thinking about it, I have to agree. Now I don’t claim to know everything about all sports, but this I do know skate boarding is very demanding on coordination, balance, and skill.
If you have ever sat and watched the kids at the skate park you may have noticed the difficulty in the tricks they perform.
Lets talk about a little about what is going on with these tricks. Balance comes through the ears, site, and the ability to know where we are in space. The brain gives us this ability and is done automatically.
Some people have better coordination than others. This is a natural gift to them. This gift of balance and coordination can be learned.
The average person can stand on one leg for 30 seconds. Trying this you will find that the older you are the harder this is. Closing the eyes lowers the time to 20 seconds.
I would like to know how long an experienced skate boarder could stand with his eyes closed? A sports physician for the Olympics told me the Chinese Gymnasts had a hard time standing for 20 seconds with their eyes closed.
One last comment, skate boarders are athletes. An athlete needs the ability to function correctly. This is directly related to how the brain, and neurology function. This is directly related to nutrition. It is rare to see an over weight kid skate boarding. It’s as unlikely as an older person picking up the sport.
On the same note, smoking, drugs, and alcohol directly affect the nervous system. They destroy brain cells, and affect the ability to coordinate all functions.
To seriously compete in this sport – you must maintain a superior healthy way of life. I would say even more than most sports, because like I mentioned – skate boarding is one of the hardest sports to master.