Mastering the Board: A Comprehensive Guide to Skateboard Tricks for Beginners to Advanced

Skateboarding, an exhilarating blend of art, sport, and personal expression, captivates millions worldwide. From the simple joy of rolling down a sidewalk to the adrenaline rush of landing a complex trick, the learning process is a journey filled with challenges and triumphs. This comprehensive guide will take you from the very basics to more advanced maneuvers, providing detailed instructions, tips, and safety advice along the way. Whether you’re a complete beginner or looking to level up your skills, this resource is designed to help you master the board.

Getting Started: Essential Foundations

Before attempting any tricks, it’s crucial to establish a solid foundation. This involves understanding your board, finding your stance, and mastering basic movements. Let’s begin with the absolute essentials:

1. Understanding Your Skateboard

A skateboard isn’t just a piece of wood with wheels; it’s a finely tuned machine. Here’s a breakdown of the components:

• Deck: The wooden platform you stand on. It comes in various shapes and sizes, influencing how the board feels and rides.
• Trucks: The metal axles connecting the wheels to the deck. They allow you to steer and grind.
• Wheels: These come in different sizes, durometers (hardness), and shapes, each suited for different riding styles.
• Bearings: Located inside the wheels, they allow them to spin smoothly.
• Griptape: The sandpaper-like material applied to the deck’s top, providing grip for your shoes.

Familiarize yourself with these parts. Understanding your equipment is the first step towards mastering it.

2. Finding Your Stance

There are two primary stances:

• Regular Stance: Left foot forward, right foot back.
• Goofy Stance: Right foot forward, left foot back.

To determine your natural stance, try this: have someone gently push you forward. The foot you naturally put forward to catch yourself is likely your preferred front foot. There’s no right or wrong; it’s about what feels most comfortable and balanced for you.

3. Pushing

The most basic movement is pushing. Here’s how:

1. Place your front foot just behind the front bolts, angled slightly towards the direction you want to travel.
2. With your back foot, push off the ground, using your toes or the ball of your foot.
3. Once you’re moving, place your back foot on the board just in front of the back bolts.
4. Practice pushing with even strokes for balance and speed.

4. Balancing and Riding

Once you’re pushing, work on balancing and riding:

1. Keep your knees slightly bent, and your weight centered over the board.
2. Use your arms to maintain balance, extending them out to your sides or in front.
3. Try rolling on flat, smooth surfaces at first. Avoid uneven terrain.
4. Practice turning by leaning slightly in the direction you want to go.

Basic Skateboard Tricks for Beginners

After mastering the basics, it’s time to explore some simple tricks that form the foundation for more advanced maneuvers. These tricks focus on board control and getting a feel for movement and balance.

1. The Tic-Tac

The tic-tac is a foundational maneuver for developing board control. It involves rocking the board from side to side.

1. While riding slowly, gently shift your weight to one side, causing the board to slightly turn.
2. As the board starts to turn, quickly shift your weight to the other side, causing it to turn back.
3. Repeat these back-and-forth movements to gain momentum without actually pushing.
4. Practice this on a smooth, flat surface.

2. The Manual

The manual is a wheelie on a skateboard, where the front wheels are lifted off the ground.

1. Start rolling at a comfortable speed.
2. Shift your weight towards the back of the board, pushing down slightly on your back foot.
3. As your front wheels lift, adjust your weight and balance to maintain the manual.
4. Keep your knees bent and arms out for balance.
5. Practice lifting the front wheel gradually.
6. Don’t try to pull too hard or you might fall backward.

3. The Kickturn

The kickturn is a basic way to change direction, involving lifting the front wheels and pivoting the board.

1. Ride at a slow to moderate speed.
2. Bend your knees and slightly shift your weight to your back foot.
3. Quickly push down on the tail (back) of your board with your back foot, lifting the front wheels.
4. As the front wheels come up, rotate your body and the board in the direction you want to turn.
5. Lower the front wheels smoothly back onto the ground.
6. Practice this while stationary to understand the board movement.

4. The Board Stall

A board stall involves riding up an obstacle and stopping with the back trucks on the edge.

1. Find a low curb or small obstacle.
2. Approach the obstacle at a slow, controlled speed.
3. As your front wheels reach the edge, slightly lean back while keeping the board level.
4. The back wheels will stall on the edge.
5. To come back down, slightly push forward to clear the obstacle.
6. Start with very small obstacles and gradually increase the size.

Intermediate Skateboard Tricks

With a solid foundation in the basics, you’re ready to move on to some intermediate-level tricks. These maneuvers will require more coordination, balance, and practice.

1. The Ollie

The ollie is the foundational trick in skateboarding; it’s the jump that allows you to clear obstacles and perform many other tricks.

1. Begin rolling slowly and place your feet in the Ollie position. Your front foot should be near the middle of the board, and your back foot on the tail.
2. Bend your knees and prepare to pop.
3. Snap your back foot down on the tail, causing the board to lift off the ground.
4. Immediately slide your front foot up the board towards the nose (front).
5. Use your front foot to level the board in the air.
6. As the board levels out, bring your knees up to help the board clear the ground.
7. Land with both feet on the board simultaneously, knees bent to absorb the impact.
8. Practice the motions slowly at first, then slowly add speed and height.

