4 Ways to Do Skateboard Tricks

2024 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 10:50

Once you've mastered the basics of skateboarding, such as balance, pushing, stopping, turning and falling, it's time to learn some tricks! Find a selection of instructions from basic, intermediate and advanced levels.

Step

Method 1 of 4: Learn some tricks

Step 1. Learn how to do a kickturn

A great start to learning skateboarding tricks is to start learning this kickturn trick.

Basically the kickturn is just to turn the backboard 180 degrees towards the front only.
Usually done quickly on a ramp or while sliding on a regular road.
It is highly recommended that you create a few hurdles in order to learn other difficult tricks.

Step 2. Perform the Ollie trick

You could say that Ollie is the most important trick to learn, as a stepping stone to learning more advanced tricks.

Basically the Ollie trick is done when you jump but the board remains attached to the feet. To perform the Ollie trick, you need a level ground, good balance and precise timing.
Basically, you have to bend your knees as you slide, then jump, and land on the back of the board. Be sure to bend your knees when landing to absorb the shock.
When you've almost mastered it, you can practice by increasing the jump height and duration of the Ollie trick.

Step 3. Perform the zerolie trick

The zerolie trick is a variation of the Ollie trick, in which you land on the front end of the board as opposed to the Ollie trick. If you are already good at doing the Ollie trick, of course you will not be too difficult to do the Zero trick.

To perform the zerolie trick, place your foot on the end of the board and your other foot in the center of the board. Bend down a little, then jump up, and land on the end of the front plank, and don't forget to bend your knees slightly as you make the landing.
You might find it a little weird when you're learning the zerolie trick. But don't worry if you can't match the height of Ollie's trick when you're doing a zerolie trick. That's very reasonable.

Step 4. Learn how to do manual tricks

You could say that doing manual tricks is like when you do a wheelie on a bicycle, where you are resting on the rear wheel when the front wheel is in the air but still in the position you are sliding.

Manual tricks depend on balance, so keep your feet in the right position. Place the back foot on the end of the board and the front foot on the front end of the board.
Now position your body weight back so that the front of the board is lifted up and try to hold that position while sliding. Don't lean so far back that the backboard rubs against the ground and damages your board.
When learning this trick, it is very common to find many skaters leaning too far back. When this happens, you will be very easy to fall which is very dangerous for the back of your body. Therefore, it is very important to always wear a helmet when skateboarding.

Step 5. Perform the 180 trick

The 180 trick is basically the same as the Ollie trick where both your feet and the board rotate 180 degrees in the air. This trick is included in the basic trick which is quite difficult, so you need to hone your Ollie and kickturn skills before learning to do this trick.

You can do the 180 from front to back (frontside) or vice versa (backside). But usually doing it from front to back will do more.
To perform the frontside Ollie trick, place your feet in the Ollie position. When you duck before making a jump, relax your body and at the same time roll your shoulders back.
Lift the back of your plank, then roll your shoulders from front to back as you jump. Later the body and the board will follow the movement of your shoulders.
You can land with a fakie or a switch. Fakie means you slide backwards, and switch means you slide with your non-dominant foot in front.

Step 6. Learn some variations of the trick

On a skateboard, most of the tricks that exist are just variations of the basic tricks. The more variations you add, the more interesting your skateboarding game will be.

Kickturn trick variations:

frontside kickturn, tic-tac, fakie kickturn and kickturn transition.
Variations of the Ollie and Nollie trick:

If you have mastered the ollie trick, you can start doing it on the ramp or on the banister. You can also do 180, 360 frontside or backside. For variations you can do it with the Zerolie trick.
Manual trick variations:

Variations for manual tricks, you can try a manual nose (sliding using only the front wheel) one foot manual or one wheel manual.

Method 2 of 4: Learn the flip trick

Step 1. Perform the kickflip trick

The kickflip trick is also a trick to learn.

Basically this trick is just an Ollie trick but you add a little kick to the edge of the board when you jump, then the board will spin in the air before you land.
If you have mastered the basics of kickflip tricks, you can try several variations such as varial kickflip, double kickflip, body varial kickflip and indie kickflip.

Step 2. Learn how to do the pop shove-it trick

The pop shove-it trick is a variation of the Ollie trick, in which you have to use your feet to turn the board 180 degrees before landing.

To do a backside pop shove-it (which is usually easier to do than the frontside variation), you need to pull the back of the board as the tail. This will cause the board to rotate backwards exactly 180 degrees.
Lift your front foot off the board as soon as you jump, so that later your foot will float over the board while the board is spinning. Place both feet on the board before you land.
To do a frontside pop shove-it you need to pull your back foot, so the board will rotate in the opposite direction. With this trick, your back foot is used the most, to flip the board and turn it around.

Step 3. Learn the heelflip trick

You could say that the heelflip trick is the opposite of the kickflip trick, you use the front foot to flip the board as opposed to the kickflip trick which uses the back foot.

Start in the Ollie position, then lift the plank off the ground using your back foot. When jumping, move your feet diagonally off the board, then use your heels to flip the board.
When the board is completely turned, catch the board with your feet and bend your knees slightly before landing.
When you have mastered the basics of the heelflip trick, you can start trying the double heelflip and triple heelflip, which is to rotate the board several times before you catch it again.

