the most common use for a longboard is for travelling - longboards are typically faster and smoother than their shorter skateboarding counterparts. there are many different commuter designs, but the most popular are long, wide boards with very loose trucks.

the loose trucks allow for sharper turning - since longboards are still technically skateboards, there are some areas where longboarding is illegal if local law enforcement has not made the distinction yet.

there are many different kinds of longboard competitions, but slalom, freeride, and downhill are the three most common categories to date.