Tony Hawk Reveals How He Prolonged His Skateboarding Success

Professional skateboarding icon Tony Hawk revealed how he was able to prolong his successful career.

Hawk has been retired from pro skateboarding for quite some time now. At 51 years old, Hawk is still considered as the most influential skateboarder in the world. As he looked back at his career, Hawk revealed what helped him last longer in his respective sport.

In an exclusive interview with Men’s Journal, the skateboarding legend said that his “baseline” in his stellar career was consistent progression. According to Hawk, he never stopped creating and innovating tricks even when he knew he was already dominating the competition.

“The baseline of my success in skating was always progression. Even when I was performing well in competitions, I never stopped creating new tricks. In business and with my charity, I bring the same attitude of always wanting to innovate,” Hawk revealed.

One other thing Hawk learned during his prime was to limit “painkillers.” He admitted that there was a time when he became dependent, and eventually addicted to it. Somehow, Hawk also noted that it took some time before he finally got out of it.

“Several years ago, I was dealing with some injuries and got used to painkillers to the point where I didn’t need them for pain anymore but kept using them. I was numbing myself. Finally, I thought, ‘ You’ve got to stop doing this .’ I was afraid to face my injury but also my state of mind. It took a lot of discipline to get through that,” Hawk recalled.

To this day, Hawk still takes care of his body. He learned how to live a balanced life but emphasized that he never developed a routine of hitting the gym as it was never helpful with his skating.

“I’ve had to learn not to indulge. At my age, you can’t be up partying and drinking all night and snacking all day and expect to perform at a high level. But I’ve never made going to the gym or running part of my routine, because I never felt like that helped me with my skating,” Hawk pointed out.

Meanwhile, Hawk surprised all his fans on social media after he tweeted out a phone number that allows him to actually interact with fans via text. Knowing that some fans will be skeptical about his gimmick, Hawk confirmed that it was actually him while skating.

“It’s not a scam, and I promise not to share your info. Let me explain while I skate,” Hawk wrote.