A pintail longboard is a popular choice amongst many new to the longboarding scene, considering it’s the perfect starting board for novices.
Its versatility allows the rider to cruise and carve with confidence. Additionally, a pintail longboard has a distinctive vintage design for those interested in tradition. Its pointed nose improves aerodynamics, giving you more speed while maintaining board control. They also have larger wheels to garner speed without compromising your stability on the board.
Before learning eight easy pintail tricks for beginner longboard riders to try, let’s start going over a few basics.
Starting Out
With a pintail longboard in hand, you are ready to get your feet wet and take it for a spin. Before attempting to do some standard tricks, it’s best to understand the basics of riding, so you can feel assured on your board.
Riding Style
Pintails have a design that elevates them above the ground and has trucks attached underneath the deck. Thus, you should grasp your riding style based on how you stand and what feels comfortable.
The two riding styles are either regular or goofy. Your basic regular stance is when you have your left foot forward. Conversely, a goofy stance is when your right foot is forward; it doesn’t have anything to do with your appearance.
Start on a Flat Surface
You don’t start on the freeway when you first learn to drive. Instead, you hit an empty parking lot to get a general feel of operating a vehicle. Therefore, you should learn how to maneuver your pintail longboard on a flat surface. Maintaining control on a rocky or steep surface is a recipe for disaster until you get the hang of it.
Standing & Balancing
The most integral part of riding on a pintail longboard is maintaining balance. It may feel like you’re a kid learning to ride a bicycle again, but all the scrapes and raspberries will be worth it in the end.
To enhance your standing skills, put your feet in the center of the bearings that keep the trucks still. Once you have a firm base, move your back foot towards the board while the other foot is at a 45-degree angle.
Properly standing on the board is only half the battle. Learning how to balance on your pintail longboard is the next dragon you must slay before attempting tricks. Once you feel secure in yourself, it’s time to get moving.
Moving Forward
This is when the training wheels come off, and you’re pedaling ahead only to realize your parents are no longer holding onto you. To move ahead, use your back foot to glide forward. Gently lift it off the board and push forward. You might feel inclined to do some aggressive pushes but keep it slow and steady at first.
Practicing Stopping
Once you get going, it’s a good idea to learn how to slow down and come to a complete stop. To reach a smooth stop, perfect the art of dragging your foot on the surface. Another way to halt is having your arms out like you’re Jack Dawson from Titanic, screaming “I am the king of the world!” while standing up on the board.
With the basics under control, it’s time for the main event to rock a rhyme that’s right on time. It’s tricky!
1) 180 Step
This is perhaps the easiest upright longboard slide available, making it an ideal place to begin learning standup slides. You can learn it quickly at very slow speeds and get a feel for steering, but it’s even better when you start increasing your speed.
Have your front foot in the middle on the toeside edge and take your back foot to the top with it pointing left. Then, slide your front foot to the back left of the board. You can do this multiple times as you’re cruising down a hill.
2) Cross-Step
The best trick to test your abilities is a cross-step. To perform this trick, you will want to get rolling steadily. If you are going too slow, you have run into some complications because you need momentum.
Put your front foot towards the tail, keeping your balance. Once you feel secure, lift your back foot, and transfer your weight forward smoothly. Having your head facing forward while moving your arms and hips is vital, or you might take a tumble. It should appear like you’re walking along your board if done correctly.
3) Peter Pan
Sadly, performing a Peter Pan trick doesn’t let you fly off to Neverland, but it’s still fun to execute. Cross-stepping is the main component of doing a Peter Pan, so that’s why it should be the first trick you attempt.
To execute a Peter Pan, have your back leg go ahead of your front leg, keeping your feet parallel to keep your balance. With your legs crossed, take another step forward with your front leg and put it in the center of the deck. It will appear like you’re dancing on the board.
4) Tiger Claw
You haven’t done much with your arms besides keeping your equilibrium. However, a Tiger Claw trick requires additional arm strength. With your front foot in the center and back foot on the tail, take your front foot off the board as your back foot gets the board airborne. Use the hand you’re most comfortable with, grab the board, and spin it 360 degrees back on the ground, allowing you to hop back on.
5) Lookback
If you want to look like you have the moves of Michael Jackson, the Lookback is the trick for you. Have your back foot pointed towards the back of the board. Then, step off the board with your other foot to set up the trick. While standing firm, kick the board forward with the one on the board, and stop it with your heel, letting you put your foot on the ground back on the board.
6) Manuals
Manuals were clutch playing Tony Hawk Pro Skater to increase your combo multiplier, yet they are one of the most challenging tricks to learn. As you’re moving forward, have your front foot on the tail. Have your other foot away from the center, giving you a chance to balance the board as you move on two wheels.
7) 180 No-Comply
Do you want to experience the delight of being in the air? The 180 No-Comply is here to meet your demands. You must place your front foot in the center and your back foot on the tail. Your back foot will pop the board in the air, and you’ll want to have the board flip 180 degrees before it hits the ground.
8) Hippie Jump
The final boss is the hippie jump because of the risk involved. Anytime you go in the air, you put yourself at risk. Yet, doing a hippie jump looks impressive when you do it over objects. To do the jump, cruise down and let gravity take over. Jump over the bench or whatever the obstacle is and land back on your board.
Although these are eight easy pintail tricks for beginner longboard riders, it may take time and practice to master them. The Longboard Store is here to help if you want stylish and effective longboards. We have a vast selection of pintail longboards and additional boards for someone at any level of expertise. Fill out our questionnaire on finding the perfect longboard to find out what’s best for you!
