This article is for those who want to ride a longboard. Longboard – although long, but not a training board.
It is no easier to ride it beautifully, stylishly, and technically than on a shortboard. It will also have to be learned. To tell you where to start, I spoke to Katya Katya.
Shaka Vostrikova. Of the girls I know, longboarders, Katya progressed the fastest. She takes surfing very seriously, works with coaches, and participates in competitions.
Looking at how she skates and develops, I have not a shadow of a doubt in her expert opinion.
Table of Contents
Preliminary preparation
Once again, a longboard is not a learning board. To start developing in this direction, you need, in principle, to learn how to ride.
It means that after the training soft top, you should first reduce the board and master the fundamental maneuvers. Then, ideally, walk to the 7’0″ Malibu and ride it for a while.
But it is easier to master carving and turn on a shorter board. Plus, 7ka makes it possible to get used to the speed, which will come in handy later when you master the noserides.
A longboard, like a shortboard, does not exist without basic maneuvers. We do all the tricks in surfing to ride the wave as long as possible.
In this sense, a longboard is not only cross-steps and no-rides, but it is also, in principle, depending and wave processing, which cannot be complete without basic maneuvers.
Without a base, it is impossible to do more advanced tricks.
So, a checklist by which you can understand that you have an understanding of the board, an understanding of the ocean, and it’s time to learn longboarding consciously:
- You take 8 out of 10 waves. Those that you try to get rid of are counted. You see waves that will not push and do not waste your energy on them.
- Don’t lose your wave. You ride a snake, picking up and maintaining speed, all the time you stay on the wall
- Doing maneuvers. Bottom and top turn cut back. Let it be not perfect, not at the maximum amplitude, but you do it.
If you answered “yes” to all points, proceed to the next step.
Board selection
The first option, High Performance, is close to shortboard: fast amplitude turns, cutbacks, snaps, floaters, and so on.
This style sits between the old “traditional” surfing and the modern shortboard. Noseriding is a classic style of longboard riding, which is rightly compared to dancing on a wave: the surfer runs back and forth across the board, hanging from the edge of one (turn 5) and two toes (hang 10).
A mix of these two styles, Power Classic – a combination of classic and progressive maneuvers, is now gaining popularity and is most appreciated in competition.
At first, you shouldn’t think about complex combinations. On the contrary, you need to choose from the two extremes to which the soul lies more and 100% focus on it.
Thus, the first thing we do is decide on the style and take a sharpened board.
So, for example, if you want to learn how to walk on the board and ride on the bow, we take the Noserider; if, on the contrary, there is a desire to ride aggressively and at high speed, we take High Performance.
It is not advisable to take a hybrid as the first board. In theory, it allows you to do both classical and progressive maneuvers, but it will not make learning easier for either one or the other. It’s best to choose a board that matches your desired style, and the more radical, the better.
So, if you want to learn No side, take the most old-school long, which rides just like a tram. It isn’t easy to turn it, but it will be straightforward to start walking on it, and for the first six months, you will be doing just that.
After that, it will be possible to take a more agile board and set the next task – to learn how to turn. Already mastered maneuvers will not go anywhere from you.
You cannot learn everything at once in a longboard – both run on the nose and turn sharply – because different boards are needed for other purposes.
For example, a few years will take even a very talented person to learn how to do no-rides if they have an HP board.
It is better to take the first few boards used because they are cheaper, and you can change them more often; this will allow you to try different shapes and “shoot.”
Spot selection
Or rather, different boards and different waves are required for other purposes.
For example, if the task is to learn how to make turns, you can start with more giant waves but with a relatively flat wall, which will allow maneuvers.
But gradually, the sharpness of the wall will need to be increased. On the other hand, if the primary task is to start walking on the board, then sharp waves are needed right away.
At the same time, it is relatively small, less tall, and better generally up to the waist, so it is not scary.
Beach breaks are perfect for training. Usually, waves of this type are pretty sharp even at a small size; they do not knead much, the bottom is safe, sandy, and the peak is not far from the coast.
It’s not scary to fall on beach breaks, and returning to the lineup is quick and easy.
It allows you to make many waves in one gurney, and the number of attempts at first is more important than the ideal shape of the lock itself.
Actions
If the choice fell on High-Performance surfing, everything is clear – you improve the turns and learn to make a deep bottom and a sharp top turn.
