I will preface this by stating that, while articles are helpful and worth spending time on, learning by example is still the best way to pick up something new if it is possible. Getting hands-on and receiving feedback from an experienced rider is often extremely helpful and can really accelerate the learning process. If you know a rider you trust, have them with you when you try these techniques. If you don’t, then a lot more of the responsibility is on you to learn, apply, critique, and push yourself further. Personally, I never had anyone else to ride with and learn from when I was starting out (though I certainly studied videos and articles online). It’s a tougher way to learn, but also very edifying, because you can learn about yourself as well as how to teach yourself. And once you have attained some proficiency you can proudly (or humbly) say that you are self-taught; and that shows real commitment to the sport. And heck, hopefully the experience inspires you to teach others who are new to the sport. That said, I will do my best with what writing skills I have to paint a cohesive picture that is both detailed and easy to follow.
Coleman Slides, or any other glove-down, heelside slides, are one of the best places for a beginner to start. It gives him a feel for breaking traction and “drifting” safely, and even gives him a taste for more. In case the reader is not familiar, The Coleman Slide, named after Cliff Coleman, who invented it, is a type of heelside, shut-down slide. The terms “heelside” or “toeside” refer to the orientation of the board while in the slide relative to the rider. Naturally, “heel” refers to the heel of your foot. Counter-intuitively, however, if you are performing a “heel-side slide” your heel is in back, towards the top of the hill, pushing the board out as you break traction. A “shut-down” slide, (at least the way I use the term), is simply any slide that causes the rider to come to a complete stop. Take a look at Gravity’s other articles to ensure you have everything you need gear-wise before attempting a Coleman or other slide.
Here, I want to walk the reader through the performance of a glove-down, heelside slide in general. Afterwards, I will articulate the variations found in the Coleman Slide. By this point, you should be comfortable riding your board and carving, and should also be able to position your feet at different places on the board to accentuate turns.
My recommendation is to begin on a moderate hill that allows you to go about 10-20 mph. Use as steep a carve as you can muster. This turns a straight hill into a series of sharp turns, each of which puts you at the brink of sliding out. It is in the middle of one of these sharp turns that you will turn your shoulders and apply pressure with your legs, particularly to the back trucks, so that the board breaks traction. As it does so, lean back towards the top of the hill and place your gloved hand down to steady yourself. At this point, it is better to fall down on your rear end than to highside, so do commit to this slide.
Since it is really something you must learn by feel, you will need to experiment with how much pressure to put into your legs to cause a slide. I can tell you that the aim is to put your feet into a particular, rather-consistent position to initiate the slide, and to gradually and increasingly push harder and harder the longer you hold the slide and hence the slower you go (hence-hence the more you are working against gravity and your own weight on the board — physics!). The pressure in your legs should be directed down (stability/predictability in the board) and out (causing the board to slide). You should pick this up naturally as time goes on, so don’t worry about it all at once. Think of this info only as supplemental/troubleshooting help. If you aren’t sure which hand goes on the ground, it is the hand that was in front before you initiated the slide. While you may choose to “grab rail” with your other hand, I advise against this since it brings you much closer to your board, and I do not feel that it promotes leaning back into the slide, an attribute which I prefer. To make this a “shut-down slide,” keep pushing your heels out as you slow down for the duration of the slide, until you come to a complete stop.
What would make this slide a Coleman Slide is primarily what happens after you initiate it. To turn this slide into a Coleman Slide, you will hold the slide for as long as you can. If you retain more or less the original position you took when initiating the slide, you should find yourself slowly doing a 180. This is the goal. You must commit to this slide, and you may do so without kicking your legs as far out as a typical heelside requires (unlike the way I mentioned for the shutdown heelside slide). This slide may also require less aggressive carving. Many riders may feel this slide easier and more effective to learn, as they get the practice of breaking traction without as many moving parts, and they can focus on one thing at a time — though some may be apprehensive of the direction change in the 180. This occurs at low speed, however, so it should not be a real problem. At higher speeds, I should note, the board during the Coleman Slide will not immediately turn into a 180, but will “pendulum” back and forth before finally doing so. You needn’t worry about this at the speeds you are trying this slide, and it will come naturally for you as you begin to ride and to slide at faster speeds.
The goal for any rider is to eventually be comfortable performing slides at any speed or situation. Not only does this look cool, but being able to slow down is, needless to say, extremely crucial if you want to bomb hills of glorious magnitude with your buddies. Rather than using it simply to stop, use the Coleman Slide as a stepping stone to different slides such as the predrift; as a way to get the feel of breaking traction and discovering the amazing feeling of gliding down the pavement. After that, you can still use this slide to stop yourself at the end of a hill. Hopefully, we’ll see you there.
Have fun and stay safe, and God bless.
