Learning how to navigate turns on a longboard is crucial for anyone wanting to progress in downhill skateboarding. Whether your goal is to carve down hills safely or simply increase your speed, understanding the principles of cornering is essential. This guide will break down the techniques, from basic concepts to advanced strategies, to help you master the art of longboard turning.
Essential Pre-Turn Skills
Before tackling corners, ensure you have a firm grasp on speed control. The ability to slow down effectively using foot braking or pendulum/shutdown slides is paramount for safe cornering. Speed management is a prerequisite for safely navigating any turn.
The Fundamental “Outside-Inside-Outside” Approach
The basic principle for cornering involves a three-part movement: begin on the outside of the turn, touch the inside (apex), and then transition back to the outside. This “outside-inside-outside” (OIO) line is the foundational approach for navigating turns.
longboard through turns – outside, inside, outside principle
Crucially, always slow down significantly before entering a corner. Approaching a turn with too much speed can lead to loss of control, potentially causing you to veer into other lanes or off the road, placing you in a dangerous situation.
The Logic Behind the OIO Line
The OIO line represents the most direct path through a corner, minimizing stress on your wheels. Maintaining wheel grip is essential for staying on your line and safely completing the turn. Excessive speed compromises grip, increasing the risk of sliding out.
outside, inside, outside principle, where to slow down
outside, inside, outside principle – how skilled skaters slow down with a pre-drift
By slowing down, moving from the outside, touching the inside, and then returning to the outside, you can navigate most corners effectively.
Optimizing Your Body Position
Body positioning plays a critical role in cornering. Prior to entering a turn, adopt a crouched stance, similar to the position used for sliding. This stance lowers your center of gravity, shifts weight onto your front foot, and enhances overall control.
longboard through a heelside turn
longboard through a toeside turn
Practical Experience is Key
This foundational information will get you started. Now, practice on a safe, controlled corner. Experiment with the OIO concept and return to learn more advanced techniques once you have gained practical experience. Remember, concepts learned in racing video games can also be applied to real-world longboarding.
Advanced Techniques: Race Lines and Apexing
Understanding the Concept of a Race Line
A “race line” is a refined version of the OIO principle, optimized for different types of turns and vehicles, maximizing speed through a corner. This concept applies across many vehicles and is crucial for understanding cornering at a higher level.
The Importance of Race Lines
Understanding race lines allows you to take the safest line. By understanding the fastest way through a corner, you can also learn to navigate that same corner at slower and safer speeds. Understanding the limits enables you to skate safely within them.
Essential Terminology
- Entrance Line: Your path from the outside to the inside of a turn.
- Exit Line: Your path from the inside back to the outside.
- Apex: The innermost point of the turn, where you touch the inside.
- Washing Out/Sliding Out: Losing wheel grip on the exit line, resulting in a loss of control and a deviation from your intended path.
- Scrubbing: Minor wheel slippage where wheels lose traction without initiating a full slide.
Different Race Lines and Apex Points
The point at which you hit the apex can significantly change your exit line. The exit line is particularly crucial for safety, especially on roads open to traffic.
diagram showing early, geometric, and late apex
Let’s examine different apexing techniques, assuming you maintain constant speed up to the apex and accelerate after the apex.
The Geometric Apex: The Fastest Line
The geometric apex is the outermost point on the inside of the corner. Hitting this apex allows you to take the mathematically straightest and typically fastest line through the turn.
longboarding through turns – geometric apex
With a geometric apex, your exit line is usually manageable and you can return to the outside without issue.
The Early Apex: Avoid When Possible
An early apex involves touching the inside of the corner well before the geometric apex point. This results in a wide, curved exit line, increasing the risk of washing out due to increased speed and wheel stress.
early apex
Early apexes can lead to sliding out into other lanes or off the road, often requiring additional braking on your exit line. They are generally undesirable.
The Late Apex: The Safest Approach
A late apex means touching the inside after the geometric apex, creating a straighter exit line. This reduces wheel stress, minimizing the risk of washing or sliding out, even with acceleration.
best way to longboard through turns – late apex
The late apex is the safest method for cornering.
How to Execute a Late Apex
To take a late apex, slow down more than usual, enter deep into the turn, and initiate your turn from the outside a bit later. This will cause you to touch the inside of the turn a little later.
how to take a late apex
If struggling, slow down further and take the turn at a more controlled pace.
