If you get frustrated like I did after my first 18 attempts, just take a 30 minute break, put away your skateboard, pads etc and go do something else to clear your mind. It's amazing but during my lesson with Cliff, we had to take a water and snack break because I was getting frustrated after 45 minutes with poor results. After my 20 minute break, I was able to turn my 1 for 10 ratio of successful to unsuccessful slides into 8 for 10. That is why Cliff is the master of teaching slides.
Once you learn the motion/technique, and you hear the sweet sound of sliding wheels and you will be standing up on the board at the end of the slide rather than picking yourself up off the ground. Then you will begin to think less about the minutiae of slide technique and instead, you will start thinking about how to improve your Coleman slide style and begin to think about the techniques of all the other types of slides.
It is very helpful to slide with more experienced skaters. I learned more in a few hours with Cliff Coleman, Malakai Kingston, and the Ninja Bomb Squad then I did in 2 years of solo longboarding. To these gentlemen, I owe many thanks.
I have personally seen Cliff Coleman do his namesake slide, done one, and now can hopefully teach you one. My wish is that the longboarding community will continue to support, teach, and propagate this most vital safety skill to its current and future brethren.
Some links to help you find some of the gear mentioned in this article:
All Photo Credits Silverfishlongboarding.com
Sliding Videos at skatetorrent.com
Written by Tushar Patel & Malakai Kingston
