You can ride a kick scooter for many different reasons. This includes moving from one place to another in a faster time compared to walking, doing tricks at a skatepark, even a combination of both. Whatever you’re using a kick scooter for, it’s worth understanding a few pro tips that could help make commuting or doing tricks easier.
To ride like a pro, sometimes you need to go back to basics – even if you’ve been riding for years! Two basics that every scooter user should understand is how to hold the handlebars and foot placement.
How To Hold The Handlebars
When riding a kick scooter, it’s best to hold the handlebars with a loose grip. You should hold the handles only as hard as you need to. A soft grip will most likely result in you losing control of the scooter. Furthermore, a grip that’s too tight will be uncomfortable, especially over time. It could also lead to injury if you fall off. For example, you might not let go of the scooter when crashing and as a result, hurt yourself even more than just bailing.
Foot Placement On A Kick Scooter
Scootering has two terms to describe your legs – your strong leg and your weak leg. If you don’t yet know which leg is your strong or weak leg, it’s easy to identify. Don’t think about this too much: When you stand on a scooter with one foot on the deck and one foot on the ground, which do you automatically place on the scooter? The foot that you place on the ground will usually be your strong leg, the one on the deck being your weak leg.
Often your strong leg will be your preferred leg. Your preferred leg is usually the one you kick a ball with. At the end of the day, whatever’s most comfortable and most effective will be correct. If you’re still unsure, try riding with your left foot on the deck, being pushed by your right foot, then swap to your right foot on the deck. You’ll quickly find out which is more comfortable.
Once you have worked out your weak and strong leg, it’s time to perfect your stance on a kick scooter.
Stance Position
When moving from A to B, you’ll generally stand with your weak foot toward the front of the kick scooter deck. Where exactly will depend on your scooter, the amount of room on the deck, and the size of your feet. Normally, your weak foot will be in the centre of the deck to allow room for your other foot to stand behind it. If your scooter has a small deck, we suggest you move your toes as far forward on the deck as possible and your heel towards the middle. Regardless your toes should be pointing to the front and your heels to the back. You might feel more comfortable having your feet at a slight angle, but that’s something that you can work out later.
Then, you’ll use your strong leg to push or kick yourself along. When coasting, place this foot behind your weak foot on the deck. This will determine where your weak foot is placed, so make sure that you allow for enough room to stand with both feet on the deck. Also, it’s worth keeping in mind that your strong foot will also work the break, so placement will depend on your ability to use the break in an emergency.
When you don’t need to kick at all, like when coasting downhill, you might find that angling your feet so that they are side-on with your weak foot forward, will be more comfortable.
Practice Riding
If you’re new to riding a kick scooter, it’s a great idea to practice riding on flat ground with little to no cracks, rocks or uneven spots. This will help you gain confidence before taking to the skatepark.
Short, Sharp Kicks
When learning, keep your kicks or pushes, short and sharp. Relax and kick only as hard as you need to gain momentum. When you have more confidence, you can start to ride faster with longer and more powerful kicks.
Steer Slowly
Riding a kick scooter is similar to riding a bike in the way that when you’re riding slowly, you will turn your handlebars and point the front wheel in the direction that you want to go. When turning, do it slowly because turning too fast will cause your front wheel to act as a brake and jolt you over the bars. This is not ideal. A slow turn will mean that you will have a wider turning circle, but it will be smoother. As you ride faster, you’ll notice that you don’t really need to turn the handlebars much. Instead, lean in the direction that you want to go.
Now you have some tips to make riding a scooter easier, let’s look at the best kick scooters you can buy right now.
The Best Scooter for Commuting
For commuting, you might find an electric scooter more suitable since you can be dressed for work without needing to change or raise a sweat!
The Best Kick Scooter for Kids
One of the most important factors when looking to buy a kick scooter for a child is the size. It might be obvious but smaller kids will need a smaller scooter. A shorter deck and lower bars will help the rider have more control and it will be easier overall to ride. A smaller scooter like the Sacrifice Sacci Junior is a perfect option to consider. It’s super light, well balanced, durable, and also relatively cheap.
As the child gets older, they will need a larger scooter. It will still need to be an appropriate size and weight, but be careful not to buy them a scooter that’s too big. It can be more difficult to ride and might result in injury. If you’re buying for a child as young as 4, please ensure that you choose an appropriate kick scooter and if you’re unsure, please ask for us for advice. Once a young child has the skills, it’s definitely worth upgrading to a scooter that’s designed for their preferred activity. Whether that’s doing tricks or simply cruising around.
The Best Kick Scooter for Tricks
The lighter and the stronger the better. That’s really what you need to look for when buying a scooter with tricks in mind. In reality, the scooter is going to cop a lot as you try out tricks again and again. The only way to get good is learn from your mistakes. Your scooter will have to be strong enough to handle your desire to keep going back for more. Furthermore, a lighter scooter will allow for easier movement in the air and will help you to not work as hard.
