In our previous post, we talked about the necessary gear we recommend you get in order to safely and successfully attempt your first run down a paved hill .
Today, we’ll continue and discuss the basic skills and techniques you’ll be using for downhill longboarding.
Is Downhill Longboarding Fit For You?
Even if you’ve got all your gear ready for a downhill longboarding, it still doesn’t guarantee that you a great fit for this type of longboarding. Downhill longboarding isn’t for the faint of heart. Some even describe it as a type of longboarding for those who have a death wish.
This just goes to show how risky and dangerous it could be. However, if you prefer to live on the edge, love the adrenaline rush, or just love to try out this kind of adventure, you may be a great fit for it.
Just like any other high-risk sport, this requires the utmost commitment. You need to practice and learn the basics plus various techniques so you can enjoy the sport safely. Although many consider this not advisable for beginners, many beginner longboarders are still drawn to it.
Don’t be discouraged, with serious commitment, focus, emotional control, love for adrenaline, and willingness to learn, you’ll be able to master downhill longboarding. First, here are the basics you have to know before attempting downhill longboarding.
Basics For Downhill Longboarding
Going downhill involves a lot of speed so the basic thing that you first need to know is how to control your speed. One of the techniques you should learn and be good at is foot braking. It is a technique that is most useful at moderate speed.
To do it, you simply need to drop your back foot and drag it into the ground. As you can imagine, the friction produced by your foot will slow you down but you can’t really use it for very fast speeds.
Another basic skill that you need to learn is turning. Hills aren’t just straight downwards. Most of the time, they involve turns. You need to learn how to turn to the left and to the right. You do this by leaning on one edge to turn your wheels then your board.
Carving is another basic skill you have to learn. It involves making deeper turns by leaning heavily or shifting your weight. This also reduces your velocity so it’s a way to control your speed and avoid you from being dangerously too fast.
Lastly, you also need to learn the sliding skill. Of all the basic skills, this may be the toughest to learn. This will slow you down dramatically and would involve pushing your longboard sideways to make the wheels skid. Before you try it out one a slope, practice first on a flat surface to get your body familiarized with the movement.
Downhill Longboarding Techniques
Once you know the basics, you can now learn some of the more advanced techniques used during downhill longboarding. They are as follows:
Downhill Tucking
When you think about downhill tucking, one of the first images that go through your mind is tucking. It is when you try to make yourself as small as possible during downhill longboarding. This is done to minimize the wind resistance and to maximize the speed you get when you ride downhill.
Different people may prefer to use different positions while tucking. The important thing is to make yourself as little as possible. This position greatly improves your speed and some who have mastered it can hold the position for a few minutes during their downhill ride.
High-Speed Cornering
High-speed cornering is a level higher than basic turning and will help you with sharp turns even at higher speeds. Even if it is considered as an advanced technique, it is still considered as fundamental for longboarding downhill.
High-speed turning doesn’t only focus on turning into the corner but also preventing loss of speed as much as possible. It is a very technical skill and it can take years before you can master it.
High-Speed Sliding
Sliding is used by longboarders not only to control the speed but also their trajectory. One way to do this is to crouch down and put your hand down to the ground for better stability. How much pressure you place on your hand will greatly affect your success in sliding.
Downhill Carving
Downhill carving takes carving at a new level. This is especially useful at high speeds so you can slow down but also keep your balance to avoid wobbling. Speed wobbles are avoided by more experienced longboarders by shifting their weight to the front while beginners are advised to carve big toeside and heelside turns.
Drafting
Drafting is usually used when racing because it involves another longboarder. To do this, you skate just behind another longboarder so you can further reduce air resistance. This increases your speed and with it, you can pass the other longboarder.
