Beginners Guide - How To Ride A Self-Balancing Scooter Hoverboard

Hello again and welcome to our beginners tutorial guide on how to ride these great new ride-on toys.

We have already looked at some of the best, cheap Self Balancing Hoverboard Scooters and so now you have bought one - what's next?

Well riding it of course! There must be so many of these self-balancing electric scooters in America by now.

Swagtron UL2272 Certified Hoverboards

Safety has been an important aspect with Hoverboard's recently as the batteries of the first and 2nd generations had issues. There was a lot in the news about Hoverboard's catching fire when they were charging. This was mainly due to the lack of USA safety testing and the olds Hoverboards did not have a UL safety certification.

The new Swagtron T3 Hoverboard from Swagtron does have both the  UL2272 and UL2271 U.S. Safety certifications and is of course much, much safer than the old Hoverboards. The Swagtron T3 also comes with Bluetooth, an iPhon app, built in Bluetooth Speakers and a Safety-Stop mechanism. It comes in 6 colors. There is also the non-Bluetooth version which is the Swagtron T1 model.

For a while they have been at the top of the best-seller lists and they look to be the most popular holiday gift by a long way this year.

So in the spirit of helping America reduce its' personal injury rate - here is our guide to riding the self-balancing Hoverboard in a few easy steps.

In fact, I will let you into a secret before I begin;

These boards are super-easy to ride

You can learn to do it in 5 minutes and become an expert in a half-hour.

The key is probably to learn indoors on a very flat surface and to make sure that you have a few things to hold on to.

Tables, chairs, cupboards and door handles are all good things to have situated on your training route for holding-on purposes!

Steps To Master Riding The Self-balancing Hoverboard Scooter

1. Plan your training route indoors and make sure you have a few things to hold on to along the way
2. Get onto the board by first placing one foot on the board
3. Gradually shift all of your weight onto that foot
4. When all of your weight is on the board then slowly place the other foot on the hoverboard
5. Before learning to travel forwards, just try to stand upright and still on the Hoverboard
6. It can take a short while to gain confidence about the self-balancing mechanism of the board
7. Allow your brain to understand the way the board self-balances while not moving at all
8. Lean forward a little to put some weight on your toes and you will move forwards on the Hoverboard
9. Move forwards toward the first object you have lined up to hold onto
10. Try short distances as first and only move towards something that you can grab on to

When you get the forward motion you can then try to turn. Self-balancing hover boards have a really tight turning circle.

This means that you do not have to turn wide like a bicycle. If you lean onto the toes of one foot, you will start to turn in that direction.

Give it a try while always having something to hold onto when you finish the turn. Remember that you can try to turn in a very small circle and even turn in-place.

Once you have gained some confidence turning in place and moving forwards then you can try to travel forward for a further distance unaided.

It helps to have someone walk with you at this stage

If you are on your own, just travel up and down your designated training route making sure that you have the grab-points along the way in case you lose balance.

Now with full confidence about how the Hoverboard scooter actually works and responds you can practise moving faster.

You can take the board outside, practise moving over cracks in the sidewalk or over a bumpy surface I like to have friends go around the Basketball stand in the front yard a few times until they have got the knack.

It usually takes them 5 or 6 times of circling the stand before they are good enough to start going faster and moving away.

Once you have some confidence moving away from things to hold onto you can practise going faster and faster. Only then would I advise taking the scooter to school, work or college!

There is a great subreddit on Reddit about these boards which has a lot of useful information.

Things To Look Out For When Riding A Self-Balancing Scooter

I would advise being very careful before you go out on the street with one of these toys. Falls on concrete can really hurt and adults do not particularly fall very well.

Kids can probably ride self-balancing scooters better than adults as they are lighter and will fall in a less dangerous way.

It is well worth investing in some safety gear before you get on the board. Always wear a helmet and pads to protect yourself from the bumps and bruises.

These hoverboards, although they are definitely toys are not to be taken lightly! They can result in serious injury if you are not proficient before you take it out of the house.

The safer you are, the more fun you will have on a self-balancing scooter.

In any case, we hope you enjoyed our tutorial. Please leave a comment below if you have some personal experience learning to ride one.

If you think that these popular gadgets are not for you, then you may prefer to look at some of the best electric scooter reviews as these are a more traditional mode of transport!