It’s crazy that “Should I wear a helmet when skating?” is even a question that new skaters have to ask. You’d think the answer would be an obvious yes. You’re doing a dangerous sport that carries a risk of head injury. Why would you not wear a helmet? It’s such a no-brainer in similar sports such as cycling, but for some reason there’s a stigma within the skating community. Unfortunately, the majority of skaters tend to not wear a helmet. This can make beginners feel nervous to wear one themselves, as they might feel self-conscious, or worry about not looking cool.
Well, do you know what’s less cool than wearing a helmet? Having brain damage for the rest of your life. As you can probably tell, I’m firmly on the side of ‘everyone should wear a helmet’. But I will still help you make your own decision. At the end of the day, your head is your own responsibility. You need to weigh up whether a helmet is right for you.
What are the Risks of Skating Without a Helmet?
Now at the risk of sounding like a hypocrite, I need to come clean about something. I don’t wear a helmet when I’m just cruising. This is because I’m usually going slowly, and I’m not trying anything dangerous. I ride on the path so there’s no risk of being hit by a car, and I always feel comfortable on my board. I figure the likelihood of me falling with enough impact to do damage to my head is low, so I choose not to as I prefer to wear my over-ear headphones. However, just because I don’t, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. You should weigh the risks up, and decide for yourself. The risks will always be a lot higher when you’re trying tricks or riding fast, as opposed to just cruising steadily.
Especially when you’re just starting out on your board, your balance isn’t going to be great. You’ll probably fall quite a lot, even when moving slowly. Even when you become more experienced, there’s still a chance of falling badly. Hitting your head without wearing a helmet carries multiple risks, including the following:
- Concussion
- Traumatic brain injury
- Permanent brain damage
- Loss of senses
- Memory loss
- Death
Sure, there’ll be plenty of times where you’ll hit your head and nothing particularly bad will happen. But it only takes one tragic accident to ruin the rest of your life. With such severe risks on the line, it’s simply not worth it to skate without a helmet.
Why Wouldn’t Someone Wear a Helmet?
In the interest of providing unbiased information and helping you come to your own conclusion, here are some reasons why some people choose not to wear helmets.
- It doesn’t look cool – I disagree with this but it is a prevalent opinion, so I won’t pretend otherwise. Some skaters think that wearing a helmet makes you lose style points.
- It’s uncomfortable – This one I will admit is often true. However, you can find a helmet that is a good fit for your head, there are multiple types out there. You’ll also stop really noticing it after a short while of skating as you’ll just get used to it.
- It’s bulky and takes up space – If you’re pressed for space then you might not want to buy another piece of equipment. However, it’s not that hard to just store a helmet in a cupboard or by the door somewhere. Sure, they’re a little bulky, but they’re not crazy massive.
- It’s expensive – I call bogus on this one. You don’t need a fancy state-of-the-art helmet. Pretty much any brand on the market will do. You can also often find discounts when buying other skating gear. For example, I got my helmet for just £3 when I bought my skateboard. You’ll easily be able to find a good one for £20 and under.
What Protective Gear Should I Wear When Skating?
While helmets are definitely the most important piece of protective gear you could wear when skating, they’re not the only one. The worst damage you could do to yourself when skating is to hit your head, hence why I’d always recommend a helmet. However, other parts of your body are at risk of damage too. Even if you don’t get a full-on injury, you could still hurt yourself and be in pain.
Here are some other types of protective gear you might want to consider investing in.
- Gloves
- Wrist guards
- Elbow pads
- Knee pads
- Hip pads
- Shin guards
- Mouth guard
You’re unlikely to need shin guards when skating unless you’re doing very specific tricks. Similarly, a mouth guard is probably overkill. With the hip pads, your butt is already a pretty sturdy part of your body so you’re unlikely to actually get an injury if you land on it, however, hip pads could save you from pain if that’s something important to you.
Whether you want gloves or wrist guards is personal choice. A wrist guard is more likely to stop you from getting a sprain, gloves are useful if you just don’t want to scrape up your hands. Personally, I wear a pair of red and black motorcycle gloves that I think look pretty baller.
You’re likely to land on your elbows and knees quite a lot when you fall, so getting them padded up probably isn’t a bad idea. If you’re planning on skating transition (ramps and the like) the knee pads are definitely worth getting for if you need to bail. For some reason, knee pads and elbow pads don’t seem to have the same ‘uncool’ stigma that a helmet does.
Conclusion
Hopefully this article has helped you come to your own conclusion on the question of “Should I wear a helmet when skating?”, and hopefully the conclusion you came to was “Yes I should”. Helmets are such an important bit of gear and I really hope that the skating community starts to adopt them more going forward. Every time you do a trick without a helmet on, you’re risking permanent brain damage if you have a bad fall. It’s simply not worth it.
What colour helmet would you want to wear? Just plain black or something a little more vibrant? Let me know in the comments below! Personally? Mine is bright pink! Also, please follow our Instagram to keep up to date with my latest hobby adventures, including skating!
