How To Ride a Longboard Skateboard

More similar to the long, flowing ride of surfing or snowboarding then to the tricks and grinds of skateboarding, riding a longboard is a whole new experience. If you've ever surfed or snowboarded, you should already have the basic moves down; it's just a matter of applying them. If not, start off slow while learning and get riding.

Things You'll Need

  • Long Board Low-Traffic Street or Paved Driveway Helmets Knee pads Elbow pads Wrist Guards
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Instructions

    • 1

      Find a spot. Longboarding is performed on pavement, and you need to make wide sweeping turns. You need a spot with low traffic. An empty parking lot is a great place to start. You also need a slope, the gentler the better, for beginners.

    • 2

      Get your stance. Stand centered on the board with your feet spaced about shoulder width and perpendicular to the length of the board. One foot should automatically be more comfortable as a lead. If you snowboard then you should know whether you're goofy or regular. If you can't figure it out, try standing and pushing off both ways and see which is more comfortable.

    • 3

      Stand on the board and push off with your back foot on flat ground first. Get comfortable with the board and get a feel for riding.

    • 4

      Approach the sloped pavement. Push off gently at the beginning of the hill and begin to roll.

    • 5

      Carve back and forth. Lean the weight of your legs and feet onto the front of the board to carve inside and on the back of the board to carve outside. You'll want to carve back and forth from side to side down the hill, just like you would on a snowboard.

    • 6

      Place your back foot on the ground and grind to a halt to stop, assuming you're going slowly. You can also slow down and stop by putting extra weight onto one edge and making a sharper carve. If things get to fast and you're going out of control, you may need to jump off the board to avoid a crash or potential injury.

    • 7

      Link your turns. As you practice, you'll want to make smooth linking turns, so that you're basically making a series of "S" es down the street. Practice smooth transitions from inside to outside carves until you're able to get some flow. As you improve, practice on longer and steeper hills while developing your skills.