For beginners, riding a Kryptonics Torpedo Skateboard may be intimidating, but it will be a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. Before starting, however, it is important to have the proper safety gear on – shoes that are designed for better grip of the board, a helmet for head protection in case of a fall, and knee and elbow pads. Find time to learn and practice basic skills like pushing, turning, and stopping.
Following are the key steps to learning how to ride a Kryptonics torpedo skateboard:
Find the Right Stance for You
You should first learn to determine your natural stance that will provide balance as you ride and steer. You can either adopt the regular or goofy stance. When doing a regular stance, the left foot is at the front while the right rests at tail of the board. On the other hand, the goofy stance has the right foot in front and the left at the rear. Try both stances first to see what works for you by pushing around slowly. The stance that you find more comfortable is your natural stance.
Practice Pushing
Pushing is a core skill that every torpedo skateboarder needs to learn. Using your natural stance, and with the lead foot pointed straight, push with the other foot. As you gain speed, place the foot you pushed with at the rear of the board, in a way that both your feet are parallel. Keep on practicing until you become comfortable. Spend some time focusing on your pushing alone as the skill is essential to virtually every skateboarding trick.
Practice Turning
To be able to take the torpedo skateboard in whatever direction you wish to go, you must first master the skill of turning. As you ride with both your feet planted on the skateboard, appropriately shift your weight to make a turn. To turn right using the regular stance, shift your weight and lean towards the toe-side edge. When turning left, the weight should be shifted towards the heel-side edge. Truck tightness influences turning; the more pressure is required to turn, the tighter the trucks are. For beginners, this is ideal as it will help maintain stability. With a looser truck, you will need less pressure, but it comes with a greater risk of losing control of the skateboard. It is therefore crucial that you take time practicing your turning skills until such time that you are comfortable.
Practice Stopping
This is another very important skill to learn. There are different ways to stop. For beginners, however, the easiest way is using the foot to brake. While you are riding, just kick out your rear foot, and lean on the skateboard with your heel. With your foot tilted and your toes pointing downwards, drag your toes to slow down and stop. The tail drag is another way to stop. Put your rear foot on the board’s tail and push the tail downwards. Bear in mind, however, that using this stopping technique frequently may easily wear out the tail of your torpedo skateboard.
