Some people are visual learners. For them, there are tons of guides on this topic you can find on YouTube. However, I decided to add to that anyway, and I’ve attached a quick video on pushing and foot braking (stopping) below. I’ve also included diagrams to help you get on your board quickly.
But for those of you who need to really read the process to get it in your heads, I’ll break down these two beginner techniques in written format. I know a lot of people prefer written word and reading to videos anyway. Everyone has a different learning style, but there’s one thing everyone has in common: practice is key! I’ll also have some tips on how to practice and improve, even if you can’t get outside.
So, don’t worry if you can’t do this stuff right away, it takes practice!
Table of Contents
Video Tips
Above you’ll find a super short video, just something to give you the basics. I’ll teach you more about how to do this below, but if you want to see pushing and foot braking in action, look no further!
Balance
Learning to balance on one foot on a platform that is both moving and can change direction and angle is the most important thing you can learn. Fortunately, it’s something you’ll master just by skating a whole lot. Your body will naturally get better at balancing. I know that sounds hard to believe, but it’s true. Your body is surprisingly good at adapting to new conditions. Just go skate a lot!
But there are other ways you can get better at balancing on one foot. The best and safest way can be done in your own home without any equipment. Bend a leg and raise your other leg in the air. Put it in front of you, beside you, and behind you. You may even want to try doing the “Tree Pose,” a yoga pose. In this you hold one leg straight and place your other foot flat against your balancing leg. This will help strengthen up your ankle muscles.
I know this all may sound silly to long time skaters. Yoga? For skating? Are you serious? Yeah. It really helps. If you can’t get outside, perhaps because it’s too cold, raining, or you just don’t have the time, some quick yoga will definitely improve your balance and make you a better skater.
Skate and Wobble Boards
You can also try these balancing practices on a skateboard or wobble board. Just remember your likelihood of falling just went up, so be careful. You may want to put your skateboard on carpet, or put small blockades in front of and behind the wheels to keep it from moving as you learn to hold your balance.
A wobble board will really help you strengthen your ankles. Something like this one (affiliate link) is cheap and can give you a platform to practice your balance even when you can’t get outside to skate. I used one while I was skating less due to a broken wrist, and actually still have the one I linked to above.
Is this typically what you’d think of with skating? No, of course not. But if you’re a beginner, especially if your nervous about spending many hours a day on a skateboard, pushing around town or in traffic, then it’s a great way to get started. In fact, you may want to work on your balance before you even buy a board, to help you gain the confidence to pick this hobby up.
You’re a beginner. You’re supposed to be awful. It’s okay to do things that are a little weird, or may even seem a little embarrassing. If it can get you up on a board quicker, and get you skating confidently, then go for it! No one just slaps down a board and becomes a pro downhiller or dancer. It takes years of practice. But getting good enough to get around town? That’s the first step, and you can master it pretty quickly. Once you do, the best form of practice will be to just get out and skate.
Identify Your Pushing and Balancing Legs
Your pushing and braking leg is your back leg. Why? Because pushing with your front leg, called “pushing mongo” requires more hip movement and weight shifting. You’ll find it’s far more difficult to learn, even if it may feel more natural to some people at first. When you leave one foot on your board, that’s the foot that’s in control of the board. It is responsible for steering. Would you want rear wheel steering in a car or bike? No. You can push mongo, especially if you’re more experienced and your doing some extreme long distance longboarding, but you’re going to want to balance with your front leg and push with your back leg. It really is the right way to do it.
Which Leg is Which? Goofy or Regular?
A good way to figure this out is just to stand on a board and get it moving. Which feels right? putting your right or your left leg forward? If it’s your right leg, you’re “goofy,” and if it’s your left leg, you’re “regular.” Neither way is right or wrong! Most right handed people ride regular, and left handed people ride goofy, but the truth is, it’s only a slight correlation. A friend of mine is right handed but rides goofy. You’ll just have to practice to see what feels most balanced and comfortable.
If you can’t figure it out from this, you can also get a friend to push you from behind. Make sure you’re not expecting it. Which foot do you throw forward? That’s your dominant foot. You’ll need this one for pushing and braking, as it’s stronger. Though some people prefer to use that strength to keep their balance on their board as they push. Those are the people who skate goofy, but have a right dominant foot.
The best way is just to ride around for a bit and figure it out. Don’t overthink it! If both feel natural, I’m jealous, because learning switch was difficult for me! You’ll be able to easily swap stances. It’s a good idea to practice with both early on, but you’ll want to focus on the one that feels most comfortable.
Pushing
So let’s get into the bulk of it. Pushing. Why did I talk so much about balancing on one foot? Because you likely only have two of them! Many beginners think of pushing as taking your weight off the board, putting it on the ground, and pushing the board along. That’s a mistake everyone makes, especially if they haven’t worked on their balance and confidence on their board. Instead, you should think of the road like a lake, and your foot like a paddle. You wouldn’t dunk yourself in a lake to move your canoe around, would you? So don’t do that with your land canoe! Here’s how to do it the right way.
