Longboarding Nation

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Longboarding is definitely one of the best ways to let yourself go – the immense pleasure you get, riding with the winds, breaking the waves, and the chaos that follows, it’s beyond everything. Longboarding is one fantastic sport that’s quite similar to quite to skateboarding. In fact, longboarding is the term used for skateboarding with boards larger than the usual shortboard trick-oriented skateboards that you normally see in skateboarding competitions. It uses a longer board, bigger wheels and sometimes bigger trucks. Longboarding is perfect for speed enthusiasts who want a more comfortable, soulful ride, but also for those who want to carve down a steep hill at high speed.

Longboarding is all this and a lot more. But the question is how hard is it to learn how to longboard! Well, longboarding is FUN, and some would say it’s arguably easier to pick up but relatively speaking, few would disagree that it takes less time and effort to master the skills of longboarding. With their long wheelbases and bigger decks, longboards give the rider more room to move around and find a comfortable stance. Actually, longboarding is not very hard, especially for those who have previous boarding experience. However, if you’re just a beginner trying to get the feel of being on a board, it takes some getting used to.

Recommended Board Type

It is a little difficult to choose a longboard for beginners, but it’s not impossible. You’ll probably confuse which board is perfect for you, if it’s your first time. Longboard length, wheels, deck, trucks, longboard shape and design are some of the most important consideration when you decide to purchase a longboard as a beginner. Most of the people would recommend getting a drop deck, if you’re buying your first board. This is because they have very god traction and control. It really helps with keeping your center of gravity. You should also look at materials – synthetic materials have more durability than others. Once you start longboarding, you will realize you can do anything on any board, the limiting factor is just you.

Skateboarding Background

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If you come from a skateboarding background or if you have done longboarding before then it’s so much fun. However, turning on a longboard is more like carving on a snowboard rather than turning on a skateboard. So it would take some getting used to. While both recreational activities appear to be very much similar at first, they do in fact have distinct differences which complement various types of personal style and preferences. While the skateboard is easier to carry and provides the thrill of accomplishing crazy and difficult tricks, the longboard is becoming increasingly popular because of its wide range of uses. Even though performing tricks is normally associated with skateboarding, longboarders have some pretty great moves under the table as well, especially when using the right deck.

No Boarding Background

Longboarding is tons of fun, but if you come from no boarding background, the entire process of learning how to slide on a longboard will seem like a lot and both pushing and carving will seem foreign. First off, longboards are customizable for the intended purposes of you, the rider. But whether you’re interested in downhill boarding, slaloming, or just getting to and from work or school, longboards share certain characteristics that set them apart from skateboards. It can be a little hard to learn how to slide on a longboard, but once you can, it opens up entirely new possibilities for you and your longboard. People might tell you there’s some special trick to learning how to slide in 10 minutes or less and there’s not. It’s purely practice. Grab your board and gear and head to your local skate spot to practice sliding.

Goofy or Regular

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Do you skate with your right foot forward? That means you’re riding “goofy”. On the contrary, if you skate with your left foot forward, you’re a regular.  Goofy and regular refer to your actual stance on the board. Basically, a regular longboarder will be facing to the right while riding forward, and a goofy footed longboarder will be facing left. Apart from the name, there’s nothing wrong with riding goofy and it is almost just as common as riding regular. To figure out whether you’re a goofy or a regular, simply experiment with both until you figure out which way you feel most comfortable with.

Learning to Push

To learn how to push you’d want to begin on a flat surface. Try riding it around a couple times on a flat surface and feel the smooth flow as it rolls over the concrete. The lower you keep your center of gravity, the better you’ll feel. Also, make sure you feel comfortable before moving on. When pushing, you want to keep your board foot facing forward and then you want to use your knee to pump yourself up and down while doing a walking motion. Your center of gravity stays in the same spot which allows you to maintain control and balance. You can go for one big push or several smaller pushes. Try to keep your body loose as you push off. The stiffer the body, the harder it will be to keep your balance.

Learning to Turn

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Learn to practice turning on your board if you want to ride around. Turning is quite easy. Find a shallow hill that tapers off at the bottom and then just stand on the board, gently lean into and point your shoulder in the direction you wish to go. Turning is mostly lean controlled not pivot controlled, so you do not want to be turning your torso much. Turning is relatively easy – all you have to do is put pressure down on one side of the board, leaning in that direction, and voila! Make sure your trucks are loose enough to allow for tight turning. If you find yourself having difficulty, just look in the direction you want to go and your body will follow.

