You own a longboard and know the basics of longboarding, it’s no wonder you would want to learn to slide. But how to slide on a longboard? After learning longboarding people always wants to try out advanced techniques such as sliding. But for beginners, it’s a hard nut to crack. But when you get the hang of it, it enhances your riding experience. Or If you are new to Long Board you can see how to do a longboard ride.
What is Slide on a Longboard?
A slide is a popular technique for a quick stop. Mainly, sliding means you pull your longboard so that the wheels can move freely without gripping the pavement. You need a pair of gloves which will act as the brakes. There is a lot of ways to slide on a longboard. But the most popular of them is the Coleman slide. This content will talk about Coleman slide mainly.
At First: Equipment’s
As I have told you earlier learning an advanced technique like sliding is a difficult job for beginners. There are people out there who don’t need any preparation. But for beginners, they need a helmet, a pair of sliding gloves, a pair of knee pads, skate shoes and an best longboard. This gear will keep you out of unnecessary injuries.
Choosing the Perfect Longboard
The most important thing to consider before learning slide on a longboard you need a good longboard. You need to consider the build quality, weight, and height of the deck and wheels of the longboard before choosing one. Longboards with lowered deck and plenty of space to jam your feet are much more preferable. It’s all up to you. Every longboard is not suitable to pull out a slide. So choose wisely. There are a lot of longboards out there to choose from.
Start Sliding on a Longboard
After you are well equipped and have chosen your longboard you need to start with the basics. Slide means pull out your longboard so that the wheels can propel freely, and you use your hands on the ground to act as the brake.
You need to take a good stance to slide on a longboard. Your stance is an important step. Stand on the longboard. Your shoulder and feet should be width apart. Imagine your board as a clock and your front should be positioned at 11 and your back toe at 1. This is your standing position. To get comfortable in this position you should ride on a flat smooth surface.
Start riding your longboard at a decent pace and try to be comfortable with your stance. Place your toes by the edge of the longboard. At first, try to pedal the board at least 9 times with your one foot.
After that crouch down and put your weight and balance in front of the longboard. Now you are ready to slide. But be careful, some beginners are tempted to lift their back heel up from the board. This is dangerous because this will simply help you to fall backward. You need your back heel flat on the board to help you slide and put your weight in front.
place both your hands on the ground in front of you. At the same time lift your heels off the board. Your special sliding gloves plates will provide enough fraction on the ground for the board to stop.
Look over your shoulder as your boards’ wheels move on freely and comes to a stop. You longboard should drift at least in a 90-degree angle.
Try a few times and you will get the hang of it in no time.
How to Power Slide on a Longboard
When you have mastered slide on a longboard, you might ask how to power slide on a longboard. Well, powerslide is one of the coolest and amazing slides on a longboard. At a glance, the stance looks dangerous and scary. But if you practice it you will get the hang of it eventually.
Start practising on flat ground or on a small slope. Slightly pre-turn with your toe by pressing on your front rail. After that try to initiate a heel side turn with your weight down low. When the longboard starts to turn, try to push your longboard out with your back foot. This will take the longboard 90 degree across. In the end, release the pressure on your back foot and give pressure on your front. There you can now do the power slide.
Howto Standup Slide on a Longboard
If you have mastered the standup 180 slide, then it’s easy for you to learn standup slide. But how to stand up slide on a longboard?
learn this slide at low speed. So, if you fail to slide then you can bail out easily without getting hurt. Try to position both your feet hanging slightly off the heel side of the longboard. This will help to keep control of your balance and control over the slide.
While you are turning right or left, try shifting most of your weight from the back foot to the front foot. If this goes right, the board will slide into the direction you pushed it. You need to shift your body weight or else the slide will fail. But the best way to practice stand up slide, you should practice small twists more.
How to Slide on a Longboard without Gloves
Many sliders don’t need any special gloves to perform a slide. But how to slide on a longboard without gloves? Well, you need gloves to perform a slide. These gloves are made of special fabrics which allow you to use your hands as brake. You don’t need to worry about the speed. But without gloves, you cannot perform a slide.
If you perform the Coleman slide without a glove, chances are that you might injure your hands. But nobody said you can’t. But when you are sliding at a decent speed than its tough to avoid injuries. Top Longboarder Seems to be good for slides on cruising Longboard.
Some Final Thought
Slides are fun to perform. But they need a lot of practice. We have discussed on the basics. We also told you how to stand up slide on a loingboard. Hope this will help you perform slide easily.
