#15

Longboarding is a prominent style of skateboarding. While skateboards focus on the flipping and spinnig of the board, longboards are focused on more on executing turns at high speeds. They say that surfers invented longboards for a way to entertain themselves when the waves were flat. Surfers soon began to realize that you can perform the same turns and maneuvers on the pavement. According to skate-log, Makaha and Hobie began to produce the first surf inspired longboards in the 1960s. In the 1960s they used clay wheels which made many people turn away from the sport because it was unsafe according to government officials. In the 1970s the sport began to take off with the new invention of the urethane wheels. This provided better traction allowing maneuvers to be easy. In the 1980s- 1990s longboarding was mostly unknown thanks to skateboarding. Skateboarding dominated until the early 1990s where longboarding became recognized as a sport. Today longborders can now hit up to +30mph and has many different styles of decks, trucks and wheels.

  Foster, Philip. "The History of Longboard, Skateboards."Live Strong. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://www.livestrong.com/article/367818-history-longboarding-skateboards/>.

#14

     The History of Longboarding

     Longboarding originated in Oahu, Hawaii. They used longboards when the waves were bad. The rider would imitate surfing by putting their hands close to the ground while riding and carving quickly. Longboarding was called Sidewalk surfing until 1959 when it was called skateboarding. Skateboarding then stopped selling after a few years and it was looked upon as a reckless sport. Not until 1973 where skateboarding/longboarding became popular again and started selling.

"History of longboarding." longboardskateboard.org. longboardskateboard.org, 2008. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://longboardskateboard.org/history-of-longboarding.php>.

#13

Longboarding is a longer version of skateboarding. They are used for slalom, downhill racing and transportation most of the time. Because how its longer and wider base it is more stable than a skateboard. According to the longboard buying guide, new longboarders should avoid longboard saying beginners longboards because that low quality material affects the riding making beginners turn away from the sport. The deck types includes transportation, slalom, downhill, cruisers, and hybrids. The guide also discusses the different types of longboarding techniques.  This includes drifting, which is when your board looses traction on a turn. Drifting is commonly used in downhill racing. Another longboard technique is air brake which involves you stand upright on your board and spread your arms out as far ad you can to catch the wind resistance. This is usually done in speedboarding( Downhill racing) when you need to slow down before a turn or stop. Another technique is foot braking where you gently put one foot on the road while your other foot has most of its weight on your board, keeping you balanced. Technique is used all around and its just an easy way to reduce speed. Next is carving which is when the rider makes a continues S path leaning left to right on their board. This makes the board turn from left to right ( carving) which allows users to control their speed while going down a hill. Next is slide braking where the user turns the its body and board together to make a complete stop. This allows the rider to avoid dangerous situations. Boardwalking, which is also called dancing, is when the rider moves his feet while on the board performing numerous tricks.

Longboarding also has many types of equipment. This includes the deck. Another type of equipment is the bearings which sit inside the wheel. The bearings sit on the edge of the truck hanger and it allows the wheel to spin on the hanger. Next is trucks which comes in many shapes and forms. Trucks are the metal hangers attached to the board and the trucks are also where you attach the wheels to.


. "About Longboarding." Soulboards. N.p., 2012. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://www.soulboards.com/about_longboarding/>.

#12

Downhill Longboard Deck Clinic

     There are 4 types of downhill boards. Types are the top mount, drop through, drop deck, and the drop through drop combination.  An advantage of top mount is that you have an increased traction because you are above your trucks. The advantage to the drop deck is the lower foot placement which allows stability for high speeds. It also has wedges on each side which allows it to be more drift like. The advantage of a drop through deck is that its lower to the ground which gives it stability. And its like the medium between the drop deck and top mount. It allows great stability and somewhat amount of traction. The advantage of the combination drop deck is that it more of a medium between the drop deck and top mount than the drop through. It has a great amount of stability but less traction than a top mount.

(2009, March 11). Youtube. (2009). [0]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTO-iMJ9lkY

#11

What is a longboard? Unlike a skateboard, a longboard is used for cruising, hill bombing, and transportation purposes. A typical longboard ranges from 42" to 46". Longboard length has a huge impact on performance. For downhill people typically use a longboard ranging from 40" to 46". The size of the longboard will give you great stability at high speeds. Longboards that are 40" and under tend to perform better on flatland. The shorter length allows you to carve a sharp turning radius. It also allows for great maneuverability that is easy to stow in cars or bags. Occasionally longboards are spotted up to 56". This allows the person to perform surfing maneuvers like cross stepping and hang ten. Although this board has a lot of space for the person to move on it has a hard time turning. Longboarding has become very popular over the years making prices increase.


