Essential Skateboarding Tricks and Lingo You Need to Know

Hey! If you’re here, you're probably as stoked about skateboarding as I am. It isn't just a way to get out of the house, escape whatever's bothering you, or kill some time; it’s a lifestyle, a culture, and a language all its own. I've been a street skater since the 80s, and it's had a huge impact on my life and my art. My work is heavily influenced by 90s skateboard graphics, classic cartooning, graffiti, and tattoo art. Whether you're new to this or have been shredding for years, getting a grip on the lingo can help you appreciate and make your ride even smoother. If you're just starting out, you might find some of the info below helpful, tricks from ollies to double flip to heelflips, from basic to advanced tricks. And if you've been skating as long as I have, this list of tricks will probably generate some aching nostalgia and maybe make you feel a bit old, like I do writing this list.

The Start of It All: How a Cheap Skateboard Led to My First Ollie

I got my first skateboard when I was about five or six years old, but I didn't start skating seriously until 1988 when I got a "real" super cheap board where I learned to ollie. By 1990, I had my first real brand-name board, and that's when I immersed myself in the tricks and the culture.

Why the Ollie is the One Skateboard Trick You Need to Know

If there's one trick that stands out above the rest, it’s the ollie, the backbone of nearly every trick you'll ever learn, and it's the first real taste of what skateboarding is all about. It’s that magical moment when your board lifts off the ground without any hand assistance, and suddenly, the possibilities seem endless. Even if you knew nothing else, nailing this one trick would open up a whole world of tricks to know and give you that pure, simple joy that comes from conquering your board. It’s the trick that everyone remembers learning, the one that made them feel like they were truly skating for the first time.

Top Three Skateboard Tricks to Learn

The Ollie, Manual, and Shuvit (or shove-it) are the foundations, laying down the basics for control, balance, and confidence that you'd need to progress to more advanced tricks.

1. Ollie: This one trick is the foundation of most tricks. It's a basic jump that gets you comfortable with popping the tail and landing back on it. To level the board mid-air, you slide your front foot forward and use an ollie technique that you'll rely on for countless other tricks.
   
2. Manual: This is all about balance. Ride on two wheels, either front or back, and get a feel for controlling your board. It’s similar to a wheelie on a bike and essential for linking tricks together.
   
3. Shuvit or Shove-its: This trick involves spinning the board 180 degrees beneath you without flipping it. Shove-its like the frontside pop shove-it and backside 180 are crucial for building your confidence in board control and foot placement.
   

Mastering the Grind

• Grind: When you slide along a ledge or rail with your trucks, it’s called a grind. There are many variations, each requiring precise control and balance. Grinds like the 50-50 and 5-o grinds are must-haves in your bag of tricks.

• Boardslide: One of the first grinds you’ll learn, this trick involves sliding the middle of your skateboard deck along a rail or ledge. A smooth boardslide on a rail or ledge is a must-know for any street skateboarder.

Learn to Ride and Manual Control

Before diving into tricks like the ollie or manual, it’s essential to first learn to ride smoothly, mastering the basics of pushing, turning, and stopping. With the right grip tape and a solid stance, you'll be ready to take on more complex moves.

• Manual: A manual, like a wheelie on a bike, is all about balancing on either the front or back wheels while riding. It improves your stability and prepares you for linking other tricks with manuals, like a kickflip to manual or pop shove-it to manual. As you advance, you can try more challenging combinations, such as a fakie 360 flip to fakie manual, a hardflip to manual, or even a switch 360 flip to manual. These combos take your skating to the next level, blending tricks into smooth lines.

List of Skateboard Tricks to Learn from Basic Tricks to Advanced

Learn How to Skateboard - 180 Ollie & Flip Tricks in Skateboarding to Get You Started

Basic skateboard tricks:

• Ollie: This is one the most important trick, the foundations of skateboarding. Learning to pop an ollie cleanly is the first step.
  
• 180 Ollie: The 180 Ollie combines the basic ollie with a 180-degree turn, setting the stage for more complex moves like backside 180 kickflips, frontside 180 kickflips, backside 180 heelflips, or frontside 180 heelflips. This trick can be done frontside or backside, preparing you to add spins and flips to your skateboarding skills.
  
• Flip: Once you've got the ollie down, it’s time to dive into flip tricks like the kickflip and heelflip. 
  

List Intermediate Skateboard Trick List: Mastering the Boardslide and More

• Boardslide: A classic trick every street skater has to master, this trick is all about sliding the middle of the board along a rail. It’s one of those tricks that builds your confidence and gets you ready to dive into the world of grinds.
• Grind: Ready to step it up? Take your boardslides to the next level with grinds like the frontside 50-50 and nollie nosegrind. These grinds require serious precision and balance, making them must-have tricks for any skater looking to up their game.
  
  

Advanced Tricks: Rock to Fakie & Skating Switch

• Rock to Fakie: A must-know for any transition skater, this trick is all about grinding on the coping and then rolling back down in a fakie stance. It’s a classic move that belongs in every transition skater’s toolkit.
• Skating Switch: If you’re ready to take your skating to the next level, it’s time to start skating switch. Skating switch is like flipping your world upside down—literally. You’ll be riding with your opposite stance, which at first, feels like learning to skate all over again. Your balance will be off, and everything that felt second nature suddenly requires full concentration. But trust me, it’s worth it. Start by learning how to push switch. Get comfortable with the basics: switch ollie, switch kickflip, switch heelflip, switch pop shove-its, switch backside 180, and switch frontside 180. Once you’ve got those dialed in, you’ll be ready to tackle more challenging flatground combinations and even start hitting ledges switch. Picture this: a smooth switch kickflip into a 5-0 grind, finishing with a shove-it out. Now that’s the kind of trick that turns heads and pushes your skating to new heights.

