Freestyle skateboarding tricks

A freestyle skateboarding trick is a trick done on a skateboard while freestyle skateboarding. Some of these tricks are done in a stationary position, unlike many other skateboarding tricks. The keys to a good freestyle contest run are variety, difficulty, fluidity, and creativity. It should also be noted that this is a partial list, and a full list would never be possible, because new tricks and new combinations are always being created.

History

Freestyle skateboarding was pioneered by many skateboarders in the early days of skateboarding, back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The most notable of all was Rodney Mullen, who invented many tricks commonly seen today, like the Ollie Kickflip (originally called the Magic Flip). The aim for early freestyle was to carry on a series of different tricks choreographing the skateboarding to a soundtrack. Tricks were linked together using the Manual and its many variations. In competitions, points were awarded for style and variation of tricks choreographed to music. Most modern tricks were developed from these freestyle variations.

Freestyle skateboarding differentiates from other styles of skateboarding (Streetstyle, Vertical, Slalom, etc.) from the fact that the skateboarder can do each and every trick and creatively finds ways to go from any one trick directly in to another, and another, continuing, without landing all 4 wheels on the ground.

The Ollie was originally invented off of a piece of Freestyle footwork by Rodney Mullen one night in one of his usual garage sessions back when he lived in Florida.

Tricks

360 Flip

Like the Kickflip, but one foot is closer to the nose, and the other is closer to the tail. This is not to be confused with the Ollie 360 flip. The 360 flip is also known as a butterfly.

360s

Now called a 360 pivot due to the invention of the aerial 360. '70s skate competitions would often have an event to see who could do the most consecutive 360 spins on a skateboard. The current world record is 163 by Russ Howell. Variations include Nose 360s, One-footed 360s, etc.

50-50

This is a stance. It is similar to a casper, with the board upside-down, but the back foot is standing on the back truck. The 50-50 is done with a hand holding the nose of the board, or it can be done with the front foot holding up the nose with no hand holding the board up. In this case it is called a No-Handed 50-50. This trick's name collides with the common Streestyle skateboarding trick, the 50-50 grind. While this trick had the name first, Freestyle skateboarders like to use the name Truckstand to separate the two.

Anti-Casper

Contrary to popular belief, the anti-casper is not just a nose/switch Casper stance. It is not considered an anti-casper unless half of an impossible is performed into a nose/switch casper stance. This is usually done by popping the tail, which would begin the half impossible or half vertical flip, and jumping. Once the board flips end over end, it comes down into switch casper, and is caught with the front foot on top of the nose and the back foot on the underside anywhere behind the nose of the board, with the top of the foot touching the griptape side.

Body Varial

A Body Varial is a trick where the skateboarder jumps up and rotates 180 degrees and lands on his board riding in switch stance (or regular stance if the trick started from switch stance). It is nowadays almost always combined with some other trick, although it can be performed on its own with the skateboarder jumping over an obstacle and letting the board roll under it which would be a Body Varial High Jump. Also known as a hippy twist when done over an object.

Butterflip

This trick was invented by Keith Butterfield. To do the Butterflip, you stand in Heelside Railstand, and hop both feet to one side of the board, meaning one foot is on top of the wheel and the other foot is on top of the end of the board on the same side. You put pressure onto the end of the board, using the foot that's not on the wheel. It pops the board up and you grab it with your hand on the same side of your body as the foot that was on the wheel. This trick is the method used to go from Heelside Railstand to a One Footed Pogo or 50/50.

Casper

The Casper is the name of a stall/position invented by Bobby "Casper" Boyden. It shares the name casper with the casper disaster but the two tricks are not at all similar. In casper stance, the board is griptape side down, with the back foot on top of the tail and the front foot under the board near the nose. The only point of contact between the board and the ground should be the tip of the tail. There are a many ways to get into Casper. The street skateboarder may want to do half of an Ollie Kickflip and catch it in a Casper. The freestyle skateboarder may want to be rolling fakie and just flip it over with his or her back foot and catch it immediately. One can immediately exit the Casper position by doing one of many tricks out. These include a 360 Flip out as created by Rodney Mullen, or Varial Half Flip out, Half Impossible / 180 Hop out, or replace the half flips in the tricks above with a quarter flip to go straight into railstand, or some other transition into another stance (anti-casper or 50-50 for example).

