Long distance push boarding (LDP) is an endurance sport of longboarding, a unique longboarding sport different from cruising and downhill. Because it is similar to marathon and triathlon, which require athletes to have perseverance, it has become a special type of sport and has a very enthusiastic group of longboarders.
What is a LDP longboard?
Simply to say, just push the longest distance in the shortest time, on the LDP longboard. Mainly through two conventional actions: pushing and pumping. Or mix both actions. Technically, you can do this exercise on any traditional style longboard. As long as you push forward, you can achieve the purpose of gliding long distances. However, in order to make longboarding easier, more efficient and more comfortable, special deck, truck and wheel sizes are designed or chosen, which are more suitable for LDP sports.
Recreational LDP longboarders love riding across town, making it a great way to have fun, commute, exercise and keep body and mind happy. However, LDP competitors need to train hard, constantly hone their skills and improve their endurance, so as to complete the race in the shortest possible time.
In what follows, we dive into this unique style of longboarding, discussing the features, skills, gears of LDP.
Why Choose LDP Longboard Sports
Many other longboard enthusiasts or road racing enthusiasts, have gradually begun to get involved in LDP longboard sports. Although the entire LDP player group is small, different people have different answers as to why they choose LDP longboarding.
- Some are transferred from traditional longboard sports. In order to experience a longer distance sliding experience, LDP is naturally chosen.
- Some are the pursuit of endurance and perseverance, an experience of self-discipline.
- Some people like to slide outdoors for long distances and soak in the scenery along the way.
- Some view it as a marathon-like challenge.
The main difference from other longboarding sports, is that LDP longboarding is all about speed and distance. Beginners, who are just starting out in the sport, can start at a relatively low speed, say around 10 mph, and skate 10 or 15 miles a day. A skilled LDP longboarder can glide longer distances and very fast. It is necessary to wear protective gear.
LDP Longboarding Skills and Techniques
LDP longboarding requires a combination of endurance and skill. Correct stance, propulsion posture, and frequency, are all important factors in reducing ineffective movements and increasing efficiency. Master the appropriate speed and maintain stability. Control the frequency of kicking and pushing to avoid fatigue over long distances. Adjust the subtle postures of pushing and pumping, so that you can achieve a uniform speed during long-distance gliding.
LDP Pushing
Although it is the simplest and most basic movement, for beginners, quantitative training is also necessary. This is conducive to the exercise of balance, and lays the foundation for subsequent increases in speed and sliding distance. You can start by using small kicks to accelerate the longboard, and then use strong kicks to maintain speed.
After you become proficient in pushing with one leg, it is also necessary to perform skoggging and pushing alternately with both legs. Alternately use your legs when pushing to spread the force to both sides of your body, which can reduce fatigue and allow you to glide longer and farther.
LDP Pumping
Pumping is a technique that allows you to stand on the board, and propel yourself and the board forward without pushing. The skill required for pumping is efficient oscillation.
Its working principle is to swing left and right, control the truck, and quickly change direction, thus providing forward momentum for the board. Different truck and board designs, will require different pumping posture, strength and skills. By mastering the characteristics of each type of gear, you can achieve higher speeds over a long distance. Choosing different deck types, truck types, and replacing with appropriate bushing, will improve pumping effect.
Endurance training
Appropriate amount of endurance training is necessary for LDP longboarding. Just like a marathon, maintaining a certain speed for a long time, is the key to success. In addition to regular basic endurance training in the gym, regular and quantitative training at the venue, is also a good way to improve endurance. In addition, jogging and long-distance running are also quite effective. All persistence in endurance training, is based on your perseverance, belief and love.
LDP longboarding Component
Although there are many types of LDP longboard gear, they have some common characteristics. They are different from other types of longboard.
LDP Deck
Regarding the choice of deck, the first thing to consider, is that it should be as low to the ground as possible. As you need to push for a long distance, you need to shorten the landing distance of your feet as much as possible. This will help reduce the bending arc of your feet, which saves energy and reduces fatigue. Compared with decks with high ground clearance, this type of deck allows you to glide longer distances easily.
Deck with lower distance to the ground can bring more stability, and you don’t need to spend too much energy to control the movement trajectory of the longboard during long-distance gliding. This will help longboarders focus more on speed and durability.
Drop-Through and Drop-Down Longboard types or a combination of the two decks types, are more suitable for LDP choices. In addition, bracket deck is also a mainstream choice. By using brackets to control the gap between the deck and the ground, there is no need for too much requirement on deck shape. Deck without kick type boards are also often used for bracket LDP.
A deck suitable for LDP longboarding needs to have a mellow concave. The concave can conveniently lock your feet when pushing. The Mellow concave is also helpful when pumping, bringing more power. If using deep concave, when gliding long distances, it may bring fatigue to feet, because the feet are always in a suspended state.
Stiffness and flex: Deck with more stiffness provides more stability and control while pushing, specially in higher speed. But if it is sliding on rough roads, deck with more flex will reduce bumps and bring more comfort. However, it could reduce speed. And Depending on the road surface condition and bushing’s hardness rating, choosing a deck with proper flex also requires practise and experience.
Lightness: While maintaining the stiffness of the board, choosing a lighter deck is also something, that many professional LDP longboarders have to consider. Under the same conditions, a lighter deck means less physical exertion.
