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Lines

B raking and Stalling

Speed control techniques

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In the Arcs section which gets into turning technique, I'll cover speed control by turning and sliding. Since this is the Lines section I'll cover various slowing down techniques which you'd use while going in a straight line, in mild turns, s turns, or in the context of walking the board.

Foot Drag Stalling

Foot dragging is the most basic way to slow down a skateboard. Essentially you ride on one leg and let the other foot hang off the side of the board and apply shoe leather to sidewalk to lose speed. Sounds simple enough, but in my walk the board routines dragging the foot can actually get quite complex. For every stance there is an equivalent foot drag. I'll demonstrate the ones I use most often on this page.

Side sole drag

This is a side sole drag, where the entire foot is hung off to one side and the whole length of the foot used for a braking surface. Lots of braking power is available.

The key to good sole dragging is good balance on one leg. You must be able to ride in a partial bend on one leg, while your pushing foot brushes on the pavement. By applying more pressure, you get more friction.

The side sole drag is functional and should be mastered so you can take a steep hill or get yourself out of trouble when strollers and wheelchairs jump out in your path. It's not the only drag stall, and others are more stylish. Drags can be performed from anywhere on the board. It's possible to drag the sole, the heel, or the toe. Stalls from the tail and middle of the board tend to be easier. Stalls at the nose are fun and eyecatching, although they are a notch or so more difficult. Nose stalls have many creative possibilities and there's a surf cross training benefit, because it simulates the stalling action of nose riding in surfing.

Heel drag

The heel drag is similar to the side sole drag, only your toe is lifted slightly and the heel does the dragging. It seems to me that putting more pressure on the heel gives the most powerful braking action. I use the heel drag on hills or to stop fast.

Toe drag

Braking controls such as sole drag, heel drag, carving, sliding, or skidding the tail are rough moves to take off lots of speed. Toe dragging is a subtle way of skateboard braking. People may not even see you do it, and will think you have brakes in your wheels. You can slow down a lot if you drag and turn at the same time.

Toe drag at tail

This is the basic toe drag. Many skaters use this type of brake action. In this position, I hang my back toe off the tail and drag the tip. There is still some weight on this dragging foot as well as the standing foot, so the stance is very comfortable. The fact that the toe points backwards makes it brake smoothly. Keep this in mind because when I toe drag at other points on the board my goal is to get the same foot angle as in the basic toe drag.

Cross step drag

A cross step drag is a toe drag done while taking a cross step, or from a cross stance. There is some weight put on the board as well as the ground, by pushing the sole or side of the foot against the rail. It's a more difficult drag than the tail stall. Your cross stepping and cross stance must be very solid. It helps to turn the foot out so the sole can be angled back a bit. This gets some sole into the braking area and makes a nice clean drag. In this drag, there is some chance of the foot grabbing and the ankle getting twisted. Stretch out and practice going slowly.

Nose drag stall

On a long surfboard, nose riding moves such as the hang ten were originally stalls as well as hotdog moves. On this page, I have tried to bring nose stalling to the long skateboard. The front truck is a stable spot, and dragging one foot makes it even more stable. The skater can get more out of the nose of the board by using it as a resting spot to stand and think about the next move. Nose stalls set up maneuvers and tricks. A nose stall followed by a backpedal and kickout would be a good ending to a hill ride.

At first it will seem harder to stall at the nose. Having all the weight and wheels of the board behind you is a disadvantage when you're learning. You will fly off the nose or catch a foot if you make a mistake. I suggest practicing all drags from mid board or the tail. Once you get the feel of it, the nose is the best place to drag stall from.

Heel first nose drag

The thing that makes this toe drag at the nose work is that I aim the heel first so the toe points back a bit and drags really smoothly. The foot position is kind of a half cross stance with my foot turned out while facing forward. I turn my foot way out to do this. If you can't turn out this much, turn your skating foot so it points backwards, or turn your whole body so you're facing more to the tail than the nose. Figure out a body and foot position that works for you, but get your toe pointing toward the tail and the drag should brake really well. The foot won't twist or "chatter", grabbing repeatedly and uncontrollably, because the sole angles backwards, just like as if it were hung off the tail.

My dragging foot has the heel pressed on the rail for support. The toe drags on the ground. The heel on the rail gives you lots of support, because it's really a two foot stance. You get pretty good braking from this, although you're going to lose some toe tread off your shoe. Nose stall drags are more sensitive to error. You may fly, so wear pads. Once mastered, using the rail and angle of the foot, lots of leverage can be had to push the foot into the ground effortlessly.

Cross stance nose drag

This more difficult nose drag is a "hang whole foot" nose perch and also a nose stall. This is more of a full cross stance than the first nose drag picture. I'm perched on the nose in cross stance and extending my foot off the board. Unlike the heel first nose drag, I have no heel support from the rail. I turn my dragging foot out so it works like the heel first drag. It gets tricky here because of the foot turnout, the cross stance, all my weight being on my skating leg, and weighting the nose heavily. You could probably make this easier by aiming your foot straight and dragging your heel.

Nose toe drag slide

One cool offshoot from the nose toe drag is the nose toe drag slide. With your weight up front and some pressure from your dragging foot, it's possible to slide the whole board smoothly around behind you. In this sequence, I use the heel first (or foot sideways) toe drag to initialte a nose slide 180 in the heelside direction.

Pidgeon toe drag

If you can't turn out your foot very well, you might turn it in and try to drag it. The stance is regular stance, but the knees have to knock so it looks pidgeon toed. I'm demonstrating the turned in foot stall at the nose. It's pretty comfortable, but the foot might get caught under the nose, or under the wheels. It's also possible to press the foot down on the wheels themselves on the other side and brake this way.

Tail Stall or Kick Stall

Tail stall is the term I give to a tail skid on a longboard. Surfers usually call this a kick stall. In the tail stall, you use friction on the tail rather than your shoes to slow the board. You wheelie and drag the tail of the board to skid off speed. You can combine the tail skid with a toe drag by dragging your toe which hangs off the tail.

If you drag the tail of a big wooden board, you may want to preserve the tail and not grind it down. I have experimented with skids and kicktails under the tail to protect the board and serve as a brake pad. See the Gear section for more on how to do this. On street longboards, I wouldn't put a skid on the tail, because I want to ollie off it.

Tail stall to turn

Here is the stance for the tail stall. The feet are pretty close together, in a narrow stance at the tail. The back toe hangs over.

I wheelie and drag my toe to slow down. The tail itself skids on the street as well. There is a slight turn to the toeside.

I land the wheelie and prepare for the next maneuver. I shift my weight forward slightly.

Tail stall to cross step

This is a maneuver borrowed from the kick stall in longboard traditional style surfing. As the surfer goes into a section where a nose ride looks inviting, a kick stall or wheelie type of move slows the surfboard and also repositions the board slightly higher up on the wall of the wave. The surfer uses this move to set up a walk to the nose. Here I adapt the kick stall and do a tail stall into a cross step.

I wheelie the board enough to skid the tail. I turn my front foot out slightly to line it up with the board. This puts the front foot in the position of walking up the board.

As the board comes down off the wheelie, I try to land it while smoothly going into a cross stance in the first step of a walk up the board.

As the board lands and continues to roll, at a reduced speed, I complete the cross step. Next I will uncross and walk further toward the nose.