More than eight million people are skateboarding in the US alone. It is full of fun and excitement. There is a tremendous danger if you don’t know how to drive it. Research shows sixty-five thousand boys under eighteen have broken bones in their bodies while skateboarding.
Losing control of your skateboard is the most dangerous part of skating, especially downhill. And when you do not know how to stop your skateboard while going downhill, you will break your bones. So you should be very alert and understand the fundamentals when you start skateboarding.
In this article, we will give you tips on stopping your skateboard while going downhill. Following is the list of these steps.
Back Foot Brake
Foot braking is essential for stopping your skateboard from moving downhill. All you need to do is transfer your upper body and weight up front. Then, move your back foot to the end of the skateboard and make contact with it on the ground. Your front foot should be in the middle of the skateboard.
It would help if you now dragged your back foot on the ground while in a comfort zone. This way, friction would arise, and your skateboard would ultimately stop.
Front Foot Brake
The back foot brake does not always work. When you are in the middle of an emergency, you do not have time to put the rear foot brake on. In this situation, you would need to apply the front foot brake. To use the front foot brake, you need to do two things.
First, you would need to take your front foot to the very end of the skate, and your back foot should stay where it usually does. The second thing you should do is turn 180 degrees. It is a bit risky, but do not slog one of your feet when you remain calm.
You may fall from the skateboard but do not worry because it is a way to stop your skateboard. While making sharp turns, move the weight of your body forward, lean, and put your fingers on the earth. The skate would stop ultimately.
Avoid Power Slide
If you are a beginner and need to learn how to skateboard, we recommend you not try power slides because they can be detrimental to you. However, somewhat experienced people are advised not to do this trick in a place full of traffic and people.
You take all your weight to the front heel in the power slide. Your back feet loosen. Try to shift the weight of your body to the way you are sliding. Try kicking the back foot to slide on 90 degrees when ready. Your skate will slow down and will stop eventually.
Do Carving
The speed increases when your skateboard moves in a straight line, but it will lose the movement once it carves because the wheel is exposed to greater friction and resistance. So when you have a moving area and can cut your skateboard, you can also try this method.
Making a Jump
Sometimes you do not have enough time to do either back or front foot braking, i.e., a speed-up car approaching you. In such a situation, you have to jump up from your skateboard.
There is a way through which you should jump; otherwise, you would injure yourself. All you need to do is take your back foot to the end of the skateboard. Secondly, you must let your body be weightless, only exert force on the feet.
When ready, try jumping into grass or a place with fewer hurtful things. When you fall, try not to stay because inertia can injure you, so roll as much until you stop.
Conclusion
Whether a beginner or advanced level player, you should know the fundamentals of stopping on the skate while going downhill. Because if you do not understand these things, you will face many problems.
Practice makes a man perfect, so do training all these methods mentioned before, even trying one in a difficult situation. When you practice these methods over and over again, you will be a master. It would help if you also had a better electric skateboard suitable for a hill ride.
