WHAT SIZE SKATEBOARD SHOULD YOU RIDE? (7.75, 8.0, 8.25, etc.)

If you're on the smaller side, you might want a 7.75, but an 8.0 x 32 inch deck is the middle ground of sizes. There aren't really any hard written rules, it's all preference. Most decks range from 7.5 to around 8.5, some companies make a slightly wider deck but most street/park boards are in that range. For a beginner with no preference, an 8.0 is a nice middle ground between those sizes. Check out this [VIDEO] video from Braille.

I wont claim to be a pro, but from what I understand shoe size does matter to an extent however it’s not the final call. I’d suggest getting an 8.0 board size as it’s kind of in the middle. I’m 5’2” with size 6 (US size) and I ride a 7.5. I love it, it’s nimble and agile but if I might migrate up to a 7.75 for a bit more stability when landing tricks. If your son has size 9 feet, sounds like he’ll grow into those big paws & a 8.0 would be a good starting point for him. Not too wide, not too skinny. The wider the board, the more stable - but it’s also a little harder to learn tricks on. The slimmer the board, the less stable - but it’s more manoeuvrable for tricks. Here’s a great video that explains it a little more (he talks about shoe size & riding styles when choosing a board) [VIDEO] Habitat & Element make solid boards, and anything you choose will likely be great for a beginner. If you haven’t gotten one already, get a skate tool to loosen up his trucks a just little. I tried to learn on tight trucks & it did me no favours. I hope this helps :)

Dude, board size is more about what you like than what is correct. A 8.75" is going to be harder to flip, but people kick flip and tre flip longboards, so your wider board isn't going to make it impossible. At the same time, a wider board is easier to land on, so if your problem is the landing and not the flipping, a wider board may help. The best thing for you to do is head to a park, find someone with a narrower board and do a test ride. Edit: Here [VIDEO] is a braille video where he does flip tricks with different sizes. Kind of unfair since he doesn't use the exact same shape, but it does show you an idea about sizes.

It is a matter of preference. 8.38" used to be considered a big deck. You definitely can skate an 8.38" with a size 13 shoe and many skaters do. If the problem you are having is catching your board and sticking landings then maybe try a bigger board and see if it helps to have a bigger target to land on. Honestly you are talking about .2" though. That small of a size difference is purely mental. If you have only been skating 4 months it is not shocking that you don't have many tricks down. I think it took me longer than 4 months to master a simple ollie. I probably spent a year landing kickflips with one foot. Focus on learning how to skate really fast and control your board. Master ollies, 180's, manuals, powerslides, and just be comfortable as possible on your board before you try flip tricks. This is a good video: [VIDEO] Aaron Kyro demonstrates that he can easily kickflip a 7.75, 8, 8.25, 8.5, 9 no problem, which sort of confirms that the size of the board is not as important as people make it seem. I'm a size 11 shoe and I ride 7.5-8" I think anything over 8" is way too big and heavy. On the other side a 7.5 does feel small and i am less consistent landing tricks on it.

[VIDEO] [VIDEO] I'm also new and found these helpful.