Make no mistake: you’re going to want to check out these longboarding videos even if you’ve never tried it before.

In our recent piece, Changing Up Your Extreme Sports Routine, we focused on transitioning away from a sport that you’re tired of and toward a new one without losing use of your skill set. One example we gave was the move from skateboarding to longboarding — a logical switch that preserves skateboarding’s physical mechanics. While the thirst for a new experience alone may fuel your desire to make a change, the ability to do some sweet new tricks will undoubtedly matter too.

Here are five longboarding videos that prove you should get in on the action.

Around the Bend

This longboarding video is for anyone who questions how longboarding is different than skateboarding. The range of motion and fluidity that pro longboarder James Kelly shows off here, while careening down windy Hollywood Hills streets, is testament to the subtle differences between two sports that seem almost indistinguishable at first glance. Whereas skateboarding is more of a trick-centric endeavor best suited for obstacles oriented on horizontal ground, longboarding is specially designed for this type of no-holds-barred pivot-heavy cruising. The steeper the hill, the better.

World-Record-Setting

No best tricks list is complete without mention of a World Record and, rest assured, we’ve got quite a record for you. Watch this longboarding video as 28-year-old Mischo Erban rips over a Quebec, Canada highway at 80.74 mph, the fastest speed ever achieved by a longboarder and one that trumped Erban’s last World Record by over 10 mph.  Michael Emprick, the Guinness adjudicator judging the attempt, marveled at what he called “an amazing demonstration of what the human body is capable of with dedication and hard work.” We couldn’t have put it any better ourselves, Mr. Emprick.

Three Longboarders Are Better Than One

If there were an action movie trailer based on the sport of longboarding and intended to motivate would-be converts to joining the movement, this longboard video would certainly be it. Three very skilled boarders from Orangatang Longboarding make their way down a Malibu highway as a crane and four-man film crew precedes them, tracking their every seamless move with heart-thumping accuracy. Yet another reason we love longboarding is the celebration of unity that seem indigenous to the sport. Besides, showing off your skills is much more fun when you’ve got a built-in audience of boarder pals in your cohort.

Perseverant Backflip

Who doesn’t love a backflip — the ultimate combo of daring and athletic prowess? We do, that’s for sure, and these tricksters’ extreme displays are ones for the books for two reasons. The first appears at the 1:59 mark when a longboarder attempts a beautiful-looking backflip (over asphalt no less) and fails to stick the landing. Incompleteness aside, we applaud the guts and the fact that he almost pulled it off. The second noteworthy moment comes at 3:19 when the painstakingly difficult stunt is perfectly finished. We’re not sure whether the second boarder is the same as the first, but we’re hoping so because the only thing better than a picture-perfect trick is the determination it took to finally pull it off.

Play Compilation

A major, often underappreciated, element of any sport is the method in which its devotees clown around. Not everything can or should be a competition or regimented practice. For most people, sport is just an opportunity to cut loose and explore their human physicality, a free time to test the synergies between mind and body. That airy limitlessness is precisely what this longboard video showcases (sometimes very overtly, like at 0:32). Play is an essential component of progress at any level, whether you’re a beginner or a professional, and crucial in your development as an Adrenalist. If you never play, you never experiment and if you never experiment, you’ll never learn or innovate.

Cover Photo Credit: idleformat – flickr.com