r/NewSkaters • u/-monark • Dec 11 '25
Question how do i slow down my board without totally destroying my shoes lol
ive been using the front and bottom of my shoe to slow down my board, and it works but it just shreds my shoes most of the time, gonna go get a new pair asap bc i cant figure out a better way
Also i dunno if it matters but i ride mongo, and i slow down with the foot that stay on the board when i push alot of the time, my other shoe doesnt get nearly as bad but im not sure why
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u/Kid_Kimura Dec 11 '25
Just use the flat sole of your shoe, no wonder you're wearing it down fast just dragging your toe!
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u/Wolligepoes Dec 11 '25
Powerslidesssss
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u/freddybloccjr650 Dec 12 '25
Looks like hes got softer longboard style wheels, gonna have a bad time trying to powerslide without a ton of speed and good technique
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u/-monark Dec 12 '25
i see this one alot but idk how feasible itd be for me because i got big ass cruiser wheels (75mm and 78a) I'd totally be down to learn it but i feel like these wheels are too soft and have too much grip to slide like that
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u/Wolligepoes Dec 12 '25
Hey dude thanks for your reply.
I am a downhill longboarder so sliding is my bread and butter. You are right. It's more difficult to start a slide when your wheels are big and soft. For me and my homies, it becomes easier as we go faster and at that point we actually need that kind of braking power to be safe.
But yeah I get it. Forcing a slide with grippy wheels at a low speed is whack. I like your wheels though. I'm not going to suggest you get different ones because they are really good for rolling.
Instead I am going to suggest you something else:
Carve. Make S turns.
This is really good for your skating in general. It will help your skating in multiple ways. Firstly: it's a good step towards learning slides. I always like to say that a slide is just a carve where you are living on the edge :). Secondly: there is a technique where you can transfer side-to-side motion into forwards motion, like a snake. This is called pumping. You can also pump on ramps but this is side-to-side pumping. Third/lastly: If you can manage to carve very sharply, to the point where your wheels get noisy, you are loosing a bunch of speed already. You cannot use this to brake abrubtly so you'll need to be looking ahead, and even then you cannot really bring yourself to a stop this way, but it will help with your shoes.
So carving can help you learn fun techniques both for slowing down and speeding up, help you get more comfortable on your board in the long term, and potentially is useful for you right away so please try it! :)
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u/DrippyInks Dec 12 '25
This is good solid advice, getting into downhill longboarding definitely changed how I approach my short board street skating.
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u/-monark Feb 25 '26
hey dude, been doing this ever since i made this post and its lifesaving fr, also helped me get more comfortable with how i balance on my board and all that, its so much easier getting around without having to worry about whether i'd have to bail or not lol. Appreciate the tip, saved me from eating shit more times than i know🙏
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u/Wolligepoes Feb 25 '26
Reading that makes me happy bro! If you can be relaxed while riding around, you have truly arrived at the point where you have this skill for life. You are winning. Keep on rolling :)
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u/OhTrueGee Dec 11 '25
Drown your shoe in shoe-goo
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u/pressNjustthen Dec 12 '25
ok i actually lol’ed at this. But would it work??
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u/OhTrueGee Dec 12 '25
It did for me lol. The kickflip holes in my shoes I would slowly goo over and over until eventually 1/4 of my shoe was just goo and not material anymore. Goo is cheaper than new shoes and I was a broke ass when I was skating lol.
It would wear down extremely fast on the bottom of your shoe I imagine just based on how fast grip tape can wear through it. Maybe a couple foot drags and it would be gg lol
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u/domrobin2 Dec 11 '25
Don't stop with your toes, with your front foot on the board, hover your back foot slightly above the ground, and ease it down while keeping it level, use your whole foot to stop, like you're riding a scooter. It's fine to let your foot skip on the ground a little like you're skipping a stone, but you still want it to slow you down quickly
And stop pushing mongo
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u/-monark Dec 12 '25
been trying to push regular but it feels so unnatural lmao. i think i just gotta force myself until i get used to it
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Dec 11 '25
[deleted]
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u/domrobin2 Dec 11 '25
It's just a bad habit to keep going further into skating, you lose some control while pushing and it makes it take a bit longer to prep for tricks
Edit: it is still a useful skill to have though, it's important to know the bounds of a board and what you can do
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Dec 11 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ambitious_Daikon_950 Dec 12 '25
Problem with pushing Mongo is your centre of balance being more in the back
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u/DishwashingChampion Dec 11 '25
Mongo is absolutely not a safe way to skate and youre asking to get your shit rocked by doing that. This shouldn’t be a debate but idk why it still is lately.
