How to Skate Rails

Skating handrails is something every beginner street skater wants to be able to do at some point in the future. Some people have trouble learning how to skate handrails because they never try, maybe because they are too scared due to a bad experience or they can't get themselves to commit to it.

The truth is, handrails are initially very intimidating for some people. I remember saying "Hey guys, check me out" right before I went for it and ended up with a rail on my crotch. This left me with a bad experience and I was scared to hit any more rails for a while. I learned from this experience and have conquered my fear through lots of practice - starting out small and working up from there.

Always remember to wear a helmet and pads when skating rails, there is always a chance you can smash your head on the ground after a bail. It really is better to be safe than sorry - once you get comfortable, wearing pads is really up to you, but I highly recommend wearing protective gear for your safety.

There are a variety of different rails you will encounter: flat bars, circle rails and squared rails are some different types. Flat bars are essentially your everyday handrail but they are not sloped, and just run parallel to the flat ground. Circle rails and squared rails are exactly just that, referring to the shape of the rail itself - circle rails are harder to balance on but some skaters prefer them.

When you skate sloped handrails that are over a set of stairs or some sort of decline, do not be scared of the height of the rail. If you stand up next to the rail it will probably be up to your waist, but if you hit the rail with a decent amount of speed, you will gap out to a lower part of the rail making it easily reachable with an average ollie.

There are a variety of different grinds and board slides associated with skating rails and ledges, but I am not going to go into detail about them here as this is a more generalized look at how to skate rails.

The single most important thing to remember is to be committed. You can't decide to hop off halfway down the rail because you're going to land on the stairs and get hurt. If you commit and mess up, it's better than getting scared and bailing halfway down the stairs, landing on the stairs at an awkward angle, and breaking a bone or spraining an ankle.

If you mess up, sometimes you can land on your feet and have enough balance to walk it off but this is not always the case. If you find yourself in a situation where you know you're going to fall, try to angle yourself so you can break the momentum of your fall by rolling on the ground. You may not understand what I mean at first, but with practice you will basically learn how to fall correctly. Another option is to land on your back side for the cushioning, but do beware of your tail bone. Either way, this is better than getting your crotch or backside smashed on the rail.

Falling and getting hurt is just one of the risks associated with skateboarding, and if you can conquer your fear of falling, you will see yourself advance to new levels that you never thought were possible.

Start off with small rails and ledges and work your way up. Obviously, I would not advise you to hit a 10 set of stairs when first starting out, but you get the idea. Go to a skate park, they generally will have a wide selection of rails, and fine a rail you feel comfortable practicing on. Alternatively, skate shops and websites usually sell rails at an affordable price.