How to Do Carving on a Longboard

Longboards allow you to cruise from A to B in style.

The longboard offers riders a more relaxed, cruising style than the shorter, traditional skateboard. This is ideal if your interest in board riding comes from the appeal of controlling the board at speed rather than pursuing a more aggressive style involving tricks and jumps. One of the fundamental skills for the longboarder is carving, that is, weaving from left to right in order to control speed on downhill sections.

Things You'll Need

• Longboard
• Safety equipment

Instructions

1. Propel the longboard with a few kicks or begin on a very gentle hill. Practice in an area with no traffic when you are first learning to longboard.

2. Get your balance with both feet on the board and stand almost upright with knees slightly bent. Control your speed initially by moving from a faster, ducking position, to a slower upright position.

3. Lean gently onto the ball of your feet and toes. The board will turn in the direction you are facing. Maintain the lean until the board is positioned perpendicular to the slope of the hill or you are approaching the edge of the surface you are riding on.

4. Lean back, shifting your weight onto your heels and dropping your body into a near-crouching position. The longboard will turn to face the opposite direction. When the board is almost perpendicular to the slope, turn once more.

5. Continue turning left and right in this manner. Pay attention to the track to avoid obstacles in your path. Keep your eyes up and do not look down at your feet or the board as this will make you lose balance.

6. Improve the speed of your turns and maintain balance by balancing yourself against the speed of the board. As you turn you will feel a compressing force coming up through your legs. Leaning at the correct angle will allow you to use this force to keep you on the board despite leaning at angles that would cause you to fall if you were stationary.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear a helmet, knee and elbow pads and gloves while longboarding.

References

• Playsport TV: Longboard Slalom
• Longboarding: How to Carve