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This is a very important, yet often an overlooked and forgotten routine by
skaters. Most amateur longboarders, like me, often take stretching for granted
and go on skating without doing it, not knowing that we are adding more risk of injuring ourselves to an already risky sport.I learned the importance of stretching and
warm-up exercises the hard way. Last November, I tore my ACL while playing ultimate
Frisbee. Although my injury was not caused directly by longboarding
but all those shredding and pushing added up to the wear and tear which eventually led to my injury, and recovering from an injury is no easy task.
but all those shredding and pushing added up to the wear and tear which eventually led to my injury, and recovering from an injury is no easy task.
So whether you are just going for a stroll around the
city or you are bombing and shredding a hill, it is very important to stretch
those muscles before and after, just like any other physical sport. You never
know when you might fall of the board and land awkwardly, and because
skateboarding is an extreme sport, always wear proper protective gear, I repeat
always. So to reduce the risk of having serious injuries, here are some
stretching exercises that you can do to loosen your muscles and warm up your
body:
Neck Side Stretch
- Stand or sit in a comfortable position.
- Gently tilt the head to the side, creating a stretch in the opposite side of the neck.
- Repeat on the other side.
Front & Back Neck Stretch
- Stand or sit comfortably
- Gently tilt the head to the forward, creating a stretch in the back of the neck.
- Gently tilt the head back, creating a stretch in the front of the neck.
Posterior Shoulder Stretch
- Stand straight while maintaining the natural arch in your lower back.
- With your shoulders down and relaxed, reach one arm across your chest, parallel to the floor.
- With the other arm, place your hand on the elbow.
- Gently pull your elbow in toward your chest Hold the stretch for 20 sec.
- Relax and repeat on opposite side.
Overhead Shoulder Stretch
- Stand straight with your shoulders back, chest out, and feet shoulder width apart.
- Raise one arm overhead, bend the elbow, and place your hand behind your neck.
- With your other hand, grasp your elbow and gently pull it behind your head. Hold for 20 seconds.
- Relax and repeat with opposite arm.
Wrist Flexion Stretch
- Hold out your arm with the palm facing down.
- Drop the fingers and palm at the wrist.
- Grab your fingers with the other hand and pull them towards the body. Hold the stretch for 20 sec.
- Repeat for the other hand.
Wrist Extension Stretch
- Hold out your arm with the palm facing down.
- Bend the fingers and palm at the wrist.
- Grab your fingers with the other hand and pull them back and towards the body.
- Repeat for the other hand.
Side trunk stretch
- Begin with feet slightly apart, and arm pointing overhead, held by the opposite hand.
- Keeping your hips stable, bend your torso so that the stretch is felt along your side. Hold the stretch for 20 sec.
- Repeat for the other side.
Hamstring Stretch – standing
- Place heel of the leg being stretched onto a box or bench that is approximately knee height (this stretch can also be performed with the heel on the floor).
- Make sure hips are kept square (ie facing forwards not twisted to the side).
- Keep the stretched leg as straight as possible and lean forwards from the hip with buttocks out and back straight.
- Do not hunch your back or slouch forward.
- Get to the point of a mild stretch and hold.
- Repeat for each leg.
Hamstring Stretch - sitting
- Sit on the floor with the leg to be stretched extended, and the other leg bent with the foot towards your body.
- Reach out with your hands, lean your upper body forward, and bring your chest towards your thigh.
- Make sure you don't round the upper back, and your lower back should be slightly curved.
- Get to the point of a mild stretch and hold.
- Repeat for each leg
Quadriceps Stretch - standing
- Clasp your foot behind your body with opposite hand
- Pull your foot upwards, and push the knee backward
- Contract your abdominals to stabilize the pelvis (do not arch your back).
- Press the front hip bone forward and slightly extend the hip. Hold the stretch for 20 sec.
- Repeat for each leg
Calf Muscle Stretch
- Stand with one leg in front of the other, with both feet pointed forward. Place hands on a wall or similar for support
- Keep back knee straight, with the heel pressed to the floor
- Push your hips forward, while pressing your back heel to ground. Hold the stretch for 20 sec.
- Repeat on each leg
Foot and Ankle Circles
- Move your foot and ankle in a circle as large as possible and comfortable without pain and provided you feel no more than a mild to moderate stretch.
- Repeat 10 - 20 times provided the exercise is pain free.
Some may think that stretching is a waste of
time because you are too eager to skate immediately, you either incorrectly
perform the stretch exercises or you don’t perform stretching at all. Honestly,
that’s what I did before and look what happened. Don’t wait for the injury to
happen, allotting 5-10 minutes of your time for stretching is much better than
not being able to skate for 6-8 months. So stretch, wear proper gear, skate
safe, have fun and get stoked.
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