How To Do Just About Everything
Why push when you can LDP! Perpetual board pumping techniques invented centuries ago by Polynesian and Hawaiian surfers, tinkered with on tiny skateboards since the 60's and 70's, and now adapted to modern day longboards. The art and sport of modern day LDP uses pumping motions of the body to propel one's skateboard for distances never before imagined, never putting foot to ground, for miles at a time. This page outlines a variety of pumping forms, including running techniques to make distance longboarding as viable and accessible as any other recreational weekend activity. Adopting a term like Long Distance Pumping, a.k.a. LDP, was simply a way to quickly answer the most common question -- "What do you call this?" -- you'll hear many times while out swinging, chopping, and groovin' down the trails non-stop. Pumping a skateboard's been around as long as skateboards have been around. But taking it another 20--100 miles further, you'll start to actually see the benefit and advantage that focusing on LDP lends to skateboarding as a true distance adventure. And once you've got that down, you could be hooked for life!
Nobody can really tell you step by step how to pump well. Getting out and doing it is the key. Most important is recognizing those moments of acceleration, internalizing how it's happening, then making it your own, eventually incorporating your own style.
This page is going to describe elements that go into pumping, because as long as you keep at it, you WILL reach that moment of discovery when you have just accelerated under your own power, without the benefit of gravity.
There are many ways to go about it, and this is why one person's way to describe it becomes the magical explanation for some, and makes absolutely no sense to another.
The "hula hoop" analogy for example, can be misleading, if you don't already know how to hula hoop. Most beginners assume its a fully circular motion, where its actually closer to rocking weight between your feet. You should end up pumping powerful, alternating SEMI-circles rather than full circles. Whereas if you followed a truly circular motion, you'd be powering only your heel side, and simply ignoring your toe-side pump. So if it really helps to stick with some verbal analogy, make sure your understanding of it is accurate!
Parallels to nature are a more compelling example, such as the graceful dolphin pumping and wiggling through the sea. Since you're upright, your body isn't travelling in a horizontal direction, but when you pump, you can think of an S-turn motion starting high in your chest and core, and continuing through your lower body, all the way down through your board, the trucks, and finally the wheels.
Most pumping involves your feet catching up with your body. Michael D. has coached us all at length in the study of slalom, in how you commit your upper body's movement, and constantly keep your lower body chasing after it. And Michael's has been the fastest guy in the world in the cyber course for the last six years...so I'd say he's probably on to something here.
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There are many pump variations, a distinction which few existing pumping tutorials acknowledge. And there are a couple primary elements:
-- STANCE, where you place your feet most of the time, and
-- FORM, what your body is doing.
I'm going to describe some of these independently.
Mix and match what works for you. And keep at it -- remember, there is no "one way" to pump!
surf stance
STANCE_______________________________
1. SURF stance pumps, thrusting weight into the rear and steering with the front foot.
The surf stance has practically become the de facto standard in most longboard pumping, and in slalom skateboarding. Most freestyle snowboards are set up like this, with the front foot angles around 45 degrees in front, and the rear foot turned just forward of 90 degrees.
This is a very powerful pumping form. It's as if you're throwing all the weight starting from your upper back, through your torso, down toward your feet, committing all your energy and weight into the turn. As you initiate this powerful thrust, you may find your rear foot is up on its toes, especially as you pick up speed.
The photo shows a typical surf stance used in both Long Distance Pumping and in slalom skateboard racing.
2. PARALLEL stance pumps, weighting/unweighting the board with the feet closer together and pointed down the fall line.
Otherwise known as a skier's stance. A much more traditional stance in 70's style slalom skateboarding. Very smooth and cool looking when executed by the pros. Takes a lot more forward and backward balance, as the feet are positioned toward the center of the board, quite close to each other, sometimes even touching, and some riders keep their knees together as well. Watch good parallel skiers or mono-skiers on the slopes going through mogul fields.
This pump can leverage the full power of the 'snap' in the board, as the rider stands center and each turn powers them forward faster. This is a fun technique to experiment with even just out cruising. A upper body variation is holding the arms out in front, almost as if holding ski poles.
3. RUNNING stance pump, body pointed forward, alternating arms front and back. This pump stance is unique to distance riding. The feet are pointing almost forward, and the focus is in weighting and unweighting the two sides of the body by slightly shifting weight in the core.
4. BACKWARD stance, with body pointed opposite the direction of travel. This stance and pump allows you to exercise a whole different range of muscles, and its fun!
pumping using the core, with relaxed, loose arms
FORM_______________________________
Distance pumping usually involves much more subtle upper body motions, small movements in the calves and ankles, and alternating between big sweeping pumps and smaller pumps to conserve energy and move the effort around to different muscle groups. Shaking up your form keeps you from tiring out prematurely, and prevents repetitive motion injuries. Keeping slalom pump intensity and form up for a few miles is not only practically impossible, it simply doesn't make aerobic sense. It would be like applying the techniques of 100-meter sprint to a marathon. With LDP you always strive to minimize effort, for distance.
1. (LDP) HANGIN LOOSE, swinging the arms low and quiet and lightly weighting/unweighting the turns. This is a very efficient pumping technique for riding long distances. The real power here is coming from your CORE, your midsection. Your middle and lower back motions are small but incredibly powerful. Your abs play a part, but most of this comes from the muscles underneath such as the psoas.
2. (LDP) SHADOW BOXING, keeping the arms curled up by the chest, using subtle, ankle and lower leg pumps. Shadow boxing is also one of the primary "maintenance" pumps. It's a subtle motion you can keep going for miles and miles. This again is one of those pumps that didn't come as much out of the slalom world, rather it was borne of necessity in pursuing the most efficient and least energy consuming forms of pumping longer distances.
3. (LDP) ROCKING THE BABY. Generate energy by locking your arms into a comfortable position, then rocking, and letting the bottom of your body follow your arms.
4. (Slalom) Tossing the Baby. This is a powerful accelerating slalom pump. You throw your arms in the opposite direction of your legs and lower body. The midsection is your pivot point, and should keep your torso pointing forward, down the "fall line."
5. (Slalom) THE CHOP. Here, the arms don't swing as high as when Tossing the Baby, but the fast up and down motions play a huge part in flowing down to the lower part of the body, and transmit all that power to cranking the trucks.
Novice 
