How to Carve on a Longboard: 6 Steps for Beginners
Nowadays, Carve on a Longboard is an integral part of almost every longboarder’s riding and can be practiced in various ways. It is something that all riders aspire to achieve when they first get on their board, and it’s not without reason.
How to Carve on a Longboard isn’t just something that looks cool, it can significantly improve your riding experience and make it a whole lot more fun and exciting.
To help you get started with How to Carve on a Longboard, I put together this comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about this awesome ride.
Let’s get into it!
What is Carve on a Longboard?
How to Longboard Carve is made from laminated maple or bamboo pressed into sheets, glued with cork to be lighter weight for travel, then pressed onto aluminum rails. These strips vary in width so boards can be constructed in different sizes.
The final product varies based on board size but is generally about 3/4 inch thick (1 cm).
Then concave sets the ride of the board which creates three wedges along the full length of the deck from tip-to-tail
The middle, thinner wedge at the front end that narrows as it reaches back toward the tail end is called a rocker.
The wider wedge near the middle of the board underfoot that gradually tapers off at both ends of the board is called camber. Camber makes your skateboard less likely to curl up when turning and allows for smoother transitions from one turn to another.
Rocker provides added grip when going uphill by providing an edge that helps keep your wheels from catching on bumps. How to Carve on a longboard range in price anywhere between $150-$500+, depending on how much they have been ridden, where they were purchased, and who manufactured them.
How to Carve on a Longboard for Specific Uses
Carving longboards are designed specifically with certain purposes in mind. For example, because of the stiff flex and camber profile, carving longboards are primarily geared towards carving or making sharp turns.
In contrast, freestyle longboards typically use an asymmetrical shape or rocker profile which makes them ideal for performing freestyle tricks like dancing and freeriding.
This is not to say that one cannot ride a freestyle board at high speeds on a long downhill section but this typically requires much more skill and experience.
So if you are planning on riding mainly downhills then it is recommended that you purchase a specific Carve on a Longboard with higher strength specifications.
However, if you plan on utilizing your longboard mostly for cruising around town and only occasionally going up hills then a freestyle board may be better suited.
Regardless of what type of carving longboard you decide to buy, it is vital that you understand the capabilities and limits of your equipment before taking it out on any challenging terrain.
What About Carve on a Longboard?
It’s similar to regular carving but done with a longer-shaped deck with bigger wheels. There are three types of carves:
J-Carve
This is where the rider leans down on one knee and then presses up with the opposite leg;
P-Carve
This happens when riders lift both feet off the ground during the carve (which happens mostly at high speeds);
Chicken-Winging
This happens when riders lean towards one side so that one side of their body lifts off the board while it is carved.
Carving Techniques
Basically, there are two carving techniques.
Both are not difficult but you have to follow some basic guidelines.
Let’s see them one by one!
Toeside Carving
Toe-side carves are typically used by advanced longboarders who already have control over their board and want to go faster through sharp corners.
It’s important for riders to remember that they must use different techniques depending on what type of corner they’re approaching; some require a less drastic angle than others, and some boards will react differently depending on which type of carve is being performed.
Longboards with wider decks such as pintails tend to be easier to perform all types of carving moves on because the boards provide greater stability at higher speeds.
How to do it?
The toeside carve can be done with the back foot either up on the toes or down on the heel. It should also be noted that in this example, the front leg will actually do more of a sweeping motion as it follows along with what your back leg is doing.
The key to this one is balancing your weight over your back leg while pushing off as if you were going backward.
This will make it easier for your body to rotate in an arch motion with how much power is being applied by your back leg.
It’s also important to keep your nose pointed at what you’re trying to go around.
Heelside Carving
The heelside carve was the first technique I learned on a longboard. I believe it’s the easiest way for someone new to the sport of Carve on a Longboard or skateboarding in general, to begin their craft.
It can be a little bit difficult at first with improper technique, but when mastered it becomes second nature as riding without putting your feet down is common as well.
How to do it?
The first step in the heelside carving technique is initiating the slide by using your inside foot edge for either speed coming out of a turn or starting a downhill run.
Then take your outside hand and use that to balance yourself. When doing this, if you are just starting out it may be best to lean towards the side of your dominant hand (right-handed riders should lean towards the right).
As you approach the center line of where you want to go, gently apply pressure on that back foot (the one not doing all the work) so that it comes off and now slides on top of the board until it catches up with where your front foot is pointing.
Your weight should also shift slightly so that most of it is over your front leg while keeping enough weight over both legs to maintain stability.
Depending on what part of the hill you’re sliding down, you will have different ways to position your body in order to stay balanced and keep control.
Turning left requires you to lean more into the hill than turning right because it will require more effort pushing against gravity which means less control with less strength.
If going uphill there is no need to move into the hill because gravity will provide all the momentum needed.
However, descending an incline may require some positioning into gravity depending on how steep it is since trying to push against an incline uphill will put excess strain on your ankle muscles which could lead to injury.
How to Choose a Longboard for Carving?
A good place to start when choosing a board for carving would be to look at the wheelbase. This will dictate how much control the rider has. For beginners learning to turn, longer wheelbases offer more stability.
Shorter wheelbases are easier but less stable, so they are better for experienced riders that want quick turns. Once we’ve covered the basics, selecting your board involves a few factors. The first factor to consider is the type of ride you want: mellow or aggressive.
Aggressive boards are great for downhill racing, while mellow boards are better suited for cruising and freestyle riding.
Next up: concave shape. Different concave shapes have different effects on the feel of the ride- some more aggressive than others-so make sure you get one that suits what kind of riding you plan on doing!
Finally, decide what length and width work best with your body type before picking out a deck from all the amazing choices offered by skate shops everywhere!
6 Tips and Tricks
Here are six basic tips for carving on a longboard.
- Don’t look at the ground while carving. keep your eyes looking ahead, maintaining an aware-and-prepared state of mind.
- Point your toe toward the front of the board so that it creates more pressure on the edge of the board, giving you more traction and control over each turn.
- Lean forward slightly so that as your weight moves back when turning, it doesn’t all go in one direction – this will help with balance as well as stability.
- Bend your knees to maintain balance throughout turns.
- Instead of leaning too far forward, bend at the waist to keep your center of gravity low.
- Make sure that you’re comfortable with a slight sideways motion – moving back and forth in relation to the other skateboarders around you.
These maneuvers are not only important for carving but also serve as good safety precautions whenever skateboarding in general. Be careful not to injure yourself while doing anything and take care not to overdo it. However, they’ll come in handy no matter what type of skating you do!
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusions
How to Carve on a Longboard is a unique and interesting activity that can be perfect for someone who’s looking for a new challenge in the sport.
It requires mastering a few technical skills, but it also benefits your muscles through specific training such as balance work, dexterity work, arm strength work, chest strength work, and core stability work.
Even if carving surfing may not be right for you personally there are many ways that people can enjoy themselves on their boards without turning such as cruising down hills or riding up them.
