I have three longboards in the trunk of my car right now, and all three are great boards for beginners.
Longboarding is really fun and easier than you would think if you start with the right board. Your first longboard is an exciting purchase. Don’t overthink it too much; there are a few styles for beginners to avoid, but otherwise, it is not as intimidating as it seems. Only after you try your first board or two will you know what you like.
The easiest longboard styles for beginners include pintail and drop-through boards with medium flex that are already put together. Longer boards are easier for beginners to balance on than shorter ones so start with a board about 40 to 44 inches long for your first longboard.
Start with a pintail or a drop-through for your first longboard
As a beginner, you will want a board that is easy to learn the basics of cruising and carving before you worry much about tricks or other advanced styles of longboarding, which is why pintail and drop-through designs are ideal.
Pintail Longboards
“Pintail” describes the teardrop shape of the board, which makes it easier to turn without hitting your wheels on the deck, also known as wheelbite.
Pintail longboards have the trucks (the metal hardware that the wheels attach to) top-mounted, which is the traditional way to attached trucks to the deck. The trucks are sitting under the board and a screw goes through the top of the board to hold it together. The skate deck sits higher off the ground than it does on a drop-through board. This gives the pintail slightly more maneuverability than a drop-through board, but slightly less stability.
Pintail boards are great for beginners wanting to learn to cruise down the boardwalk or sidewalk. There is plenty of room for your feet which makes balance and turning easy and natural. The first board I ever bought was this pintail.
Drop-through Boards
Drop-through boards have you riding closer to the ground. The trucks are mounted by “dropping them through” the deck from the top (instead of placing them from underneath), resulting in a lower center of gravity board which increases stability. You can see the metal trucks mounted from the top of your board on a drop-through board but not on a top-mounted board.
A drop-through board can come in many variations and really almost all of them are acceptable for a beginner. (The only exception is maybe a “double drop” which is an expensive board style usually used by skilled down-hill riders and features a drop-through board with a drop-deck (a deck that sits lower than the trucks). Skip this board for now.
Three Great Drop-through Longboards for Beginners:
- Atom Drop Through – 41 Inch. Atom is a famous board brand, and this is a popular and highly-rated board, especially for beginners. It has a maple deck and a lot of stability.
- Merkapa Drop Through Longboard – 41 inch, cool-looking designs, high-quality parts, stable, popular starter board at a good price.
- Bamboo Skateboards Twin-tip Drop Through – This is the board I have and I love it. My husband sometimes tries to steal it from me. It was pretty expensive, but I love it so much you couldn’t get me to trade. (You’ll know you’ve found your board when you feel that way.) This baby is so responsive and easy to carve. It is an excellent board for beginners.
Longboard Styles Beginners Should Avoid (for now):
Avoid double-kick cutaway and double kick popsicle boards for your first longboard unless you have previous experience on a skateboard. These boards are great for doing ollies and other tricks but are harder boards for learning to balance.
Also, for your first board just get one that comes all put together.
Later, when you know more, you can custom order your trucks, wheels, bearings, deck, etc. if you want to. Too much of a head-ache for your first board.
Some helpful things to understand when shopping for your first longboard:
Directional boards
Directional boards can be ridden in only one direction. The nose is the front of the board and the tail is the back and you will turn the board to change your direction. If you are cruising down the boardwalk, a directional board is perfectly adequate and looks stylish like a surfboard. Here is an example of a directional longboard that is popular for first-time longboarders (p.s. we also own this board).
Bi-directional, Symmetrical, and Twin Longboards
Bi-directional, symmetrical and twin are three ways of saying the same thing: they can be ridden in both directions because the nose and tail are exactly the same. Here is an example of a twin-tip longboard.
Cruising
Cruising just means fun, casual riding such as cruising down the boardwalk, gentle riding on a smooth flat surface to relax or maybe to get some exercise.
A “Cruiser” (verses “cruising” on your longboard
Getting technical here, but some define a “cruiser” as an in-between board meant for quick and impressively nimble travel. It is somewhere between a skateboard and a longboard. Wider and longer than a skateboard, yet shorter than a longboard. It has softer wheels than a skateboard but harder wheels than a longboard.
- skateboard = think of a short board with low stability and easy maneuverability, great for tricks
- cruiser = think medium board with the capability of quick and nimble travel through cities with traffic, pedestrians and sidewalks to navigate.
- longboard = think relaxed carving and long travel down the boardwalk or road, and also of other styles of longboarding such as freestyle (or dancing), downhill and freeriding, which all have board styles suited to those types of skating (with some overlap).
This is getting technical though, and the lines are blurry and largely a matter of opinion, so just don’t worry about it for now. Most boards will be great for learning to push and carve, which is what will get you down the road.
Carving
Carving is simply turning back and forth in an S shape and is used to control speed when going down a hill. It’s also just a really relaxing and enjoyable thing to do after a stressful day.
A “cruising longboard” or “carving longboard” is really the same thing…it’s a board meant for a relaxing mellow ride down the street. They tend to be stylish, so look for a design that fits your personality.
