Glad to hear you got a BMX to ride, sorry about the fall.

You could maybe ride to empty tennis courts and practice flatland, they're usually a softer surface like a running track. But really it's not the falls that get me flatland, it's the bike. When I want to practice flatland I just do it in front of the house or a parking lot I'm riding through.

Don't be afraid to wear pads. I'm too old now to get all bruised up. My square stem is not fun to hit with my knees. Pedals and pegs aren't nice to the shins, calves or ankles either.

Skate parks with wooden ramps might have a little more give than concrete. First time I went to this skate park I wore a full face helmet and my complete Rockgardn armor, a skate boarder remarked, "Why even bother?" Well, because I'm a noob and I had to be able to go to work the next day! First time I tried to drop into a 6' concrete bowl I skidded down on my shoulder without pads, it didn't do much for my confidence.

The skate parks in every town around here have a policy of no bikes. Of course the kids scratch it out on the sign and you usually see them there. I went that first time and there were half a dozen kids riding bikes in the evening. I went back during the day to practice without an audience and had a park maintenance guy threaten to call the cops and get a ticket if I didn't leave. He said my "standing bars" would poke a hole in the wooden ramps.

Now, I'm not up on all the lingo but I do manuals on the BMX. I think wheelies are under power from the drivetrain to get up, whereas a manual is your weight leveraging the bike. I started out covering the rear brake but that caused me not to come straight up. So I learned to grip both bars evenly and pump my butt to maintain balance. If I go too far back I'm ready to jump off the pedals and hit the ground running. Much easier to do on the BMX.

Oh, and I think you're supposed to wax concrete ledges before grinding on them! I saw a ledge I couldn't resist trying my first grind on, and well, the bike stopped very quickly and I kept going!

Have fun and be safe!