thanks for the video! quick question - is there a "proper" way to place your foot on the ground when kicking off? as in, full foot, half foot, just the toe? i'm experiencing some pain in the heel of my pushing foot, and while part of it is probably overuse, i want to make sure i'm practicing correct form so i can avoid the injury in the future. thanks again!
Well, i cant speak for everybody but its more common to just use the toes rather then the whole foot when pushing off.(front side of the foot, not just the toes) And even in speed, i use the front part of the foot. If you start hurting in the heel, you simply are to "heavy" on the foot. Your weight should be on the board, and not the pushing leg/foot. Hope it helps!
For the beginners out there who feel like balancing on one foot is suicide, if your fear (and very possible reality) is slipping back or forwards, try balancing with your knee more bent than normal with your body closer to the ground! This will keep you closer to the floor with more balance control and your foot can get to the ground quicker to catch yourself if you lose balance, and if you do fall you won't fall so hard since there's less falling distance. EDIT: Damn I actually dropped a 500 like comment haha so here's a bonus tip If you ever feel uncomfortable or about to fall in general just crouch to lower your center gravity with your legs wide apart - for the same reasons above as well, I seriously feel after all these years of skating that simply being closer to the ground means more stabililty more control and confidence! I feel that's why there are those tiny 7year old japanese skaters who go flying meters into the air with no fear at all!!! When you get it, the one foot balancing while riding feels amazing like as if you're floating!!!
@@llnam12 it's just the lefty of pushing...so it gets mocked. It's actually a much more powerful push to me. Looks cooler too. More comfortable too. Easier to traverse bumps while pushing too, as your foot is on the back and not the front....mongo is clearly superior to anyone really thinking bout it 👏
This is honestly the best total beginner pushing tutorial I’ve seen - I’ve realised I really just need to get my one leg balance a bit more solid and it’ll make such a difference, but already I feel like I’m starting to get it a little more. I don’t find it so bad getting into riding position - it’s just the push and committing to the front foot with almost all my weight, and using my back leg like a paddle close to the edge of the board. Cheers!
yeah me too! i wasn’t bending my arms and when i wanted to put my back leg down to push, my back foot stopped my legs and would almost make me fall down before i could go faster again
not to lie. when I got better over the months of skateboarding i mainly focused on board control. And balancing on my left foot; since I ride regular, definitely taught me how to push long strides and push faster.
@@rccollin7699 ur prob a pretty decent skarer by now but just in case a tip to not hit rocks as much is look in front as much as u can well skating scan for pebbles and jump off if there a big one and the slower u go the smaller the rock that can stop or hinder you the faster the more rocks u will just ride right over
I am almost 50 and just starting again after another 12 year break. ( my total active years skating since '84 is only 7) It's great to have videos like yours so readily available. I wish I had a good teacher like you back then, showing me what I had been doing wrong. Seriously, little tips like "practice standing with your foot facing forward" are a game changer for me.
You're too kind, Derek! I'm really stoked to hear you're back on your board though, I guess it is true, once you become a skater, you never stop loving skateboarding 🛹 even after a 12 year break 🤯
@@NeverStopImprovingSB So true! I stopped in 89 when I went to college where there were no ramps because I just didn't "get" street skating. Then I started again when I moved to Venice, CA, in 2005 totally oblivious to what "Dogtown" meant. Broke my ankle in a huge bowl in 2009... took the Covid lockdown for me to have the freedom to get hurt again. Have been enjoying your mini ramp tutorials a lot, and am starting to get the feel for basic street tricks.
@Rosabel Tan I love skating, even if I will never be good enough to do more than roll around a park doing grinds and rock-and-roll type tricks. The main thing about my comment is that after years of pushing with my foot on the board at a 45° angle, I have seriously given myself arthritis in that knee. Kinda sucks! But I have a 2 year old, and I still planning on pushing through the pain so I can teach him to skate soon.
I practiced standing on the city bus, that's how I got way better at transition from pushing to on the board, because where else can you stand in a moving vehicle and the bus is the most comparable to a skateboard
This video is awesome! I'm still new to skateboarding and I'm an adult, so the self-consciousness is an issue. I love that you included exercises that you can do at home to improve your balance and technique
Yeeeah bro! Thank you! I've been doing these exercises at home the past week and you can really start to 'feel the burn' in your ankle after about 45 seconds on one foot. I'm loving it!
I skateboard alot back then but I stop skating for 5 yrs now and I think I'm a rookie again and this video would help me to skate again 🤣 IDK why I stop skating but all I remember my friends switch to a new hobbies like hoops and Video games so i think that's why 🤣
another great step to add to the one foot practice is to work on bending the front knee and lowering your weight while on the board. This is not going to just strengthen those muscles but also help balance for those big fast pushes and get your comfortable with the motion you need for foot breaking.
