For anyone who loves longboarding is very important to learn how to slide on longboard because sliding on a longboard is one of the coolest acts to do and to see. At first for many people sliding on a longboard is very hard, but if you read this guide properly sliding may look easy to you. You should not be scared of sliding on a longboard whether you are a speed boarder, carver, etc. you can easily slide with some practice.
In this guide, you will go over multiple types of slides, and you can choose from them which slide suits you the best. You will come to know how a slide is done, which equipment is needed, which slide has more benefits, and some tips for sliding on a longboard.
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What is A Longboard Slide
Before we directly go into sliding on a longboard we need to know what a slide is. It is important to know about slides as they act as a foundation for sliding on a longboard. Knowledge about sliding will help you whenever you share your thoughts with other longboard skaters, whenever you will need any advice, etc.
Basically, a slide is where a rider makes the wheels of the longboard break traction. Through this the friction between the ground and the longboard wheels allows you to slow your longboard in a smooth way.
You use your body weight, position, and carving to oversteer the longboard to break the traction. Then you use your control and balance to slow down the longboard until you have satisfied with the speed. Then you simply go back to track by regaining the traction.
We can say that it is necessary to know how to stand up and slide on a longboard when you are a beginner and learning how to slide on this device properly and how to handle it. So, you must also be aware of different factors associated with it.
Want to become an expert, practice! We all know that practice makes a man perfect and if you do not put effort to do something, you can never do it properly or perfectly. So, if you are interested in learning how to slide on a longboard without facing any issues, you must first get some guidance, follow the steps of the person teaching you and then practice until you become a pro!
Types of Slides You Should Know
Before we get to know how to slide, we should know the type of slides and choose the one which is suitable for you. Everyone is not good on every slide, there are some specific slides in which a rider is good, so read this guide to get to know about the types of slides and see in which slide you are good. Some of these have been enlisted below:
1. The Pendulum Slide
The pendulum slide is one of the most common slides in which you use your hands to swing to the side of the slide. The pendulum slide is not so complex and can easily be learned by a beginner. This slide has proved to be very helpful when you are going at a fast speed and want to slow down.
The component of your body whose involvement is very important is the movement of your shoulders, the movement of your shoulders is important to help you steer the longboard when sliding.
You can change the direction of the longboard by changing the direction of your shoulders, you can do it by swinging your shoulders to the left or right to go in your desired direction.
If you want to gain traction when going down a hill then swinging your shoulders would be good.
2. The Pre-Drift Slide
The pre drift slide is a type of Longboard slide in which you use your hands and it is done before a corner. It is a great type of longboard slide if you are at a fast speed and want to save yourself from going into other lanes and off-road, it allows you to take corners safely even at a fast speed. If you are racing then the pre-drift slide would be a good choice, because it is stable and useful to race on an open road.
When you are performing the pre-drift slide, you should keep the longboard normal as you ride it but keep it under an angle of 90. This 90 angle is a reference to the angle of the road. It is because if you are sliding on a straight land, your angle of the slide may intersect it.
But if you are sliding at an angle low than 90, then it allows the wheels of your longboard to rotate easily and helps you to steer the longboard well while sliding. This is also very helpful when racing, and helps you to take the corners easily.
If the angle is not 90 when sliding then it may become hard for you to slide. It is because only one side wheel will be able to perform sliding while the other side of the wheel will remain untouched.
3. The Sit Down and Squat Slide
The sit-down and squat slide is an easy slide to perform, it can even be performed by a beginner with just a little practice. In the sit-down slides, you need to lower your body as much as you can while sliding on a longboard.
If you have a solid squat and can squat very well on your longboard then it will be very easy for you to perform the sit-down and squat slide.
5. The Standing Slide
Well, there is not much difference between the pre-drift slides and the standing slides, we can say that they are the same. How to stand up a slide on a longboard is not so easy and is not a good choice if you are a beginner.
In pre drift slide you use your hand on the ground but in the standing slide, you break the traction between the wheels through hard carving and pushing your longboard. Then you need to balance your longboard when it glides across the pavement. Then you need to regain the traction that was lost by shifting your weight and allowing the longboard to grip up.