Learning to Carve

When you are able to turn in both directions comfortably and easily, it’s time to practice carving. This is what really makes longboarding unique. Well, carving is not only fun but also essential for speed control. Carving is simply shifting your body weight to the heel edge or toe edge of your foot in order to make an “S” pattern as you longboard. To carve, start by going at a moderate speed. Turn to one side as far as the road you are on will allow, and then turn to the other side. You do not want to tackle anything too steep in the beginning. If you feel comfortable carving back and forth, try to practice carving at higher speeds, while making tighter turns or carves. With a little bit of practice, you will be carving on your longboard in no time.

Learning to Stop

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Stopping is definitely something you must learn how to do if you don’t want to run into people or things. The most basic method of stopping is foot braking – this is where you drag one foot on the ground. Remember to be gentle and practice while going slow. You’ll need to practice increasing your foot pressure to stop more quickly, and performing a foot brake at higher speeds. Foot braking is probably the most reliable way to stop or slow down – you create a lot of friction with your foot, thereby slowing the momentum of the board down.

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Girls & Longboarding: A Match Made in Every Skater’s Hell

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In recent years longboarding has most definitely grown in terms of its huge rise in popularity. So it was inevitable that eventually, the ladies of the world were going to stake their claim against the boys to show them that they too could tackle the sport; with ease, grace and a sheer sense of attitude that only a girl can provide. So what exactly is to blame for the recent rise in women beginning to dominate the sport of longboarding? Let’s find out.

To start, for the vast majority of those who are quite familiar with the sports of both skateboarding and longboarding, you are of well aware of the fact they are both far more than simply extreme sports. They are a culture and a way of life; a culture that has always been more than welcoming to women who seek to not only give it a try but to actually get really damn good at it. While of course, women have long been dominating certain competitions such as surfing, snowboarding, and freestyle boarding, for some reason it seemed like longboarding, for an extensive period of time was placed on the backburner for the desire of women to pick up. And quite honestly, there is no direct answer as to why that is.

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While longboarding has always been a welcoming culture regardless of age or gender, it remains all too clear that perhaps one of the main reasons that women are increasingly flocking to the sport of longboarding, is plain and simply the fact that more and more women are taking an active interest in extreme sports and extreme sport competitions. And if they can’t of just don’t want to do one sport they are going to actively search out one that fits their passions; and that particular passion may just be the sport of longboarding.

There are a couple of really great examples with regards to women starting (or more aptly put growing in numbers) to compete competitively in extreme sports. For example, for a number of years, there were a handful of women who dominated freestyle surfing during the summer X-Games, and even more who owned the snowboarding circuit during the winter X-Games. That is up until the past 5 years or so where the rise in numbers has grown drastically. Why? Women help to bring in crowds. People actually want to see them compete and crush the competition. This, of course, has opened the doors to various competitions such as Big Whip, Moto-X and of course, longboarding.

Benefits

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In the California scene, longboarding has long been a great way to simply hit the pavement as a means to a successful and super easy way to get around the busy summer sidewalks. With that being said, there are most definitely a ton of other highly beneficial implications with such an increasing number of girls adopting the longboarding culture. Perhaps one of the most notable benefits is the overall health and fitness role. It is, of course, no huge surprise that longboard athletes, along with other extreme sports athletes, have an excellent grasp of how their bodies work and what is needed in order to perform at such high levels. And longboarding can significantly improve one’s complete understanding of their best physical attributes, as well as how one can improve upon their other physical attributes. When combined with good nutrition and rest, longboarding for women can have a great impact on the overall physical and neural development.

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Another highly beneficial aspect is just how in particular the entry of girls into the longboarding sport have and will continue to literally transform the onset of various professional competitions. As previously noted we have seen throughout the past decade, we have seen a dramatically a vast number of women who have actively begun to compete in extreme sports competitions. In fact, it has been estimated that in less than 5 years from now, female longboarding competitions will have become a major event in the competitive extreme sports circuit; with thousands of more women on social media showing off their own skills.

If you are seeking to get involved in longboarding, you will first have to get your hands on all of the protective gear you will need, including a helmet, pads for your knees, elbows, and slide gloves. All of which is designed to protect yourself from breaking your bones. Because when you are learning longboarding, you are going to fall numerous times, it’s inevitable!

It should also be noted that  contrary to the common misconception and popular belief, extreme sports are not necessarily as dangerous as they may appear to the outside world. One thing, however, that is completely unacceptable and all too often leads to dangerous situations is that of utter and complete negligence, and it is most definitely something that should not be tolerated when it comes to longboarding. Another thing to add is that longboarding is far more than simply skating; it is a culture and ways of life that you will be representing. And you will find yourself welcomed into the sport, regardless of whatever your gender, age, religion, or ethnicity may be. One of the best aspects of longboarding is that virtually everyone is welcome and accepted as an equal.