Long Distance Longboarding: How to Get Started with Travel Skating

Longboarding is a fantastic sport equivalent to skateboarding, but longer and more extensive. Long-distance longboarding is more fun and easier to pick up. If you’re disciplined enough, you can do long-distance longboarding with ease. Longboarding can be your speedy transportation than walking or jogging. By following great tips, you can start long distance longboarding.

By adding fun fitness to your life, you can use a longboard for a long-distance journey. Before going for long-distance longboarding, you should be technically skilled as well as physical fitness is required to travel. 

You’ll need a lot of practice, skills, preparation, and a good quality longboard. A longboard can provide you with environmental flexibility in your daily activities. Just commit sure that you pick the best longboard. Here we’ve gathered all the important tips and tricks to start your long-distance longboarding expedition.


man doing long distance longboarding in the street

What Is Long Distance Longboarding?

The term “long-distance longboarding” refers to riding over a long distance for commutes or for travel. This type of longboarding needs some discipline, a bit of skill as well as good body conditioning. 

Some longboarders take this as a sport, cover thousands of miles, and travel cities, states, and countries. Long-distance longboarding is far different from skating, typical cruising. It requires a good physical balance and skills too.


man using a skate

Long-Distance Longboarding Challenges

Before you try long-distance longboarding, you should know a few tricks. Try to find a longboard that will match your needs correctly. There are so many styles of longboard you’ll get on the market. A good longboard under $100 can give extra potential while riding long distances. 

Here, we’ve described some basic tricks that will help you while commuting long-distance longboarding-

  • Physically Challenging

Commuting long-distance longboarding can be exhausting due to the skating alone or if the road is rough. If you’re among those people who do not have enough stamina to do this type of physically challenging activity, think twice before starting. 

If you want to improve your physical stamina before beginning your journey, do some training or exercises. These will prepare your body to do this longboard with proper discipline. Also, you can take vitamins as well as other supplements to improve your health conditions. If this is your first time doing anything, consult your physician before beginning.

  • It Involves More Challenges, Skills, and Moves

As we said before, long-distance longboarding is far different from typical commuting that people do on a regular basis. This type of longboarding requires more pumping and pushing.

  • Long-Distance Longboarding Gear

If you’re serious about long-distance longboarding, you should learn about its gears. When performing different techniques, you should know the proper setup. 

  • Long-Distance Longboard Deck and Shape

Choose a deck as low as the ground; thus, your kicking foot will touch the ground with ease. It’ll reflex your knee less together and you can squat on the other leg.  

When you’re doing LDP, the best deck will be the dropped deck for you. Be attentive while riding this type of deck as they are such a low deck it can touch the ground while riding over bumps. They can also get scratched too. 

Another attention of a longboard is flex; when you choose a stiffer deck, it’ll give you enough stability and control. On the other hand, this will provide suspension and will help you to absorb bumps and vibrations from the road. This will provide a comfortable LDP ride for you. 

If you’re a serious rider to do LDP, then the formula 1 bracket setup is for you. Despite that, regular maple or composite decks will be more accessible and cost-effective than bracket setups.  This can be the best choice for all the LDPers.

  • Long-Distance Longboard Trucks

Most Long-distance longboarders are comfortable using Randal trucks which are also known as pushing trucks. Many riders want to run narrower trucks; because of this, the wheels stick out less. Some riders select regular 180 mm trucks. For better-pushing 50º trucks, the front together with the tear will work better.

  • Wheels

Your wheel size plays a significant role while riding a longboard, so choose wheels with a durometer between 78a to 85a. If you’re going to do long-distance commuting, bigger longboard wheels will be better for you. The ideal size for wheels is 75 mm to 85 mm, but as your wheels get bigger, you get more roll speed and momentum. 

  • Expect to Ride for Hours

Take your time to prepare prior to starting your ride. Some riders plan to ride from one city to another, so you have to ride for a couple of hours. Many riders ride more than a half-day sometimes.

  • Workout and Transportation in One

Commuting a longboard will help you go for the place as well as it can be a good workout for you. This can be strength training along with a cardio workout for you.

  • Accessible to Newbies

Almost everyone can learn push racing with some simple steps. This learning period for longboarding is concise. And that’s why an amateur can learn these skills quickly.


man doing long distance longboarding on a narrow street

Long-Distance Longboarding Techniques

Here are some techniques we’ve gathered together that you should try during long-distance longboarding-

  • Long-Distance Pushing

The considerable range of weight you have to put on your front leg. The weight you give to your front leg will affect the smoothness and stability of your ride. The height of your board will impact how much inclination you have to do and how your knees should bend on your ride.

  • Pushing Pattern

In long-distance longboarding, you have to know different kinds of pushing to alternate them in your ride.

  • Normal Pushing

This is the most regular stance in which you use your back foot to push. 

  • Mongo Pushing

Place your back foot on the deck and use your front foot to push. This is almost the usual pushing.

  • Switch Pushing

Here you should be in the opposite stance in switch pushing. Push with your front foot towards the back while placing your back foot forward.

  • Skogging

This technique is named after the combination of skating and jogging. In this, you can alternatively use both feet to cover the distances, which are the same as jogging.

  • Long-Distance Pumping

You set your body in motion on the longboard when you turn on a place without touching the floor. Thus, you transfer your body weight to the front and back. This technique is like forming your body in S-shape while riding. Your body motions will cause the weight to shift from side to side.

  • Stopping 

The last thing about riding on the longboard, knows how to stop it. It’s essential to know foot breaking, dragging your foot to the floor to shed speed. Sliding or even speed checks are a critical way to control your speed. You require enough space to throw a slider.

If you’re a seasoned longboard, then you can cover up to 50 miles in a day. When you decide to do commuting on the road, best to prefer bike paths and back roads which have lower traffic. You can even select sidewalks with fewer cracks and holes. Before crossing the streets, make sure you look around before riding off.

Wrapping Up

Long-distance longboarding is popular among people nowadays. If you have enough willingness to maintain discipline, you’ll not regret joining a longboarding lifestyle. Doing long-distance longboarding can be helpful for your mental and physical endurance. 

Maintaining all the basic things before going out for longboarding any time is required. Pack a small bag and bring out your longboard. Start your journey with your friends or Google Maps. We’d appreciate your feedback if you encounter any issues in the comment section.

The post Long Distance Longboarding: Getting Started With Travel Skating appeared first on Travel Experta - Travel, Lifestyle, Freedom.

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By: Marina 'Travel Experta'
Title: Long Distance Longboarding: Getting Started With Travel Skating
Sourced From: travelexperta.com/long-distance-longboarding/
Published Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2022 17:23:20 +0000

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