Pretty useful video Justin! I think using the skateboard as a means of transportation is the best advice ever, to get used to ride everywhere allows you to develop that "second nature" feeling with the board. 👍👍 Btw, if I push with the "other" leg for longer distances I do it m-o-n-g-o, lol.
this vid popped up in my recs and ive been loving skateboarding around my neighborhood the last couple weeks and i also yesterday tried some ollies with my front wheels in grass or holding on to something i worked up the confidence and tried and got my first “real” ollie!
He’s 100% right about making skating your means of transportation. I bought a longboard at the beginning of the year to get around my college campus. I use it to get everywhere i need to go. Before this year, i never owned any kind of board, yet ive picked up cruising on my board very quickly.
Dude I've must have watched at least 500 videos and you got the touch. I'm faster and stronger then I've been on this board because of your teachings, and I'm 46 years of age. Just want to say thanks for your help. You deserve more credit then just you tube. Started doing the tricks you suggested and I was doing outstanding but broke my collar bone and sprained both of my rists. But my cruising is out standing. I travel about 7 miles a day on my board and i can roll over just about everything because of what i watched in your videos, and my board set up LOL! Keep up the good work!
I can confirm that making sure to kick with the front of your foot and not keeping it flat helps a ton. I used to push with my foot flat because I wasn't confident in my balance, but once I committed to using just the ball of my foot it gave me so much more power. It's the same reason why people don't run flat footed.
Just bought a new cruiser board after 20 years of not skating. Balance seems pretty good after a few minutes, but the tips for training the muscles whilst standing still are really, really good. Thank you.
I am 11 years and just starting skateboarding. This video really helped with balance and strength on both my legs. So, THANK YOU so much for doing this video😜
It took me a while to push regular comfortably. Now I can see how efficient it is. There was no such thing as pushing mongo when I was a kid. No regrets anyway, since I can now push both ways.
This is helping me learn again, i used to skate and mountain board got broken in a move but officially stopped for over 10 yrs after a mate at the time stole my board didnt have much spare cash and couldnt afford a replacement. Im skating like a noob now but getting better each day
Thank you so much! I thought my problem was that I didn't have enough strength to push properly, but in fact, I'm just afraid to lose balance because I don't feel comfortable standing on one foot yet :)
There is no such thing as 'right' and 'wrong' in skateboarding, but lots of people prefer the other way. Don't feel bad though if you can't do it, just make sure you're having fun!
don't worry dude, i started out mongo and corrected it pretty easily. at first you think pushing with your front foot sets you up better for tricks because you can put your foot back on where you want, but pushing with the back foot is more stable and you want your front foot in position locked in pretty early. your foot is in a much more stable position when pushing off the back.
When I first stepped on a board, my first intuition was to push mongo as well. After a few weeks, I tried learning the standard way and was having trouble. Then I switched from riding regular to goofy and it instantly felt easier. I now ride goofy and push properly without effort. So to anyone just starting with this issue, definitely double check that you picked the right stance for yourself.
Wanna say thank you for the time you put into making these videos. I am a 42 years old father of seven. And about two months ago my youngest daughter (age 8) wanted a skateboard. So ol dad hooked her up and got one to match. Now at a ripe old age(still young at heart and physically) I'm leaving skateboarding thanks to your video, and a few others. But we have advanced so much faster by watching these videos then practice, practice practice... So thank you Sir and we look forward to upcoming videos .
@2:07 I do this everyday honestly, I work in public accounting so I’m never engaging my body much during the day - it really helps with balance and building some endurance
When I worked as a software engineer, I did this the entire time during our daily stand-up meeting. Everyone thought I was kind of silly, but my balance got so much better!
I used to push mongo and it took a little while to correct my muscle memory to push regular. I think it was well worth the time spend doing this. Great tips, my dude!
6:12 yeah that's why I fell on my ass on the very first day after I got my skateboard, it's super dangerous. Thanks for the great explanations and tips man, I will practice one-foot balancing everyday for a while until it feels super natural.
@@Borboeygmus same here, a muscle on my leg has been slightly hurting for about two weeks from my first fall. I talked to some friends who skateboard and they all told me it was a very common type of fall for first timers. Good luck with your progress!
i got my first skateboard today and for a 30ish girl balancing while pushing is defo the hardest..im literally scared of falling and this video gave me a boost not to give up easily..
I just got my first board a few days ago. I struggle horribly with balance, I didn't know how to help myself with it. This video is helping so much, thank you for that.