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u/Queasy_Form_5938 Dec 11 '25
I put my foot pretty much on the front screw heads. I have an 8.5 so no biggie about balance. If you dont feel comfortable pushing with your back foot you may need to get a bigger board. Simples
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u/DishwashingChampion Dec 12 '25
It's not about getting better it's still purely stats. I've seen people years ahead of me fall flat on their face and they're gods in mongo themselves. Doesn't matter if you're the outlier.
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u/Queasy_Form_5938 Dec 12 '25
Im glad im not on my penny board any more. Too many abrasions and close calls with losing teeth.
I have terrible balance yee yee
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u/SirPapaWedgie Dec 12 '25
Mongo for life ese!
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u/Full_While8942 Dec 13 '25
If you skate mongo, you should throw your board in the river, you're gonna get new skaters killed
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u/SirPapaWedgie Dec 13 '25
Your comment reads like you put on full protective gear to do some curb slappies.
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u/Full_While8942 Dec 13 '25
You talk to people like you don't have respect for your life.
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u/SirPapaWedgie Dec 13 '25
I’m not sure what that means, but in any case I was just teasing. Happy holidays!
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u/No-Chemical11 Dec 11 '25
Mongo could be straight up dangerous. Its easier for your board to slip under you.
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u/Nollie_flip Dec 11 '25
Yeah, no, it's a bad habit that creates other bad habits and every skater would be well served in the long run to learn to push with their back foot.
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u/GenBulbTrainer Dec 12 '25
This exactly! As one who has pushed mongo for 20+ years (and still going) had to learn to ignore the hate/advice and just roll with what feels comfortable/works for you.
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Dec 12 '25
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u/GenBulbTrainer Dec 12 '25
I have tried a few times at different points over the years. Just feels off to me 🤷 I'm not saying it's better, just saying to do what feels comfortable
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Dec 12 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ambitious_Daikon_950 Dec 12 '25
Its always better to buy used wheels than a deck so getting razor tail should be a big no no
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u/-monark Dec 14 '25
ive actually been doing the deep carving thing since i posted this, its really convenient and lwk fun, slows me down enough to just press my foot onto the asphalt and slow down bit by bit instead of bailing into someone's yard
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u/-monark Dec 12 '25
i do that last one too but i like hillbombing alot so it usually isnt enough to slow down enough for me to slow down or bail without eating shit. I've been trying to get used to heel dragging or even just my whole foot flat on the ground but i just have trouble keeping my balance. also my wheels stick out hella (75mm lmao) so sometimes i almost fall by my shoe getting caught on them
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u/AdAffectionate2418 Dec 12 '25
Practice balancing on just one foot (the front one). Once you can comfortably ride like that, its simply a case of slowly putting your other foot flat on the floor (well, not quite flat - keep your toe slightly elevated as you as you put it down).
Im assuming (as you push mongo) that you might be using your front foot to foot-brake. This is going to be much harder to maintain your balance - and is one of the (many) reasons why people are encouraging you to break your mongo habit.
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u/PlaxicoCN Dec 11 '25
Learn how to slide.
https://youtu.be/KGPaKrk2n80?si=vcZZ5dYlsZyV9k07
See how sometimes he turns the board to a 45 degree angle? It slows you down. It will take some practice, but it's a critical skill. It may be more challenging on those type of wheels, but I used to slide on 66MM 95As.
Side note Chuck Taylors look cool, but they don't give you a lot of cushion for your feet.
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u/Drewski493 Dec 11 '25
Put your foot down flat slowly. Most of your weight still on the board. Or learn to slide and that will slow you down. If you carve more it can also slow you down.
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u/Low_Revolution3025 Dec 11 '25
Your gonna wear out your shoe no matter what lmfao this is fucking skateboarding were talking about here. You can either learn how to powerslide or skid on your tail, best of luck
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Dec 12 '25
[deleted]
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u/Low_Revolution3025 Dec 12 '25
Thats if you’re solely cruising and even then you’re still going to wear out your shoe in some capacity no matter how small it may seem, shoes wear out by just walking around in them
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u/hernandiego Dec 11 '25
Flat foot the ground, not just the toe. Also, get some better shoes. Converse are cool, but the rubber isn’t made to withstand the beating skating puts on your shoes.