Downhill, freeride and freestyle
Downhill, freeride and freestyle (including dancing or board walking-a style of longboarding that combines skate tricks with fancy footwork on a long longboard) are more advanced forms of longboarding you may become interested in later. I’ll come back and link to some boards so you can get an idea of what they look like.
Most people reading this article don’t need to worry about these styles of longboarding right now, because first you just need to learn to push and balance on your board while you cruise across the parking lot or down your driveway. Next, you’ll practice turning, or carving by learning to shift your weight from the heal side back to the toe side of your board in an S pattern.
You’ve got to walk before you run and do backflips, right? Take it slow and have fun. However, if you already have a strong interest in a certain style of longboarding, it’s okay to get a board made for that style upfront. No longboard is completely off-limits for a newbie, though some boards are easier to learn the basics on.
Double-drop and drop-deck (not to be confused with drop-through mounted boards)
Pay attention…tricky longboard terminology going on here people!
Double-drop and drop-deck are styles of boards where the deck is dropped down lower than the trucks. Not to be confused with simply a “drop-through” mounted longboard, which if you remember is how the trucks can be mounted to drop through from the top of the board.
Drop-deck is even a lower center of gravity than a drop-through mounted board because on a drop-deck the deck literally drops down and is lower than the trucks. Here is an example of a drop-deck and double-drop if you are having a hard time visualizing.
A double drop deck board is twice as low to the ground as a regular board. This can make stability and pushing easier because you don’t have to lift your foot very high off the ground. Some feel that the super-low board is easy for beginners, but they are kind of more of a custom specialty board, which can make them spendy for a first board. If it’s you’re first board, just be aware of how super-low the board will be to the ground.
Board Flex
Flexible boards are good for tricks and stiff boards are good for steep downhill riding. (Generalizing a little here obviously.) Medium flex is good for most longboarders. Don’t even worry about this on your first longboard purchase because you will have no idea what “flex” feels like until you feel it with your feet.
Board Length
Generally, longer boards are easier to balance on, but the longer the board the less maneuverable it is. So start with a midsized board. A midsized longboard is about 42 inches. As you get more experienced, you can experiment with a shorter board for added maneuverability or a longer longboard for other styles of riding. Shortboards (boards that are less than 32″ -think cruisers and skateboard) are used by experienced riders needing to navigate tight turns and busy city streets.
Griptape
Griptape is the sandpaper-like traction on your board that keeps your feet from sliding around. It can be any color but usually is black or clear. On my pintail board, it is black and on my more expensive bamboo drop-through, it is clear.
Maple or Bamboo?
Maple has less flex and bamboo has more flex. My husband loves his maple board and ….Wait?!! At least I thought his board was maple, but now that I looked at the listing it says his board is maple and bamboo….who knew? …anyway, and I love my bamboo longboard deck. My board is pretty dang expensive, but I wouldn’t trade it. There are bamboo boards that are more affordable. White wave makes a less-expensive bamboo board that still has excellent ratings, but I, of course, think mine is the best.
Okay…what else do you need to know?
Regular Stance Versus Goofy Stance
Most riders lead with their left foot, but goofy riders lead with their right foot (just like snowboarding, and comparable to being left or right-handed). Both are fine. Try both ways and one way will probably feel more natural to you.
Some people have no preference and can ride both ways. If you get a twin board (twin= bi-directional, a board that can be ridden in either direction) or you get into dancing tricks on your board, it will come in handy to be able to ride regular and goofy.
Get Off to A Good Start: Avoid Riding Mongo
Balance your weight on your front leg and use your back foot to push. Mongo is using your front leg to push and is a sure sign of someone who does not know anything about longboarding and will invite snickers from not-so-nice people.
Safety Gear for Longboarding
In full disclosure, I didn’t wear any safety gear the first year after we bought our longboards and neither did my husband. Amazingly, I didn’t have any falls for a very long time, but then I did. I had a bad fall and it scared me away for a while. So now I know that safety gear is a good idea.
Not only will safety gear keep you from getting hurt, but it will also give you more confidence to try new skills. You will learn faster. You can relax and have more fun trying turns and other new skills when you know that you have some protection if you fall. I’ll put links to some of the best safety gear below so you have a starting place.
Here is the basics safety gear you should consider buying when you are learning to longboard:
- Helmet – Just a regular longboarding helmet is fine. Full-face helmets for downhill racers.
- Kneepads
- Elbow Pads
- Wrist Guards
- You can buy Kneepad/Elbowpad/Wristguard in Sets
- Slide gloves – Slide gloves are used by downhill and freeride longboarders.
For a more comprehensive guide to longboard safety gear read this in-depth post.
Skate Tool
What is a skate tool you ask?
A skate tool is a brilliant little device that can completely adjust your longboard. Keep it in your backpack.
Yes, You Need a Skate Tool
(Don’t worry, they are cheap, usually under $10.) …and just for a second option, here is the one I have. Two different styles, both are fine.
Buy one when you buy your board and I promise you will thank me later (Yes, I promise that you will.)
Now you are ready to get longboarding!
Here is what you need:
- Longboard
- Safety Gear
- Skate Tool
Longboarding is a great way to get outside and try something new. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can learn to longboard. I hope I’ve been able to help you get started on your longboarding adventure.