Step 4. Perform the 360 flip trick

The 360 flip trick or also known as the tre-flip trick is sometimes called “the greatest skateboarding trick” because it looks beautiful.

If you pay more attention, the 360 trick is a combination of the kickflip trick and the 360 degree shove-it trick. This trick can be very difficult because it must calculate the time accurately.
Place your foot in the kickflip position, then move your front foot toward the center of the board. Hold the heel of your back foot against the back end of your plank.
Step on the board a little hard with your back to get a high Ollie, then pull the back foot behind the board to rotate the board (like a shove-it) and kick the front end of the board (like a kickflip) to flip the board.
Raise your heels slightly high to make room for the board to turn and flip. Check the condition of the board, to see if the board is ready to land.
At first you will be a little difficult to learn this trick. Keep practicing and always wear protection when you're training.

Step 5. Practice the hardflip trick

The hardflip trick is considered a difficult trick, from the name alone it can be seen. A super combination of frontside pop shove-it and kickflip tricks.

Starting with the front foot, place the heel straight in front of you. Place your back foot on the tail of the board, with your heel hanging off the back end of the board. Try to balance with your feet to make the trick easier to do.
Lift the board off the ground, then at the same time use your back foot to turn the board forward and use your front foot to flip the board.
Make sure your front leg is in a free position. If you're having trouble catching the board with both feet, try to land with just your front foot until you've started to master this trick.

Method 3 of 4: Learn some slide and grind tricks

Step 1. Perform the 50/50 grind trick

The 50/50 grind trick is the most learned grind trick by beginner skateboarders. Usually done on the edge of the road, the edge of the wall or on the stair rail.

Slide down the curb to do the trick grind at the appropriate speed. Ollie on the edge, using the front foot to help the plank into a proper position.
Make sure that the curb edge is in the center of the plank and that your knees are slightly bent when you do the grind trick.
When you reach the end of the ledge, pull the tail of the board and jump and land on all four wheels at the same time.

Step 2. Do the nose grind trick

The nose grind is the same as a regular grind, except that the fulcrum is at the front end of the board, not in the middle.

Do the Ollie trick first, then place your front foot on the end of the board and your back foot in the middle, so that the back will be slightly lifted up.
Land with the end of the board on the edge of the pavement. Put your weight in the middle of the board, balance your body so that your weight doesn't protrude too much forward which can cause the skateboard to stop.
Shift your weight backwards to descend the edge.

Step 3. Learn the boardslide trick

This trick is the basis of all slide tricks. Later you can do Ollie on the edge of the sidewalk and on the banister.

To learn to start this trick you can do it on the edge of the sidewalk that is not so high, doing it on the banister can be very dangerous if you are a beginner. In order for the board to glide smoothly, you can add wax to the skateboard board.
Glide over the edge with your feet in the Ollie position. Perform the Ollie trick then move your body 90 degrees, and land with the fulcrum in the center of the board.
Bend your knees slightly and balance your body while doing this trick. When you reach the end of the ledge, transfer your weight to the back of the board and land on the back wheel first.

Method 4 of 4: Learn ramp tricks

Step 1. Learn how to drop in

Drop in is not a trick, but it is a start before you go down the ramp.

The hardest part about dropping in is fighting your fears, because the technique is actually really easy. Position your skateboard so that the tail of the board is on the edge of the ramp and the rest is hanging freely.
Position your back foot on the tail of the plank, shifting most of your body weight back slightly so you don't fall suddenly into the ramp.
When you're ready, move your weight little by little forward. Follow the movement of your plank and keep your body in the same position as when you were sliding on a level road.
When the wheel hits the ramp, bend your knees slightly.

Step 2. Learn fakie and Rock n' Roll tricks

Rock to Fakies and Rock n' Rolls are two great ramp tricks to learn. But you need to learn it on a small ramp first before moving on to a larger ramp.

Rock to Fakies:

Roll your board forward, until half of it hangs over the edge of the ramp. Press with your front foot until the wheel hits the ramp, then lift your foot so that the board rolls back and you will slide backwards.
Rock n' Rolls:

Rock n' Rolls starts the same way you start the rock to fakie trick. Roll your front wheel until it hits the ramp, but instead of fakiing, do a 180 degree kickturn and slide in the opposite direction.

Step 3. Do the lipslide trick

This cool trick is also often called a "disaster"!

Slide down the ramp, doing the 180 Ollie trick. Then land with the center on the edge, the body slightly bent to absorb the shock.
Shift your weight to the front for lighter rear wheels and switch to rock tricks.

Tips

The hardest part is determining the right time to pull the tail of the board, when to jump and how to get the feet to quickly catch the board. You will quickly learn the secret of learning all the tricks quickly just by mastering Ollie's tricks.
Don't move the board too much with your ankles, this can cause the board to fall off.
Learn the Ollie trick perfectly, because this trick is the basis of all tricks. When you are able to adjust to the movement, you can start to learn other tricks such as jumping and others.
Keep your shoulders in line with the plank so that the plank rolls straight and doesn't rotate. This is a problem that is usually faced by beginners when learning to skateboard.
Learning kick-flip tricks can take weeks or even months. But keep practicing until later you will naturally master it.