You must be a beginner, trying to find out if Longboarding is hard or not. The answer to this question can’t be simpler because of several riding styles. Therefore, a one-liner answer is that it all depends on the riding style you opt for at the start. Now, we have no idea which riding style has inspired you to start longboarding.

People usually get attracted to longboarding because surfing, dancing, commuting, and carving on a longboard are genuine art. Moving with the winds, waving on the road, speedy rides, and tricky skills with the help of a longboard bring utmost joy for all skate enthusiasts.  

Is Longboarding Hard

To disappear all the consequences from your mind regarding longboarding difficulty, we have complied the easiest ways to learn to longboarding. You will get all the answers to understand if longboarding is difficult to learn or not.

Easiest Riding Styles

The most uncomplicated and adaptable riding style on a longboard is cruising. Our years of riding experience says that every newbie should start from here. As the longboards are designed explicitly for novices, longboards contain more deck space than standard skateboards. In other words, the more space you’ll have to stand, the easier you will ride. 

Cruising Longboard Design

It helps completely if you start by standing on an immobile longboard. First of all, balance yourself on it, put your back foot to the ground and push the longboard forward. Initially, one push will be enough to move some meters. After pushing, place both feet back on the deck. As soon as the longboard seems to stop, now try to push twice or thrice to cover a longer distance. 

Another easier way to start riding a longboard is to find a steep path. For example, a road or a street with a slope of not more than a few degrees will teach you how to balance yourself on the road. In this case, only one push at the start will keep your longboard moving; you have to keep both feet on the board and try to balance yourself. Make sure the slope is not more than 20°; otherwise, it will become difficult for you to stop. Last but not least, you must learn how to stop on a longboard which helps you every time you ride a longboard.

Recommended longboards for Beginners

Longboard itself plays an essential role in defining the difficulty level of riding. Unfortunately, the more you search, the more you’ll get confused about which one will suit your preferred riding style. Here are some of the crucial factors that manipulate the difficulty level. 

A longboard consists of a deck, two trucks, four wheels attached to the trucks, and bearings in each wheel to make the longboard move at different speed. In case, your board moves slower, you can make it faster later with different techniques. 

Deck Types:

Because the number of longboarding comrades has exponentially increased in recent years, deck shapes are versatile too. Everyone has their preferred riding style, and longboard producing companies make sure the deck style is suitable enough for each riding style. The most common types you will see in the deck are;

All professional skaters recommend a Top-Mount deck design for newbies for apparent reasons. As the deck stays above the trucks, in this case, it becomes easier to cruise around the streets or skate parks. In addition, this shape provides more space than Drop-through or drop-deck designs, and as explained earlier, the more space you get, the more comfortable you’ll feel. 

In drop-through design, trucks of the longboards and the deck stay at the same level above the ground. This design reduces deck area, making it difficult for beginners to adjust. The same problem comes with the drop-deck design. However, once you learn to ride a longboard on a top-mount longboard, you can quickly switch to any other two designs depending on your liked riding style. 

Trucks & Wheels:

Trucks under the deck hold the whole weight of a longboard. They are also responsible for turning and waving on the streets. As a beginner, you should ensure that the longboard you plan to buy has sturdy aluminum trucks that don’t rust quickly and can hold your weight comfortably.

Longboard Trucks Structure

On the other hand, the wheels’ responsibility is to control the speed of your longboard. As a newbie, we always recommend you to have soft wheels up to 70a and a width of around 60mm. Wheels with these specifications do not increase the speed too much, promise a better grip on the skating field, and install steadiness in your rides.

Rider’s Age & Weight – Defining Difficulty

Heavyweight people commonly ask, is it difficult for heavy riders to ride a longboard?. The answer depends on how heavy the rider is. The agility of the rider takes a vital role in this case. Some weighty people are not lazy and feel no difficulty moving around. If this is the case, the rider’s weight will turn into an advantage to gain the required momentum. For example, when trying to carve, your weight will bring the required force of pushing the longboard without stepping onto the ground. 

It is a fact that most longboarding enthusiasts belong to a relatively younger age. People in their forties usually ask, “is longboarding hard with increased age?”. Concerning age, if your knees and muscles are strong enough to push the longboard and bear slightly discomforting shocks created on bumpy tracks, you can enjoy longboarding at any age. However, because there are multiple riding styles, you should go for the most straightforward riding style as an aged person. Cruising is the easiest one having zero difficulties, and we recommend this style to beginners, heavy riders, and aged people. 

Difficulty – Riding Track Wise

The concluding factor which can impact the difficulty of riding a longboard is the track you plan to ride on. A smooth-skating surface always keeps you in balance, be it a street, asphalt, or a skating park. We recommend straight forwards tracks for all new riders, but as the practice proceeds, you should start riding on rough terrains as well. Riding on bumps and cracks will improve your balancing skills. This experience will assist you in adapting to any possible situation you may face in your longboarding career. 

Relevant Queries

After extensive research, we have assembled the most relevant and asked questions about longboard learning difficulty. Go through the questions and answers if you also have something appropriate in mind.

Is longboarding harder than skateboarding?

It is one of the most asked questions, and beginners are those who ask. In simple words, as a beginner, you can not begin riding from a skateboard due to the short length of the board. We have been riding both skateboards and longboards, a longboard has comparatively ten extra inches than a skateboard. That is to say; a longboard gives you more room to stand and balance yourself. They are ultimately making it easier to learn and ride for the newcomers.

How much time is required to learn longboarding?

You can minimize your effort and learning time at once by choosing a suitable beginner longboard. A beginner-friendly deck design, truck, and wheels allow you to learn longboarding within two weeks. Moreover, it answers the question, “is longboarding hard”.

Which type of board is easier to ride?

We always suggest beginning the longboard learning process with a drop-through deck for novice riders because it has a length of around 42 inches and 8-9 inches in width. Moreover, the shape of the deck decreases the chances of falling automatically.

Conclusion

We noticed from all the discussions that longboarding is only tricky when you try it the first time. Once you get used to longboarding, it is more fun than danger. However, there are some severe measures to take care of before you start riding. A proper skating suit and the best longboard safety gear will keep you safe from any injury. Lastly, if you want to stop a moving longboard, the best way is to carve. Carving all depends on moving like a wave on the road. As you carve, the speed gets lower, and the longboard eventually stops.