It is essential to learn how to crush the rail when you are at the bottom of the wave and transfer body weight from one leg to the other.
Turning the longboard is not easy because it has a long, inert nose. In general, the turn is carried out by transferring body weight to the hind leg.
It is necessary to literally “stand on the fin” (put your hindfoot in place on the tail, under which the fin, and transfer your body weight to it), the bottom will flood a little, and the nose will rise above the water.
After that, you return the bodyweight to both legs, press on the front, a accelerate forward.
Nevertheless, you should still master the noserides and not be limited to some turns. Otherwise, it is unclear why you need a longboard, not a Malibu.
Therefore, let’s dwell in more detail on purely longboard tricks and how to learn them.
Position on the wave is crucial in managing the maneuver or not. A good quality nose ride is done in your pocket on the harshest part of the wave.
The structural features of the NR board help, but the main thing that compensates for the surfer’s weight on the bow is the water falling on the tail.
Accordingly, it would help if you rode in the most critical place, where there is a super sharp wall under the nose, and there is already falling lime or foam on the board’s tail.
At this point, the wave pushes the board very well, which means the maneuver is performed at high speed. One must be mentally prepared for this and not be afraid.
It is precisely what longboarders are chasing – for the sensation of soaring, flying over the wave, when you rush forward at the very edge of the nose, without touching the water.
But, you still have to get to the nose, and the road is not close.
The critical section of the wave, which gives a sharp wall and pushes well, is a limited resource, so we don’t waste time and proceed to maneuvers immediately after the start.
Step one: position the board correctly
It can be achieved by being in the upper third of the wave when the board is parallel to the wall.
There are two ways to get into this position: start perpendicular to the lock and make a sharp bottom turn; or start directly at an angle to the wave.
You need to master both methods. Side start is generally a handy skill; it dramatically expands the range of locks you can start on along.
Even a very sharp wave can go sideways, on which, with an immediate start, you would inevitably burrow your nose.
A tapered bottom, in turn, will allow you to reach the desired position not only from the start but in general from any point after other maneuvers, from the middle and even at the end of the wave.
The speed there is lower, the board is more stable, and it seems that it will be easier to walk on it.
But this is not the case! It is IMPOSSIBLE to ride on the bow in the gentle art of the wave; it will go under the water.
It’s pointless to argue with physics here, so you need to overcome yourself and train maneuvers at speed in the critical part of the wave.
The stage is mastered when, on sharp waves, you stay in the upper third and visually see that your nose hangs above the water.
Step two: cross-steps
When the board is correctly aligned, you should already be walking on it; that is, you should start moving forward a fraction of a second earlier when the board’s nose visually tends upward.
Moving the surfer closer to the bow will slow down the board and prevent it from climbing too high and being behind the wave.
But timing is critical here: as soon as you feel that the board has started to “sink,” slide to the lower part of the wall, or you see that the nose goes down and seeks to touch the water (the backlash disappears), you need to urgently retreat, closer to the tail, and again put up aboard.
Pros know how to jump from the start to the middle of the board and find themselves on the nose with one cross-step.
Or vice versa, they take a fantastic longboard, 13-14 feet, and can do up to 4 crosses on it. A superficial human level that you have to master first – Peikoff closer to the tail and two crosses to the nose.
Here, by the way, it is essential to return to the choice of the board – the only thing that affects the length of the longboard is how comfortable it will be for you to walk on it.
Surprisingly, inches and centimeters turn out to be decisive: with a height of 155 cm, two steps fit into 9’0 “, I am 166, I ride 9’2 “, and Katya is 169 cm, and her ideal size is 9’3 “. If the board is short for your height, then after the first step, there is little room in front for the next.
If, on the contrary, it is longer than necessary, then after two cross-steps, you seem to be on the nose but not on edge; your fingers do not hang down. Your ideal longboard length is determined empirically, that is, by trial.
It is what the reference Hang 5 looks like.
(noseride with hanging toes)
Errors: starting in the middle of the board
Getting closer to the tail at the start is also crucial so that there is enough space for two crosses.
Longboard stance: legs
This stance allows the surfer to transfer weight on one leg, almost without changing the body’s position in space.
Try to stand on the ground with your feet wide apart, and then stay on only one of them. You will have to shift the center of gravity firmly to do this.
