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I started longboarding last year and this summer I wanna get a lot better since I obviously can't ski right now and need something to keep me busy. I wanna do some downhill stuff. I can bomb smallish hills and I can slide and carve. I can do a few tricks on my board too. I'm not sure what they're called cause I just kind of do whatever I want haha I can jump on my board and do a 360 and i can do cross stepish things. Nothing very good but I'm pretty comfortable on my board so I think I could handle hills. What are some approaches I could take to do this? Things I should work on? And anything else you can think of that will help me out! I just really want to get good or at least somewhat decent! Also, I have an Arbor Axis Koa if that matters, with double kingpins(I'm thinking about getting reverse kingpins though cause I heard they're more stable), and wheels that I really don't know much about; they're just kind of standard wheels I guess.
1. Learn how to footbreak. Like really learn how to footbreak, and have the confidence to footbreak at any speed.
2.Get yourself some slide gloves if you don't have any, and learn how to slide to a stop (pendies, stop slides etc). DON'T STINK BUG.
3. Once you know how to stop through both of the above methods, then you can start riding DH.
Work on your tuck and positioning on the board. You want to be comfortable, stable, and fast (last priority). Focus on putting the majority of your weight on your front foot (we're talking 90% weight on front, 10% on back), this prevents speed wobbles. You'll often see the pros with their back foot pointed down, which just shows how little weight that back foot receives. Of course, turning will require more weight on the back foot to drive the board through the turn, so you have to strike the right balance which just takes practice.
Work yourself up it. Find a big ass straight hill with not much traffic and walk up to a point where you're comfortable. Bomb from there, and then keep working your way up til you get to the top. This is a nice technique as you can see yourself progressing as you move further and further up. Also, use your footbreak to mimic starting slower if you feel uncomfortable.
As you start to feel alright about the speed and everything, you can start working in hills with slide-necessary bends. Before this make sure you can do a shutdown slide (where you come to a complete stop) at any speed. This will keep you safer, as well as make you more comfortable with grabbing rail at speed. For your shutdown slides, either heel or toe side, try to lean towards the pavement, as highsiding when you're sliding hurts way more than sliding onto the nearside pavement. There's a ton of vids on doing shutdown slides and pendies so just look those up.
But really at some point you gotta nut up and go bomb some hills and build confidence.
MOST IMPORTANT THING: WEAR YOUR HELMET and stay safe!!!
I love my OG Ibach. Thing shreds.
OP, Definately get rid of the double kingpins...those things suck. I would look into Caliber 50s or 44s depending on the speed you ride. Also look for wheels with 90* edges on them if you really are doing good downhill. These will grip better and stop faster. I would suggest Abec 11 big zigs. If you are doing more freeride you can't beat Cloud Ride Ozones.
WEAR A HELMET
If you don't have a helmet buy one right fucking now. Slammed at about 30mph doing a toe side check and according to my buddy it was the most disgusting brutal sound he as ever heard when the helmet I was wearing smashed into the ground. Sounded similar to a watermelon getting smashed with a sledgehammer.
Every one above pretty much nailed it. If you are looking to slide look into wheels with round lips somewhere around 80a if you're looking to get into downhill get wheels with square lips (like an a11 zigzag or big zig.) You definitely need rkp trucks, makes life so much better, caliber, paris, bear etc (personally I ride tkp indys on my freeride but that's just me.)
last_tangoIf you don't have a helmet buy one right fucking now. Slammed at about 30mph doing a toe side check and according to my buddy it was the most disgusting brutal sound he as ever heard when the helmet I was wearing smashed into the ground. Sounded similar to a watermelon getting smashed with a sledgehammer.
Yeah I know. Last year I fell pretty hard, broke my elbow trying to keep from hitting my head on the ground so yeah I definitely got one after that haha and I do have slide gloves lol
Because those are Definately made for bombing hills.
Btw I have gotten hurt much worse and more at longboarding, and it is much gnarlier at higher levels.
Profahoben_212Because those are Definately made for bombing hills.
Btw I have gotten hurt much worse and more at longboarding, and it is much gnarlier at higher levels.
It's gnarlier at beginer levels as well. I guarantee you will hurt yourself learning to slide, can't say the same about learning to kick flip
cool_nameIt's gnarlier at beginer levels as well. I guarantee you will hurt yourself learning to slide, can't say the same about learning to kick flip
Land premo a couple of time and tell me you won't get hurt. At least with coleman slides you are so low to the ground that you just kinda slide out instead of falling straight up. Both can fuck you up.
last_tangoLand premo a couple of time and tell me you won't get hurt. At least with coleman slides you are so low to the ground that you just kinda slide out instead of falling straight up. Both can fuck you up.
This. I like to think of it as park skiing versus big mountain skiing. Both can seriously hurt you and are cool ways of skiing but arguing over which is better is pointless. Different strokes for different folks.
Profahoben_212Because those are Definately made for bombing hills.
Btw I have gotten hurt much worse and more at longboarding, and it is much gnarlier at higher levels.
Exactly bombing hills is gay. Put a real skater on a longboard and he can bomb a hill put a longboarder on a skateboard and have him kickflip a five stair, no damn chance. And I think you need to re evaluate your definition of gnarly cause I'd say throwing yourself off 20 stairs is more gnarly than going fast.
K-Dot.This. I like to think of it as park skiing versus big mountain skiing. Both can seriously hurt you and are cool ways of skiing but arguing over which is better is pointless. Different strokes for different folks.
Profahoben_212Because those are Definately made for bombing hills.
Btw I have gotten hurt much worse and more at longboarding, and it is much gnarlier at higher levels.
If our not a pussy you would bomb a hill on a real skateboard
