Longboarding is an exciting passion that is enjoyed by people all around the world. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced longboarder, one of the essential skills that you must learn is where to put your feet on the longboard. It’s a crucial factor that can significantly enhance your performance and safety while riding on your longboard. In this article, we’ll be discussing the different foot placements you can use on a longboard, and how they can affect your ride.
Why Is Foot Placement Important?
Before we dive into the different foot placements, it’s essential to understand why it is crucial to learn proper foot placement. Foot placement affects the balance of the rider and can make a considerable difference in the overall performance of the longboarder. Improper foot placement can lead to instability and reduce control over the board, which can result in accidents or injuries. In short, foot placement is necessary for rider safety and performance.
Foot Placement for Longboarding: The Basics
The most basic and widely used foot placement for longboarding is called the “Cruising Stance.” This technique involves keeping your feet parallel to each other, with your front foot positioned slightly ahead of your back foot. This stance is ideal for straight cruising because it provides a stable base and maximizes control over the board. This stance is well suited for beginners as well.
Another basic foot placement technique is called the “Pushing Stance,” which involves keeping your feet perpendicular to each other, with your back foot positioned parallel to the board’s direction, while your front foot is angled towards the nose. This technique is for when you need to push your board for acceleration or to gain speed.
Foot Placement for Longboarding: Advanced Techniques
Once you’ve mastered the basic foot placements, there are several advanced techniques you can learn, each with their unique benefits.
• The “Carving Stance”: This technique involves angling your front foot to the direction you want to turn and keeping your back foot parallel to the board. This stance increases your maneuverability and lets you carve aggressively, making it perfect for sharp turns.
• The “Downhill Stance”: This stance involves keeping both feet perpendicular to each other, with your back foot angled towards the back of the board, while your front foot is angled towards the nose. This stance provides the perfect balance and allows riders to maintain control and stability at high speeds.
• The “Dancing Stance”: This technique is for those who love showing off their skills and involves keeping your feet at shoulder-width apart, typically in a cross-step pattern. This technique is useful for riders who like to perform tricks and dance on their longboards.
Experimenting With Foot Placement
The beauty of longboarding is that it offers endless opportunities for experimentation and creativity. Foot placement is no exception. As you gain more experience, you can come up with unique foot placement techniques that work best for your riding style. You can experiment with various stances to see which offers the most comfort, balance, and control. You can also adjust your foot placement depending on the terrain, riding speed, and the type of longboard you’re using. Longboarding is all about finding what works for you, so don’t be afraid to experiment and try new foot placements.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
While experimenting with foot placement is crucial to enhance your longboarding skills, there are some common mistakes you should avoid. One of the most common mistakes is placing your feet too far apart or too close together. Having your feet too close together can decrease your balance, while having your feet too far apart can reduce your control over the board. Another common mistake is having too much weight on your front foot, which can result in wheel bite leading to you getting thrown off the board.
Conclusion
In conclusion, finding the perfect foot placement for your longboard is essential to improving your riding experience. Proper foot placement aids overall stability, balance, and rider safety and drastically affects the control and maneuverability of your longboard. As we’ve discussed in this article, there are basic and advanced foot placements that you can use and experiment with to improve your longboarding skills. Always remember that the most crucial thing is finding what works best for you as an individual rider, depending on your riding style, experience level, and terrain.