Onboard moves this movement will lead to a loss of balance. The longboarder’s legs are so vast that when the weight is transferred from one to the other, the pelvis shifts by no more than 10 cm, that is, quite a bit.
If you jumped into a wide stance, first bring your back leg closer to the front, and only then move on to the crosses.
First steps
First, you need to learn how to ride in the desired part of the wave with crossed legs.
To do this, we transfer the weight to the front leg (thanks to the narrow stance, the body practically does not shift, the board rides smoothly), we almost lift the back foot from the board so that we can touch with some fingers.
Have not lost your balance – great. Gently move the hind leg forward (the legs are crossed), but do not put it, and lightly touch the board.
We learn to ride and keep balance on one leg and rearrange the other back and forth without transferring weight. It turns out? We cross our legs, move the weight and repeat the exercise with the other leg.
Error: sidestep
In no case do not start walking like a crab – this is the way “to nowhere.” Anti-style, which is very difficult to get rid of later.
Longboarders do not walk with a side step. Never. Cross step only. Hardcore only.
Longboard stance: back, head, pelvis
In general, the Longborian stance is narrow and soft, and relaxed. It is subtle, but the knees are always bent slightly for cushioning, just not as much as short boarders who need compression to maneuver.
This position allows you to keep the center of gravity slightly behind because when the surfer walks on an already moving forward board, he needs to “slow down” himself.
If you step forward and thereby add more speed to yourself, by inertia, you will fly. Further, you will not be able to stop.
Therefore, longboarders always deviate slightly when walking to compensate for inertia.
When they go forward, they lean back, and vice versa, stepping back to the tail, they straighten the body, sometimes even slightly bending at the lower back.
It is also important to rotate your hips perpendicular to the board to make your crosses look friendly and accessible.
If you do not turn them over, you will have to take your pelvis back to cross your legs.
At the same time, the body will automatically tilt forward (towards the rail), which introduces a muscular imbalance, leads to more frequent falls, and does not look graceful at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4rLgm4Ha2A
Watch this video with Alex Knost. It is certainly not a newbie; Alex is one of the most stylish longboarders in old school, known worldwide.
But on the other hand, on his skating, you can see what you need to strive for – backward bend, straight loin, soft knees. Style!
Shore training
To learn how to walk on the board, practicing cross-steps on the shore is essential.
A beautiful correct cross-step on the ground (slowly and thoughtfully) does not immediately work out; what can we say about those fleeting seconds on the wave.
First, the body must memorize the stance and movement mechanics to repeat them on the board.
Then, you can walk around the house with a cross step. If the neighbors look at you like an idiot, then tell them that they are fools.
And keep training. The next level is slackline; it teaches you to balance when walking with a cross step.
An excellent, effective exercise is walking on your board. You twist the fin, put it on the pillows, and go ahead: Peikoff, stand, two crosses up to the nose.
But, first, you will measure the ideal stride length for a specific board.
Important details
If you watch the competitions and videos with the professionals at slow speed, you will see that they still put their feet in turn, albeit so quickly that it seems like a jump.
Also, note that longboarders often get stuck at the start. Learn not to rush either, since the longboard allows you to get ready in advance.
Feeling that the wave has picked up, make a backbend, straightening your arms, but do not jump up immediately, pause for a second in this position, look at the wave wall, how it rises, where there will be a section suitable for steps and no-ride.
The longboarder’s gaze is always directed to the section of the wave directly in front of the board.
To reach the nose and then have time to return, you need to analyze the wave, predict it constantly.
You can see where you are stepping, but only briefly, but in general, you have to walk according to muscle memory.
Longboarders row with bent legs, not for beautiful photographs, but because this is the ideal position on the board. The knees must be brought together.
Otherwise, the long will swing from side to side. The shoulders and knees form a triangle that maintains the correct balance; the board glides effortlessly through the water and speeds up.
The most important
You will have to lose a lot. Noserides are a lot of falls. Many girls, for example, stop developing at one cross-step.
You took a step, and that’s it; you seem to be driving beautifully, you don’t want to fall, you don’t want to lose the wave. But without falls, there is no progress.
Only by attacking will you understand how not to fall. If you fail, it means progress. If you do not lose, you are stuck in your comfort zone, but there is no progress in it.
