If you decide to get into the longboarding lifestyle, you are in for a treat because it’s one of the best sports and experiences you will ever have. Longboarding is different from skateboarding because the size and features of the board allow you to have different control and perform different tricks.
Longboarding is ideal for downhill rides where you can feel the adrenaline running through your veins and the wind blowing on your face. Having the proper equipment to prevent injuries in case you fall at higher speeds is essential because accidents in those circumstances tend to be more dangerous.
These long-distance longboarding tips and tricks will help you achieve a better experience and give you something to work on constantly. Challenging yourself is a part of growth, especially when you want to master some tricks and have a better overall experience with longboarding.
Stand Comfortably
To successfully manipulate a longboard, you must find the stance you are most comfortable with that will give you control over a moving longboard. There are two main positions that you can use: regular, where your left foot will stay forward, or goofy, where your right foot will stay at the front.
Finding which position you can handle better is important because this will dictate how well you can do tricks and prevent accidents. Long-distance longboarding requires strength, endurance, and the ability to switch weights between legs to avoid stress and exhaustion.
Start Small
Like any other sport or demanding activity, you must start slow and small to reach higher levels and distances progressively. Starting at a younger age will make it easier to adjust to the movement and feel the progression with no problems. Adjusting at an older age could be a little more challenging, but it is still possible to become a pro.
You can start by riding down small hills with paved roads that have nothing you can crash into, like cars, walls, or other people. This will give you the confidence to gradually take on longer and steeper roads once you master the leg and weight shift.
Work on Your Balance
It’s essential that you learn how to handle your longboard and balance your weight and feel the movement shift to change directions. Downhill roads have multiple turns to make them safer, which means that you must change directions only with your feet and body movements.
To begin, you can stand on your longboard on a flat surface. Hold onto something and feel how the board moves with you as you shift your weight. This will give you an idea of what you will feel when going downhill and help you manage turns and curves successfully.
Keep Your Knees Bent
Bending your knees is necessary to have better control over your longboard while going downhill for a long distance. Bending your knees gives you strength in your legs and lower back, keeps you in an upright position, and gives you more control over your movements.
This action also prevents your knees from getting damaged after holding them in the same position, giving you a better experience. The weight distribution in your steering wheel and using your feet, legs, and hips are essential to maintaining a certain speed and staying safe.
Learn How To Brake
Long-distance longboarding means you will go downhill for a while, which could bring up some challenges you must learn to handle effectively. Learning how to brake is essential for safety reasons to avoid injuring yourself and damaging your board. Boards like a sector 9 downhill longboard are ideal for perfecting your skills and learning new skills more quickly.
Depending on your riding position, you must lean forward onto the leg in the front to slowly place your back leg on the ground while squatting with your front leg. With practice, you will learn how much weight to move and how quickly you will slow down to take turns or come to a complete stop.
Wear Proper Equipment
As a beginner and even more experienced rider, wearing proper equipment is essential for safety reasons, including for yourself and the people around you. With long-distance downhill rides, some of the essential pieces of equipment include the following:
- Helmet
- Gloves with wrist and finger protection
- Kneepads
- Adequate shoes
- Glasses
All these parts will work together to protect you and help you turn more effectively, especially with special gloves. Once you reach a more advanced level, gloves with padded protection will help you make sharper turns, slow down, and shift your weight.
Simple Tricks
You can try various tricks and progressively connect one another to make a more complex combination. Here are some of the most popular simple tricks you can put into practice.
Pivot
For this trick, you must shift your weight to the front of the board, leaving your back leg loose. With a small push, you must turn the back of the board to the front without stopping.
Shove It
With the same motion as the pivot, you will lift the board off the ground and switch sides instead of dragging the back side of your board to the front. Your shoulders and back must always remain facing the front.
180
This is another step you can add to a pivot followed by a shove it. With the same motion, you will now try to flip the back to the front by placing your front foot on the ground quickly.
Warm Up
Just like you would before performing any physical activity with a certain level of demands, you must warm up your body to activate it. For long-distance longboarding, your body must stay in optimal conditions; this includes having no injuries, having quick reactions, and being able to perform a wide range of movement.
To warm up, you need 10 minutes to stretch your hips and legs and lubricate your knees. You can circle your hips 10 times, bend and straighten your knees 20 times, and spread your legs are far as you can, holding that position for 30 seconds.
Learn To Fall
This basic skill will save you from injuries, especially after riding your board long distances. Learning to fall depends on your speed, the ground, and your capacities; when falling at a higher speed, you must drop and roll, not trying to stop the motion but instead going with it. While performing tricks, you will most likely learn all the possible ways you can fall and learn from experience not to hurt yourself.
Pushing Technique
Rather than just throwing tricks at all times, longboarding requires a mix of control, speed, and manipulation to achieve a successful ride. A pushing technique is necessary to increase speed and maintain velocity during long distances.
To properly increase and maintain speed, you must think of a walking motion where your foot must touch the ground entirely and not just with the tip. The first point of contact must be the heel, and you can then roll off towards your toes and keep repeating this action as long as needed.