Well, as we know stand-up slides are the riskiest and hardest ones to perform. But it depends on your potential, if you are good at longboarding and are a fast learner with full focus then it will not be so hard for you.
6. The Coleman Slide
The Coleman slide is an easy slide to perform but requires some practice to position your body correctly. To perform the Coleman slide you need to push your longboard at least 6 to 8 times, so your longboard is at a good speed.
Your stance is very important while performing the Coleman slide because your stability on the longboard depends on your stance. So, to use Coleman slide the position of your feet should be a shoulder-width apart. Your knees should be bent and stooped slightly, then slowly start shifting the weight of your body to the front foot. Once your weight has moved put your rear foot towards the end.
Maintaining your posture correctly extend your front hand to your front and side, and make sure you don’t reverse your position because it may result in losing your equilibrium.
Once you have engaged the Coleman slide then board forward try to stretch out and to maintain your balance on the longboard rely on your hands. And to maintain your weight correctly on the longboard rely on your leg and hand.
Once you are ready swing your hand which is free across your torso to perform the slide. The Coleman slide is performed with your hips to go through the motion. To complete a 180-degree turn just lower your arm to disengage and turn the longboard.
7. The Power Slide
The power is one of the most popular and liked the slide. How to power slide on a longboard is a little bit hard but can be performed if you are good at longboarding. The power slide is a very cool and amazing slide to look at and perform. The stance which is required to perform the power slide looks a bit dangerous and risky to people, but if you practice daily then the posture will not matter to you.
When you are practicing the power slide make sure you are doing it on a small slope or a plane land. At first, you need to do the pre-turn by pressing the front trail with your toe. Then by keeping your weight down initiate a heel-side turn.
Once the longboard starts turning, start pushing your longboard with your back foot, it will help you to take your longboard at an angle of 90-degree.
And then in the end release all the pressure on your front foot and the back foot, at that point you will be able to perform the power slide.
8. The Toe Side Slide
The toe side slide is also known as the backside pendulum slide, the toe side slide is a bit similar to the Coleman slide. The toe side slide is not a difficult slide to perform and is a cool slide to perform.
To perform it first you need to gain speed, it is very important to gain fast speed to perform the toe side slide. Then slowly start bending your knees and make sure the weight of your body is at the center of the longboard.
Then slightly hang the toes of your back foot to the rail of your longboard. Then do carve at the side where you want to perform the toe side slide, the carve helps to make you ready to perform the toe side slide.
Crouch on the longboard just like you do on the Coleman slide, it helps to keep the weight of the body as forward as possible. Choose the correct place on the pavement, so you can place your hand there. And use your other hand to grab the rail of the longboard.
Put your back at the front of the pavement and the toe side to the edge of the longboard. After that when you place your hand to the front of the road, you will see that you are on the tip toes of your back foot. And this position of your body is the main trick for the toe side slide.
Now to perform the slide break the grip by kicking the back foot, then swing the longboard free hand and control the direction. But when your longboard is sliding make sure your body is twisted correctly and you are looking on the road.
Also Read: 10 Best All Terrain Electric Skateboard & Longboard Reviews
Basic Steps while Practicing to Slide on a Longboard
We know that every procedure has some proper steps that are needed to be followed in an order to accomplish your goal effectively and efficiently. The same is the case with learning to slide on a longboard. You do not need technical knowledge to perform this task as only practice is required for this purpose.
There are some basic steps that you should consider when practicing to slide on a longboard given below. Let’s have a look at them!
Step 1: Gain Speed
The first step when learning how to slide on a longboard is to gain speed according to the type of slide, it is because some slides are good to perform at high speeds and some slides are good at low speeds.
Step 2: Pre Turn
If you are about to make a turn then it making a slight toe side pre-turn by pressing your front rail would be good, it prepares you for the slide and makes the slide more accurate.
Step 3: Heelside Turn
When practicing to slide on a longboard make sure you do a sharp heel side turn before the slide with your weight being down low.
