Cross stepping noob

[ThyNameIsSquidly]

yeah ive been trying to cross step for a while now because it's the only thing you can do inflorida besides ride. and i i rode goofy btw, i can bring my front foot back, but then what do i do with my back foot, which way do i cross, and when ever i try to i get scared and stiffen up, and fall, and or shoot the board out. will it get easyer? or will i have a permentnt mental block on walking on a moving object. also, i have used the search function, but i would like to have people answer anyway. thanks..

confused cross stepping noob, oh btw, i ride goofy on a 38' board

[lazarus213]

Originally Posted by ThyNameIsSquidly

yeah ive been trying to cross step for a while now because it's the only thing you can do inflorida besides ride. and i i rode goofy btw, i can bring my front foot back, but then what do i do with my back foot, which way do i cross, and when ever i try to i get scared and stiffen up, and fall, and or shoot the board out. will it get easyer? or will i have a permentnt mental block on walking on a moving object. also, i have used the search function, but i would like to have people answer anyway. thanks..

confused cross stepping noob, oh btw, i ride goofy on a 38' board

best thing to do would be to watch videos and see how the step, look for the one with Adam C teaching you how to cross step.

In any case though, let me try to help. When you bring your front foot back, make sure to point it forward, and step on the right side of your board (heelside). Then with your back foot, you cross it over your front foot, pointing forward again, and heelside again. Then your right foot goes behind your left foot to step toeside (left side of your board), and when you can do this you can point your feet in your regular riding position. Then your left foot goes back to your regular riding position.

As for getting scared and stiffening up, it helps to try riding balancing on one foot first, both right and left. That way, when you move on the board, you can shift your weight to the foot thats stationary while your other foot moves into place.

Hope that made sense and helps!

[gabetar]

Do you have a helmet? Those could help your confidence.

[ThyNameIsSquidly]

i can only balance on my right foot, and i have the worst balance when riding regular, so i havent tryed balancing on my left foot. but no i dont have a helmet and its not my head om worries about, its my elbows and knees, but i dont feel like wearing football pads, a helmet and some knee pads.. i just idk... i'll try tommorrow when i finish my homework

[Jonoo]

knee pads really helped my confidence, just remember to keep pointing your shoulders forward and carving really seemed to help me while I was learning.

lots of practice will do the trick

[lazarus213]

Originally Posted by ThyNameIsSquidly

i can only balance on my right foot, and i have the worst balance when riding regular, so i havent tryed balancing on my left foot. but no i dont have a helmet and its not my head om worries about, its my elbows and knees, but i dont feel like wearing football pads, a helmet and some knee pads.. i just idk... i'll try tommorrow when i finish my homework

yeah its important that you do, especially if you want to progress to dancing. When dancing, you'll have to know how to

ride regular (goofy for you)
ride switch
ride backwards
balance on your left foot
balance on your right foot
do 180 body varials from regular to switch in both directions
do 180 body varials from switch to regular in both directions

because at some point you're going to have to do all of these things. Like when you dance you'll always be finding yourself in the switch position, so you'll need to be able to ride switch before moving back to your regular position.

[Gimoe]

Heres the adams video on how to cross step: YouTube - Cross Stepping

What really helped me get my footwork and confidence up was just practicing on the carpet not moving at all.

Heres a video i just found as i went to get the cross step link on balance which allways helps in longboarding: YouTube - 4 Ways to Improve your Balance

Hop that helps.

[embarg0]

Loosen up bud, and take it slow. I can't explain how i learned. I was trying to do random stuff and all of a sudden i was able to cross step. But what helped me was getting comfortable riding anywhere on the board. Example: riding on the nose, riding on the tail, riding in another stance and so on. Try learning in a tennis court or a confined place with nice floors. Why? Because you can just do 1 push and you'll move really far giving you the ability to spend more time attempting to walk on the board. Plus, if your board shoots out it wont go in the street and get run over(Oh man, bad memories bad memories!!) Try tightening those trucks up for more balance then loosen them after time. These are just my tips, may not work with other people but it worked for me!

[jkpvilla]

what helped me the most was when I started to lean into the turn. y'know sort of "accept" the carve.

[ksplash]

I kinda had that whole I couldn't do it thing then suddenly I could. learn some of the other moves first. thats what I did. and it really really does help to point your feet forward. and that stylee thing you'll see people doing when they do it, actually HELPS you do it. get loose, bend those knees and get your arms up.

as for balance for your left foot, whenever you find yourself standing in line for anything, or anywhere else you'll be standing stationary for extended periods of time, you'll notice you have more weight on your right foot. Try to get more of your weight on your left foot.

then there's always balance excercizes
put your hands together (as if you were clapping) against and in front of your chest. stand on one foot and bend your other knee. put your unweighted foot against your weighted knee so that your unweighted knee is pointing sideways. when you can do that easily, start closing your eyes and doing it. If that gets to easy, stand on a small couch pillow.

voodoo boards help too.

[ThyNameIsSquidly]

thanks for all the tips! i just got back from a 30min run (cant stay out too long or you'll die of heat stroke in florida lol) and i got the crossing down!! i can cross now! but.. im also trying to ride regular but the only way i have found i can do that is mongo. i can ride with my back foot forward and my front foot turned just fine, but thwn i trun my back foot i loose balance. i'll try ssome more after dinner but i was so happy when i crossed. when i was walking down my driveway, i was psyching my self up like. if you get hurt, it dosent matter, b;ah blah and i did it =) but i ran out of room after the first step... i scooted back, pointed forward, then crossed (with my foot sideways) and ran out of room. but thanks again.

if this made any sence.. reply lol

[Rusty4488]

even though i first learned to cross step on a board about the same size as yours, you might feel more comfortable cross stepping on a bigger board

[cuna123456]

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