How to Steer a Skateboard

Video Transcript

"Hey guys what's up? This is Jacob from the Skate Barn Skateboard Park in Hempstead North Carolina. Today we're going to learn how to steer a skateboard. When steering a skateboard there are two different ways you can turn your board. The first way, which is probably the easiest way, is called tic tacking. It's where you're going to lift on the front of your board by placing weight on your back foot and shifting your front foot left or right, depending on which way you'd like to turn. Here we go, I'll demonstrate how to turn by tic tacking. To turn right, to turn left. Very simple turn, you can practice it standing still or moving very slowly. The second way we're going to turn is turn by leaning. In order to turn by leaning, you should have fairly loose trucks, these two bolts will loosen your trucks and your bushings will allow you to turn left or right. If you're lightweight, you want to have them very loose, if you're a little heavier, tighten on down. Leaning on a skateboard is probably the first thing anyone does when they stand on a board. Get familiar with your bushings. To turn to the right you want to lean to your toe side, shifting all of your wight to your toes. To turn to your left you want to lean on your heels, shifting all your weight to the back of the board. I'll demonstrate turning right leaning on my toes. Easily in a five foot distance you can make a ninety degree turn. I'll demonstrate turning to the left leaning on my heels and that's how you turn on a skateboard."