Roller skater transitioning to skateboarding here: never thought I’d get such a kick learning something from ground zero!!! This is a wonderful tutorial. I really appreciate the attention to form!!
Could you talk about the importance of small parts on a board, like I thought pivot caps were practically useless, but when they wore out, it was such a hassle to push
I really like the incremental exercises approach like balancing exercises. Can you incorporate more exercises or make exercise videos for balance and ankles and stuff?
Im so good at my regular pushing compared to my switch it makes me never wanna use my switch otherwise ill constantly lose my balance when trying do stuff or travel but then I can never get better at my switch :,)
@NeverStopImprovingSB Rode home from work tonight. Focused on the technique you showed and it was immediately noticeable. Like an instant improvement. I have way more confidence in my push now. Thank you so much.
lol I can't agree with that last point enough. It took me a month or two of riding in a secluded parking lot just to become sorta okay with basic riding, pushing, and some throwdowns. Then in the past two weeks or so I've just started skating to classes, the dining hall, etc. not even taking fastest route or anything, just sorta winding my way randomly around campus, sometimes doing a lap around a building or something. Seen such hugge improvements, now I'm far more comfortable on rough and uneven ground, getting some good speed down hill, and winding past anyone else walking around me. Your videos are a huge help!
He's so right, the more you spend time on your board as transportation the more all those things eventually happen naturally. I do all the things he talks about and i never watched a tutorial or was taught by anyone. Just take it slow and keep the challenge slightly above your skill. Progress happens naturally.
Been working on this as a complete 36 year old n00b for a few weeks(i get to skate a few times a week tops). Finally riding around but working on the foot shifting and learning to ride comfortably.
Seen at 0:42 is what mongo pushing looks like if you're not used to it. I wish the advocates of regular quit being disingenuous and actually show scenarios where pushing mongo can be disadvantageous. All beginners push wobbly and crappily whether regular or mongo.
Great video! I just started longboarding and never skateboarder before. The fundamentals are helpful no matter the board, I'm finding. Switch stance is terrifying for me still lol.
@@NeverStopImprovingSB lol nah, I was just being stupid. I'm actually a longboarder turned street skater. So I can push switch and even...Skogging...gasp... But none of those things can help me not be terrified to commit to a rolling ollie...(sigh...) My brain hates to jump from an unstable platform....
@@NeverStopImprovingSB Yeah it's great for covering long distances without having one leg throb...lol I just did a 12 mile round trip across 2 cities (south fl is weird like that with skinny ass cities that run long east to west)...I was a filthy dusty sweaty sunburned mess afterwards...
Justin, Thank you so much. On my way home from work, I've been stopping by basketball and tennis courts to practice pushing. I feel as though my progression is not there. You pointing out practicing on one foot will help tremendously, as that's certainly a part of where I'm not comfortable. And they say a golf swing is complicated ... Future beginner idea .... Another aspect of pushing, is what to do when you're facing the end of the pavement and you have to turn, or make those little adjustments. Similarly for example from the court to the parking lot I don't want to look like a poser, so I also skate back to my car. But end up stopping and adjusting the board a lot. I'd rather look stupid than a poser 🛹😜
I didn’t even realise that I was pushing wrong with my front foot bc it was second nature but now I am gonna practice every day to get out of that habit
@@NeverStopImprovingSB Tee hee. I don't think anyone wants to see that! But I'm in my 40s and thought I'd missed the boat but took it up due to lockdown. It's hard but WAY more fun than I imagined !
This is also good advice for people who never learned how to skate switch. I skated countless hours growing up but never tried switch so my entire body naturally rejects switch riding. I want to learn it though, so I have to retrain myself like a complete beginner and this video helps!
I've had a skateboard for a long time, just now wanted to start getting into skating as I thought it would be fun. I was in taekwondo for nearly 4 years and we learned how to break our falls without injuring ourselves and man has it been a huge help with falling of a skateboard
Make sure your weight is centered (not turning/leaning), ensure you are pushing in a straight line, and you also might want to check that your trucks are straight.
This is one of the best tutorials, so often as a newb i hear "just push bro", with no help as to how to learn to balance. I'm standing up whilst eating breakfast before work. Am I weird? yes.
I can stay on the board for a bit and push off with the right foot, but still need a lot of procatice for the other stuff. I tried the firs time on another person's board, sk that helped, and my boyfriend helped me a lot yesterday, so I'll try these, thanks so much!
I couldn't figure out whether to push with my front or back foot so thank you! I actually dont have a skateboard yet but i really want one. I'm just using a penny board for now.
I use my front foot when pushing and it always looked awkward and weird, most times i always wondered what i was doing wrong but now i know and i will use my back foot to push. Tysm for the vid!
