The Coleman Slide - Skateboard Stopping and Sliding Instructions

From Tushar Patel & Malakai Kingston

6) Then find a gentle slope on a relatively wide street or a nicely paved wide section of asphalt and achieve some reasonable speed get into the crouched drop knee position and perform a wide sweeping heelside turn. You don't have to go that fast early on. Just go at a speed you are comfortable with at doing a heelside turn and then work on increasing your speed later. You can still slide the board at slower speeds; it just won't be as dramatic. If you are too slow, you will just carve a circle without a slide at the end however.

As a side note, when I was learning this slide, most of my falls/crashes during my lesson with Cliff Coleman were from lifting up the heel of my back foot in a subconscious attempt to have my foot help to slide the board around during the middle/end portion of my heelside carve. The problem with lifting up the back foot is that your weight is no longer centered on the board and you will most likely fall off the board during or at the end of your slide. This will get you too much road rash and too few style points.

7) As you head into the turn, put your gloved hand on the pavement (i.e. the hand closer to the front of the board) and swing the other arm with the elbow slightly flexed and palm facing away from you, from the approximately 3 o'clock to the 11 to 12 o'clock position if you are regular foot.

If you are goofy like me, then move the swing arm from the 9 o'clock to the 12 to 1 o'clock position. ( 12 o'clock refers to putting the arm out right in front of your chest).

Previous

• The Coleman Slide - Skateboard Stopping and Sliding Instructions
• The Coleman Slide: a 180 degree heelside slide
• Sliding Deck Requirements
• The Coleman Slide Technique: Standing and Starting
• The Coleman Slide Technique: Riding and Crouching
• The Coleman Slide Technique: Slope and Hands
• The Coleman Slide Technique: Hand Sliding and Placement
• Final Thoughts and Advice

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