What Are Hoverboards?
Hoverboards are basically two-wheeled, electric scooters that are known as self-balancing scooters. The name hoverboard was popularized in the 1980s because of its use in fiction films. Even though the hoverboards today aren’t on the same level as those depicted in the movies, they’re still pretty great. The devices function in the same manner as skateboards, but they use an electric motor to move.
The boards come with a balanced platform for the rider, fitted with a gyroscope to help the rider maintain their balance. It also has microprocessors that regulate the power and work with the gyroscope to allow the rider to move forward and manage their tilt to prevent accidents. Here’s a breakdown of how you can master riding a hoverboard. To find the best professional hoverboard, check out the buying guides at Outdoor Trends.
Learn How To Ride Them
Safety Always Comes First
Professional hoverboards have many high-tech equipments, so they aren’t dangerous, but you still need to pay attention to safety. That’s because beginners always make a few mistakes before getting the hang of things. So it’s highly likely that you might end up falling off the hoverboard while learning. This is why you should have proper safety equipment before getting on the board.
The basic requirements are helmets, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards. So in case, you lose your balance and fall, you won’t sustain any serious injuries. But once you master it, you’ll only need a helmet.
Check The Hoverboard Before Riding
Hoverboards are electric and need to be charged first. So before riding it, make sure the batteries are full. Besides that, you should always ensure that the wheels are alright without any loose screws or other faulty components. After that, you should check the LED lights because these lights act as indicators for the people behind you. Once you’ve made all the checks, you’re ready to start riding the hoverboard.
Find A Practice Area
You’ll probably lose your balance a few times before getting the hang of it, so you need to find a suitable place to learn how to ride a hoverboard. The ideal place would have a flat surface because the hoverboards don’t have a high ground clearance and can’t function on bumpy surfaces.
Moreover, you’ll struggle to maintain your balance too. But that’s not all. In some regions, you need a permit to ride your hoverboard outdoors, so ensure you have everything in order before you go. Even if your hoverboard is designed for offroading, it’s still a better option to learn on a leveled floor before moving offroad.
Make Sure The Hoverboard Is In Beginner Mode
Some hoverboards come with multiple modes to allow riders to adjust the board according to their level. Generally, there are three modes, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. These modes change the balance support, steering sensitivity, and top speed. In the beginner mode, the balance support is high, and the steering sensitivity and the top speed is lower.
Lower steering sensitivity will keep the hoverboard in one place while you learn to maintain your balance. Restricting the top speed will allow you to better coordinate your movements with the hoverboard for better balance.
Mount The Overboard
Since the hoverboard only has two wheels, it’s a bit hard to balance at first. But what’s harder is getting on the board in the first place. You should try mounting the hoverboard without switching it on first to conserve the battery. Not just that, but mounting it when it’s off will allow you to maintain your balance without using the gyroscope.
In the long run, this will improve your stability. This may take a while before your body can balance. Once you think you’re able to maintain your balance, you can switch the hoverboard on, and its additional stability features will make it easier for you to get on and off the hoverboard.
Maintain Your Balance
Just because you’re not falling off doesn’t mean you’ve mastered the hoverboard. Give it some time to get yourself used to the feeling of being on a hoverboard. After a while, you may have the urge to bend your knees but don’t give in to it because it may disturb the weight distribution, and the gyroscope may not work properly to maintain the balance. Whether standing on a hoverboard or moving forward, you should always maintain your posture for optimal balance support.
Learn How To Move Forward
Once the balancing part is finished, you can move on to moving the hoverboard around. This is tricky because you must maintain your balance while tilting the board. Moreover, you don’t have any support either to hold on to. The best way to go mater movement is by lowering the steering sensitivity.
It’ll allow you to practice your tilt without moving the hoverboard too much. Your focus should be swiftly tilting in the direction you want to go without losing your balance and falling over. You can also take help by practicing against a wall, so if you lose your balance, you can lean on the wall.
Learn How To Speed Up And Spin In Different Directions
Once you can move freely while on the board, your next step is to go faster and spin in different directions. Hoverboards generally don’t have a high speed the top-of-the-line models have a top speed of around 11 to 12 meters per hour (mph). However, maintaining your balance at any speed is difficult, so once you can move freely, you should try going at higher speeds to check your stability.
But make sure you do this in a safe area, or you might get injured. Another thing people do with hoverboards is spin around in circles. For that, you need to make sure you’re turning in one direction and maintain the turn until it makes a full circle. You’ll get better at it with time.
Hoverboards are one of the coolest trends this season; everyone is trying them out. They can be a great way to have fun with your friends, so if you’re looking to buy some cool professional hoverboards, check out our product recommendations and buyer’s guide at Outdoor Trends. Besides hoverboards, we’ve reviewed several other products as well, including the best all-rounder surfboards to buy in 2022, the best super-light electric mountain bikes, the best commuter e-bikes, the best professional hoverboards of 2022, and many more. So hurry up, visit our website and check out the latest gadgets today!