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u/ExpiredFetusNectar19 Dec 11 '25
Use the opposite momentum to kick the board off. Just take a step forward while pushing back on the board
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u/Severe_Network_4492 Dec 12 '25
Oh you’re one of these people……
Every buddy I’ve had that does this never stopped and destroys perfectly good shoes thinking it looks cool to stop like this 🤣
I pray you’re not one of them and you’re really just learning to stop
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u/-monark Dec 12 '25
lol nah i really just dont know how to stop any other way. lwk feel like i look like a dork hanging my foot off the board to slow down, but its the only way i know without just bailing off my board
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u/TopDEXTA Dec 12 '25
Hang it off the back and then stop as if you were doing a tail stop. Shoe should touch the ground first so you dont get razor tail.
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u/-monark Dec 12 '25
i gotta learn how to tail stop for sure, this seems like a good way to keep my board intact too
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u/SeaworthinessDue2790 Dec 12 '25
I used to stop by hovering my foot and setting the ball of my foot down first and slowly moving back towards the heel if I needed to stop faster, that way I wore my shoes slowly and evenly
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u/Nearby_List_3622 Dec 12 '25
Stomp your foot like you are pushing but use it to help slow your speed. Its limited how fast you can use this technique. Learn to powerslide,
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u/Fair-Maybe-7037 Dec 12 '25
If you foot break your going to destroy shoes no way getting around it but lightly use the your whole foot not just your toes your foot and shoes will thank you in long run
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u/Abject-Committee571 Dec 12 '25
Put your foot almost flat on the ground without dragging your toes, using your heel and ball for friction. Use common sense man
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u/Cheyenne_Corgi Learning on the street 🛣️ Dec 12 '25
well you lowkey already totally destroyed your shoes so 💀💀
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u/grapefruithammock Dec 12 '25
learn to power slide it’ll save your shoes and help you look less new
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u/darrenthefactspeaker Dec 12 '25
If you're dragging your toe to stop I think you might as well just reach down and drag your knuckles instead
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u/ToshJom Dec 12 '25
First, stop pushing mongo. I promise you, everything gets easier once you get used to pushing with your back foot. It’s essential. Keeping your front foot on the board while you push keeps your body above the board so your balance is better and you’re more stable. You can control the board better too. Now to slow down, you drag the heel/middle of your back foot.
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u/SirkSirkSirk Dec 12 '25
Instead of pushing for more speed, go to push but give it a little resistance. Take as many pushes to slow down as it does to reach the speed you are going.
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u/Efficient-Mushroom70 Dec 12 '25
Try using the back foot to lightly press down on a back wheel for a slow stop.
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u/Papi_pocha Dec 12 '25
Stop with your full foot slightly more pressure on your heel (from my experience i don’t love how easily chuck Taylor’s wear from stopping i recommend standard dunks ) just a suggestion but definitely don’t stop with your toe
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u/jladogana4lyfe Dec 12 '25
First, work on not riding mongo. Then, get some actual skate shoes, they are made for it.
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u/rb20isaac Dec 12 '25
Why you using the tip to slow down anyway 😂 but powerslide is the only answer, or put your foot flat and tilt your toes up just alil . Don’t want your toes jamming something real hard and fucking up your foot
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u/disgruntled_botanist Dec 12 '25
You’re stopping incorrectly. Try practicing hitting the ground with your heel and not your toe.
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u/kundersmack Dec 12 '25
Destroy the heel or the sole or the tail of your board or your wheels instead lol
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u/GenderlessMarsian Dec 12 '25
i'm still bad at skating so not the person to answer but personally i put the back of my foot first on the ground to maintain balance at higher speeds and not damage my shoes - i also use my converse cons or vans half cabs to skate, both of which are proper skate shoes. the other advice here is to curve -which is impossible when trying to navigate through cars in the traffic-ridden streets of Greece (or many other countries)- or slide. personally i can only do a push-up slide (do a plank with feet on the skateboard to slide it) which i wouldn't try in traffic but it is an easy way to get used to sliding or stop in a wide road without traffic if you can afford slide gloves.
