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How to Stop on a Longboard: A Guide to Halt Your Ride With Little Effort
Introduction
No matter if you are new or familiar with longboarding, stopping on a longboard can be such a challenge if you do not know how to do it right. Knowing how to stop on a longboard not only makes you perform tricks like a pro, but also keeps you from hurting yourself.
This article will show you exactly how to do it like a pro. Let’s get started!
Why Do You Need to Learn to Stop on a Longboard?
We all know that feeling when we first got a new longboard. It feels like we are falling head over heels in love.
To have a good “relationship” with this “longboard lover”, you will have to master your ability to stop it when it is running fast. Knowing how to stop on a longboard will make you have more fun and reduce the risk of accidents.
Best Ways to Stop On a Longboard
Jumping off your longboard
If you love to ride a longboard, you’ll feel so excited after watching YouTube videos of longboard riders jumping off the board. This is one of the most crucial skills you should learn if you are eager to master this sport.
To jump off your longboard, you need to slow it down first. If you just jump off when it is running at high speed, then there’s a high likelihood that you’ll end up hurting yourself.
To slow it down, first, put your back foot near to the end of your board. Try to balance your body on the board. It can be hard to balance your body at first, but after practicing for a while, you can do it more naturally.
When your board is running slowly, there are two ways you can jump off.
- First way: Just simply put your back foot on the ground and go along with your board until it stops. This way is safer for you.
- Second way: When you get more familiar with the board, you can jump off the board without touching the ground first. But remember, you should only do this when you can control and balance the board well enough.
Jumping off your longboard is the basic way
Stopping on a Rough Surface
If you are riding so fast on your longboard, making a sudden stop can be dangerous because you are prone to fall in the wrong position, especially when you are a newbie. To make it safer for you, you should find a rougher surface such as grass to practice stopping.
How can grass surfaces prevent you from falling? When you are riding your longboard, you normally go on smooth surfaces if you want to go fast. But when you go fast, it is not easy to be balanced.
Rough surfaces make your longboard go slower, making it easier to take control of.
Even though stopping a longboard onto a rough surface makes it easier for you, you should be careful with the objects on the surfaces because they might hurt you badly. It will not be a good decision if you choose the area with rocks and other dangerous objects and learn how to stop your longboard.
So, we highly recommend you choose grass surfaces over others because the grass is soft and in case you fall onto it, you will not hurt yourself too much.
Braking With Your Foot
Knowing how to brake with your foot will help you gain more control over your board. Braking with your foot can only be safe if you do it before your board goes too fast because when it goes too fast, you will not be able to touch your feet on the ground anymore.
To brake with the sole of your foot, first off, lean yourself to the front so that you can put your body weight on the front foot. Keep on going like that and try to balance yourself on the longboard for a while.
Next, slowly lift your back foot up and then lower it to the ground. Remember that you should do it gradually to gain more balance and remain in control.
We recommend you find safer surfaces to stop such as grass or dirt.
Carving turns
Carving turns can be hard to perform, especially when you’ve just started riding a longboard for a short time. But if you want to master your longboard riding skills, this is what you should practice. It can also improve your strength and confidence with the board.
What is a carving turn? It is a technique people use to stop their longboard. How to do it? You will need to form an “S” line instead of going straight. When you are riding fast, lean your body and make the “S” line. This is how you can slow down the speed and make a carving turn.
One of the best surfaces to carve is a hill. Not everywhere is suitable for carving turns because this technique is difficult to perform. Choosing the wrong place to carve might make you fall or hurt yourself.
Your best choice can be the hills that are specifically made for board riding . You can find them in the parks or places built for sport lovers. If you cannot find them, then you can choose the natural hills that have smooth surfaces
Sliding the Longboard
Sliding on board means you will pick one side of the road to turn. When you do this, your board will go slower and gradually come to a stop.
Balance should be one of the first things you need to pay attention to before making a stop on a longboard using any technique.
To slide, you should slide with the toe side pointing. Then, you can turn your hips and shoulder to the side that you want to slide. While doing this, make sure you are still leaning on your back.
You should not lean forward too much, especially when your back foot is lifted, because that will make the longboard suddenly stop. This can make you fall off the board.
Sliding, like carving, is not what you can master overnight. Besides, you should choose the places that have less traffic to practice when you are not yet familiar with sliding on a longboard.
What You Should Keep in Mind When You Have To Stop at High Speed on a Longboard?
It is always safer if you lower the riding speed gradually instead of coming to a sudden stop, for sure. But in some cases, we have no choice but to stop as fast as possible. Maybe it is because there is a car coming, or when we suddenly see a crossover.
The techniques we mentioned above are the best ways to stop at high speed. However, the safest way to stop on a longboard is stopping onto a rough surface. Again, the best rough surface is grass.
Keep in mind that this sport involves sudden stops all the time, so the best way to protect yourself is to find a place with as few people as possible. You will not want to hit someone, especially small pets, kids, women, and old people.
Traffic is one of the biggest concerns. Find somewhere that does not have so many transportations around, especially cars and trucks. If you have to ride in those places, do not go so fast and keep your eyes focused on the roads.
Newbies should be careful with stopping on a longboard, read more
Protections Should Be Your Priority
Protections should be your priority if you are in love with “dangerous” sports such as bike hiking, car racing, or mountain climbing. Longboard riding is not an exception.
You should wear protective gear for the most vulnerable parts of your body such as head, knees, hands, elbow. Every part of your body must be protected, but a good helmet is what you need to have first. Having a good quality helmet should be your first consideration before you start your very first board riding day.
We all felt off when we first learned to walk or ride a bike. Riding a longboard will not be the exception.
Make sure you have your helmet, elbow pad, knee pads, and gloves on. It will be even safer if you have a long suit that is made for speed sports.
Best Surfaces to Stop on a Longboard
The Rough Ones
The rough surfaces (especially grass as we already mentioned in this article) can help you stop your longboard in a safer way. The rough areas can slow down your speed easier.
Hill
Hill is suitable for sliding and carving turns. It can also slow down your speed. But the hill is more suitable for the riders who are more familiar with longboard riding.
Stopping longboards on in the hill
if you want to find the best longboard for beginners, this post is the answer to you
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Conclusion
Learning how to stop on a longboard can be challenging and can be fun at the same time. With different ways of stopping on a longboard mentioned above, you will know how to control your board effectively and have more fun.
If you first try to stop on a longboard, make sure you have all protective equipment on, choose the safe areas to practice, and take it easy. Enjoy your time with this exciting sport!
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