How to Ride a Hoverboard

By Alyssa

           Ever since Back to the Future Part 3 came out, everyone’s been occupied with inventing a hoverboard. They’ve finally came out, and your brand new board just arrived and is waiting to be used. There’s just one problem...how do you ride them?

          First off, make sure the battery is charged, then turn on your board and position it in front of you.

          Getting on and off the board is pretty important and pretty easy. To mount it, step up with your dominant foot (if you’re right handed use your right foot; left handed use left) and then step on with your non-dominant foot. When you’re on the hoverboard, make sure your feet are flat and as close to the wheel as you can get them. Try to not stiffen up when you stand on it, because the outcome usually results in you sprawled out on the ground, so stay relaxed. If you don’t trust your balance, then hold onto a table or a friend or something. To dismount, reverse the steps on how to get on.

You should always learn how to ride inside on a hard surface, like a kitchen floor or down a hall. When you’re positive that you’re not going to fall, then you can work at riding it outside on the sidewalk. Okay, once you’re comfortable standing on it without holding onto anything, it’s time to get rolling (hovering)!

             Moving in a straight line is a piece of cake; to travel forward, stand on the board and then lean forward like you’re going to rise onto your tiptoes. To go backwards, shift your weight back on your heels, but make sure you don’t lean too far back, or you will fall. If you try going too fast, your board will start wobbling, so limit the speed until you improve. The most convenient way to practice going forward and back is either down a hallway or out on the sidewalk.

            Turning is also pretty easy, and there are two different ways to do it. The first way is to twist your body to the left or right, and you’ll go the way you rotate. The second way is to swing one of your feet forward, and you’ll go opposite that direction. For example, if you pivot your left foot, you’ll turn right. I recommend the second way because the board is less likely to tip over, but both ways work.

         Made it this far? Congrats! Now you can start doing the fun stuff. Once you can go straight, backward, left and right inside, you can ride these things on almost any outdoor surface; dirt roads, grass, and concrete. No more walking to school! No more being dragged around by your dog on walks! There are also a few tricks that you can do on these boards like going down stairs, doing handstands on it, spinning, doing a figure eight, 360°, and moving while sitting or lying down on the board.

           Hoverboards can keep you entertained for hours, and if you followed these steps, you’ll be zooming around having the time of your life.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------    *just for fun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IQy2SRfgKM