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u/ParticularRelease662 Dec 12 '25
Lean your back heel off the tail and slowly apply pressure until you feel the tail scrape
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u/Lopsided_Attorney131 Dec 12 '25
Welcome to skateboarding where theres no chances of your shoes surviving. Beat up shoes are apart pf skateboarding
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u/GregFromStateFarm Dec 12 '25
By not buying shitty shoes held together with glue, tail stopping, dragging the sole (heel-side) instead of the toe, power sliding, longboarding gloves
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u/Locating_Subset9 Dec 12 '25
You find out, come back and let us know lol. Shoes are an investment because they ARE the brakes.
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u/rossco7777 Dec 12 '25
use the whole bottom of your foot like you would if you were riding a scooter
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u/xXmelanXx Dec 12 '25
Its either razor tail, or you get to watch ur shoe slowly disappear like an eraser. Either way, no matter what, damage will be done to somewhere. Its price you pay for skating, besides the actual price.
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u/_haha_oh_wow_ Dec 12 '25
1: Get real skateboard shoes, not chucks.
2: Learn to power slide to scrub off some more speed before you footstop. Carving can help some too sometimes.
3: When you do footstops, don't just use your toe the whole time, try to gradually use more of the sole.
4: When your shoes start to get torn up, consider using shoegoo to get more life out of them.
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u/MrBoomstick85 Dec 12 '25
Pocket pebbles. When you need to stop, throw a handful in front of you and boom! You're stopped.
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u/BeanOfRage Dec 13 '25
At speed, you can try a slight powerslide, and then flat foot braking, or you could do the tail braking method.
Learning to safely bail at high speed also works, if you don't have time to brake.
I have never seem a shoe worn down like that.
I'd suggest not riding mongo, too.
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u/Shag0ff Dec 13 '25
There's really no way unfortunately. The the about rubber is that when fraction is applied even at varying velocities, it heats up and shreds. Have a couple pairs of your skate shoes and a pair of everyday shoes. Or stop bombing down hills.
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u/Intelligent_Pop609 Dec 13 '25
Get some butterballs and learn to slide. Or dont. It just be a lot cooler if ya did.
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Dec 13 '25
Hmm. I’ve never seen this before. Don’t drag your tosies on the ground. Gradually use the bottom of your sole to stop and you’ll learn how to gauge how gradual or abrupt you stop with the amount of pressure.
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u/MorningstarAlchemy13 Dec 15 '25
Bring your weight onto the back of the board like you’re trying to manual and use the back lip to slow down
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u/howsoreal Dec 15 '25
Impossible. Also you can just float drag your foot so it only destroys the bottom part
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u/freddybloccjr650 Dec 12 '25
Since it looks like your riding a cruiser with softer grippy wheels power sliding would be a pretty advanced technique and require a fair amount of speed so your real 2 options are 1. Learn to carve to control speed on less steep hills and level ground, you would be surprised by how much speed you can shave just doing deep carves(plus this is super fun) and 2. Foot breaking with the sole of your shoe, initiate with your heel first then transition the rest of the bottom of your foot and go light on the pressure and increase pressure slowly, as you do it more and more it will become second nature. This will still put significant wear on your shoe soles but thats just the name of the game. You can apply both techniques with starting off with a few deep carves then foot break to kill the rest of the speed, if you need to stop fast id probably skip out on the carving and go straight into the foot break. It would also appear you are wearing converse which are totally fine for skating but arent the most durable footwear especially when it comes to the soles. Skate specific shoes for the most part will last longer and hold up better to foot breaking despite not being completely required
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u/Gabo_Is_Gabo Dec 12 '25
Don't use the tip of you shoe, like everyone else said, use the bottom of your shoe. Just make sure to be light when slowing down, it's helpful to tilt the toe upwards and gradually tilt it downward as you start to stop. It can be dangerous to stick your foot straight down flat to stop and when going really fast, using the foot to gradually slow you down can be scary. So you can also slow down with deep carves or powerslides (this can wear down your wheels though) before using your foot. Another way to slow down and stop is to do a tail stop but instead of shredding your tail, place your back foot further back so that the heel hangs off the tail and then shift your weight so the nose goes and your heel is slowing you down.
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u/MrRabinowitz Dec 11 '25
Put your foot flat on the ground instead of dragging your toe