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Riding a longboard is too much fun. If you are here to learn how to ride a longboard for beginners, then this article is just for you! You will be glad to know that longboarding is almost the same as riding a skateboard but much easier for beginners.
A longboard has a board, wheels, trucks, which you can use for stunt riding, sliding, and downhill riding. Though you don’t need much equipment or technical knowledge to ride a longboard, being a beginner, you need to have some basic information to master the skills.
Hence, in this article, I am going to share all about longboards and a detailed guide on how to ride a longboard. So, stay tuned and don’t miss the details.
What is Longboarding
You already know a longboard is similar to a skateboard; however, the board is a little longer. Also, you will find various shapes and types of longboards in the market. It’s an outstanding board for commuting.
You may think when there are bicycles, scooters available for commuting, then why should you choose a longboard over them. The first of the most important reasons is longboards are cheaper than them. Also, the amount of fun you can enjoy with a longboard is not comparable with bike or scooter riding.
Moreover, it’s a great vehicle you can use for going to school, college, and even the workplace. If there is a traffic jam on the road, you have to get stuck in a jam with a motorcycle, car, or bus. But, when you have a longboard, you can easily pass down the jam and reach the destination without wasting time on the road.
Moreover, whether you are a beginner or intermediate rider, you can ride this fantastic board at an extremely fast speed. You also don’t need a certain place to ride it because it’s allowed to ride on the sidewalk and even open roads.
More importantly, a longboard is an eco-friendly vehicle that doesn’t cost any fuel. So, you can ride this board whenever you want without spending money on gas or oil. It’s also easy to ride, store, and you won’t require a driving license.
So, whether it’s for commuting or a fun ride, longboarding for beginners is a beneficial choice as it’s affordable and doesn’t require any professional skills to ride.
What Are the Types of Longboards?
If you have already surfed the internet looking for the longboards from the best longboard brands, you must have noticed there is a wide variety of features, types, and functionality. One of the key aspects to consider is choosing a longboard for better balance and stability. However, they are not as fast as a shortboard. Hence, before you purchase a beginner longboard, you must know which type of board will be suitable for you.
Cruising longboard
If you are a novice to longboards and have no idea which one to choose, then cruising longboard would be the safest option. They are ideal for regular commuting.
The cruiser boards are designed with a pointed nose and a rounded tail. The design is convenient for the newbies. Since you are a beginner rider, safety would be a major concern. Thus, cruiser boards would be not only easy to ride but also safe for long-distance traveling.
Whether you are in the urban areas or rural areas, you can ride this board at a slow speed. You can also get mini cruisers to practice your riding skills comfortably.
All-Terrain longboards
All terrain longboards are also a good choice for commuting. These boards are made of durable materials and high-quality wheels. The wheels can ride on all types of surfaces, including grass, dust, mud, or concrete. Additionally, the size of this board is compact and convenient to carry while traveling. More importantly, the textured wheels are specially designed to ensure stability, safety, and durability for long time use.
Freestyling or freeriding longboard:
If you already know how to ride a skateboard and want to utilize your skill on downhill riding with a longboard, then you can go for freestyle longboards. This is a drop-through board that has narrow heads and blunt tails. The freestyle board is lightweight, durable and easily picks up speed. So, you can practice tricks and stunts with this board and enjoy a fun ride.
Downhill longboard
The downhill longboards are designed for professional riders. If you are confident about how to longboard and have knowledge and experience of stunts and tricks, then this is the right longboard for you. The board is designed with a stiff neck, tight grip, and small wheelbase.
The combination of the three ensures you have stability at high speed on rough surfaces. The key aspect of this board is astounding maneuverability. Whether you are on rough pavement or sliding down the hill, you can easily pass any route comfortably at high speed.
What Is the Difference Between Longboard and Skateboard?
You are certainly fond of longboards. Even though a longboard and skateboard look the same, do you know what makes the actual difference between them? Any user needs to know the basic difference before making the purchasing decision, isn’t it?
To begin with, being a beginner, you don’t need much technical knowledge or experience to ride a longboard. It’s ready to ride, and you just need to practice stability and keeping the balance. Both of the boards are made of wooden material, and the wheels are attached with a T shape truck.
Besides, the primary difference between a skateboard and a longboard is the longboard comes with a longer board. Usually, the boards are about 42 inches long. If you are looking for a longboard for kids, then you will find them in 34 inches. And the longer board can go up to 50 inches for tall users.
Then, for the width, the longboards are about 7 to 10 inches wide, whereas the skateboards are 30 inches long and 8.5 inches on average. To talk about the wheels, the longboards come with wider wheels than the skateboards. The purpose of using wide wheels is to ensure a smooth and comfortable ride.
You would find variation in longboard wheel edges such as square wheels for cruising on a flat and smooth surface, beveled wheels for twisted roads, and rounded wheels for carving. So, depending on where you will ride the longboard, you can choose the wheel type.
Moreover, the skateboards have symmetrical heads and tails to ride with stability at high speed. However, there are different shapes of longboard available you can choose depending on your riding style.
