How To Push
Once you become more comfortable on your skateboard you’ll find yourself looking for extra speed when hitting ramps, skating things with short runways, and ollieing gaps. The best way to get this needed speed is to have an efficient pushing technique.
There are two main ways to push. One of them is the correct way and the other is a very inefficient way to push called mongo. You may have already heard of skating mongo and of some of the arguments between mongo and non-mongo skaters. I skated mongo for a few months when I first started. Eventually someone told me not to and I am forever glad that they did. So, just in case you are pushing mongo, I’ll demonstrate the wrong and correct way to push and give you some reasons for switching if you already push mongo. If you don’t push mongo then this will give you some solid reasons to make fun of those people that do.
Mongo - The Wrong Way:
A person skates mongo if they use their leading foot (the foot that is in the front while riding) to push. While they are pushing their back foot stays near the rear of the board and they push with their front foot. Then they put their front foot back on the board, adjust it to the proper angle and adjust their back foot as well.
Mongo - The Downsides:
1. Both feet must be adjusted to set up for a trick. This can also be true for someone who rides properly, but it takes longer if you ride mongo.
2. While pushing most of your weight and body are behind the board making it harder to control. It’s like you’re chasing the board, not riding it.
3. It’s an opinion, but a very common opinion, that skating mongo is a lot less stylish than pushing properly.
The Right Way:
A person who skates properly uses their back foot to push while always keeping the front foot on the board.
The Advantage:
1. Less setup time because your front foot is already very close to the needed position.
2. More control because your weight is centered over the board and reacts to movements of your whole body.
3. It is easier to push faster and less speed is lost because the setup time it faster.
4. It looks a lot better then skating mongo.
Now you can see the obvious reasons why pushing mongo is the wrong choice. If you do push mongo I suggest you switch over. It will feel weird for the first few days, but it will help you in the long run. If you are a die hard mongo fan and don’t want to switch over, that’s fine too. Skateboarding is about fun and that’s all that counts. Remember though: you are the one who has to live with the consequences when you find a spot with a short runway and can’t set up fast enough for a trick, or can’t get enough speed to hit a big launch ramp.
