So you've got your new DH / freeride board. What now? How do you get comfortable on your new board? There are a number of different things that you can do to get comfortable before trying to skate fast.
1. Push Around, A Lot
The first thing you should be doing on your board before anything else is pushing around on some flatground. Find your stance, and get comfortable. Determine if you like skating goofy or regular better, and get comfortable pushing around your neighborhood, park, etc. This is a pivotal part of getting comfortable for any skateboarding discipline, even DH and freeride!
2. Carve, Carve, Carve
Going in a straight line is cool, but carving is cooler. You're going to want to turn at some point, and getting used to carving on flat or super small inclines is a great way to do this. Find a safe spot, and practice turning left and right, trying to make a smooth, s-like shape as you go. After you've got wide carves down, try to make them smaller, and cut a little harder in your turns. Think of this as an intro to being able to throw your weight a bit more decisively, which comes into play later.
3. Start Getting Low
One of the things that you'll have to get used to as a beginner is getting low on your board. Start by squatting while rolling. You don't have to get fancy at first. Get in a comfortable stance, and just get low, a** to grass if you can. If you can do that, it's time to start changing things up. Start pointing your toes a bit more towards the front of your board and get low, as well. This, again, is a way to start learning how to move your weight around while you're on your board. Overall, the goal here is to put yourself in a position where learning to tuck is a bit easier.
4. Grab Rail While You're Low and Carve
Grabbing rail is an essential part of learning certain slowdown techniques, so get used to doing it while you're not moving fast and carving around. Never grab between your legs. This is called 'stinkbug' and it builds bad habits. Always grab over your rear leg when you're grabbing the toeside rail. When you're grabbing your heelside rail, grabbing between your legs isn't really ann option.
Remember, when grabbing toeside, use your rear hand. When grabbing heelside, use your front hand. This comes pretty natural, but it's still worth saying.
5. Learn to Footbrake
Footbraking is another essential skill. With feet planted forwards, as if you're pushing, hang your push foot over the side of the board. Balance is going to be a big prerequisite here. After you've gained that balance, start to use your push foot to slow down. Don't just stomp the foot to the ground - you'll eat it hard. Slowly lower the foot to the ground, dragging it. The friction will start to slow you down. As you get better at it, you can start footbraking with a bit more force.
These five things, over time, will make you a better skater when it comes to DH and freeride. We all start somewhere, and most of the time, it's on flat, so don't feel self-conscious when you're doing stuff like this! It's the best way to get super comfortable on your setup in a controlled, safe way. If anyone else can think of anything else, add it to the comments!
