4 ms·

I can only vaguely recall this stage... but I found standing on a board without trucks or wheels fairly helpful! On a relatively firm surface (ie: carpet) this

I can only vaguely recall this stage... but I found standing on a board without trucks or wheels fairly helpful! On a relatively firm surface (ie: carpet) this provides some practice for the balancing act. How foot placement and the contours in the board impact things too Similarly, on something with a little more flex (grass), it's a decent way to start trying some flip tricks :) As for rolling around, I think it's mostly finding really smooth/flat surfaces... and just doing it a lot. Depending on your wheels/weight placement, anything thicker than a quarter can stop you almost immediately. It takes a little while to get the 'feel' and speed to deal with rougher surfaces particularly well

rahimnathwani 4y ago
So perhaps it was a mistake to try to learn to push off without first learning to balance on the board, with both feet, then one foot etc?
- bravetraveler 4y ago
  Now that you mention it... there's probably something to that. The 'kicking off' motion is pretty tricky, compared to say - standing normally, rolling down a driveway. Instead of just managing balance side/side, front/back gets really important with only one foot on the board -- it wants nothing more than to shoot forwards/backwards, depending on where you're leaning. Some familiarity with standing on it is key, mainly because kicking requires a lot of balance/control -- one leg/knee is doing a lot of work. It's holding you above the board, but it's also holding the board under you Standing with one foot on it and rolling back/forth and getting a feel for it can help too. Finding how sensitive the shifts can be and how much 'locking' is necessary to make the transition from kicking to standing
- bravetraveler 4y ago
  Another thought and I can't edit now! Try to avoid learning to push in the 'mango' style; planted foot on the back of the board. Like a Dodge Viper, there's a lot of nose - it's hard to steer/keep under control. Planting your foot near the front of the board is better for keeping control and powering through rough terrain. Near the back, it'll wander/bounce like crazy There's no one good spot, but roughly on/just behind the front trucks is a good place to plant for pushing

rahimnathwani 4y ago

So perhaps it was a mistake to try to learn to push off without first learning to balance on the board, with both feet, then one foot etc?

bravetraveler 4y ago
Now that you mention it... there's probably something to that. The 'kicking off' motion is pretty tricky, compared to say - standing normally, rolling down a driveway. Instead of just managing balance side/side, front/back gets really important with only one foot on the board -- it wants nothing more than to shoot forwards/backwards, depending on where you're leaning. Some familiarity with standing on it is key, mainly because kicking requires a lot of balance/control -- one leg/knee is doing a lot of work. It's holding you above the board, but it's also holding the board under you Standing with one foot on it and rolling back/forth and getting a feel for it can help too. Finding how sensitive the shifts can be and how much 'locking' is necessary to make the transition from kicking to standing
bravetraveler 4y ago
Another thought and I can't edit now! Try to avoid learning to push in the 'mango' style; planted foot on the back of the board. Like a Dodge Viper, there's a lot of nose - it's hard to steer/keep under control. Planting your foot near the front of the board is better for keeping control and powering through rough terrain. Near the back, it'll wander/bounce like crazy There's no one good spot, but roughly on/just behind the front trucks is a good place to plant for pushing