2. The Frontside 180

A frontside 180 involves rotating your board and body 180 degrees while riding. It is one of the first tricks learned after mastering the Ollie

1. Start rolling at a moderate speed.
2. Perform an ollie.
3. While in the air, turn your body and board 180 degrees in the frontside direction (towards your toes).
4. Use your shoulders to initiate the turn, and keep your knees bent.
5. Land with your feet on the board in the opposite direction.
6. Practice turning on the ground while stationary to get the feel for the motion.

3. The Backside 180

A backside 180 is the same principle as the frontside, but rotated in the opposite direction, away from your toes.

1. Begin rolling slowly, with balanced stance.
2. Perform an Ollie.
3. While in the air, turn your body and board 180 degrees in the backside direction.
4. Use your shoulders to initiate the turn.
5. Land with your feet on the board in the opposite direction.
6. Practice on the ground while stationary.

4. The Pop Shove-It

The pop shove-it involves scooping the board backwards, causing it to spin 180 degrees while staying under your feet.

1. Start rolling slowly, with a balanced stance.
2. Perform a slight ollie or just lift the front of the board a bit.
3. As you start lifting, use your back foot to scoop the tail of the board backward, making it spin 180 degrees.
4. Keep your body and front foot still to let the board spin under you.
5. Catch the board with both feet.
6. Practice the scoop motion on the ground while stationary.

5. The Fakie

Riding Fakie is to ride backwards, with your back foot in the front, and your front foot in the back, and is the basis for many more advanced tricks.

1. Start rolling slowly, but normally.
2. Perform a kick turn and continue to roll in the new direction, this is Fakie.
3. Maintain balance while moving backwards.
4. Use the tic-tac motion to keep moving forward.
5. Use your arms to keep balance.

Advanced Skateboard Tricks

Once you’ve mastered the intermediate tricks, you can explore some more advanced and challenging maneuvers. These tricks will take significant practice, patience, and a strong foundation in the fundamentals.

1. The Heelflip

The heelflip is a flip trick where the board rotates backward, under the heel of your front foot, making a forward flip.

1. Start rolling with a comfortable stance.
2. Place your front foot on the board as you normally would for an ollie, but slightly angled inward.
3. Pop the board as you would for an ollie.
4. As you lift, flick your front heel off the edge of the board, making it flip.
5. Let the board rotate 360 degrees.
6. Catch the board with both feet once it is flat.
7. Practice the foot motion on the ground while stationary.

2. The Kickflip

The kickflip is similar to the heelflip, but involves a forward flip of the board, which rotates under the toes of your front foot.

1. Start rolling with a comfortable stance.
2. Place your front foot on the board as you would for an ollie, but angled slightly inward and towards the bolts.
3. Pop the board as you would for an ollie.
4. As you lift, flick your front foot off the edge of the board making it flip.
5. Let the board rotate 360 degrees.
6. Catch the board with both feet once it is flat.
7. Practice the foot motion on the ground while stationary.

3. The Varial Kickflip

The varial kickflip combines the kickflip motion with a pop shove-it, where the board also rotates 180 degrees horizontally.

1. Start rolling slowly with a balanced stance.
2. As you ollie, scoop the board backward with your back foot, simultaneously with flicking the board forward as in a kickflip.
3. The board should rotate 180 degrees horizontally while also doing a kickflip.
4. Catch the board with your feet once it is flat, as it rotates back to the starting stance.
5. Start with trying a pop shove-it, then work on adding the kickflip motion.

4. The Tre Flip (360 Flip)

The Tre flip is the most advanced of the flip tricks. It combines a kickflip, a shove it, and also a rotation on the vertical axis.

1. Start rolling slowly with a balanced stance.
2. Perform an ollie, and as your back foot pops, scoop the board backwards, and then flick your front foot up to create the kickflip.
3. The board should rotate 360 degrees horizontally and 360 degrees vertically.
4. Catch the board with your feet as it flattens out.
5. Start with working on each of the individual components separately.

5. Grinds and Slides

Grinds and slides involve riding your trucks or deck on an object like a rail, curb, or ledge. They require good board control, balance, and often a good ollie to get up on the object.

1. Start with riding parallel to the ledge or rail.
2. Ollie to get your trucks on the object.
3. Keep balanced, and try to maintain the grind.
4. Lean slightly in the direction you want to slide.
5. To come off, pop slightly to clear the ledge or rail and ride off.
6. Start with very small obstacles, and slowly work your way up.

Safety Tips

Skateboarding can be dangerous, so safety should always be a priority. Here are some key tips to keep you safe:

• Wear Protective Gear: Always wear a helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards, especially when learning new tricks.
• Start Slow: Don’t try to do too much too soon. Master the basics before moving on to more complex tricks.
• Practice in Safe Areas: Choose smooth, flat surfaces away from traffic or obstacles.
• Check Your Equipment: Regularly inspect your skateboard for any loose or damaged parts.
• Be Aware of Your Surroundings: Pay attention to other people, cars, and obstacles around you.
• Take Breaks: Avoid fatigue by taking regular breaks.
• Skate with a Friend: Having a friend with you can make skating more fun and safer.
• Stay Hydrated: Keep drinking water while you are skating.

Conclusion

Learning skateboard tricks takes time, patience, and dedication. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t master a trick right away. Keep practicing, and remember that each fall is a learning opportunity. With persistence and the right guidance, you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve. Embrace the process, enjoy the journey, and never stop pushing yourself to new levels. The world of skateboarding is vast and rewarding, and this guide is just the beginning of your exciting adventure. Happy skating!