DANCING AND BOARDWALKING ON A LONGBOARD

Dancing and boardwalking is the rebirth of the old school tricks done on a longboard. Many of the tricks involved in dancing are walking movements, turns and spins on the board. Dancing was actually founded from boardwalking on surf boards and was made more popular by Adam Colton and Adam Stokowski. The Dancer Longboards themselves are usually longer than normal so that it can provide more space for the dancer to do turning tricks, walking and other movements. Dancer longboards can range anywhere from 40" to 60".

Some tricks done on a longboard include:
Chop the Wood - This involves the skater jumping onto one foot while carving towards the heelside and back to regular stance.

The Lookback - this is where the skater is stepping off with his/her front foot and kicking the board out, then catching it with the foot still on the board and swinging it back in the original direction landing switch stance and retaining enough momentum that he/she is riding switch in the same direction.

Cross Stepping - This technique consists of moving ones feet, in front of, or behind, the other (cross-stepping) up and down the deck. Usually this technique is practiced by a longboarder with a longer deck (40" or more). Different types of boardwalking depend on the imagination of the rider. Twists, turns, hopping, jumping etc. can all be considered more technical variations of boardwalking.

The Shanker - This is where the rider is pivoting 180 into switch stance with his/her foot on the nose so that the tail of the board pops up and the rider lands normal stance.

Walk the Plank - The rider does a 180 pivot to the front of the board. Standing at the nose of the board facing backwards the rider walks down to the tail of the board and jumps back into normal stance

CARVING ON A LONGBOARD

Carving on a longboard is an efficient way to control your speed when riding downhill. The rider has to make continuous "S" patterns by leaning left and right instead of coming to a complete stop. In doing this, the rider will be able to maintain and control his/her speed. A Camber board is board specifically designed for carving. This board is usually made of bamboo, which is a flexible type of wood, and the center of the deck is higher than the mounting point of the trucks creating an arc shape. This builds up spring tension, and then it is released at the peak of every complete turn in the "S" pattern. This can also be done while wearing sliding gloves. The rider is able crouch down and grab the side of the board then lean uphill. The other hand is then placed on the ground on the uphill side. This is then repeated going the opposite direction. At high speeds it can result in loss of traction.