How To Skate Longboards

Learning how to skate Longboards isn't trick at all. Longboards are usually used to get from one place to another - "Side Walk Surfing". Shorter boards are used for tricks and for competitions typically. So using a longboard is mostly for getting around.

What You'll Need for Skating with a Longboard:

• Flat Bottom Shoe
• Longboard
• Helmet

1. Pick your stance. If you start walking up steps, which foot do you put first? That's the foot that should be in the back of your board. The left foot is called "Regular" and the right foot is called "Goofy".
2. Get on your board. Stand on your board and get a feel for your stance and the spring-iness of the board. Crouch up and down and shuffle your feet all over the board to get a feel for it!
3. Foot Placement. Where your feet go really depends on what you feel comfortable with doing. Usually the best stance is to have your feet shoulder width apart and having your front foot pointed diagonally and the back foot only pointed out slightly.
4. Give it a good push. Take your back foot and push you the Longboard forward. Put your back foot back on the board and let begin to feel the balance of your body and you roll. Its important to find your center gravity and to keep pushing little amounts at a time.
5. Test a hill. A small hill is a great way to test your directing skills. While rolling down it, use your feet to push the board from one side to the other. Using your heels to veer to one direction and your toes to veer to another. This way you will get a feel for the best way to direct your Longboard.
6. Stopping. Depending on how fast you go, stopping can be very easy. If you feel like you're going out of control, its best to just jump off of your board. Or, if you just want to stop rolling, feel free to put your foot down and drag it on the ground.
7. Keep Practicing. The more and more you continue to practice, the better you will become at directing your board. Eventually, you will be able to look up from your board and onto the area that you are skating on.