Casper Disaster

This trick has nothing to do with the Casper stance you may be familiar with. They share the Casper name because they were both invented by the same person. Bobby "Casper" Boyden. While riding fakie, you enter a Heelside Railstand one footed. The foot not on the wheel, the foot that's not closest to the direction you're riding, will be pointing down and touching the griptape while your other foot remains on the wheel. You will spin the board 180 degrees using your foot on the griptape to help. Immediately after spinning 180 degrees you will push the board down so you exit Heelside Railstand and land riding away. This is a great way to get out of fakie. Another version of this trick is the Frixion Flip, which is the same as this except you don't turn your body 180 with the board. You spin the board 180 and quarterflip back to riding only.

Cooper flip

Devised by Lynn Cooper who participated in many competitions that existed during the heyday of Freestyle. A kind of rail flip. You hop to one side of the board having one foot on the wheel and the other on the tail/nose next to it and then flip the board from this position. when this trick is landed into a 50-50 or pogo this is called a butterflip.

Daffy manual

This trick is done with two boards. First, the skateboarder puts the front foot on the nose of one board, then puts the back foot on the tail of the other board. Both should balance on the front or back truck. The skateboarder then moves forward while balancing in this position. This trick was seen in the Girl Skateboards video Yeah Right! and the Lords of Dogtown movie. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater calls this a "Yeah Right Manual".

Two foot stand

When the skater stand on the tail with one foot on then flips the board with his or her hands so the he or she can stand on the bottom trucks with both feet. When executed the skater flips that board so he or she can land on the grip tape.

Endover

A series of 180 degree pivots done off of the nose first, then off of the tail from the fakie possition. The spins always turn the same direction, creating a large loop of half circles.

Fingerflip

A predecessor to the Ollie Kickflip, this trick involves reaching down with the front hand, jumping off the board, flipping the board on its axis, and landing back on it. Double- and triple-fingerflips have also been done, as well as 180 fingerflips, where the board is rotated 180 as well as flipped with the hand.

Hand Casper / Switch-Casper

This is Casper / Switch-Casper stall done using the hand to hold up the higher end of the board instead of the foot. This lets the skateboarder do any type of fingerflip they want to get out of it.

Handstand

Basically doing a handstand on a moving skateboard. Many variations evolved from this, including One-hand Handstands, Headstands, Frogstands, Handstand Wheelies, Handstand Pivots/Endovers, Handstand Varial Flips, Handstand Double Flips, Handstand 360 Flips, Handstand Flips, Handstand Dismount (No flip, just come down on your board riding) etc. This Handstand idea was taken to the other stances too. Which introduced Railstand Handstands, with the single, double, varial and 360 flips out of them, and TV Stands or Handstands done in 50/50 or Truckstand stance.

Hang Ten Nose Wheelies

A classic freestyle trick, this move involves putting both feet at the nose of the board and lifting the back wheels off the ground and balancing while moving. Other wheelie tricks are one-footed wheelies and one-wheel wheelies, which are self explanatory but very difficult to pull off. You can do shove-it's out of Hang Ten Wheelies and even do Hang Ten Spacewalks.

Heelflip

Same as a kickflip but making the board spin the other direction. To do this, instead of flipping the board with your toes, flip it with your heel.

Heelie

simialr to the Hang Ten Nose Manual but instead of standing on the nose you stand on the tail.

Hippy Jump

Basically is jumping on your board with your board leaving the ground, but is usually done over objects (or in some cases under). First ride at a reasonable speed then jump over the object while your board rolls under. Then land on it. For a bigger obstacle, lift your back foot up and push the board under with your front foot then walk on over the obsdtacle then lands on the board once it's done.

Kickflip

Invented by Kurt Lindgren, not the Ollie Kickflip, but done standing with feet parallel in the middle of the board, with the toes of the back foot hooked under and flipping the board as the skater jumps. This is notably different from the Ollie Kickflip in that it does not involve an ollie. There exists many variations of the Kickflip including the Double Kickflip, M-80 Kickflip, Double M-80 Kickflip, 180 Kickflip, 360 Kickflip, 540 Kickflip and many more, and all of the variations with a one foot landing. When done, the skateboarder will have a tendency to turn his body 90 degrees to line himself up with the board. The direction to which he turns, seems more natural if it's the direction opposite the foot he used to flip the board. This would result in a fakie landing. It is also possible to learn it, flip and turn your body 90 degrees in the OTHER direction and ride forward, not fakie.