Overall, the longboards are specially designed for cruising, commuting, and curving hills. They are not made for stunts and tricks. Whereas, with a skateboard, you can enjoy jumps, kicks, tricks, and any complicated stunts you want to try with a skateboard.
How to Ride a Longboard for Beginners?
Now that you know the basics about longboards, it’s time to check out how to ride a longboard for beginners. Truly, it’s not that tough to learn. Just follow the below-mentioned steps, and you will be good to commute with your favorite longboard on the street.
Let’s get started!
Things you will need before riding a longboard:
Make sure you have all the protective gear on before riding the longboard. By protective gear, I mean wearing a biker helmet, longboard gloves, knee pad, elbow pad, skateboard shoes, and so on.
As you are ready with the required safety measures, it’s time to step on the board now.
Step 1
The first and foremost thing you need to do is choosing the right longboard. To do that, you need to consider a few features that will ensure if the board is suitable for your height, weight, and riding style. You can check out the longboard buying guide mentioned at the end of the article to choose the best or custom longboard that fits you.
Step 2
Find a smooth and wide surface free from moving vehicles to practice riding a longboard. You can choose a skate park or an empty place in general where there is no risk of accidents.
Step 3
Now to start a longboard, you need to place the board in the ground. You need to set the position of the board to the way you will travel. Now, place one foot at the center of the board. You can place left or right foot, whichever you are comfortable with. If you are right-footed, then place the left foot on the board past the midpoint.
Step 4
You need to find your riding style. Though you have placed your feet on the board according to your comfortability, riding the board with your right foot forward is called a goofy rider. And, the other way around is the regular style riding, meaning with left foot forward. So, you need to be sure about your riding style.
If you don’t know which is your riding stance, you can ask someone to push you suddenly. Then, notice which foot comes forward naturally.
Step 5
Before you ride, make sure you are comfortable on the board as well as the surface. Stand comfortably on the board, keeping the center of gravity low. It would help if you kept the feet between the trucks. Make sure the distance between the feet is similar to your shoulder length. Then, you need to keep the front foot at a 45-degree angle and the back foot sideways. Get into the position first before riding.
Step 6
This is the crucial stage. To start the ride, you need to push the board. But, how to push on a longboard?
Well, you need to push the board with the back foot. As you push on the ground, you will notice the board is moving forward. Now, lift the pushing foot on the board and keep it at the level of shoulder length distance. Then, to keep balance on the board, you need to bend the knees a bit and get moving.
Step 7
To learn how to slow down on a longboard or how to stop a longboard, you need to master the balancing skill first. As you ride the board, you might notice that the foot is constantly coming down to protect yourself from falling. You need to resist yourself if that happens.
Rather, keep the pushing foot at the back and standing foot at the front for a stable ride. Use your arms, knees and look forward to keeping a proper balance. If you notice the board is slowing down, give another push with the pushing foot then the board will pick up speed.
Step 8
As you are advancing straight with the longboard, you will be comfortable with balance and stability eventually. Now, you need to learn how to turn or maneuver. It’s very easy to change direction with a longboard as the deck is deep through. To turn left with the longboard, simply lean your body on the left and vice versa to turn right with the longboard.
Step 9
It is also extremely important to learn how to hold the brake or stop the longboard in the middle of the ride. To answer how to stop on a longboard, you need to move the pushing foot on the ground slowly. Be gentle while leaving the foot from the board; otherwise, you may fall off the longboard.
Longboard Buying Guide
To find the ideal longboard for your riding style, you need to consider the below features before purchasing.
Material: Is the longboard material sturdy and durable? Most durable longboards are made of bamboo and maple wood.
Type: Is it an all-terrain, downhill, or freestyle longboard?
Length and width: Is the length and width of the board compatible with your height and weight?
Wheels: Longboard wheels need to be strong, durable, and resistant to bump and shock. So, check whether the wheels are made of polyurethane material.
Performance: Don’t forget to check how smoothly and efficiently the longboard rides.
Stability and maneuverability: Even though you are a beginner rider, you need to check the balance and turning ability of the longboard. Usually, 40 inches or longer boards have good stability. Also, check how smoothly does your longboard maneuver? Does it wobble at high speed?
Push ability: Longboards with drop deck, double drop boards, and drop platform require less pushing on the ground. With these boards, you can effortlessly start riding the board, and it will pick up speed.
Durability: Overall, each part of the board needs to be made of strong and high-quality material. From the longboard material to the quality of wheel, wheelbase and trucks, ensure how long you can ride the board. For instance, the wheel needs to be resistant to bump, shock, wear and tear. Also, check how strongly the wheel is connected to the deck, wheelbase, and truck.
Final Thought
At the end of the article, I hope you have a clear idea of how to ride a longboard
. Whether you choose a longboard for commuting, cruising, or long-distance riding, the basic technique will help you begin your journey with any longboard.
Moreover, to give you a profound understanding of longboards, I have also incorporated details about various types of a longboard, its difference with a skateboard, and a buying guide. Now, you can purchase your desired longboard or start riding if you have already got one!