Loveland, D. (2006). Daddiesboardshop. Retrieved from http://daddiesboardshop.com/longboard-skateboard-buyers-guide.html

Deck Size	Application
28" - 42"	Transportation, School, Work, Slalom
38" - 42"	Downhill, Transportation, Sliding, Work, School
40" and up	Downhill, Transportation, Sliding, Racing

#10

     One of the most successful longboard companies today is Landyachtz. Landyachtz was founded in 1998 and started in North Vancouver from 2001-2008 focusing on downhill and freeride. Landyatchz goal was to make boards that were a one of a kind. This lead to their success when they invented the "gas pedal".  This part of the board originated from landyatchz, but is now used in most downhill/ freeride boards today. The gas pedal is a slant at the edges of the board that allows peoples' feet to grip onto the edge of the board when riding. This makes sliding a lot easier and allows the person to have more control when performing a slide. Landyatchz is also starting to introduce carbon fiber boards/ foam core boards to the longboarding community. Landyatchz is a fast growing company and I expect more from them in the future.

Breton, N. (2012). Striking a balance. Retrieved from http://issuu.com/concretewave/docs/buyers_guide2012_linked/55

#9

Anatomy of a Longboard

     A longboard consist on many a few different parts. It goes from the deck, trucks, bearings and wheels.
The decks can vary from top mounted to drop through. Top mounted is when the trucks are attached to the bottom of the board which gives you more height between the board and the ground. Drop through is when the base plate of the truck is attached to the top of the longboard.
      This allows the board to be closer to the ground giving it more stability. Next is the truck. The truck contains many different party from the hanger to the washer.  Next up is the wheels. They are set up so you can choose the perfect wheel for your style of riding. So if you want to brake slide you can get a harder wheel, but if you want to cruise with control then you can get a soft wheel that grips well when turning.














"Longboard Parts:Anatomy of a Longboard." Squidoo. N.p., 2011. Web. 22 May 2012. <http://www.squidoo.com/longboard-parts-anatomy-of-a-longboard>.

#8

     Overall I find that this project is very stressful. The reason why is because my topic doesn't have a lot of information. This makes looking for information harder and it makes my work time longer. Even though it takes a long time to complete these topics I'm happy that I chose a topic that I like. If I chose something that I didn't enjoy I would be bored out of my mind. But, even with the very little information I learned a lot about longboarding.
      I can even use some of this information that I learned to make me a better longboarder. Like out of the types of riding I only knew about two of them. Overall I'm liking this project because its a way to express myself. I have never had a teacher tell me to make a website for English class and I'm glad that I didn't switch into regular.

Post #5

     The Apex 37 2011 edition board is the connection between freeriding and freestyle. This is Originalskateboard's new board. The board displays the progression of longboarding from trying to do a kickflip to early grabbing off huge ramps. Scott talks about how they put a carbon fiber bar down the middle which holds it together. He also says that he added a little bit of concave so it could lock you in place while freeriding. Originalskateboard's also added several mounting trucks area so you could choose where you want to mount your trucks. You could mount them closer to the center which will give you more nose for freestyle or you can mount them more at the ends which will keep you more stable during freeride. I find this board incredible. Even though they explained that it was the bridge between freeride and freestyle I find that very bias.  The reason why is because everybody has a different perspective on their own boards. I have the Apex 37 and I don't think its more for freeriding, but more for freestyle. I also found that even though they were talking about the Apex 37 they were also talking about the future of longboarding. They showed this by showing the progression of tricks done in longboarding over time. I found this video interesting and it makes me want to longboard.

Original, S. (2010, Novermber 14). Youtube. [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkgLFrtvwJU&feature=plcp&context=C47e2935VDvjVQa1PpcFN4wAMeE7GNKhgjJPsYMthDkgHAVhezEZY= 

