How Difficult Is Longboarding And Some Tips To Make It Easier?

If you are thinking about getting into longboard riding, then you might be wondering how hard it is. Well, this article will give you a peek at the challenges, while also providing some tips to make it easier.

How Difficult Is Longboarding And Some Tips To Make It Easier

Longboarding boarding can be a lot of fun. If you have ridden a regular skateboard before, then you are most of the way there for riding a longboard.

A lot of the skills required for longboarding are the same as riding a regular skateboard. Continue reading to find out what those skills are.

How Hard is Longboard Riding?

Longboard riding isn’t any harder than riding a regular skateboard. However, the primary goal of longboard riding usually is different than with a standard skateboard.

On a standard skateboard, most people want to learn how to do tricks, and that is where the tricky part comes in.

The riding isn’t too bad. For longboard riding, most people just want to get good at cruising around at top speeds and learning this is more natural then tricks.

For entirely new riders though it might seem hard at first because the skills you are doing are foreign to you. Also, one thing that makes longboard riding a bit of a challenge for new riders is longboards are meant to be customized to your riding style, but if you don’t have a riding style, you won’t know what type of board to get so the board you have may not fit your style.

At first, it is a good idea to experiment with a few boards and figure out the type that works for you. With entirely new riders, you should use longboard for beginner to start learn about it.

Some Tips To Make Longboard Easier. Is it hard?

Even for new longboard riders it still isn’t that hard of a skill to learn. Once you know how to do the basics, the rest falls into place pretty easy. Before you know it, you will be cruising at top speeds and crushing hills. To make the transition even easier from becoming a novice rider to an expert we will also include some basic tips.

Finding your stance.

Probably the most important thing when it comes to first learning to ride board is to find your stance. Everyone stands slightly different, but there are two main ways to stand.

One is with your right foot forward which is known as goofy, and the other is known as regular, and that is with your left foot ahead.

Luckily one advantage of riding a longboard is the extra length gives you more room to position your feet comfortable. You want to make sure your feet are comfortable when riding.

Also, the extra space allows you to move your feet which is nice, especially when you start learning to push, but we aren’t there yet.

How To Choose Longboard For Cruising

So now that you know the two primary stances it is time to figure out which one is for you. There are a few fundamental ways to do this.

One is to sit down or lay down on the floor. Then just stand up. Whichever foot you use to push yourself up with first is the one that should go in front. This may sound pretty basic, but it is a useful method. Some people don’t get up by bending one leg and pushing off with one particular foot first though. If that is the case for you, then there is another method to finding which foot to lead with.

The second method for figuring out which foot should be your front foot when riding is to have someone push you from behind. To prevent yourself from falling you will naturally step forward with one foot. Whichever foot you step forward with should be your lead foot. If you still don’t know what foot to lead with, then just ride one way and then switch if it is uncomfortable. One way of riding should feel better to you than the other.

Pushing

Once you know which foot to lead with it is time to start learning how to push. To get the best results when pushing you to want to have a low stance. A low position helps lower your center of gravity and makes keeping your balance easier. Once you get more experienced, you can start changing your posture and make it more your own. Professional and advanced riders don’t stand in a proper quote way, but it works for them because they are used to it. It is kind of like a baseball player and his batting stance. They make the position their own like you can with your riding stance once you are more practiced.

How To Start And Stop Longboard

After you have a proper stance down to practice pushing, you want to start out slow at first. This is so you can keep your balance when you move your foot from the board to the ground. You want to lift your back foot slightly off the board and then lower it to the ground.

You just place the front half of your foot on the ground and then make a flicking motion with your ankle to push off. If you are new to riding, then you might not have good leg strength yet to get powerful pushes, but this is okay. With more travel, you will build up muscles and can push harder and build speed faster.

Eventually pushing will become a natural rhythm to you and the board will just be an expansion of your body.

For some people, it is uncomfortable to push with the back foot though. If this is you, then you can try pushing with your front foot. This is unconventional but can be done. You push with your front foot the same way as you do with your back foot.

The problem with doing this though is it is typically harder to balance when pushing with your front foot. Another solution, if it is uncomfortable to push with your back foot, is to change your stance.

You should try standing with he other foot leading and see if it is still uncomfortable to push with the back foot after changing the direction you are facing.

Practice

Practice Longboarding

Once you have these necessary skills down of standing on the board and pushing the best way to get good at riding is just a lot of practice. The more you practice riding, the better you will get and the more you will get to know your board.

Once you know the feel of your board, you will be able to understand what you like and don’t want. The things you like you can improve on by customizing and the things you don’t like you can also adjust. That is one of the great things about longboarding is you can make the board your own. Eventually, you will have a board that is all your own.

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Conclusion

Your board will become an expansion of your body once you have been riding for awhile. While it may be hard at first for new riders, longboard riding isn’t all that hard. Most people would say that it is easier than riding a regular skateboard since you have more foot room. If you have ridden a regular skateboard before, then the transition to a longboard is even more comfortable. This is because you already got most of the necessary skills down, but the basic skills aren’t too complicated for beginners to learn. Since the skills build on each other once you know one the next is easier to learn to which makes the learning curve better. Taking the time to learn longboarding is worth it because it is a fun hobby and great way to get around.