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Skateboarding Maths

Maths in skateboarding: personal bests

Compare old and new results.

Quick answer

Maths in skateboarding: personal bests helps you compare your old and new skateboarding scores or times to see how much you’ve improved. You can use subtraction, number lines, and charts to see your progress clearly.

Learning outcome

By the end of this page, you will be able to compare your old and new skateboarding results using subtraction and see how much you’ve improved. Success signs:
  • You can find the difference between two numbers
  • You can use a number line to show how much you’ve improved
  • You can make a simple chart to show your personal bests
  • You can explain what it means when you beat your personal best

Why this matters

Skateboarding is a fun way to use maths in real life. When you try new tricks, you often want to beat your personal best. You can use maths to see how much faster you are, how much higher you jumped, or how much further you went. This helps you see your progress and feel proud of your improvement. Whether you're doing tricks, racing, or just trying to go further than before, maths helps you understand how much you've grown.

How it works

To compare your skateboarding personal bests, follow these simple steps:
  1. Write down your old result
  2. Write down your new result
  3. Subtract the old result from the new result
  4. Use a number line or chart to show your improvement
For example, if you used to go 10 metres on your skateboard and now you go 15 metres, you’ve improved by 5 metres. That’s 15 minus 10 equals 5.

Examples you can see

Let’s imagine you are learning to do a kickflip. Here are some examples of how to compare your results: Example 1: Jumping distance
  • Old best: 12 metres
  • New best: 18 metres
  • Improvement: 18 - 12 = 6 metres
Example 2: Number of tricks
  • Old best: 5 tricks in a row
  • New best: 8 tricks in a row
  • Improvement: 8 - 5 = 3 tricks
Example 3: Time to go down a ramp
  • Old time: 10 seconds
  • New time: 7 seconds
  • Improvement: 10 - 7 = 3 seconds faster
You can also draw a chart to show your progress. For example, if you drew a bar chart with your old and new results, you can see how much you’ve improved.

Try it as a mini adventure

Adventure: Skateboard Score Tracker You are a young skateboarder who wants to beat your personal best. Here’s your challenge: 1st time: You go 8 metres on your skateboard. 2nd time: You go 12 metres. 3rd time: You go 15 metres. 4th time: You go 18 metres. Your goal is to find out how much you’ve improved each time. How much did you improve from 1st to 2nd time? Answer: 12 - 8 = 4 metres How much did you improve from 2nd to 3rd time? Answer: 15 - 12 = 3 metres How much did you improve from 3rd to 4th time? Answer: 18 - 15 = 3 metres Great job! You’re getting better and better.

Common mistakes

  • Mistake: Subtracting the new number from the old number instead of the old from the new. Why it happens: Children might not understand that improvement means going forward. Fix: Always subtract the old number from the new number to see how much you’ve improved.
  • Mistake: Forgetting to write down the units (like metres or seconds). Why it happens: Kids might be excited and forget to keep track of what they’re measuring. Fix: Always write the units after your numbers so you know what you’re comparing.
  • Mistake: Thinking that a bigger number means you got worse. Why it happens: Some children mix up what "better" means in skateboarding. Fix: In skateboarding, a higher number (like 15 metres) means you did better than 10 metres.

Parent and carer guide

Parents and carers can help children by:
  • Encouraging them to keep a simple notebook or chart of their skateboarding results
  • Helping them to write down the old and new numbers clearly
  • Using subtraction to find the difference
  • Encouraging them to draw bar charts or number lines to show progress
  • Reinforcing that improvement is about getting better, not just about the numbers
Try this: Ask your child to pick 3 skateboarding results they want to compare. Then help them subtract to find the difference. Ask them to explain what it means to beat their personal best.

Practice questions

  1. Old result: 6 metres. New result: 10 metres. How much did you improve?
  2. Old result: 4 seconds. New result: 2 seconds. How much faster did you get?
  3. Old result: 3 tricks. New result: 7 tricks. How many more tricks did you do?
  4. Old result: 15 metres. New result: 19 metres. How much did you improve?
  5. Old result: 5 seconds. New result: 3 seconds. How much faster did you get?
Answers:
  1. 10 - 6 = 4 metres
  2. 4 - 2 = 2 seconds
  3. 7 - 3 = 4 tricks
  4. 19 - 15 = 4 metres
  5. 5 - 3 = 2 seconds

FAQ

What is a personal best in skateboarding?

A personal best is your highest score or best result in skateboarding. It’s the best you’ve ever done, and it helps you see how much you’ve improved.

How can I track my personal bests?

You can write them down in a notebook or draw a chart. You can also use a phone or tablet to take photos of your results.

Why is it fun to beat your personal best?

Beating your personal best makes you feel proud and excited. It shows that you’re getting better at something you love.

What if I don’t beat my personal best?

That’s okay! Improvement isn’t always a big jump. Even small improvements show you’re working hard and getting better.

Can I use maths to compare other things in skateboarding?

Yes! You can use maths to compare how far you go, how fast you go, how many tricks you do, and how long it takes you to do a trick.