The 10 Easiest Longboard Tricks to Become an Expert!
If you are learning how to longboard and want to know some of the most popular tricks, then you have come to the right place! Learning a new activity and all its variations is not easy, but it sure is exciting! That's why here we will show you the tricks that will take you from being a beginner to a pro longboarder!
These tricks will also give you a lot of ideas for variations of other tricks because these are the basics, moves, and jumps to start discovering this skating style. That's why below we will show you some of the 10 most exciting and easy to learn Longboard tricks.
1. PIVOT (FAKIE/NOLLIE)
This is the first trick that most longboarders start with. It is a basic 180 with your body; when you do this, your board will make a 180 degree turn too.
To pull off this trick, you must load the nose of your board and use your shoulders and upper body to make the pivot. Focus your weight on the foot that is on the nose of your board. You can do this nollie (front foot dominant on the nose) or fakie (front foot not dominant on the nose). You can improve your pivot control by reducing the weight you put on the board nose, and forcing more of a "sliding" pivot movement.
The key point is to roll your body in the opposite direction that you are going to pivot before you do the trick. You must also bend your knees before doing it. So, you bend your knees; you do the 180, you shift your weights to your front foot, and that's going to make your board go up.
2. SHOVE-IT (FAKIE/NOLLIE)
The nollie/fakie shove-it technique is nearly exactly the same as the nollie/fakie pivot. If you can do a well-controlled sliding pivot, it will be very easy to learn this trick. The only difference between the pivot and the shove-it is the jumping movement. You will do a sliding pivot, and instead of turning your shoulders, you will jump to the right when the board turns 45 degrees.
The key point to successfully pulling off this trick is to jump as little as possible when you start. Concentrate on jumping with both feet and catching with one foot when landing. This will give you a chance to jump with the other foot if you catch the board wrong.
3. NO-COMPLY 180
This is a very useful and fun trick as it works as a push to generate speed and momentum out of it. To execute this trick, you must kick your board 180* towards your opposite hip. If you are regular, kick it towards your left hip, and if you are goofy, kick it towards your right hip. It is important that you kick it to the side, as this will give you maximum confidence to land the trick.
Once you get the perfect kick and catch the board on your opposite hip, you should concentrate on doing the same foot motion, but also jump simultaneously with your back foot. Ideally, you should be able to jump the board and also land back down with both feet starting from the rest position.
4. KICK FLIP
The Kickflip is a great trick, and it is also essential for advanced tricks like the big flip, the varial flip, and many more. It will give you a lot of confidence to learn other more complex tricks. To achieve this trick, your foot placement must be fairly centered; this trick is simple but can be very intimidating. Concentrate on lifting the board from the tail, get comfortable lifting the board, and jumping with it. Once you get it, try jumping up and kicking the board down with your big toe.
Over time, you'll get the flick and kickflip without compliance pretty consistently. So from there, all you have to do is force your body to jump while popping and flicking the board. This may take some time but focus on getting the perfect flick before you start jumping as this will improve your confidence noticeably.
5. GHOST RIDE
This trick's name is pretty interesting, but the coolest thing is that it falls into the dance tricks category. This is a simple trick that is performed by jumping off the deck and returning to it while running. To pull it off, you have to keep your feet between the bars at shoulder height.
Keep the front foot firmly in the center of the board, close to the edge, and 90 degrees to the back foot. The back foot goes around the front foot and comes off the board, this is the moment when you should use your front leg to jump off the board. Be sure to push the board so that it runs next to you as you move, then your back foot will hit the ground as your front leg goes around it and back to the deck. Keep in mind to maintain a steady, smooth speed so that the board doesn't run away from you.
6. GHOSTRIDE FLIP
This one is a really fun and simple trick. Basically, you kick the board while you are "ghost riding" and walk next to it. There are many variations and ways to do it, but the easiest one is to step behind the edge of the heel side of the board and flip the board from there.
You can practice this standing up and get the flip consistently. Concentrate on flipping the board on a diagonal to where your body is, or in front of where you are going to jump. This will allow you to roll with speed. If you flip the board perpendicular to your body, it will be difficult to continue your forward momentum.
7. ONE FOOT BALANCE
This is also one of the basic tricks that every beginner should learn as it will allow you to train your braking skills. First, place the driving foot in front of the dashboard, push a little and try to balance on just one leg. Keep in mind that the driving leg has to hang parallel to the balancing leg and not too high from the base.
As you work on the trick, keep increasing the distance. The main purpose of this movement is to ride on one leg. Don't push your leg too far away from the leading leg if you don't want to fall off the board, which also helps you balance better. Move your upper body forward a bit to avoid the board moving away from you and getting hurt when you land on the road. A tip is to learn with both feet, as later on, other tricks will require both legs.
8. FOOT BRAKE
This is one of the most basic and necessary tricks for any longboarder because a common question riders ask is: "How do you brake a board? It is said that if you don't brake with your foot, you can't slow down or stop, but that's what this trick is for.
It's an easy trick to do, just like the push, lift your back foot by bending your knee a little; don't rush, be calm and smooth. Rotate your dominant foot forward a little keeping your weight on the foot, bring the back foot down and keep it brushing the street, and feel a strong and proper contact on your foot.
Make your body lean back once you have street contact. Try to put more weight on it, and it will help you brake much faster; you can also use your arms to do the balance. Make this attempt faster and try to brake harder.
9. CROSS STEP
This is a dancing freestyle trick; when you get it perfect, it will make you more confident and stable as a freestyle rider. If you like dancing, this is the one to learn. It's like footwork, which will carry your load forward to keep your board at speed in a straight line.
It's best to do it on a flat straight and an empty road; make sure you get some momentum to have stability on the board. Use your arms to balance yourself while moving your front foot on the end of the board. After this, try to slowly and smoothly lift your back foot off the board by pushing your weight forward.
Now, try to put your weight on the new front foot while balancing the other one and while pushing the board, keep trying to walk on it balancing your body with your arms. Don't rush this process, the reason why this is more difficult is that you are not used to skating with your back foot, but with a little practice, you will do it like an expert.
10. DOWNHILL TUCK
With this trick, as a rider, you should go down the slope as fast as possible and try to control the board. The main reason for this trick is to reduce air resistance while gaining flexibility in your body. The body position is supported by the front foot, which is fully positioned on the board, while the back leg is supported by the toe. Bend your knees and keep your hands behind your back.
Your front leg should be placed on the front of the deck, and your back foot should rest on the edge of its toe; this provides a front twist. Now, curve your back by placing your chest against your leg; this position will help you to turn quickly, so start slowly to gain perfection.
With these 10 tricks, you can become an expert longboarder! Remember that practice will make you better every day, so don't give up! Now, the most important thing is to have the right board and the best accessories so you can ride in the best way. Visit our Longboards USA website and discover all the products we have available for you!
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