Get pads and learn how to fall
learn how to fall
again learn how to fall
running out of bails is fine. Until it isn’t!
Learned this the hard way.
Had grown up with skating as a mode of transportation, but never properly skated until I moved to the East Bay in my 30s and couldn't regularly surf. I'd always wanted to skate bowls and now had access and motivation.
The learning curve wasn't terrible. It's so nice having a thing that's just there that you can practice over and over. Went from mellow transitions to mini bowls to the big bowl. Got to a point where I could flow different lines, carve frontside and backside, slash grind and do the occasional 50-50 (something about the coping always tripped me out), but I never learned to properly fall.
One day I was taking it easy, basically just trying to get a workout in the mini bowl before work, lost my balance on a frontside carve, tried to run out of it and broke my leg. Was lying at the bottom of the bowl like an idiot, no other skaters around, with my foot facing 90 degrees out.
I haven't skated since. I definitely miss it, but now I'm back somewhere I can surf everyday I don't have the same urge. If I start again, I'd go slow and make sure I learn to knee slide.