How to Longboard Skateboard
Longboarding is a form of skateboarding. It uses a longer, flexible board and bigger wheels to let the rider "surf" on concrete.
Steps
- Find out what you are looking for in a board; are you looking for a board to cruise on around town, or are you looking to rip down big hills. Purchase your board.
- Figure out if you are goofy or regular, (right or left footed). Do this by having someone shove you from behind with no warning. Whichever foot you put out to catch yourself is the one you want. If it feels wrong, try switching to the other foot. Another way to find out is to slide on a smooth surface in socks.
- Try riding it around a couple times on a flat surface. Try to feel the smooth flow as it rolls over the concrete. The lower you keep your center of gravity, the better you will feel.
- When used to the bigger size and the bigger wheels, find a gentle slope, and go down it on the longboard.
- If you feel out of control, make sure you focus far in front of you using your periferal vision to guide you, this will allow your body to naturally gain control or balance.
- The best and safest way to stop yourself on a longboard is to powerslide, if you ever want to go faster than you can run, LEARN TO SLIDE! In order to do this you should either buy longboard gloves, or hot glue cutting board (usually found in meat section of supermarket) to work gloves. Once you have your gloves, you're ready to go learn to slide!
- The first slide you should learn is the TOESIDE SLIDE this is the slide in which that you make a sharp toeside turn toeside (just like a snowboard) and lower yourself into a push up position, as you do this, an audible (and oh so satisfying) noise. If you have trouble the first few tries try making a question mark shaped turn. EXAMPLE; Go straight for a few feet, then make a soft turn HEELSIDE, then make the sharp turn TOESIDE as you lower your self into that pushup position. Also; YOU MUST BE GOING AT YOUR MAXIMUM SPEED WHEN ON FLAT GROUND PUSHING, in order to pull off an actual slide. So remember: Put your hands on the ground as you make your turn, and when you get to the spot that you feel is right, push out your legs and go into the push up position. And for god's sake, don't try stopping your self by running off, or using your feet if your going faster than 15 mph. Also, before you get out there and bomb the biggest hill you can find, YOU MUST BE PROFICIENT IN SLIDING! Check out Eastsidelongboards.com for some sick footage that could help you to slide.
- Other ways to slow down are... drag your left foot (if you ride goofy) or your right foot (if you're regular) on the ground. There are other ways of stopping (such as sliding) but those will come with practice. Riding off the road onto grass is easiest of all. When starting, it is good to go as fast as you can run if you have to bail off your board.
- After getting used to going downhill, try going down while leaning from side to side. This will turn the board, and if done fluidly, you will start to carve (like snowboarding or skiing). Don't be afraid, and stick to it (before you get going faster than 15 mph, LEARN TO SLIDE, if you are afraid and you can't slide, you shoud be. Save yourself some broken bones, and learn to slide before you get going that fast.
- You can start to transition to larger and steeper slopes.