Step 4: Angle of the Longboard
When sliding on a longboard make sure the angle of the longboard is correct otherwise you can end up injuring yourself. So make sure whenever you turn your longboard you push the longboard with your back foot and the angle of the longboard is 90 degrees.
Step 4: Position of your Body
When you are about to slide on a longboard the position of your body matters a lot. When sliding on a longboard make sure your legs are strengthened out, you swing your shoulders, lean yourself backward, and skid.
Step 5: End the Slide
After initiating the slide when you want to end the slide just release all the pressure using your back foot and put your weight on the front.
Common Mistakes while Sliding on Longboard
We know that human beings are never perfect and are not machines so making mistakes is common. But we can try avoiding making mistakes so we could perform any task without issues or causing any kind of inconvenience. That’s why we should try our best not to make mistakes and try to do everything perfectly even though the task is difficult to perform.
Whenever a person starts learning how to slide on a longboard he requires much practice and advice, it is because he makes many mistakes and sometimes he can’t even understand what mistake he is making. So if you are one of that people then it would be good for you to read some of the common mistakes made by riders while sliding given below:
- The most common mistake which people make while sliding on a longboard is that they put a lot of their weight on the front truck of the longboard which makes the wheels come off the ground. So while sliding on a longboard make sure you do not put much weight on the tip of your longboard.
- Some people just forget or don’t perform the heel side carve before kicking out. It is a big mistake, performing the heel side carve before kicking out the longboard with the back foot is very important as it prepares you for the slide.
- Another common mistake that people make while sliding on a longboard is that put a lot of their weight on the back foot before doing the slide. It is very wrong to put your weight on the back foot before performing a slide because it makes it difficult for you to kick out which can ruin your slide and can cause an accident.
- After kicking out once you have started sliding, some people prefer to lean back but some people prefer to lean forward. I will suggest if you are a beginner then leaning forward would be good. it is because leaning forward gives you more stability and protects you from falling, on the other hand, there are more chances of falling if you lean backward.
6 Tips to consider while Sliding on a Longboard
If you want to do something error-free, you must follow up on the tips provided by an expert regarding that task. Here we have mentioned some of the most important tips for you that you can consider while sliding on a longboard. Let’s have a look at them!
- If you are practicing sliding on a longboard and can’t find a perfect place then parking lots will be the best location.
- If you are a beginner then first master the simple slide then move on to the hard slides and then to the mild slopes.
- As you are a beginner and are not good at sliding on a longboard then it would be better for you to find a clear place without any obstacles like stones to avoid any accident.
- Never put much weight on the tip of your longboard
- Always perform the heel side carve before performing the slide
- Leaning in the forward direction while sliding would be good for you as a beginner.
FAQs
How can we slide on a longboard?
Sliding on a longboard is very easy you just need to crouch on the longboard, bend your knees slowly, and just kick your back foot.
How fast should we go before sliding on the longboard?
For a proper slide on the longboard, the speed which will be best is 30mph.
How can I keep myself safe from falling while sliding on the longboard?
If you want to keep yourself safe from falling when performing the slide then you should focus on the forward and backward leaning break fall. In the start, you should practice on the smooth surface and then move to the harder surface.
How to control the speed of the longboard?
If you are longboarding and you want to slow your longboard then with the help of your feet twist your board around, this method can help you to slow your longboard quickly but it requires hard practice.
How can I make my longboard more stable?
One of the simplest methods to make your longboard more stable while sliding is to tighten the kingpin nut. It stables the longboard making the bushings deform and bunch up. And another method to keep your stance perfect is your stance also affects the stability of the longboard.
Conclusion
Learning to slide on a longboard is easy but it requires a lot of patience and practice. To master sliding on a longboard you need high technical skills and correct balancing position. To be good at sliding on longboards you need to master how to take sharp turns, balance your weight, and a perfect stance. As we know slides are very cool to perform but they require a lot of practice, so make sure you practice until you master them.
In this guide most of the cool and popular slides have been discussed, every slide given has its unique specialty. So you can go through all those types of slides and from them, you can choose any slide which suits you the best according to your riding style.
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