How to stop on a longboard | Learn in 3 Simple Steps
Longboard is a sport similar to skateboarding. Typically, it uses bigger wheels and longer boards. The sport has a lot of fun and easier for beginners compared to skateboarding.
If you own a longboard and you have some time, you can start practicing and enjoy the free ride. Before you start, this is a must-read article on how to stop on a longboard for your safety & precautions.
What is longboard?
Longboard referrers to a sporting equipment, which is similar like a skateboard, though much longer. Longboards are just a category of the skateboard;This means all longboards are skateboards.
The difference between a skateboard and a longboard is that a skateboard is a short board. In the 1940s to 1950s, they introduced skateboarding. It has gained popularity all over the world.
Steps on how to stop on a longboard
You could have seen people in the streets flying on longboards. You might have attempted at some given time but failed. Pumping adrenaline, gathering speed and trying to stop it can be a challenge. Below are some steps, which might help you stop your longboard depending on your riding style.
#1 Foot Braking
One of the important things is to know when you need to foot brake. You can only use the foot braking technique while at low speed. You should avoid using the technique when carving into a turn. Make sure you are using proper footwear when applying foot brake.
When using the foot braking technique at walking speed, avoid using thin-soled shoes. Footbridge means sliding the shoe on the ground to stop. Do not use it to ruin your shoes and have friction burns.
Start by adjusting your sitting position. Bend your front knee and shift your weight towards front foot, so you can use the foot brake. This does not matter, which foot you will place or on the ground.
Use a minimal weight to drag your foot on the ground. Make sure that the shoes you are wearing have large soles to drag on the ground. Typically, this technique will cause spoiled footwear or some friction burn. While on the dragging your footwear, add some pressure until you finally stop.
While dragging, shift your weight from front to backward. Always keep in mind that the higher the pressure, the faster you will stop. While braking, your speed and the angle you are traveling should guide you. Be cautious on the ground you are skating. Friction is determined by the ground you are using to travel.
Foot Braking at Moderate speeds
Make sure that the shoes you wear have big soles. With this technique, you will not hurt your foot and shoe. However, it might cause some friction around your shoe.
When you’re dragging your shoes to stop, be cautious about what ground you skate on and how much pressure you put braking foot. This will help you stop the longboard at a moderate speed.
Air Braking at Higher Speeds
For air braking, air pressure is used to slow you down. An air brake technique for longboard is to push the tail of the board down. This will lower your riding speed when you are moving at higher speeds on a flat surface.
Make sure you extend your hands to increase air resistance and are comfortable because air breaks are not meant to be continuous. Be careful when turning or air breaking, so that you don’t crash into something or someone.
Practicing foot braking before you attempt on roads at moderate or high speeds can help you get the confidence to do it. As your feet are practicing, they will become more familiar with how exactly you need to break. It is advisable to wear knee pads, elbow pads, and slide gloves when you are attempting foot breaking.
#2 Power sliding
You will begin power sliding by foot carving or turning to one side of the road. Turn is a very effective part of power sliding. It involves turning your board until it is perpendicular to the road.
It causes a slide or skid to come to a stop. The direction you carve towards to depends on how you station yourself on the longboard.
It is important to carve on the side, which your toe side is pointing. This is a basic technique for anyone who wants to learn power sliding. You should be very careful and observe the traffic from both ahead and behind of you.
This will help to reduce the chance of accidents from cars approaching you. The slide trick should fully mastered before using it on the roads.
You should shift your weight towards the heel and front of your board. This should only happen after you have carved out and set your power slide.
Typically, this means you are leaning on your back than forward, letting your body weight determine the slide of the board. At high speeds, leaning forward can cause your board to stop.
Turn your shoulders and hips in the direction, which you are sliding. It is very important to keep on leaning on your back while sliding.
Leaning left or right foot forward can stop your board while on the high speed. This can be risky and might cause some injuries.
Also Read: Long boarding as an Exercise
#3 Performing Advanced Techniques
There are also more advanced longboard techniques that you can perform. It requires a lot of practice and patience before mastering it. The more skills you have, the faster longboarding will be. This might increase your overall balance on longboards as well.
Toe Side Pendulum
You can perform a toe side pendulum. This Coleman slide technique involves sliding your gloved hand on the ground while performing. Typically, this means going lower to the ground. Wear your glove on the hand that you are sliding away from then perform the power slide. Use the back foot to kick off the slide to reduce the speed.
Avoid keeping your gloved hand too close or far away from your body. You might run to the risk of not falling off or not able to perform the pendulum.
This maneuver requires much practice. You should not worry about grasping it the first time. Many longboard riders use this technique to stop their longboards.
Nose-to-Tail power Slides
Perform nose-to-tail power slides. This technique involves leaning your weight on the tail of the board and sliding it towards the front or toe side of the longboard.
You should have some space between your feet while using this technique. Sometimes, you might need to drag your back foot on the ground for additional drag.
Do back wheel skid after you have stopped sliding. This is an effective way of stopping slide without putting too much weight or effort on your longboard.
It also prevents wearing off of wheels, which happens if you keep dragging the back wheel of your board while sliding. Back wheel skids are good for self-accelerating to backslide.
Heel Slide Pendulum
Another technique for you to learn is performing heel slide pendulum. Try to keep the majority of your weight centered on the board. All your weight must be evenly distributed from the back to the front.
Carve outwards on the side of the road. Place your gloved hand on the ground as you add more pressure to come to a complete stop.
360 Slides
You can perform 360 slides. This means using two slides at the same time. You need not use your hands during the maneuver, you will use you both hand hand to balance. Practice riding until you master before using it on the road.
Finally,
Buy a good functional longboard. The above steps in stopping your longboard are very important to practice. Master all the steps before going to the road. It is important to put on a helmet, knee pads, and other pieces of safety gear in case of falling down on a flat or rough surface.
