Sunday, May 22, 2011

Barefoot Longboarding


Theres something to be said about longboarding barefoot. In my eyes, its a bit of a controversial subject. On one hand, it can be viewed as incredibly unsafe. And for good reason. In some situations, the most logical way to slow down is by dragging your foot on the ground. On the other hand, however, it is an extremely liberating activity.

The increased feeling between the board and the bottoms of your feet. Feeling the vibrations picked up from the asphalt, dampened by your wheels, bushing, and flex. I don't know, maybe its just me, but I think it's great.

Of course, I do not do anything like the video that I linked above (Striker is insane). I'll cruise. At speeds as fast as I'm comfortable going. I definitely skate way more cautiously without shoes on so that if something were to take me by surprise, I'd be able to react to it without getting hurt.

I think the best is skating barefoot in the rain. The first time I did it was simply because I was coming home from a late class, it was raining, and I didn't feel like getting my shoes and socks wet. Talk about a tactile revelation. I was hooked. And now, since I prefer to go barefoot on most occasions anyway, it just makes sense to longboard barefoot from time to time. Know what I'm saying?

Anyways, give it a try. And don't bash it till you try it. Hopefully you'll get the same sort of experience out of it that I do.

9 comments:

  1. I just bought a bamboo totem landyachtz board with padding under a slightly less gritty griptape, its designed specifically to be ridden barefoot. though when it comes to kicking and stopping im not exactly sure what to tell you, i'm sure your feet will become caloused over time however, and you will be able to ride no problem. Raymond Shen

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  2. Very interesting new experience for novices.
    I tried and found it amazing. Council felt better move for me when doing it this way,
    Thanks for sharing your lot
    Tony

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  3. I am not a very good longboarder, i can longboard but i really am a beginner. i would like to make long distance trips on high speed. is a drop through the best choice for me?

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    1. I am also a beginner and although I can't speak as to which type of board is best for your travels, I can say that riding barefoot can help you get a better felt of the board and the terrain of the pavement and help you ride more cautious and more aware of the ground below and give you more confidence when cruising or riding fast. I can only go fast barefoot.

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  4. I cannot ride with shoes on. I rely heavily on that feeling of the vibrations in the ground coming through the board and the changes in the asphalt and the ability to feel every movement of the board with the highest amount of connection. When I ride barefoot I can sense the dimensions of the board and feel far more comfortable riding barefoot because it's like I become one with the board. I can feel everything on the ground and every little turn and tilt of the board and it helps me control myself when going fast and it gives me the confidence to ride to my best ability. It's also helpful on wet roads as I can sense when my wheels are losing their traction and brace myself for a skidded turn or hydroplaning.

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  6. Man that sounds so dangerous, I will never ever tried longboarding without shoes and gloves. Anyway, my team and I just wrote a pretty good guide about buying the right longboard. Feel free to check it out over here: https://www.authorityadviser.com/best-longboards

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