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Longboarding is a sport similar to skateboarding. It uses a longer board, bigger wheels and sometimes bigger trucks to let the sport of longboarding include speed, freeride, slide and slalom. Longboarding is a lot of fun, and it's arguably easier to pick up as a beginner than skateboarding is. If you have a longboard and a little bit of time on your hands, get out there and start practicing! Before you do, read this handy tutorial.
Steps
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Decide what you are looking for in a board. Are you looking for a board to cruise on around town? To hit the skatepark with? Or are you looking to rip down big hills?
- Different sized longboards have different advantages and disadvantages. Shorter longboards are more agile (meaning you can turn more) but less stable (meaning it's easier to fall over). Longer boards are more stable but less agile. Beginners should stick with longer boards. [1]
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Expert Source
Jon Depoian
Skateboarding Instructor Expert Interview. 5 June 2020.
- Different sized longboards have different advantages and disadvantages. Shorter longboards are more agile (meaning you can turn more) but less stable (meaning it's easier to fall over). Longer boards are more stable but less agile. Beginners should stick with longer boards. [1]
X
Expert Source
Jon Depoian
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Get some protective gear. You may not think it's the coolest way to longboard, but especially when you're practicing, it's a good idea to be padded up. If you're doing more extreme versions of longboarding, getting padded up is essential. [2] X Expert Source Jon Depoian
Skateboarding Instructor Expert Interview. 5 June 2020.- For gear, be sure to get:
- A good-fitting helmet
- Skateboarding shoes (flat bottomed)
- Elbow pads (optional)
- Knee pads (optional)
- Slide Gloves (depend on the board you have)
Advertisement - For gear, be sure to get:
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Figure out if you are goofy or regular. Do you skate with your right foot forward? That's called riding "goofy." Do you skate with your left foot facing forward? That's called regular. [3] X Research source
- To find out whether you ride regular or goofy, have someone shove you from behind with no warning. Whichever foot you put out to catch yourself is the one you want to lead with on the skateboard. If it feels wrong, try switching to the other foot.
- Another way to find out is to slide on a smooth surface in socks or lay on the ground; whichever foot you use to get up with will be the foot you want to lead with on your longboard.
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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. Make sure you feel comfortable before moving on. [4] X Expert Source Jon Depoian
Skateboarding Instructor Expert Interview. 5 June 2020. -
Get the basic stance down. Stand with your feet between the trucks (the bearings that hold the wheels), a little longer than shoulder-width apart. Angle your front foot slightly forward, at about a 45 degree angle. Have your back foot be pretty much sideways, perpendicular to the direction the board is traveling in. [5] X Research source
- This is just one stance that you can use. After getting comfortable with your longboard for a little bit, you very well could find that other stances work better for you. Go with what feels comfortable.
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Practice balancing on your board by finding a gentle slope and going down it on the longboard. Get the hang of what it feels like to be on a longboard. Use your arms for balance and bend your knees a bit. [6] X Research source
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Balance yourself . If you feel out of control, make sure you focus far in front of you using your peripheral vision to guide you. This will allow your body to naturally gain control or balance. [7] X Research source
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Practice moving yourself forward. Take your back foot off the board and use the ground as something to push off of. You can go for one big push, or several smaller pushes. Try to keep your body loose as you push off; the stiffer your body is, the harder it will be to keep your balance. [8] X Research source
- If you want to use your front foot to push off, give it a try. Most boarders don't do this — it's called "mongo" — but it's more important do ride comfortably than do what other people do. [9] X Research source
- After you get the hang of it, practice generating more speed by doing harder kicks. You'll find that, after you've gotten to a certain speed, one good push will keep you going for quite a while.
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Practice turning, or carving, on your longboard. You'll need to practice turning on your board if you want to ride around. Turning is quite easy. All you have to do is put pressure down on one side of the board, leaning in that direction, and you'll turn: [10] X Expert Source Jon Depoian
Skateboarding Instructor Expert Interview. 5 June 2020.- Heel edge carving: you move your heels downward and you turn to your inside . Heel edge turns for people who ride regular give you left turns.
- Toe edge carving: you move your toes downward and you turn to your outside . Toe edge turns for people who ride regular give you right turns.
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Find a way to stop your skateboard or to slow down. Foot-braking, where you drag one foot on the ground, is probably the most reliable way to stop or slow down: you're creating a lot of friction with your foot, thereby slowing the momentum of the board down. [11] X Research source Other ways that you can break include:
- Carving: snaking down the hill by leaning from side to side pushes on your wheels and will help keep speed down.
- Air braking: at high speeds, simply standing up and putting your arms out can slow you considerably.
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Practice sliding after you've mastered these concepts. If you ever want to go faster than you can run, save yourself some road rash by learning how to slide. In order to slide, you should either buy slide gloves, or attach squares of cutting board (find it in the supermarket) to work gloves. Once you have your gloves, you're ready to go learn to slide! In order to slide: [12] X Research source
- Point your front foot forward while bending your knees; shift your weight to the front.
- Slide your back foot off your board, flexing your front knee to make contact with the ground.
- Apply gradual pressure to stop
- Try not to use your toes or heel to touch the ground; instead, opt for the middle of your sole.
