First off, I'd like to say I absolutely love longboarding. Lately though, I've been getting discouraged since I feel like I cannot do as much as I'd like. I want to learn to do standies but there's always the voice in my head that tells me I'm going to get hurt, so I hold back when I attempt to; the only slide I know is a coleman slide. I would also love to go on longer rides that exceed just my downtown area, but that involves higher speeds and I feel like only knowing coleman slides is not enough to slow myself down when I need to. Any time I've tried to slide at a somewhat higher speed I've always eaten pavement. Are there any particular ways to help slow down besides checks and foot stopping? Any other general advice over this? It is all much appreciated.