M-80 Kickflip

As above, flip a Kickflip, but as soon as it's done flipping, instead of landing on the board with all 4 wheels touching down on the ground, land on it in a nose wheelie, and pivot on the nose. If you did the Kickflip above and landed in Fakie, you would pivot out to forward. If you did it out to forward, you would pivot into fakie. The M-80 Kickflip can be used as a compensator if you don't like the direction you end up in when you do Kickflips because you can only do them to fakie, or only do them to forward. Variations on this are flipping into a 360 pivot or mulitple 360s there after, another would be to body varial backside and pivot blindside. Kevin Harris did some amazing variations based on the Kickflip and M-80 Kickflip. An example would be his popular Kickflip into multiple 360's on one foot.

Monster Walk

Another endover varition. Insteed of keeping all the rotations in the same direction, each "step" alternates. The normal variation has the skater always facing forward, and the fakie version the skateboarder is always twisting blind.

Ollie

Simply stand on the board with one foot on the tail and the other in the middle of the board. Then with your tail foot kick down and shift your weight onto the nose of the board then land it and roll away.

Pogo

Done with the board straight up and down, this move uses the skateboard as a pogo stick. One foot is on the bottom truck, and the other usually presses on the grip tape side of the board for grip. You can grab the nose of the board or not. If done wrongly, any male skater will tell you, it will be painful.

Power Slide

This trick is performed while moving quite fast, and is often used as a move to lose speed if going too fast. With both feet braced firmly on the board, both the skater and the board spin 180 (or more) with all 4 wheels on the ground. This makes a characteristic scraping sound. This was popularized by Steve Rocco (within freestyle circles), however it was frowned upon by judges and other freestylers because it broke away from the choreographic element in 'formal' freestyle. Rocco's 'break from the norm' in freestyle helped pave way back to skateboarding's roots of fluidity and style. Up to this point, skateboarding was being categorized into different styles, Street, Freestyle, and Vertical. With Rocco doing his own thing, he adopted from all styles. Loose trucks (a no no in freestyle) for doing low pivotal carves like Jay Adams, borowing from vert, Rocco did inverts on flat ground to introduce the world (of freestyle) to "Streetplants" and of course Bertlemans and Powerslides.

Primo Slide / Primo

This is a rail stand but done while moving, so you slide along the ground on the side of you board. Named for its inventor, Primo Desiderio. For added style you can turn the board 90 degrees while sliding doing sort of a primo power stop from their you can do any trick you want to get out of it, flips, spins etc. A Primo is not a Stationary Primo Slide. This is a mistake fueled by complete ignorance. A Primo is EXACTLY THE SAME AS A ROLLING PRIMO SLIDE. It is merely an abbreviation. Primo Slide and Primo are exactly the same. There is no Reemo Slide nor is there a Rusty Slide Manual. Both were made up for the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater line of games.

Railstand

A Railstand is when one edge of your board is on the ground and you are standing on the other, usually with your feet also on the wheels. From this position you can do many tricks, including flips, 180s, 360s and combinations of the above (landing into another railstand if you wish), landing into casper, into 50/50 / Truckstand etc. A Heelside Railstand is to stand on the board in railstand, with your griptape facing your back, and Toeside is the reverse. There are several ways to get into Heelside Railstand as opposed to the limited ways, if not just one way of getting into Toeside Railstand. A common variation of a railstand is a cooper stand, which is a rail stand with one foot on a wheel, and the other on the nose. While in Railstand, the limit to what you can do is almost non existent. You do not have to just flip. You can varial the board under you so it spins without flipping, you can stand on one wheel, on one foot and kick the board forward, backward so it spins around the one wheel. You can walk around on the board while it's in Railstand, etcetera.

Saran Wrap / Wrap Around

Usually done from a pogo or 50/50 stance, this trick involves the front leg tracing a circle around the end of the board not touching the ground when in pogo or 50/50 stance.

Shove-it

A Shove-it or varial rotation is regarded as a 180 degree spin (instead of a flip) of the board. Which direction it spins is usually described in the name, such as Frontside or Backside. When called just a shove-it, it is assumed it is only a varial 180 degree shove-it. If it is any higher in degrees, it is stated. For example, a 360 shove-it must have the 360 stated or it should be assumed to only be 180 degrees of spin.

The Shove-it was always a Freestyle trick as were every other skateboarding trick used in Streetstyle skateboarding. It was done with the front foot facing forward towards the nose, on the nose of the board and your back foot would be used to throw the board. In today's modern Streetstyle skateboarding, the shove-it is either done Frontside or Backside and the point of action originates from the tail of the board. Only when the rider pushes down and forward or down and backward can the board spin 180 degrees Frontside or Backside. The back foot begins the trick and the front foot either assists in the spin by influencing the board or just jumps if the back foot influenced it enough. In the shove-it done off of the nose, this is done in reverse. The front foot assumes the role of the back foot in that it pushes down and initiates the action, and the back foot either jumps or assists in the spin. It can be done both Frontside and Backside from this way. This is considered the Freestyle and pre Streetstyle era shove-it. The original way.

