People who are just starting out with longboarding may not need to think about additions such as Slide Gloves just yet, at least not until they get to the point where they’ve learned all there is about riding a longboard without getting into the crazy action part. But if you’ve been practicing for a longer period of time, you’re probably thinking about improving your skills.

A good pair of sliding gloves are the best longboard investment you can make once you decide to take your skills up a notch, especially for when you feel ready to learn tricks such as the power Slide. Advanced moves require competence from your hands and your hands will require protection and help. A good example for when a rider would need a freeride slide gloves is when he/she would want to stretch the an arm backwards so that the hand can come in contact with the ground. During this exhibition, the hand is the body part in change for most of the body’s balance.

While it’s true that any freeride slide gloves would do when it comes to basic protection of the hands, only high quality ones can ensure that you can perform awesome slides. That being said, let’s go through the different parts such gloves feature.

The Glove

This is the main material and the part that cover the whole hand. It is considered ideal for the glove to be made out of durable material, but it also need to be flexible and lightweight enough. Gloves made with mesh and wicking fabric can help keep your hands cool, which is a great feature since you are sure to work up a sweat during your ride. The only downside of this type is that they are not the most durable choice there is. Speaking of durability, there are also longboard gloves made of leather and kevlar. They can last you a long time and offer more protection, but won’t keep your hands as cool.
An asses that high quality gloves come with is more material on the knuckles area.

The Puck

This is the toughest part of the glove. It’s the part that will take all the beating while you do your sliding tricks as it is supposed to be the barrier between your hand and the ground on the spots where the impact will be the strongest. For this purpose, this part is usually constructed from hard materials, the most common one being plastic. There are types of pucks made from softer material for more comfort, however, they tend to wear out easily which can make for bad performance.

The Wrist Strap

This part is used for the purpose of adjusting the glove to the wrist area. It has to be adjusted snugly in order to properly fir the wrist area which will in turn prevent it from falling off during slides.

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