4 steps to get over the fear of jumping on a longboard

So you bought your first longboard and you’re able to push, cruise, and stop—awesome! The next way to level up your skills is to learn how to jump on a board. “But I’m going to eat shit and die,” you may be thinking. Well, fear not! We’ve got some tips to make jumping on (or onto) a board less intimidating.

Step 1: Put on your helmet and wrist guards

Safety gear isn’t just great for avoiding injury. It also makes us feel more confident in committing to a trick, because the risk of injury is much lower.

Step 2: Practice on grass

Drag your board onto a flat part of grass and practice jumping onto the middle of the board, landing with your knees bent. Try it from different positions: behind the board, to the sides, and in front. This may feel way too easy, but it builds the muscle memory that will allow you to get your jump height and direction dialed in.

Step 3: Find the smoothest concrete you can

When you’re ready to practice with a moving board, first be sure you’re riding on the smoothest surface possible. If you’re going too slow, and the road has debris or is choppy, there’s actually a higher likelihood your board will catch something and stall when you try to jump on. (And you don’t want that happening).

Step 4: Jump jump jump jump

To practice while moving:

1. Start by pushing just a bit slower than your cruising speed.
2. Once you’re cruising and feel stable, jump off the board in whatever direction you feel most comfortable.
3. Jump back on!

This excercise will set you up to learn moves like the Ghostride Kickflip below:

Level up with grab tricks

Once you feel comfortable jumping off your board and back on, you can start experimenting with new tricks that involve your longboard in the air or in your hand. The Frontside Boneless 180 is a great grab trick to start with.