- It is also very important you don't put weight on your back foot. Doing that will almost ensure you will slip backwards. Try to keep more weight on the foot you have in front, leaning forwards is much safer than leaning back.
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Save yourself some road rash and learn to slide with gloves before you get going really fast. Start slow, and work your way up. Rome wasn't built in a day.
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Don't worry if your board doesn't look like the one in the videos. Everybody has different preferences. Getting comfortable with a board takes time and the techniques work for almost any shape and size board. Hard wheels (durometer of at least 86a) break traction easier, making learning to slide easier.
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Have fun but be careful. Longboarding is a ton of fun, but pushing it too hard can cause serious injury. You never think it'll be you until it actually happens to you. Be mindful of potentially dangerous situations and prepare accordingly or take yourself out of them before it's too late. That being said, have a blast cruising on your new toy! [13] X Research source
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat's the best place to practice longboarding?Jon Depoian is a Skateboarding Instructor and the Owner of Intro2Skateboarding, an organization based in Orange County, California that provides professional private, home-school, after-school, birthday party, and summer camp skateboard lessons for beginners and experienced skateboarders alike. Jon has over 21 years of skateboarding experience and over 10 years of skateboard instruction experience. He also has extensive experience producing street skateboarding videos and skating competitions.I'd start off by putting it in the grass and just getting used to standing on it. Then you can move to something smooth with no gravel or traffic, like a tennis court. After that, give the parking lot a shot!
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QuestionIs it easier to ride a regular skateboard or a longboard?Jon Depoian is a Skateboarding Instructor and the Owner of Intro2Skateboarding, an organization based in Orange County, California that provides professional private, home-school, after-school, birthday party, and summer camp skateboard lessons for beginners and experienced skateboarders alike. Jon has over 21 years of skateboarding experience and over 10 years of skateboard instruction experience. He also has extensive experience producing street skateboarding videos and skating competitions.The bigger the board is, the easier it will be to balance on it. Turning might be harder, but balancing is really your main priority when you're just starting out. I'd say either go for a big skateboard or a longboard.
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QuestionShould I start out on a penny board?Jon Depoian is a Skateboarding Instructor and the Owner of Intro2Skateboarding, an organization based in Orange County, California that provides professional private, home-school, after-school, birthday party, and summer camp skateboard lessons for beginners and experienced skateboarders alike. Jon has over 21 years of skateboarding experience and over 10 years of skateboard instruction experience. He also has extensive experience producing street skateboarding videos and skating competitions.You're better off saving up for a full longboard if you're new to skateboarding. It's actually pretty hard to learn on a penny board, and you're pretty limited when it comes to riding a penny board.
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Tips
- If a hill is too big for you, start from a quarter or halfway down and build up.Thanks
- Walk your route first to see if there are obstacles, loose dirt or raised lane reflectors.Thanks
- Use bigger and softer wheels if you want to have a very smooth ride.Thanks
Tips from our Readers
The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
- Have someone hold your hand at first while you get on your board. Then, once you start and get going, let go of their hand.
- Be safe and wear gloves so you can stop with your hands if you need to. Longboarding can be dangerous without gloves.
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Warnings
- Would you jump out of a car at 30 mph (48 km/h)? It's easy to get to that speed on a longboard, make sure you learn how to stop!Thanks
- Always take caution when longboarding in public areas.Thanks
- Longboarding is a dangerous sport. Do it at your own risk.Thanks
- Always longboard in a place with no traffic.Thanks
- Always wear a helmet, pads, and gloves.Thanks
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Things You'll Need
- Longboard
- Pads
- Helmet
- Gloves
- A long section of smooth concrete
References
- ↑ Jon Depoian. Skateboarding Instructor. Expert Interview. 5 June 2020.
- ↑ Jon Depoian. Skateboarding Instructor. Expert Interview. 5 June 2020.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYtJzBL6-YI
- ↑ Jon Depoian. Skateboarding Instructor. Expert Interview. 5 June 2020.
- ↑ https://www.ridingboards.com/longboard-stance/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-JkCtbcMWY&feature=emb_logo
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-JkCtbcMWY&feature=emb_logo
- ↑ https://longboardbrand.com/important-longboard-tips-for-a-comfortable-ride/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbfrXDCv4ZE
- ↑ Jon Depoian. Skateboarding Instructor. Expert Interview. 5 June 2020.
- ↑ https://longboardbrand.com/how-to-slow-down-on-a-longboard/
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--34ICM9rU0
- ↑ https://www.ridingboards.com/longboarding-safety/
About This Article
Article Summary
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To try skateboarding on a longboard, start by standing on the board with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Next, push off with your back foot to move forward, then bend slightly at the knees and spread out your arms to help you balance. In order to stop or slow down, take either foot off the board and drag it on the ground. If you want to turn on your longboard, just lean down on the board in the direction you want to turn. To learn more, like how to choose the right longboard for your experience level, read on!
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"Each step is broken into detailed points that are easy to understand and make it seem achievable. The format gently guides the reader from beginning to end in such way that before she knows it, she's longboarding."
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"I was wondering if you have a fully healed sprained ankle if it is okay to jump right back on and keep curving, but I learned to take it one step at a time and start out slowly, it really helped."
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