subject: Beginner Longboarding Blunders - How To Avoid Them [print this page] Beginner Longboarding Blunders - How To Avoid Them
Longboarders who know what they're doing make it all look incredibly easy. Right? Seems the only thing you need to do is push-off with one foot, then you maintain your balance. Surfing looks pretty easy, as well. All you do is paddle-out, then stand-up when a wave rolls by. You'll learn soon enough that longboarding isn't as easy as it appears. You'll need to bring your skill and practice if you ever hope to do the tricks you've watched others do. Read on to learn some excellent tips that will help accelerate your learning.
You need to have the right stuff - equipment. It can feel awkward to wear the safety gear: elbow/knee pads, helmut, shin guards. When you step onto that longboard, though, it probably won't take too long for you to decide that you are glad you put them all on. But it's like learning to ride a bike. You'll fall more than you ride, especially true for extreme newbies. Properly stopping your board will most likely give you more troubles than you want. After a while, you may want to take off your protective/safety equipment. But the helmut is still advisable to wear. You'll really want to protect your head in case anything happens and you fall. It's important to come to terms with fear. Many new longboarders are too scared to do too much too quickly. They quickly realize there's not much to protect them from getting hurt while they're skating. It's really important to face this if there's any hope for improvement. If you don't work to overcome this, then you'll always be on the sidelines watching others be cool. The only real way to get over this is to keep practicing. The more time you spend practicing the more comfortable you will get on your board and the more you will be open to trying. Learn how to fall correctly and how to mend scrapes and minor longboarding injuries. The more of these things you deal with the less likely they will be to scare you and the better you will be at longboarding.
You'll need to learn the longboarders lingo, and it's good to find out the different kinds of longboards used. Lots of different boards available, and they're not all the same, either. It's good to discover the differences and why they exist. It's really helpful to be able to understand the meaning behind certain skating terms. This way you'll be able to get the help you need when you need it.
There's a heck of a lot more to skating than standing on a flat board for a little bit. Longboards have become an accepted way to travel reasonable distances, plus they're fun to ride. You'll learn better and faster if you'll only open-up your mind to learning.
