The most popular longboard shape: Classic Kicktail Style

Ever since surfing hit the pavement and skateboarding and all that these magnificent sport entails were born, there have always been several ways and styles of riding. Well, one of the most fun and versatile tools that a longboard or skateboard has is the kicktail, which in short is the inclination that the nose and tail have concerning the ground.

One of the particularities of a skateboard is the type of kicktail it has. Normally there are three types of kicktails: deep or "steep", medium or "medium" and soft or "flat".

The deeper a kicktail is and the more angle it has concerning the ground, the more pop potential it will offer and the more we will be able to raise our board off the ground. Of course, being more separated from the ground will cost us more energy. On the other hand, the softer the kicktail, the less energy it will cost us to lift the skate, but the less height potential the board will offer us. Finally, we have the medium kicktail, which is precisely for those who are looking for a balance between both options and do not want to gamble.

Of course, do not be obsessed with this detail (especially in your first boards), as it is a detail that also ends up choosing the taste of each rider. Give yourself the pleasure of trying different types of the board to find yours!

Board Concave:

The concave is the longitudinal curvature ((along the length of board) ) of a longboard skateboard. The higher this curvature, the more pressure you can exert on the edges of your skateboard and therefore the easier it will be to do your fliptricks. In skateboarding, we can find three types of concave that we will describe in more detail below: low, medium and high.

Low concave:

Also known as "mellow concave". Skateboards with low concave have a slight curvature, which will give you more stability but will take away some agility. Also, low concave boards are more difficult to turn when doing your flip tricks.

Medium concave:

Medium concave skateboards offer a perfect balance between low concave and high concave boards. They are perfect for riders who don't want to gamble and want to find something in between. Most skateboards on the market are medium concave.

High Concave:

Also known as "steep" concave. These skateboards have a very steep camber, which makes the board more agile and makes it easier to turn on flip-tricks. But they have a small disadvantage and that is that high concave boards will not forgive you even the slightest mistake in catching your trick or falling it.

In the following image you can see the three concave styles, so that you can take into account their differences.

Board concave:

So a kicktail is in the front and back, where concave is across the sides of the board.

The kicktail will always be the most classic tool that anyone who is immersed in this great world of skateboarding will have at hand, as well as the most versatile and will help you to get better tricks and incredible rides with your friends, focus on enjoying!

If you are a beginner skater, who still does not know what is your type of concave, from Longboards USA we recommend you to start with a medium concave board and gradually define what your tastes are.