If you aren’t sure what longboard skating and sliding is all about, then let us shed some light on the subject for you.
Sliding involves throwing yourself down a hill on a longboard skateboard, and laying out big slides with your hands placed on the ground. Originally designed as a way to regulate your speed down a hill, it has now become a sport in its own right.
So your hands don’t get mashed up, you wear slide gloves, which is a leather glove with acryllic pads on the palms and fingers which allows the glove to slide over the tarmac.
Jay, one of the local skate crew has been experiementing recently with a board camera. Now Jay is a damn good skater, and between him and his buddies, they have been making some outstanding small movies for some time now, but now, with a board cam, you can get a whole new perspective on sliding.
As you can see from Jay’s video, sliding is fun. All you need is some gloves, protection (helmet and pads) and of course a board.
Start out on a gently sloping hill with no traffic (maybe a sloped car park) and just experiment with getting used to putting your hands down and pushing the board away with your legs so it starts to slide. Take it slow at first, but soon you will realise you need a bit more speed.
Speed is your friend, because it helps to keep you stable whilst on the board - i know that sounds weird, but think of a bicycle - when you push it down a hill without a rider on, it stays upright at speed, but as soon as it starts to slow down it wobbles and then eventually falls over - so the faster you go, the more stable you will be.
As you saw in the video, keep your centre of gravity low over the board.You can pick up the basics in a day, but be prepared to stack a few times until you get the technique right - but we guarentee you’ll be having a whole heap of fun in the process.
If you need any pointers, then give us a shout on 08452 037546 or just email us through the website.
For photos, take a look at some of the Sandskater crew sliding last summer.
Get out there and slide….
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