Lane Cutting for a Late Apex
Some riders may briefly enter the opposite lane to widen their entry and straighten their line to a late apex, provided it is safe.
lane cut, late apex
This technique allows for a less aggressive turn and greater speed through the corner due to the wider turning radius and straighter exit line.
The Critical Nature of the Exit Line
The exit line is where you have the least control, therefore the most risky. Once committed to an exit line, corrections are difficult. You’ll often realize your mistake too late, making it hard to recover. Sliding out may seem like an option, but it continues your trajectory towards an undesirable outcome, usually while your body is out of position to make that correction. Therefore, mastering the late apex will give you a straighter exit line, putting less stress on your wheels and providing a larger margin for error.
By consistently using the late apex, you will have a straighter exit, will not need to push your wheels so hard, and will have more room for error. Additionally, taking the late apex also creates a more manageable exit. A geometric apex can easily be taken with too much speed, which leads to a difficult exit.
all three race lines together
Factors Limiting Cornering Speed
Several factors influence how fast you can take a corner.
Wheel Grip
The grip of your wheels directly impacts cornering speed. Factors like wheel width, lip shape, urethane formula, durometer, and lip stiffness all contribute to grip.
cheetah hagws, grippy longboard wheels
Grippy wheels, such as race wheels, allow for higher cornering speeds, while wheels with less grip require slower speeds to maintain control.
powell peralta dragonskins
Road Conditions
Road conditions like temperature, pavement type, and cleanliness greatly affect grip. Wet or dirty roads have less grip than dry, clean ones.
Rider Weight
Heavier riders need to approach corners slower due to the increased sideways force on the wheels, which makes it easier to exceed the available grip.
Corner Tightness
Tighter corners require more speed reduction than open turns. A hairpin turn will require more speed reduction than a gentle 70 degree turn.
open turn vs tight turn
Applying Concepts to Real-World Scenarios
Practice these concepts on safe, accessible corners, and experiment with different wheels and conditions. You can also test these theories in video games before taking them to the real world. When approaching a new section of road, prioritize creating your line in reverse, starting from the safest exit line, then identifying the appropriate apex and finally the most appropriate entry.
Mastering Different Lines
Practice riding every type of line to become a proficient rider.
Practice:
- Taking tighter inside lines while maintaining a speed that ensures a manageable exit.
- Taking both a tight entry and a tight exit.
- Taking a tight entry line, but hitting the late apex.
- Slowing down to a very low speed, hitting an early apex, and still trying to get a straight-ish exit line.
different lines through a corner
These are examples of lines that should be practiced in order to be proficient in multiple situations. Being able to ride different lines will ensure that you are prepared for all sorts of situations.
Tips for High-Speed Cornering
- Use a carving setup to get into the ideal body position before the corner.
- Avoid being too aggressive on entry, which can lead to a highside.
- Maintain more weight on your front foot for better steering control.
- Prevent wobbles by keeping the board settled through the turn, as any wobble can change your line and cause you to wash out.
- Maintain a low center of gravity when taking a corner, which is why riders crouch down.
Other Considerations
- Slow down appropriately for the corner and judge how much speed you can carry. It’s best to err on the side of being slower rather than faster.
- Manage your line from the outside to the inside of the turn. This may require turning in earlier, more aggressively, or slowing down.
- Be conscious of your body position to maintain balance and prevent wobbles.
- Avoid sudden weight shifts on exit, as this can widen your line and affect your trajectory.
- Apply turning input gradually instead of suddenly to avoid a highside.
- Lean off the board to counter the force that wants to throw you forward.
Advanced Techniques
- Conserve momentum by scrubbing as little speed as possible on the exit.
- Aim for a mix of geometric and late apexes for optimal exit speed and momentum.
- When navigating multiple chained corners, prioritize the line through the second corner.
- In racing, protect the inside line and position yourself at the apex to discourage overtaking.
Conclusion
Mastering the art of longboard turning is an ongoing process that combines foundational skills with advanced techniques. Start with the basics, practice in safe locations, and gradually incorporate more complex strategies. By understanding the principles of race lines and apexing, you’ll be well on your way to mastering longboard cornering. Through consistent practice and dedication, you’ll be able to confidently navigate any turn you encounter.