Bend the Knee
First, you’re going to bend your front leg. Do it enough that your back leg, your pushing leg, can reach the ground without shifting your weight. Your foot should be able to lie flat on the ground next to your board.
From here, push. It’s okay to put your weight on your pushing leg for the first push, to get started strong, but after that, you’re going to treat that pushing leg like a pendulum or oar. The goal is to keep your weight above the board, and “row” with your pushing foot.
At first, your pushes will be short, because you won’t be able to balance on one foot for very long. That’s perfectly okay! Eventually though, you’ll be able to do large sweeping motions, holding your pushing leg out in front of your board and pushing through it. You’ll be able to bend your front leg more to give your foot longer time on the ground, bending your pushing knee to extend its time pushing. You’ll find a rhythm, a flow, bobbing up and down as you row along the ground with your pushing leg.
Stopping
While more important than pushing, I waited until after describing pushing to make describing stopping easier. There are many ways to stop your skateboard. You could bust out a near 90º stand up slide until your longboard comes to a stop, then pop it up into your hand. Or, you could stomp the ground, putting your foot down and lifting it before it gets pulled behind. The latter is what you’re going to start with, and it’s definitely the easiest way to stop. However, as you’ll notice, it doesn’t work as well when you’re going fast and it hurts your joints and foot. So, I’m going to introduce you to “Foot Braking.”
Foot Braking: Goodbye Soles
Foot braking isn’t something you’re going to get overnight. You literally have to build up the muscles for balancing and holding your foot steady before you’re going to get it right. You likely don’t use these muscles much in your daily life.
It’s a lot like pushing. You’ll bend your front knee, keeping your weight on the board, and lower your foot on to the ground. Since pushing will likely wear down the front of your shoe, you may want to mostly lower your heel, or just keep your foot as perfectly flat as you can. Keep your pushing knee only slightly bent to straight, and touch it to the surface of the road. You’ll make contact and slide your foot along the road. Put more weight on it to stop more quickly, or less to draw it out or just slow down a little.
You’re going to feel this in your inner thigh and upper quads, up by your hip. That’s okay. You’re likely putting too much weight on your foot and this likely isn’t a muscle you’ve used frequently. Over time, you’ll find that you can vary the weight you put on your foot and it won’t be as much of a struggle.
In the beginning, you’ll start off doing this for a very short distance and then stomping the ground. That’s a perfect way to learn it, easing into it. This is a skill you should start working on though. In fact, the same day you get your board to learn to push and ride, you should be trying to do this to stop. It’ll come in really handy on hills later, when you find yourself going too fast with nowhere to go. When you find yourself on a hill going too fast to handle and you can’t bust out a slide, foot braking will be your best friend.
Carve and Slide
Carving is a great way to keep your speed down. Just carve back and forth across the road. This will allow you to take a less direct line down the hill, and your wheels will cut a little speed as they change direction. After you’re extremely comfortable on your board, you’ve learned to push, stand on one leg, foot brake, and how to fall gracefully (don’t put your hands out, run it out if you can, and be ready to roll), then you’ll be ready to learn to slide. I may have a separate article on this at one point.
Basically, you’re going to carve into a turn, staying low, and then take it sharply. You’re going to “de-weight”, that is, lift off your board, standing up straight, leaning backwards as you push your back foot around and forward. You should feel like you’re digging into the asphalt as you lean way back. That’s a heelslide, and many find it to be the easiest standup slide to learn. If you mess it up, you’ll fall forward, and you’ll likely be able to run it out without even hitting the ground. It’s a safe slide to learn first. If you just pull the back around a little bit, you’ll hear them grind into the asphalt a little, and you’ll lose speed. That’s called a speed check. It’s a great first step in learning to slide.
But, honestly? Sliding is something that will come with a lot of practice. If you’re reading this post, you won’t be ready for it for weeks or months, so don’t think about it right now. Instead, focus on keeping your weight on the board, pushing with your dominant leg, foot braking and stopping, and finding your comfort. Eventually, you’ll feel like your board is glued to your feet, a part of you, and that’s when you’ll be ready to learn more. But take your time, learn the basics. If you don’t, you’re going to fall a lot.
Take it from this impatient, frequently injured, skater. I never give my body time to learn something before I try something new, and I’m frequently covered in bruises. Learn from my impatience, take your time! If you give yourself time to learn, skating can be a much safer hobby than you’d think. Sure, sharing the road with distracted drivers, their faces in cellphones, is never safe, but if you give yourself time to get comfortable on your board, at least you won’t be the reason for so many injuries!
