Say what you will, skateboarding isn’t just a sport designed to prevent bored teenage boys from setting things alight (Tony Hawk would very likely attest as much). Some, such as Bradley Kirr, would even call it art. Brad is the owner of Action Sports Arabia in Dubai and he bravely agreed to be our instructor on the day we decided to set foot on a skateboard for the first time in ten years.
There is one place for urban sports fans to head to in Abu Dhabi, and that’s the public skate park on the Corniche. You’ll find the capital’s sk8ter bois and gals hanging out at the ramps in the family park between Airport Road and Khaleej Al Arabi Street, in front of the British Embassy. Fridays are usually the day that draws the biggest crowd if you want to pick up a few tips and tricks.
Back to our lesson, and as soon as we set one foot on the board, we realised we had forgotten how wobbly a skateboard feels – not just because it shot out sideways from under our feet, but there’s far more room for rocking back and forth than we rememberd. It’s a little like standing on the concave side of a giant spoon, while the giant spoon happens to be resting on some very, very well-oiled wheels. ‘Are you sure this board is alright?’ We enquired, dubiously. ‘Yes. It’s mine,’ Brad laughed.
Clinging to his forearms, we managed to place both feet on the board, allowing Brad to gauge our natural stance – ‘goofy,’ he declared, meaning we skate with our right foot forward, but reassured us that his stance is similar – before instructing us to bend our knees forward a little more, making sure our body weight is centred over the board.
Once we had that down, he then explained that we were going to try moving backwards and forwards. He demonstrated alone on foot first, crouching for momentum as he traveled down each side of the ramp, rising up (‘You want to be as light as a feather!’) on the way up. It looked like he was dancing. ‘Exactly. It’s a dance. It’s art!’ he enthused. Demo over, Brad led us by the hands, slowly at first, across the flat surface between the two ramps, which rise slightly at each end. He started speeding up when he realised we were getting the hang of it quickly. ‘You’re doing great,’ he said. ‘You have very natural balance.’
When he suggested that he should let go and allow us to do a few runs on our own, we panicked. ‘No! Okay. Actually not yet. Okay, but not too high, yes?’ He laughed, but agreed. When he let us go, we glided quickly towards the opposite side of the ramp, keeping as low as we could to maintain our balance, and lifting up as we headed up the side. We were rolling back down as rapidly as we arrived, but soon found ourselves veering backwards. We panicked again and fell off the skateboard as ungracefully as we could possibly manage, landing hard on our (thankfully generous) behind. It didn’t hurt as much as we thought it would, and Brad explained that this was a key part of the psychology of success when it comes to skateboarding. ‘You’ve got to have no fear and just get straight back up if you fall.’ As a novice adult skateboarder, this is one of the first things you’ll have to overcome. Most of us become accustomed to not falling over day to day, unlike kids, for whom three tumbles in a day is an impressively low score.
We tried pushing off alone, which we were hopeless at, but we felt assured that we now had the basic skill set needed. Brad explained that if we put in the hours, practising five days a week for two weeks, we would become a decent skateboarder. Fortunately, our lesson rounded off just as the kids started arriving. We had no plans to look ridiculous in front of a 15-year-old pro, not to mention one of the insanely impressive kids, whom Brad says he has seen teach themselves on the ramp wearing just a khandura and bare feet. Now that’s an arty look.
To get in touch with the local street and action sport community in Abu Dhabi visit www.abudhabiskaters.com. Whether you’re into skateboarding, inline skating or BMX bikes you’ll find some like-minds on the Facebook group. Skateboard lessons with Bradley Kirr are Dhs200 for a private session, or Dhs120 in a group. To book, email bradk@actionsportsarabia.com.