The more modern way which is depicted as either a "Frontside" or "Backside" shove-it is done with your back foot on the tail and by pressing down and forward to do a Frontside Shove-it or down and back to do a Backside Shove-it. Contrary to popular belief, one version is not harder than the other if you learn both at the same time. Learning one and not the other may give you the illusion that it is hard to do the other. This would not make sense because another skateboarder may find the so called harder version easier and your version harder. This also applies to the Ollie Kickflip and the Ollie Heelflip. For one who has learned the Ollie Kickflip before the Ollie Heelflip, it may seem harder, same applies vice versa.

The 540 Shove-it is a variation of the Shove-it.

Sidewinder

The trick is actually a type of transfer from a 50-50 to a casper, where the back hand grabs the back truck (the one with the back foot on it), the front foot is placed on the nose of the board, and the weight is transferred to the front foot, while the back foot moves from the back truck to under the board, to the casper position.

Smoothee aka Jaywalk

Set up with your stance foot, or your front foot, on the tail of the board, put your back foot on the nose of the board. Two things will happen now, and both must be done at the same time. Pressure is applied to the tail and you pivot 180 degrees on the tail to the side your front foot's heel was facing. Your front foot is also removed prior to the 180 degree pivot and brought to where your board will end up after the 180 degree pivot. It is an advanced version of the Endover or 180 pivot on the nose or tail because your foot is detached from the board.

Street Plant

An old-school handplant trick in which one holds the board in one hand, gets a running start, does a one-handed handstand, puts the board under the feet, then comes back down. It is used as a fancy way to get onto one's board. This is like an invert on vert but done on flatground.

Tic-Tacs and the Spacewalk

Tic-tacs are where the front wheels are lifted, brought 45 degrees to one side, touched down, lifted again, brought 45 degrees to the other side and repeated, making a tic-tac sound as the wheels touch down. Using momentum, a skater can use this move to gain speed and even climb gentle hills. A space walk is exactly the same but the front wheels do not touch the ground.

Toe Hook Impossible

A trick that flips in the same fashion as the Ollie Impossible but done with the assistance of the skater's other foot. To do it, the skater starts with the board resting on the tail. Then hooks their front foot(or back foot if done from crossfoot) under the nose of the board, and pulls up. Causing the board to flip over their other foot.

Truckstand Pogo

A trick commonly done by older free-style skaters when in a truckstand. Most commonly done with your back foot on the bottom truck and both hands on the nose then you hop just like a pogo, once you get used to this you can hold truckstands much longer than normal.

TV Stand

A variation of a 50-50. The skater starts in a regular 50-50 stance, them puts their back hand on the bottem truck (where their foot is), then hops up, doing a handstand while the board is a similar position to a no handed 50-50. If done with one hand on the top truck and the other on the nose it is called a Jawbreaker, which was invented by Primo Desiderio

Walk The Dog

A move where you put one foot in the middle of the board, step to the nose with the back foot, and bring the nose to the back, spinning the board 180 around the center foot. With practice this move can be done quite fast and many times in a row. Although it's better to do it slower, maintain balance to create an illusion of speed. As said by Bob Loftin.

Wheelie

A Wheelie is a balancing trick that can take many forms. The common Wheelie is just having one foot on each side of the board and pressing down. Often mistakenly called a Manual. It is not. A Manual is a Wheelie that you do when you ride up a bank or ditch, and Wheelie the top and hold it in Wheelie until re-entry into the bank or ditch. It can also be when you ollie onto a surface and Wheelie on contact and hold the wheelie until you drop off or trick off. Refer to definition above.

YoHo Plant

Terry Synnott is most often seen doing this trick which is a cross between Joachim "YoYo" Schulz's YoYo Plant and the HoHo Plant. The HoHo Plant involves you doing a handstand with both hands, and only your feet in the air holding the board up as if you were upside down. The YoHo Plant combines both tricks. In essence, you ride fakie and get into the YoYo Plant with one hand on the ground and one on the board like usual, but once you get into the YoYo Plant, you bring your legs farther up in the air, lose grip with the board, and place your hand down with your other already planted hand. Placing you now in a HoHo plant.

YoYo Plant

A very difficult trick invented by YoYo Schulz. This is the same as the street plant but when you do a yoyo plant your feet don't touch the ground, making this trick very difficult. Usually done going fakie and with one hand planting on the ground as the other is grabbing the board.