When I was 9 yrs old I just got on the board and took off. It was a cruiser like a Penny. Learning on a cruiser is good for you though, as if you can ride that you can ride anything... not the other way around. It is best to start on a carpet or rug. You can also use a stick or broom to help balance with. You might look kinda dumb doing that, but just do it at night when no one can see, or tell them that you are practicing to paddle board. Yes, paddle boarding is a sport where you stand up on a surfboard and use a paddle to propel yourself on a flat surface where there are no waves. Paddle boarding on a skateboard is very popular in Hawaii. Anyway, that will help you a lot I think.

The problem is that you are over compensating when going forward. Panicking basically. So you jerk back. Don't jerk back, just go with it. Also, you can tighten up the wheels bolts on the axle such that the wheels don't roll so easily and the board get away from you.

It's different for everybody! Me personally I can hop on any board and ride it! That's because I do balance exercises everyday. Just do balance exercise and core and you'll have it down in no time! Also get the feel of your board. Trust me dude or dudette the more you ride the more you can ride anything

Well when I first had my penny board I didn't have good balance. It takes 2 weeks to like 3 weeks. But, it depends on your balance and how much your riding it.

When riding try to keep your front foot over the front trucks and your back foot sorta in between the back trucks and the tail of the board. Try to keep a majority of your weight on your front foot. Try it on carpet or in the grass a bit first maybe but that only helps your balance. Get on a sidewalk or in an empty parking lot and try just getting without going. Once you get the hang of that try riding gently. If you are falling a lot make sure that you don't try to break your fall. Let your body take it and it will be less painful than if you try to stop yourself. I broke my arm when I was first starting out cuz I tried to use my hands to break my fall but ended up breaking my. Be careful there but for the most part I think you should get the hang of it pretty well.

Might've been a dumb decision to learn how to skate using a small board like a penny but I just wanted to cruise around casually with something light so i got the penny as my first skateboard. Yet I suck so bad. As soon as I start moving on the board I fall backwards. Basically my balance sucks. Does everyone go through this when they start? No matter how slow I'm going my body reacts somehow to the balance and makes me go backwards while the board flies forward. I dont know if I'll ever be able to ride out on the sidewalks.