Skateboarding has long been a popular sport among thrill-seekers and adrenaline junkies. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner, there’s always room for improvement and innovation when it comes to skateboarding. One such innovation that has been making waves in the skateboarding community is the integration of smart watches, which enable us to track our health as the adrenaline kicks in.
Smart watches are wearable devices that connect to your phone and offer a range of features such as fitness/health tracking, messaging, and music playback. While they may seem like an odd pairing with skateboarding at first, they can actually offer a number of benefits to skateboarders looking to take their skills to the next level and for the curious minded when wondering how things like their heart rate and breaths per minute change whilst skateboarding.
For starters, smart watches can be used to track your progress and monitor your performance. Many smart watches come with built-in fitness trackers that can monitor your heart rate, calories burned, and steps taken. This can be incredibly useful for skateboarders who are looking to improve their endurance and stamina on the board, which I’ve found to be entertaining on my Garmin Venu smart watch if I was to be honest.
Additionally, some smart watches come with GPS tracking capabilities, which can be used to track your route and distance travelled during a skateboarding session. This can be especially helpful for skaters who like to explore new areas and want to keep track of where they’ve been. I cant comment much on my usage of the GPS function on a smartwatch whilst skateboarding personally but most often you’ll also have a smart phone on you, which is doing the same tracking if enabled.
Another way that smart watches can be useful for skateboarders is through the use of apps. There are a number of apps available for smart watches that can help skaters track their progress and improve their skills. For example, there are apps that can track your tricks and provide feedback on how to improve them, as well as apps that can help you track your speed and distance travelled. A good example is the F3b Footbike + Skateboard app for the Garmin watches. (link)
Smart watches can also be useful for skateboarders who like to listen to music while they skate. Many smart watches come with built-in music players, which can be synced with your phone to provide easy access to your favourite tunes while you skate. This can be especially helpful for skaters who like to listen to music to get in the zone and focus on their tricks, however I’ll be honest again and say I usually do this with my smart phone, using Bluetooth to my earphones.
Of course, there are also some potential downsides to using smart watches while skateboarding. For one, wearing a watch while skating can be cumbersome and can get in the way of certain tricks. Additionally, some smart watches may not be durable enough to withstand the wear and tear of skateboarding, especially if you take a hard fall. Although if you buy the correct protection you can usually protect your smartwatch so even if you take a normal fall or bail off your skateboard you can bounce back up and not worry about it. See the image below, for one of the Garmin smart watches.
Overall, however, the benefits of using a smart watch while skateboarding seem to outweigh the drawbacks. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a beginner, a smart watch can be a useful tool for improving your skills and tracking your health. One of the things I really enjoy is seeing how my heart rate is elevated for the full session when I skateboard, because I can tell I’ve done a good work out and this is only possible through wearing my smart watch whilst I skateboard. Just be sure to choose a watch that is durable and comfortable enough to wear while you skate.
If you’re interested in using a smart watch for skateboarding, there are a number of options available on the market. Some popular options include the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, and Garmin Forerunner. When choosing a watch, be sure to consider factors such as durability, battery life, and compatibility with your phone.
I’ll add a personal note about the Garmin Venu smart watch here, so you dont go and buy it for your skateboarding. I’ve found that on the Venu, I can only really track heart rate which for me jumps from 55-65 resting upto around 110-130 whilst skateboarding. However my respiration and stress levels it seems to fail to record, I just get gaps in my app. I do like the watch and I did buy it for whilst I exercise, but I do wish there were some additional features, never the less I will from now always wear a smart watch whilst I skateboard (I’ve turned a corner and I can’t turn back).
In conclusion, while smart watches may seem like an unlikely pairing with skateboarding, they can actually be a useful tool for skaters looking to improve their skills and track health. Whether you’re looking to improve your endurance, track your speed and distance, or listen to music while you skate, a smart watch can help you achieve your goals. Just be sure to choose a watch that is durable and comfortable enough to wear while you skate, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a better skater
Now if you’re looking for more tech whilst skateboarding to add to a smart watch, why not check out my article on the best cameras for skateboarding.
