Cramps are the enemy of every athlete. These include basketball players, skateboarders, volleyball players, and other athletes that compete in different sports. These cramps usually happen on the feet of skateboarders and not on their legs or back like basketball players or volleyball players.
These foot cramps can be very annoying and irritating while skateboarding. This will hinder skateboarders from performing various skateboarding tricks properly. This will also hinder the excitement of skateboarders on skateboarding because once they often feel foot cramps, skateboarders might not enjoy skateboarding and stop doing it.
However, what is the main cause of foot cramps when skateboarding? We must know the reason behind it so that we can perform the right things to prevent this from happening. So, why do your feet cramp when skateboarding? Here is the brief answer.
Why do my feet cramp when skateboarding? Cramps are often caused by dehydration, muscle overuse, or holding a position for too long. Getting cramps on your feet while skateboarding is usually caused by muscle overuse. The muscles on your foot that you use while skateboarding takes time to build up, which is why beginners often have feet cramp when skateboarding.
Today, we will be talking about foot cramps when skateboarding. I will give you a broader answer later about why your feet cramp when you skate. Also, I will give you some helpful tips that will help you prevent this from happening. So, if you are ready, let us move on!
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Why Do My Feet Cramp When Skateboarding?
You might feel that your feet are in a weird place to get a cramp. However, you might understand that this is possible and it happens to lots of skateboarders out there, especially beginners.
The main reason why you have cramps on your foot is because of dehydration, muscle overuse, or you eating less potassium. However, getting a cramp on your foot while skateboarding is usually caused by overusing your muscles. You use your feet every time you skate. You use your foot when you turn right or left, or make your skateboard stop.
Yes! Cramps are very frustrating but they will usually go away after some days or weeks. You might also get cramps after skateboarding less if you skate often. This happens to beginners in skateboarding. It takes time for your muscles to adapt to skateboarding. Once your muscles get used to it, you will cramp less.
Remember, if you will use your skateboard for cruising, you must understand that you will get a higher chance to have cramps. Why? Because while cruising using your skateboard, you use your feet when you turn right or left, make your skateboard stop, and when you move your skateboard.
How Can You Prevent Feet Cramps When Skateboarding?
If you are tired of getting feet to cramp when skateboarding, don’t worry because I got you covered! Below are the different helpful tips you can use to prevent foot cramps when skateboarding. Let us take a look at them!
Eat Banana And Water Before Skateboarding
First, you must eat bananas and water before skateboarding. The reason bananas are good for cramps is because of three things: potassium, magnesium, and calcium. These are the three nutrients that help ease cramps and will stop them from occurring.
Before skateboarding, eat some bananas first. It will take some time for you to digest it and get the effects from these bananas. That is why I recommend you eat bananas 30 minutes to 1 hour before skateboarding. The earlier you eat your bananas before skateboarding, the better.
Of course, you have to drink water too and stay hydrated. While skateboarding you must bring water with you. If you are dehydrated, cramps are much more likely to occur along with several other undesired health effects. Drink the right amount of water every day to avoid getting feet to cramp while skateboarding.
Never Forget To Stretch Or Warm-Up Before Skateboarding
Skateboarders are well-known for having a bad or unhealthy lifestyle. The reason why is because most skateboarders smoke cigarettes, party a lot, do not exercise, do not eat the right food, and do not stretch before skateboarding. Never follow the footsteps of these unhealthy skateboarders!
You will skate better and longer if you take care of your body. That includes stretching before skateboarding. The reason why stretching is very essential in any sport is that stretching warms your muscles up so that your muscles will not get tired and overworked easily. You can get cramps easily or tear your muscles if you skate while your muscles are still cold.
So, before you do a hard skateboarding trick or cruise with your skateboard, stretch first for at least four to ten minutes. There are lots of stretching exercises on the internet that you can execute. I promise you! It is effective to avoid getting cramps when skateboarding!
Take Some Breaks Too
One of the common reasons why skateboarders get cramps when skateboarding is because they overworked their muscles. Aside from stretching before skateboarding and eating the right foods, another way to avoid feet cramp when skateboarding is to take some breaks too.
Never overuse yourself! Take a breather and talk to your friends or check on your phone. Just do anything to give your body about four to seven minutes to recover. By doing this strategy, it will keep cramps away and let you skate for a longer session.
Take It Slow
There are lots of beginners in skateboarding that are rushing. Everything that is rushed is useless and most of the time causes catastrophic scenes. If you are in a rush to learn ollie or other hard skateboarding tricks, you will most likely fail and never get anywhere. Aside from that, you might get cramps often.
So, what should you do? Start with the basics! Slowly build the muscles on your feet. Make sure that you do skateboarding tricks that can be handled by your foot muscles. Otherwise, you will get cramps and a higher chance you will get yourself injured.
Why Does Your Feet Hurt While Skateboarding?
Skateboarding should not hurt your feet. This is unusual. If this happens, it means you are doing something wrong!
If your feet are hurting after skateboarding, then there is something wrong. The reasons why your feet hurt while or after skateboarding are because your shoes do not fit well on your feet or you feel pain on your feet caused by impacts from skateboarding. Let us take a look at the reason why your feet hurt while skateboarding!
Your Shoes Are Too Tight For You
If you have a shoe that does not fit your foot well, it will lead to pain and discomfort while skateboarding. If you have wide feet and your shoe pinch then this can lead to pain. The reason why your feet hurt while skateboarding is because you have the wrong shoe size.
To test out whether your shoes are the problem or not, just wear your shoes and jog a little bit. Jog for 30 minutes or one hour and see how your feet feel. If you feel pain, then the shoes you are wearing are not that good.
You Have Flat Feet
Another cause of pain in your foot while or after skateboarding is because you have flat feet or low arches. This causes a lot of unnatural stress on your joints and feet and is only made worse by skateboarding.
Sadly, skateboarding shoes are not built for people that have flat feet. Skateboarding shoes were designed to increase board control and are not built for skateboarders that have flat feet. The best thing that you can do if you have flat feet is to get a quality skateboarding insole that has a slight heel built-in and provides lots of cushions.
Final Verdict
To conclude, the reasons why your feet cramp when skateboarding are because you don’t eat bananas and water before skateboarding, you forgot to stretch or warm up, or you don’t take some breaks. Never forget to do the tips I gave you above. Those tips will surely help you prevent feet cramp when skateboarding.
