Tips on How to Slow Down a Longboard

Going too fast on a longboard can be a frightening experience, especially if you are still a beginner. If a wave carries you on a wild ride, or you start to approach the shore or other surfers, it is necessary to learn how to slow down on a longboard as a means of control and safety. Injuries can take place when surfers do not have the timing down for when, and how, to slow the boards. The important thing to remember is that the front foot acts as the accelerator and the foot in the back is your brake.

Instructions

    • 1

      Apply pressure to the back foot, while lifting up the pressure slightly from the front foot. If the back foot is the brake, and the front foot is the accelerator, your board will start to slow down as the weight of your body shifts to the back of the longboard.

    • 2

      Bend your body at the waist and drop both of your hands to the middle of the board. Keep your arms straight as you maintain a firm connection between the board and your palms. Move the front foot back to the tail where your back foot is and hop down into a straddle position so that your feet are in the water -- both feet on either side of the board -- and your arms are extended in front of you. This is effective because you no longer have your accelerator.

    • 3

      Turtle turn your board. A turtle turn is where you lie flat on the board, hold onto both sides with your hands -- elbows tucked into your arms -- and roll the board over to one side. This is a maneuver that surfers use when trying to avoid crashing into other surfers in the ocean, because the body -- beneath the longboard -- acts as an anchor that slows and weighs the board down.

    • 4

      Familiarize yourself with the design of your longboard, and how it impacts your speed. Look underneath a longboard to see the type of bottom it has. If you have a rounded bottom, this will aid in your ability to slow the board down effectively and quickly. If you have a concave bottom, on the other hand, then you are riding a board that is intended for speed and sharp turns. Consider exchanging your board for a round-bottom board to help you slow down.