What Should I Skate

You just got a fancy new longboard, where are you going to try it first? Grab your helmet, gloves, and whatever pads you choose, then venture to an empty parking lot, parking garage, park, or local bike path. Why should you skate here first instead of just around your neighborhood? Safety! Ensuring you have a good, car-free environment to get comfortable on your new board is key; the last thing you want to do is fall, and have your new board, or even yourself, run over. Wouldn't that be a bummer? 

So, after you get used to your board, make sure you know how to stop comfortably! Make sure you have nailed down foot-breaking, power-carving, and sliding. If you're going to be exploring, or even just skating open roads, you must be confident you can stop at any point in time. Along with that, verse yourself in skating etiquette. Obviously, practice the etiquette wherever you shred, but for yourself and your progression in skating, nowhere is more important to implement these rules than your local neighborhoods. Make sure the neighbors love you, or at least aren't irritated by your presence. That way, you can at least have hills nearby to learn and shred on.