Trick Tips

Thinking of taking up skateboarding. Or you already have and your having trouble learning new tricks. In this post I will explain to you the basics of a few important tricks.

Starting with the Ollie, the foundation for almost all other tricks, to the 360 flip, you can learn it all here. Feel free to look around, comment and give suggestions for future trick tips.

Ollie

Background:
The ollie was invented by Alan Gelfand in 1976. He originally used it as an aerial trick. Back then, it was known as the no hands aerial. The actual flatground ollie was invented by Rodney Mullen. This trick is the basis for all flatground tricks. So, it’s important that you learn it. The ollie is usually the first trick skaters learn.

Setup:
Your back foot should be anywhere on the tail where it’s comfortable. Your front foot should be on the center of the board with your toes hanging slightly off.

The Trick:
If this is your first time trying this, start stationary. You’ll be able to do it rolling when you get better at it. Once you’re ready, bend your knees down far. This will help with the force of the ollie. Now use the force to pop the tail down hard with your back foot. As soon as the tail hits the ground, slide your front foot up the board towards the nose and lift your back foot up. Now you should be gaining descent height. But you want to level out your ollie. You need to shift your weight forward as soon as you slide your foot up. It also helps when you give the nose a slight push up with your toe. This helps to gain a bit more height. Once you’ve reached your full height, slowly bend your knees back, get ready to absorb and land with ease.

Being a skateboarder myself I know what it is like learning new tricks. It will take time and but the most important thing is you practice practice practice until you become obsessed with skateboarding.

Kickflip

The kickflip is the most basic flip trick and most often the most difficult to learn, master this and other tricks will come much more ease. So don’t get hung up if you can’t land them right away. Just keep trying and they will naturally come to you!
Before you learn how to kickflip, you’ll want to know how to ollie.
1.You want to place your front foot behind the front bolts at about a 45 degree angle. You should have the ball of your back foot in the center of the tail ready to pop.
2.With your back foot, pop the board up as you would in an ollie. Instead of dragging straight up with your front foot, you want to drag and give a ankle flick.
3. Be sure to flick up and out, and not down. This will get the board flipping under you. Jump the same way as you would during an ollie and suck your feet up.
4. Hover over your skateboard. Wait for the griptape side to come round, be sure to tuck up your legs to give it room to rotate.
5. When the board has flipped once, bring your front foot on it to catch it. Your back foot should naturally catch it as well.
6. With both feet stomping on the bolts, catch the board firmly. Be careful not to land with one foot on the nose or tail, because your board might snap!
7. Roll out smoothly and go tell mom what you did today, then get back out and practice.

50-50

The most basic of all grinds.
1) Learn to ollie and get comfortable with ollieing while moving at a high rate of speed
2) Go out and scour town to find a suitable ledge or rail, or manufacture your own
3) Psych yourself up for the big maneuver your about to perform
4) Go fast and approach the object however you want to. Some people prefer to hit it angled and some come directly at it in line with the direction they will 50-50
5) Keep your eyes zeroed on where you want to grind
6) Ollie and lock your trucks onto the object
7) Stand up straight, center your body weight and maintain balance
8) Spot your landing, give a nice easy ollie off and stick it
9) Ride away clean and then take a victory lap
As you get better gradually step up the grind height and length.

Bigspin

In order to even think about attempting the bigspin you will first definitely need to have a good grasp on the pop shove-it and 180.
*Bigspin's are easier to do with a good amount of speed.
1) Place the ball of your foot on the tail as if you are going to do a pop shove-it, and position your front foot below the bolts. Your front foot should be positioned at the angle for a kickflip.
2) Your going to do a backside 180 and a 360 shove-it simultaneously. So, begin your backside 180 ollie by smacking down the tail, but instead of letting the usual 180 take place, shove the board vigorously with your back foot. Send the board spinning. The best way to unsure no flip to occur while doing the big spin is to smack the tail dead center.
3) You will now be backside 180ing as the board is 360 shove-iting. Here is where your front foot plays a vital role. The foot should hover right above the spinning board insuring that the boarding doesn't flip and that you stop the board spinning once it has made a full rotation.
4) After the board has gone 360 and you have gone 180, it's time to land. Your feet should be over the bolts guiding the board, or as close as possible to avoid any board breakage. Extend legs back down and land.
5) Roll away like a champ.
Practice, Practice, Practice

Nosegrind

Now before you want to learn this trick, make sure you are first comfortable with the nosemanual.
1) Find a good sized ledge, rain or curb to practice on. Make sure it’s not too high and the surface is smooth enough
2) Approach your target, with your feet set up in an ollie position. You should approach at no more than a 45 degree angle at a moderate speed depending on the desired grind length.
3) Check out the obstacle and know exactly where your going to ollie on.
4) Pop your board into a clean ollie and shift your weight to your front foot. As you land, only your front truck should be touching the object you're grinding on. You are basically doing a nose manual while in a grind.
5) Bend your knees slightly as you land on to your target and stay as balanced as possible throughout the nosegrind.
6) To land, you could either use your hips to give a little push off, or do a slight nollie and pop the board off. Either way make sure you clear the end of the rail or ledge so you don't hit it and look like a fool.
7) Land, absorb the impact by bending your knees, and ride away.

360 Flip

When trying to learn the 360 flip (also known as the 3-flip and tre flip) it really takes hard work and dedication. Ensure that you have the varial kicflip down pat, and that you can spin a 360 pop shove-it. So you have a good feeling for the board spinning and flipping under you. Then take it to the next level.
1) Scooping the board. Your back foot should be have your toes hanging off the tail where the concave is, so it’ll be like your feet are grasping the concave like a hook. Once your in a good position you must scoop and scoop hard.
2) Your front foot should be in a angled version of the kickflip position. When you scoop, shoot your front foot straight and flick your ankle. NOT side but straight, that should center the board under you as it spins and flips.
3) Jump high, to give the board ample time to flip. But ensure that your feet are in a position relative to where you will have to catch the board.
4) The land, which is the hardest part. Make sure your feet are apart so and over the bolts. Watch the board, and let gravity do its job. When the board has finished flipping and you see the grip, land. You won’t get it the first try but you’ll get in time.
The 360 flip is just like the kickflip just practice and practice, and you’ll land it soon.