The wind whips through your face, you defy gravity and almost fly in the air, life on wheels can be quite riveting, to say the least. The skateboarding fever was always alive and kicking in the heart of Great Britain. But it burst through its peak when the skateboard Olympics made its debut in the Tokyo Games, and Team GB won bronze in the 2020 Summer Games.
If you love the sport, this guide about skateboarding tricks is here to quench your thirst for adrenaline while you roll and the world becomes a blur of nothingness. Here’s a list of 10 easy skateboarding tricks you can try. So, strengthen your foundation before you jump on tho the difficult ones. However, ensure you practice balancing before you jump into these tricks.
Note: Skateboarding is an injury-prone sport. Make sure to use safety gear like helmets, elbow, knee and wrist pads, before you start performing the tricks. It is also important to wear proper shoes and thick socks and check your skateboard in advance.
Let us go trick by trick and gradually learn how to be a skateboard wiz!
Try the Tic-Tac
An easy-to-learn trick, tic-tac will help you practice your balance and stability. It involves performing kickturns that will boost your speed without dropping your feet off the board. Here are the steps to follow:
- Place your back foot near the tail of the board, while your front foot should rest in the middle.
- Lightly press your back foot so that the front wheels get slightly lifted from the ground.
- Now, turn using your front foot and sway your hips in the direction you want to move.
- After each side-to-side turn, you can press down your front foot to bring the wheel to the ground.
- Keep repeating the whole process to move forward and get a rush of speed without your feet touching the ground.
Nail a Wheelie/Manual
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Nailing a wheelie or a manual is like testing your balancing skills as balance is the most important instrument while learning this trick. It’s similar to performing a wheelie on a cycle where you maintain balance on the back wheel. Here are the steps that you can follow to nail this trick:
- While rolling, place your back foot on the skateboard’s tail.
- Lean your weight backwards so that your front foot is lifted with the knee bent.
- The skateboard will also be lifted with your front foot. Try to maintain the balance by staying in this position and moving forward.
- Hold this position as long as possible and as far as you can go.
- If you feel like you are losing your balance, simply lean forward so that the front wheels touch the ground.
Learn the Basic Ollie
The basic ollie is considered to be one of the most important skateboarding tricks as it also comes in handy while performing many other tricks. When done properly, the skateboard stays at your feet when you jump. Here are the steps on how to master this classic trick:
- Place your back foot on the tail.
- Bend your knees and crouch before jumping.
- Once you jump, press down on the skateboard’s tail with your back foot.
- As the tail lowers near the ground, lift up your front foot so that the board stays with your body.
- Prepare for landing by levelling your feet and the skateboard.
- After landing, roll a little and repeat again till you learn it.
Amp Up Your Game with 5 Easy Ramp Tricks
After you master the basic tricks on flat surfaces, it’s time to hit the ramp to step up your game and gear in excitement. Now don’t be intimidated when we say ramp, because nailing the tricks on a ramp can actually be a giant step for beginners.
But if you have mastered your balance and got the hang of the basics, then ramp tricks should definitely be your next move.
Backside Kickturn
Once you have perfected the tic-tac, then kickturn on a ramp is like an advanced version of it. Here are the steps to follow:
- Ride up the ramp and put your back foot on the tail with your front foot on the bolts.
- When you come near the edge of the ramp, lightly push down on the tail with your back foot.
- As you put pressure on the tail, bend your front knee so that the front wheels come up with your foot and off the ground.
- Turn your torso and pivot your entire body around the ramp.
- After turning, bring your front knee down so that the front wheels touch the ground for you to roll away smoothly.
Frontside Kickturn
The steps for the frontside kickturn are similar to the backside kickturn. However, the terms ‘frontside’ and ‘backside’ indicate the way in which you turn while trying the tricks. In the backside kickturns, it’s your back that faces the direction in which you are going. Meanwhile, in the frontside kickturns, your front faces the direction in which you go.
Axle Stall
Learning the axle stall means balancing on the edge of your skateboard’s axle right when you are on the ramp. It’s the perfect trick for higher obstacles. And although it can be quite challenging to learn, if you keep practising stability at the stall, it becomes easier to learn. Here are the steps to follow:
- Ride up the ramp with some speed.
- Once you are near the edge, perform an ollie.
- When you land, ensure that both trucks are positioned on the top of the obstacle.
- Now try to balance and stall on the axle.
- When it’s time to dismount from the stall, use another ollie while getting down.
Rock to Fakie
Rock to fakie is slightly more challenging, but if you have aced the previous tricks, then it’s time to own this classic trick. Here are the steps to follow:
- Roll up the ramp with moderate speed with a forward stance.
- As you come near the edge, lift the front wheels so that the front truck passes over the coping and onto the deck.
- Once on the deck, slightly press the front foot so that the centre of the skateboard’s deck balances on the lip of the coping.
- Try to stall for a few seconds on the coping’s edge by maintaining balance on both legs.
- While dismounting, slightly lift the nose of the skateboard so the wheels pass down.
- Roll back down smoothly.
Backside Disaster
The backside disaster trick can be quite complex to learn, but if you can learn and perform it, it can be quite fun. Here are the steps to follow:
- Race up the ramp with enough speed.
- Once you are near the edge of the coping, perform a backside turn while popping an ollie so that your entire body pivots a complete 180.
- While landing, ensure that the skateboard’s deck stalls on the edge of the coping.
- Try to balance your disaster for a few seconds.
- While dismounting put slight pressure on the front foot till the front wheels touch the ground.
- At the same time, ensure that you lift your back foot and the tail of your skateboard so that the back truck doesn’t get stuck.
- Roll down smoothly.
Ace the Kickflip
After taking over the ramp, flips can be pretty doable. A kickflip is a popular and elegant manoeuvre that you might have seen skateboarders perform on the streets. It requires you to flick the board while you flip. With these steps, you can try it as well:
- Start rolling on your skateboard at a moderate speed.
- Pop an ollie but place your front foot more off the heel side of the board.
- As you drag your front foot off the board, flick it up by using your toes.
- As the skateboard starts spinning, you can stop the rotation by placing your feet on the deck.
- Push down with both feet to land fair and square.
Master the Boardslide to Shred Like a Pro
Once you get accustomed to performing jumps, kickturns and ollies without any hassles, it’s time to take things up a notch. That’s when the boardslide comes into play. You require a rail or a ledge to practice this trick. Here are the steps to follow:
- Start rolling with a decent amount of speed, just before you get close to a rail.
- Pop an ollie so that the middle of your skateboard, i.e. the centre of both trucks, lands on the rail.
- Don’t move your feet and just let the board slide down the rail.
- For landing down from the rail, move your body in the direction you want to end up.
Note: While sliding down a rail, you can get marks on your skateboard. Sometimes, even the slides can be a little rough to overcome. In such cases, you can use skate wax to ease the process and also take care of your skateboard.
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