There are quite a few terms in skateboarding that don’t make a lot of sense to most people, and one of those terms is “mongo.” Mongo is a style of pushing a skateboard that is often hated by many skaters, but the reason why often doesn’t make a lot of sense. Now before you can understand what might be wrong with pushing mongo, you need to first know what mongo pushing actually is.
Pushing mongo on a skateboard is the action of pushing your skateboard with your front foot. For goofy skaters, pushing mongo means using the right foot to push, while regular skaters would push with their left.
Compared to a standard push on a skateboard, you would use your back foot rather than your front. So in short, mongo pushing is just pushing with the opposite foot of “normal.”
Now if you push mongo, you might feel worried that someone might roast you for it. In reality, at the end of the day skating is all about having fun and if mongo is the way you like pushing, have at it. With that said, there are some clear disadvantages to pushing mongo that will affect your skating and how quickly you can progress.
So let’s break down the downsides to this style of pushing a skateboard.
Why Is Pushing Mongo Bad?
Pushing mongo on a skateboard isn’t bad because Jeff at your local skatepark said it is. In fact, there’s nothing “technically” wrong with pushing mongo. However, this style of pushing can throw off the way you set up for tricks and potentially limit your overall progression. Let me explain why.
1. Pushing Mongo Makes Setting Up Take Longer
Your front foot is the most important part of most tricks on a skateboard. The way you slide it or flick it off your skateboard will literally make or break a trick. With a “regular” pushing style (pushing with your back foot), your front foot never leaves your board. That means it’s always ready to go when you need to quickly pop a trick.
Compare that to pushing mongo and your front foot leaves your board every time you push. That means when you want to pop a trick, you have to take more time to plant your foot, then reposition both feet to the proper areas.
If you ever see how someone pushing mongo sets up for a trick versus someone who pushes with their back foot, there’s a clear difference in the speed.
What that means for someone pushing mongo is that certain run-ups will feel shorter, and popping multiple tricks with pushing in between will feel more cumbersome.
2. You Have Less Stability While Pushing
Thinking of weight distribution on your skateboard, pushing mongo puts you right at the back of the board. In most cases, mongo skaters have their back foot planted somewhere near the back trucks. With your weight this far back on the board, it’s harder to control the nose and makes slipping out easier as well. Since your weight’s already near the back of the board, you have less deck to support you if you lean back.
This becomes even more apparent at high speeds. When rolling fast, your nose can feel “loose” and less stable when pushing mongo. Compared to a regular style of pushing, it’s a lot less secure.
When you are pushing in a regular style (with your back foot), your weight is more evenly spread across the board. Rather than having your foot at the back of the board, you’re weight is more centered. This gives you a lot more stability at high speeds and makes rolling over bumps or cracks less sketchy.
Even if you are going fast, pushing with your back foot puts your weight more evenly on your board to help prevent you from washing out.
3. It’s Harder To Steer While Pushing
When pushing with your back foot, you can turn your board by positioning your foot to one side of the other of the deck. Since your weight is more even across the board, both the front and back trucks will turn equally and make avoiding obstacles a breeze.
Now compare that to mongo pushing and it’s a different story. Since you have less weight in the middle and front of your board, the front trucks may not react as much to a weight shift. That means your skateboard won’t be as reactive when you want to turn and can become a hazard when skating around others.
Do Any Pro Skaters Push Mongo?
Today there aren’t any pro skaters who push mongo as their primary method of pushing. With that said, many pro skaters will push mongo when setting up for fakie or switch tricks. Rather than trying to learn to push with the opposite foot, pushing mongo is a bit more efficient in this case.
How To Stop Pushing Mongo
Now if you push mongo and want to figure out how to break the habit, just know it’s going to feel awkward and weird for the first while. But with a bit of time, switching the way you push will make a noticeable improvement in your skating.
To start, try to find a smooth and flat piece of cement to practice on. Something like a basketball court or an empty parking lot are good places to start since they won’t be busy at certain times of the day.
Next, just get a feel for placing your front foot on the board with your back foot on the ground. Weight and unweight your front foot just to get the hang of it in that new position.
Then start by doing small pushes with your back foot to get yourself going. Once you have a bit of momentum, place your back foot on your skateboard and ride it out for a moment. Repeat this process of pushing, then riding, at slow speeds until those movements feel less cumbersome.
One tip that seems to help a lot of people is to place your hand on your front knee. It offers a bit of stability to your leg and body when your balance starts to feel off.
After some practice, it’s now just a matter of forcing yourself to switch up your habits. By actively thinking about the way you push rather than defaulting to mongo, you’ll eventually find your pushing style changes. Just be patient and don’t feel bad about yourself if it feels super weird at first. It’s just like learning a new trick and will take a bit of time.
So although pushing mongo isn’t the end of the world, there are some clear downsides to this pushing style as your primary technique. Pushing mongo can work fine for a casual cruise around town, but the second you want to pop tricks or skate fast, you’re at a disadvantage with this pushing style. With a bit of time and patience, the awkward phase of switching up your pushing style will be over and you’ll be pushing normally in no time.
Happy Shredding!
– Brendan 🙂
