First of all, quickly, let’s go over some basics on tuning your board so you can start to ride like a pro sooner. A stock Freebord comes with pre-drilled holes, for the binding and trucks. The new 5X series has holes for the castor or center wheels as well. Although some modifications can be made to your bindings like adding padding or grip the stock Freebord is best to learn on and you don’t need or want more holes in your board. Most riders with the older versions use the furthest out setting for the bindings. This helps in manual presses (wheelies) because the feet are placed more over the “hangers” or edge wheel axles. The new hole pattern uses the experience from the pro riders and uses the same holes on the ends of the board to attach the trucks and bindings (4 longer screws included). This also makes the carving and speed riding more stable the same as having a wider stance like on a snowboard. If you prefer a narrower stance and a slightly easier way to get your first rail to rail slide turns. The board is more loose or likely to slide with the feet over the center wheels in the inside position.

You can do this without rolling by standing on a flat surface holding on to something. Just place feet in the bindings and push with your toes and then rock over to your heels, and repeat. This is the crucial movement of Freebording.

Find the feeling of the freebord changing edges or rocking from the heelside to the toeside and back & forth. Because the center wheel extends past the plain of the outer wheels you have this “rocker” feeling. It’s the secret of how a smooth street can feel like snow. Try to push the “toe-side” down with your knees and chins moving forward rather than pushing down with your toes. It’s the same idea with the heel side; instead of lifting your toes try to have your knees slightly bent but keeping your ankles neutral, just think of sitting in a chair, and lean back ever so slightly. Keeping your back and torso straight.

1.2.3…in your bindings, once again we hope you’ve got your helmet on and your bindings are correctly sized for your shoes. At first stand next to  something you can hold to get your balance. Stand on the board getting your foot perfectly centered and snug in the bindings. Practice this a few times until your foot is always in the right location. It’s also a great idea to practice getting out of your bindings. The Shape is designed for the feet to slide out in case of a fall. This way you don’t tomahawk with your Board under your feet when rolling after a fall. On the other hand they stay under your feet when jumping, grinding or sliding due to the natural pressure your legs and feet apply to them.

Learn how to make one carve from one side of the road to the other and get used to making a turn just on your heels, the back wheels and the center wheels. Get used to the weight and feeling by doing it lots of times.

Learn how to do the carve on your toes, using the same technique as your heel carve but staying on your turns for the whole carve.

Learn how to do the carve on your toes, using the same technique as your heel carve but staying on your turns for the whole carve.

Start with a long carving turn on your heels and turn your shoulder and eyes and look to the other side of the road and lift up your weight, turn your shoulders and then push on the back leg and then equally on the front and back leg on your heel on your front wheel. Keep practicing until you are confident stopping.

The technique is the same as the heel. Turn your shoulder and look to the other side of the road. This time put your weight on the toes and keep the weight in your front leg to initiate the turn to stop. If you feel you are turning 180, look back again.

Switch from toes to heel – if all the weight is on the edge wheels you won’t slide so lift up a bit onto your center wheels. Once you hit the side of the road, turn your eyes and shoulder to the other side of the road. Once you made the turn put the weight on the edge wheels again. Something a bit steeper can help with this move.

Same as the heel coming from heel to toe and then moving from your edge wheel to the centers as you make the turn unweighting your body and turning your eyes and shoulder to the other side of the road. Then secure your edge wheels again on your toes.

Almost the same as linking carves. Start with your least comfortable sliding turn as you’ll have less speed. Lift your weight, go to the center wheel and use your eyes and shoulders as you link the turns looking from each side of the road. Find a mellow wide road and use the whole of the road.

Start like a turn, lift up your weight and put it onto the center wheels, then turn your shoulder and then push onto your heel, keep turning your shoulder 180 degrees and then turn your shoulder and eyes back again and jump off the board.

Same technique as your heel 180. This time you need to switch looking from one side to the other so you’re not looking uphill for too long. Try to stay in the switch position for a bit longer to get comfortable with it.

Now we go from a 180 heel slide to find the balance and turn it back again using your shoulder to bring it back. You can play with the degrees and reduce to 160 to make a nice movement.

Use the same technique on your toes, turn 180 and look to the other side of the road and back again. Initiating with the shoulder.

Start with the side you are more comfortable with and have a bit of speed and then start to make a 180 and then another 180 round in the same direction. This might be a bit clunky to begin with but keep practicing and putting more weight on the center wheels and will help the 360 become more fluid.

Practice both sides round when you get comfortable and try the other way round getting onto the center wheels and using your shoulder and then you can combine everything and create your own style.