Acquiring a professional skill isn’t an overnight process. And when we are talking about rolling a longboard, you must have to try your heart and soul to export the skill in you.
You know having a longboard doesn’t only mean that you can go places easier by beating the traffic. You can also enjoy some eye-catchy stunts to feel the chill!
Whenever you visit a park or a skating place, you may notice that people are skating as smoothly as they are skating on butter. But, your journey might not be as smooth as them. It will be a challenge for you.
Am I developing a fear for you? Oops, sorry for that! But don’t worry! As you are here, there is nothing to worry. Because I have listed everything you may need to learn skating from the first scratch. Follow this how to ride longboard guide and start riding today!
- Before you start!
Before start riding, you will need a perfect longboard. You know, longboard are not expensive. You can easily purchase a decent longboard losing your bank account. So, simply choose your budget and search on the web to find the best one according to your budget.
My personal favorite is the classic ones. Classic boards have a curved shape on them. This curved shape makes the stunt performing process a lot easier.
- Dressing like a skater:
You also need some protective gear. You know, while beginning the skating process, your whole body is at risk. So, you have to use some protective gear to keep your body safe. When you buy your chosen longboard, don’t forget to purchase the following things too!
- Helmet
- Elbow pads
- Knee gloves
- Sports outfit and
- Skate shoes
These will be enough to start the processing. You can purchase all of these from the skate shops. So, get them now!
- Finding a perfect location:
You may notice lots of people are skating on the roads and parks. But don’t fell into it! You are going to learning skating. You are not a professional skater. So, you can’t skate anywhere you can. You have to choose a perfect location for your training. Before choosing a perfect skating place, you have to consider some important facts.
- Don’t choose a crowded place:
You know you will fall several times while you start your training. So, try to choose a less crowded place. Otherwise, you may end with falling on another people.
- Avoid parking lots and driveways:
Parking lots and the driveways are one of the most exciting places for skating. But, same as before, these downtown parking lots is not a good deal for you. You are just a beginner. I can easily assume that you don’t know when to stop. If it occurs that you just started and a car appears in front of you out of the blue, you will end up in a terrible accident.
- Skatepark is a good choice:
There are few skate parks on your local area. As you are still untrained, you should go to these skate parks. Further, you will get some professional trainers there. You can fetch some professional help from them.
If you consider these facts, hope that you will get a perfect location for your skating.
- Which foot: confusion?
After choosing a perfect place, now it’s time to start your riding. It’s true that you will face some problems before starting your ride. The very first confusion will be your foot!
You have to figure out which foot you have to put on the front. Actually, there are no such rules that you have to put your right or left foot on the front. Simply put the foot on which you are more comfortable.
But, there also arises little other confusion. Unlike the hands, most of the people don’t know about the foot they are comfortable with. If you are also one of those confusing people, then you have to perform the following test.
At first, simply stand on your longboard. Now call someone to push you. Whenever someone pushed you, try to stop yourself within 2 seconds by steeping your foot on the ground. If you put your right foot on the ground, then it is your comfortable foot. On the other hand, if you put the left foot on the ground, then the left one is your primary foot. That’s how you can determine which foot you will need to put on the forwarding point.
- Start firmly:
So, now you have found your perfect gears, location and also your front foot. So, you are completely ready to start your journey. Let’s perform some basic movements with your longboard.
- Try to balance first:
Balancing is the first step you may need to practice. At first, place the board on a flat surface. Then, climb in the board. You can see that the board starts moving slowly. It’s ok. There is nothing to worry about this movement. It’s happening because of your weight. But you have to try to stand as still as possible.
Now, put your primary foot on the front and another foot on the tail. Then stand still for few seconds until the board isn’t standing still. When you began to feel comfortable on the board, try to perform some penguin movement by the tail foot.
By this time, you will get a sense about how to push on a longboard. Exercise this several times. You will understand the wheels movement and the traction you are receiving with the ground during this exercise.
Remember, the purpose of this practice is not moving forward but to get you adjusted with the board movement.
- Moving Forward:
When you become adjusted with the movement, now it’s time to move forward. Remember, the purpose of this step is not going far. Rather than try to keep your body still on a moving board.
While standing on your board, place your back foot on the ground and push yourself firmly in the forward direction. A first this task will be very hard. But, as time passes, it becomes more comfortable. Now, continue the same process several times.
Actually, it is the most important part of your training. You have to continue this task as long as you take to feel comfortable on the motion. I’ve seen people who perform this same task for weeks. It’s completely normal to take time in this part.
- Learn to turn:
As you completed the moving part, let’s proceed to a complex part. Yeah, you’ve guessed right. We are talking about turning process.
This part is the most complex and also scary for the beginner riders. Another shocking fact is most of the accidents happened on this stage. Don’t forget to bring your gears!
Before starting the turning, your knees must be flexed and the center of gravity of your body must remain on the closest distance from the ground. Suppose you place your right foot on the front. No, if you want to turn right, then you have to shift your body forward and rotate ankle for a left turn. But if you place your left foot on the forward, simply perform the opposite task.
At first, try to do this task on a slower speed. As I mentioned above, this process is very riskier. So, you have to do this very slowly. When you become comfortable with this, then you may increase the speed.
- Learn to fall properly:
The title may look funny to you! But, trust me it is the best thing to learn before you are going for professional skating.
Let’s face the truth first! I know you will fell countless time from the moment you start your skating practice. Though the purpose of this training is to resist you to get falling, you will fall. You may think that you are already wearing protective gears. So, you are free from getting injured. But, those protective gears also have some limitations. Those gears can save you from basic falling. What about the worst fallings?
To prevent the worst falling, you have to learn to use your arms to balance your body. But if the board goes too fast and you can’t control it, try to roll your body to avoid a crash landing. Try to practice this technique on a grassy and soft ground or mat.
- Learn to stop:
It is the last step of your training about how to ride longboard. In this section, I will inform you about how to stop anywhere.
Stopping the ride depends on how fast you are riding on your board. Stopping at anywhere will kill your momentum and your body will fly off the board. Simply, a terrible accident will happen.
That’s why you have to limit your speed before stopping. But if you are already at a higher speed, keep moving in a circle. It helps to drop the momentum. As a result, you can stop safely.
Final Verdict:
When your dream is learning the longboard practicing, you need to practice a lot. More practices will make your journey more professional. Follow this how to ride longboard tips and hope that you are free to ride!
If you have any confusion or inquiry about the riding process, don’t forget to send them via the comment box.