Learn How to Longboard in 7 Simple Steps

The thing with longboards is that the longer they are, the more stable you will find them. However, due to long size, longboards are not as responsive as short-boards but in return they excel at stability and are easier to control for users. Thereby, always consider your riding style before buying a longboard.

There are some riding styles among which the most common one is called cruising. For this particular riding style, you will need a pintail skateboard or a cruiser. Whereas a pintail deck features quite a sharply rounded nose and tail with a definite point.

Other most commonly practiced riding styles are freestyle and freeride. If you are into any of these styles, go to a drop-down or drop-through longboard. Their narrow heads and rounded tails allow the riders to enjoy a smooth and well-balanced freestyle riding.

Those who want to enjoy the crazy downhill style should go for speed-board or a tough cruiser. They can also opt for a top-mount deck because they would need to remain a little high from the ground to avoid uneven surface disturbances.

Aside from the deck style, wheels of longboards are also stronger and reliable to provide smoother cruising experiences. They are urethane made and come in bigger sizes to deal with surface roughness.

See Also: Types of Longboards

While standing on the deck of a longboard, two different types of stances can be maintained, i.e., regular and goofy. The foot you place at the head of the deck retains the actual balance. This is the foot you will lean on while turning around the corners or speeding up. The other foot is the rear foot that you will use to move forward.

In a regular stance, the left foot is placed forward whereas, in goofy position, the right foot comes forward. No matter, whichever stance you follow, it’s all up to your convenience. If you still cannot decide which one you are comfortable with then try a simple way to determine your forward and back foot. Stand at the base of the stair and take a step up. The foot you will lift to take the first step will be your back foot. Optimized stand will help you a lot in the long run!

Once you have decided your stance, it’s time to practice it. Step on the deck and do a little movement to get control over it. Begin this practice on a smooth and flat surface to make it less challenging. Stand on the deck and check how springy or bouncy it is. Do some bending and crouching to determine if the deck can take it. Afterward, do some feet shuffling around the deck without stepping off.

Placement of feet depends on your riding style. Most of the time, you will want to place your feet between the trucks maintaining shoulder vast distance between both feet. Front foot at 45-degree angle and back foot pointed slightly away will help you get complete control over the deck. If you want to enjoy the faster downhill style, then try increasing the distance between both feet. Also, put a significant amount of weight on the front foot to experience higher acceleration.

Now comes the most crucial step, pushing! Take your back foot off from the deck and push it against the pavement to move along the board forward. You can do it as many times repeatedly as you want to depend on how speedy you want to go. Mostly, people use their back foot to perform this task, but some riders feel comfortable doing it with the front foot. Pushing with the front foot is called pushing Mongo a basic but efficient movement to create momentum.

Once you have learned the art of pushing your one foot against the surface without losing your balance, it’s time to get comfortable with more challenging styles. Get on the longboard and don’t push during the first attempts as gravity will pull you eventually. Once you have learned to handle the gravity pull, now you can try with minimum pushes on the slope.

Learning to stop a rolling longboard is far more important than learning to roll it. The easiest and most straightforward way of doing it is through foot-breaking. It’s a method in which you drag your back foot across the surface that causes friction and results in gradual speed down. While pulling your foot, make sure it is flat on the cover instead of being pointy. Once you have mastered this technique, you can try with more advanced methods such as the Coleman Slide.

If you lose control and don’t find any technique helpful, the best way to stop rolling is to jump off simply so that you can avoid any injury by doing this. It might sound a little crazy but if you want to land on your feet instead of knees then step down from the rolling longboard in a running motion.

Practice these all ways of stopping the rolling longboard on some flat surface alongside grassy pathways. Grass sideways are like safety measures because while learning these methods; you might fall multiple times so the soft surface will cover for you so you don’t have to worry too much. Roll and jump off the board while trying to remain on your feet. Practice is as many times as required to master it!

Once you know how to start or stop a longboard, it’s time to learn how to turn or carve it. Making your longboard rotate in the direction you want requires a little bit of practice. You will need to lean forward and put additional weight on the side you wish to your longboard to turn. Using the tip toes and heel, you can put extra pressure to let the board carve in the same direction you are leaning towards.

Practice carving at somewhere sloppy to save your energy on pushing and invest it all in learning the art of turning the board without pausing. One thing you need to understand is that turning and carving slow down the speed. Thereby, always give a stronger push before the turn comes so you must not stop during one.

The key to maintain speed during carving is to crouch lower. Also, make sure that your eyes are fixed on the slightly downhill instead of your feet. It will help you keep a right track of your board on the way.

After learning all the necessary tactics to roll a longboard, now you may be excited to attempt challenging longboarding styles. After practicing on the slope, you can give a try to longboarding down a hill. It will be comparatively faster-requiring advanced level controlling abilities. Rolling might seem okay but stopping a rolling longboard down a hill is quite challenging and requires a lot of energy and practice so you need to be careful and aware of your surroundings.

To learn this technique, don’t compromise on your safety at all. Wear all protective gears including the knee pads, elbow pads, and helmet. No matter how expert you are in longboarding, always step up the board with proper preparation!