Post #4

     The book " The History of Longboards and Style Specifics"  shows all the types of longboard riding. It includes Slalom where riders swerve around obstacles that they find in their path. Slalom riders usually have soft grippy wheels in the back to hold them in place while turning and hard wheels in the front to increase rolling distance making it faster. Speedboards are used for riding down hills as fast as possible. These boards are usually from 95cm-110cm.  It is also commonly used for freeriding which incorporates drifting and carving.  The first example of a speed board is a Drop deck which are characterized by a riding platform that is lower than the mounting points of the truck. This allowes the rider to have more stability while doing drifts down a hill ,but constricts the rider of turning abilities. Another example of a speed board is a Drop-through deck which have holes machined between the truck of the mounted hardware so the baseplate can be mounted on top of the board. This allows the user of the board to have stability while at high speeds. They have  less traction that Drop decks, but are harder to control while drifting. Dancers is a bunch of old school tricks where it includes a number of walking and spinning moves while on the board. Most dancing decks are 50-60in long. Shlong boards are very short in size and is also referred to as shortboards. These boards are usually made at home to save money and are used to get a feel of longboarding. Sliding boards are board that tend to be wider with different concave patterns. This is personally my favorite type of board. Most sliding decks are 8in-10in in width. Hybrid decks is a recent addition in the longboard world. These decks use surfboard materials for the deck, trucks and sometimes even wheels. They have an improved downhill performance, but is slower compared to Speedboards. Long Distance Skating boards are just used to skate for long distances. Any longboard can be used to skate long distances. You just need the right types of bearings and wheels. I wonder what types of decks longboards will have in the future.

Singer Silas, S. S. (2011). The history of longboards and style specifics. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/dp/1241610061/ref=rdr_ext_tmb

Post #3

 With longboarding you can feel the same rush as snowboarding according to Jai Yee. Longboards are more stable at high speeds and have softer wheels for better grip. Trucks that are attached to the bottom are used for turning rather than grinding on rails as opposed to a skateboard. Jai Yee quoted that when you are carving down a parking garage it feels like snowboarding. Longboarding has been a small part of skateboarding in the 60's until the early 90's where it started to get popular. Longboarding has been described as a sub culture within a subculture quoted Micheal Brooke who is the author of Concrete Wave: "History of Skateboarding". In the 90's skateboarders left the park and hit the streets shredding their longboards. Companies later explored the type of board making and started using carbon fiber, fiber glass and exotic wood like bamboo. They took it to the next step and started experimenting on trucks. They enhanced the turning capabilities and enabled longboarders to fine tune their trucks according to riding preferences. This created the diiferent styles of longboarding. Among the types of longboarding styles a dancer is for skaters who practice fancy footwork as they ride. Downhill boards are designed for high speeds and sliders who like to drift (slow down) by using their feet to kick out the board and back. Slalom is a type of longboard that is used for quick turning. Longboard prices vary from $150 to $300 depending on what type of material your longboard is made with.    


Krcmar, S. (2008, August 18). Longboarding's fans are on a roll. . Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2008/aug/18/health/he-skateboard18

Longboarding Post 2

Post 2
2/19/2012
               
     Silverfish longboarding's guide to boards and disciplines is a useful tool when buying your longboard. I describes the type of decks you need for the type of riding your going to be doing. Freeriding is a term used to describe any style of skating downhill which includes drifting and sliding. This style involves boards with deep wheel cutouts and drop mounted trucks. Freeriding is my favorite style of longboarding.
      Speedboarding is the sport of getting down a hill as fast as possible. Most speedboarding boards have moderate concave to lock your feet in at high speeds. Slalom is usually a timed sport that involves avoiding cones on flat land with small spacing. Most of these boards are from 30 in - 36in with functional kicktails on the back. Cruising is traveling from one location to another in whatever manner the skater sees fit. Any longboard is counted as a cruiser, but they usually tend to be medium to large boards. Carving is the manner of riding a hill where a skater cuts back and forth on hard turns to slow down or maintain speed. Most carving boards are 36 in and are flexible. Long distance is a growing style, broken into two groups:
      Long distance skating and Long distance pumping.  Long distance skating is skating a long distance while Long Distance Pumping is where you are focused on generating momentum by pumping.  These boards are typically drop through mounted trucks. Boardwalking (also called dancing) focuses upon the skater's ability to use the deck to accomplish tricks and maneuvers on the deck. Decks vary from 40 in -60 in and usually have double kicktails. Technical Sliding is a specialized discipline with some crossovers to street-skating gear, this is the intentional breaking of traction on steep hills to accomplish tricks that modify the board's movement down the fall line. Deck used in Technical Sliding vary from 34 in -38 in. Overall I would have to say that my favorite styles of riding is Boardwalking and Freeriding. These are my favourite style of riding because it looks a lot cooler in my opinion. Also when I longboard I do mostly Boardwalking and Freeriding because there is not many big hills in Florida. I have always wondered how it would feel to Speedboard. It looks very dangerous, but a lot of fun.


Basil, E. (2011, May 09). What’s that skateboard for?. Retrieved from http://www.silverfishlongboarding.com/Concrete_Wave_Articles/View_category

Longboarding- essential question

I chose longboarding as my topic because I love to longboard and I'm interested in the sport.

Essential question: What are the different types of longboard riding styles and what boards I should use for that type of style?