Push until you get to a good cruising speed and then get in your normal stance.

Turn your front foot so that it’s pointing forwards and face your body and shoulders forward.

Bend your front knee, lift your back foot off the board, and slowly press your back foot into the ground alongside your front foot.

Once you have a good contact with your braking foot, start to lean back onto it, applying more and more weight. You’ll start to slow down a lot quicker.

Foot braking is a longboard basic where you drag one foot on the ground to stop and slow yourself down. Besides pushing, it’s the most essential skill.

Turn your front foot so that it’s pointing forwards and face your body and shoulders forward. This is the same position you use when pushing, too.

Bend your front knee, lift your back foot off the board, and slowly press your back foot into the ground alongside your front foot. If your foot is skipping or skidding along the ground, try softening the contact and bending your front knee more.

Foot Brake

The Backside Body Varial is a longboarding freestyle trick where you jump and spin towards your backside in the air 180º into your switch stance. 

Bend your knees and bring your arms across your front hip. This builds tension and will create more momentum when you throw the move.

Bend your knees and bring your arms across your front hip.

Throw your arms and shoulders across your body as you jump up and towards your backside / back shoulder. This gets the 180 twist started and makes it easier to do the rotation.

Throw your arms across your body and look over your shoulder as you jump up 180º and towards your backside / back shoulder. 

Land in a wide stance and bend your knees when landing for more stability. For some people it helps to land with your back foot on the board slightly before the front foot so that you end with the weight on the front.

Land in a wide stance and bend your knees when landing for more stability.

Backside Body Varial

Brandon DesJarlais

The Frontside Body varial is a longboarding freestyle trick where you jump and spin towards your frontside in the air 180º into your switch stance. 

Face your chest forward and bring your hands up and out. Your front arm should be pointed forward and your back arm backwards.

Face your chest forward and bring your hands up and out.

Switch your arm’s position and build tension in your core. At this point your front arm should be backwards and your back arm forward.

Switch your arm’s position and build tension in your core.

Jump slightly and unwind 180º into your switch stance. Land in a wide stance and bend your knees when landing for more stability.

Jump slightly and unwind 180º into your switch stance.

Frontside Body Varial

The 180 Step is a longboard dancing trick where you step 180º into your switch stance. It’s best to practice on an upside down board to get the feeling first, then try it rolling with tighter trucks.

Bring your front foot back to the center of your board and place the inside edge of your foot against the toeside rail of the board with your foot pointing straight.

Bring your front foot back to the center of your board and place the inside edge of your foot against the toeside rail.

Press weight into your front foot to start a toeside carve. Keep in mind with this step that it’s all about being smooth. Try to make as few adjustments as possible.

Press weight into your front foot to start a toeside carve.

While carving, swing your back leg around and onto the front of your board in a switch stance. Turn your upper body in the direction you're spinning and use it to help you through this motion.

While carving, swing your back leg around and onto the front of your board in a switch stance. 

Move your front foot to the back of your board in a wide switch stance.

180 Step

Jeff Corsi

Pushing is a longboard basic, so it’s good to make sure you’re doing it right! It helps to first start by walking up to the board and standing on it. That will help get you rolling and comfortable in your cruising stance.

Turn your front foot to point forwards and face your body and shoulders forward. Bend your front knee and lift your back foot off the board.

Push yourself forward using the ball of your foot, then step your back foot back onto the board. 

Turn your front foot back to your normal stance.

Push

Laura Paragano

Carving is a longboard basic where you use your bodyweight to turn the board and “carve” a street by connecting S-turns across the width of the street. If you’re a snowboarder or a surfer, you probably already know and love the feeling of carving. Carving is also useful to keep your speed in check. 

Find a place to skate with a small hill. A wide, quiet road or path with predictable and smooth pavement is best. 

Start rolling down the hill, and immediately lean on your toes. This is called a toeside carve.

To point the board back down the hill, lean towards your heels. This is called a heelside carve.

Work on connecting toeside and heelside carves board back and forth across the width of the road. To keep your speed in check, complete the carves so that your board is facing perpendicular to the direction of the hill.

Work on connecting toeside and heelside carves board back and forth across the width of the road.