Traditional maple decking will be slightly heavier than composite decking, but will be much less expensive to make. It is an good option for beginners. With the improvement of production technology and efficiency, the production cost of composite decks will gradually decrease, becoming the choice of more players.
Some of the most highly-rated longboard deck brands for long distance pushing.
- Rocket: LDP deck models as Exodus, Rambler, Moray.
- Pantheon: LDP deck models as Trip, Pranayama, Supersonic, Genesis, Wiggler, Bandito.
- Bossa: LDP deck models as LDP 38, LDP 37, PLATFORM 29.
- Zenit: LDP deck models as BB, BB+, AB, AZ, Draft
- Subsonic: LDP deck models as Century 40, Century 36, and Century 34
- Loaded Boards: LDP deck models as Loaded Fathom
- LEPSK8: Version3.0 and Version6.0
LDP Trucks
LDP trucks would be roughly classified as traditional die cast trucks, which is less expensive, and CNC precision trucks, which is more expensive.
It would be says that traditional LDP choice of trucks as Randal is much more suitable for pushing longboarders. The classic setup would be choosing Randall as rear truck and Bennett Vector as front truck.
For more pumping use, more sophisticated precision trucks with spherical bearing are designed. There are many types and brands precision trucks, with different design and degree, which could be adapted for skating habit.
Brackets are also designed to connect precision trucks and deck platform, which help to provide connection and more angle options.
Some of the most highly-rated longboard LDP truck brands
- Don’t trip: Poppys
- Gbomb: TTX, TTA, DD, DDR, SDR, SDF
- Randal: R-II, R-III, and R-IV
- Paris: V3, V2, and V1
- LEPSK8: Zero tail, TKP Integrated 25 front, RKP Integrated 55 front, RKP Integrated 35 rear
LDP Wheels:
LDPers usually use larger wheels than regular longboards, as to maintain stability at high speeds. Among large wheels, wheels with smaller size will help increase speed faster.
As for the selection of wheel hardness, which has the similar criteria for selecting wheels for other longboards: softer wheels (78A-80A) are suitable for rough roads, but sliding speed is slower. If speed is the priority, when the road surface is smoother, you can choose wheels with higher hardness (83A).
The wear resistance of wheels is also something that needs to be considered for LDP. Long-distance skating also causes greater wheel wear than other ordinary skateboarding sports.
Some of the most highly-rated longboard LDP Wheels
- Orangatangwheels: LDP wheel models as Dad Bod, Caguama, Kegel
- Boawheels: LDP wheel models as Boa Hatchling
- Seismics: LDP wheel models as ALPHA, Tailwind
- Pantheon: LDP wheel models as Karma
Diversified LDP setups
There is no standards for which is best LDP longboard types. All types or components has their own features and suitability for different skaters or for different terrains or different goals. The best LDP setups are those personalized gears, based on your own experience. You may change for different combination as you have more experience. Below are some general types, such as bracket boards, top mount broads, double drop broads.
LDP bracket boards
Bracket boards are most fascinating sets for LDP players, which enable they to customize their gear in accordance with their personalized needs. However, it might be the most costly type, in regards of its precision trucks and composite material deck platforms.
Although there are hundreds of combinations, an good example of this type would be:
- Bossa deck
- G-Bomb brackets
- Don’t Trip Poppies trucks
- Seismic Mango wheels with ceramics
The most part of the cost arises from the CNC precision truck manufacturing, and deck manufacturing with composite material, usually the carbon fiber, fiberglass and bamboo and maple wood. It is time-consuming and labor-consuming. However, it the pursuit of most advanced and experienced LDP longboarders.
As the LDP groups grows and more and more need of such types, manufacturer strives to control the cost and maintain high performance of the gear. LEPSK8 is among them. It provides light-weighted carbon fiber bracket deck, as well as price competitive and innovated integrated precision trucks.
Double-drop boards
Double drop longboard is traditionally long-existing for long distance commuting.
Installed with RKP or TKP trucks, it could be the most cost-effective and easy to ride LDP choice for many beginners. Deck to ground distance is short, stable and flexible to some extent.
Classical samples is like Pantheon Pranayama:
- Double drop deck, built with maple and fiberglass
- 149mm Paris Street Trucks (TKP)
- 92mm,74a/85mm,75a wheel
Usually, paired with Paris trucks enable a nice pushing, but not good for pumping as that provided by precision trucks with spherical bearing. Die casting trucks make it more affordable for many starters.
Top mount pumpers
Compare with bracket boards and double drop boards, top mount boards has higher deck to ground distance. It is designed suitable for pumping experience. The truck is top mounted at the deck.
Compared with pushing style double-drop boards, top mount pumpers can generate much more forward momentum when you quickly turn the trucks. They can be equipped with traditional die cast Paris trucks or CNC precision trucks.
Here is an nice example of top mount pumpers:
- Length 39.25″ Width 10.15″ Pantheon Genesis Deck
- Paris V3 50degree (front) and 43degree (back)
- Or Don’t Trip Poppy 55 degree (front) and Poppy 20 degree (back)
Top mount pumpers has a big fan group, as it is easy to ride, efficient, economic.
Would you choose LDP as one of your sport activities?
There are many types of skateboarding and longboarding activities, which requires passion, skills, training. However, in the meanwhile, what you gains is fun, self-fulfilment and enjoyment. LDP is one of them. It enable you more closely go deep into nature and surroundings, find the truth of yourself. You can do it alone or with someone who share the same passion and belief.