Skateboarding Trick List

Here's a massive list of skateboard tricks that’ll take you from basics like the ollie and kickflip to advanced moves like the 360 flip and rock to fakie - if you've mastered 20% of this list and are having fun, in my view, you're doing everything right. Having fun is what this is all about, whether you're just starting out or have been at it for years.

List of Skateboard Tricks

1. 360 Flip: A trick combining a 360 shove-it with a kickflip.
2. 50-50 Grind: Grinding on both trucks.
3. 5-0 Grind: Grinding on the back truck with the front wheels in the air.
4. Airwalk: A trick where you kick both feet off the board in mid-air while grabbing the nose.
5. Alley-Oop: A 180-degree turn that rotates in the opposite direction of travel.
6. Bigspin: A 360-degree shove-it combined with a 180-degree body rotation.
7. Bluntslide: Sliding where the back truck is above the ledge and the tail is sliding on top of the ledge.
8. Boneless: A Boneless is a trick where you plant one foot on the ground, use your other foot to pop the board, and then leap into the air before landing back on the board. It's a classic move that adds a lot of style and creativity to your skating.
9. Boardslide: Sliding along a ledge with the middle of the board.
10. Nose Pick: A stall on the front truck.
11. Crooked Grind: Grinding where the front truck and the back of the board are tilted away from the ledge as you grind.
12. Darkslide: Sliding on the grip tape side of the board.
13. Disaster: A trick where the back truck lands on the coping after an aerial.
14. Double Kickflip: A kickflip that spins twice.
15. Fakie Ollie: This trick is where you perform an ollie while riding in fakie stance. As you roll backward, you pop a fakie ollie, just like you would in a regular ollie, but with that added challenge of moving in reverse.
16. Fingerflip: Flipping the board with your fingers while in the air.
17. Frontside Flip: A combination of a frontside 180 and a kickflip.
18. Grind: Sliding on the trucks.
19. Handplant: A handstand on the edge of a ramp or coping.
20. Hardflip: A trick combining a frontside pop shove-it with a kickflip.
21. Heelflip: A trick where you flip the board using your heel.
22. Hippy Jump: Jumping over an obstacle while the board rolls underneath.
23. Feeble Grind: Similar to a 5-0 grind where you slide on the back truck, but the board is slanted, and the front wheels are over the coping and on top of the deck of the ramp or rail.
24. Hurricane: A trick where the front truck is over the coping while the back truck grinds, and the board is overturned somewhat like a reversed Feeble grind.
25. Inward Heelflip: A trick combining a backside pop shove-it with a heelflip.
26. Kickflip: A Kickflip is where you flip the board using your toes. As the board spins beneath you, you slide your front foot forward to level the board, then catch the board with your feet before landing. It's a stylish move that adds flair to your skating.
27. Kickturn: Turning on the back wheels while lifting the front wheels. This trick involves turning the board by lifting the front wheels off the ground, which requires shifting your weight onto the back foot.
28. Late Shove-it: A shove-it executed late in the jump.
29. Late Flip: A flip trick executed late in the jump.
30. Laser Flip: A trick combining a 360 frontside shove-it with a heelflip.
31. Manual: Balancing on the back wheels while riding. It’s sort of like a wheelie on a bicycle. A Manual is all about balance, where you keep your weight on the back, lifting the front wheels off the ground as you ride. It's like a wheelie on a bike and is essential for linking tricks together smoothly.
32. Melon Grab: Grabbing the heel edge of the board with the back hand.
33. No Comply: A trick where you plant the front foot and pop the board with the back foot.
34. Nollie: A Nollie is like Ollie performed off the front of the board. Instead of popping the tail, you use the front of your board (the nose) to get airborne, adding a new layer of style and control.
35. Nollie Flip: A nollie combined with a kickflip.
36. Nollie Heelflip: A nollie combined with a heelflip.
37. Nosegrind: Grinding on the front truck with the back wheels in the air.
38. Ollie: A jump performed without grabbing the board.
39. Frontside and Backside Ollie: An ollie where you'd rotate 180 degrees with your frontside or backside facing the direction of the turn.
40. One Foot: A trick where one foot is taken off the board mid-air.
41. Overcrook Grind: A crooked grind with the back truck angled over the rail.
42. Pop Shovit: A Pop Shovit is a trick where you use your back foot to scoop the tail of the board backwards, making the board spin 180 degrees under you. It's a fun way to mix up your riding style and build confidence in your board control.
43. Primo: Balancing on the side of the board with the wheels facing sideways.
44. Pressure Flip: A Pressure Flip is a trick where you push the tail of the board with your back foot backwards and down, using that pressure to flip the board. It's a technical move that shows off your control and precision.
45. Rock to Fakie: A trick where you rock on the coping and roll back down fakie.
46. Salad Grind: A 5-0 grind with the nose of the board angled outward.
47. Sex Change: A trick combining a flip with a 180-degree body rotation.
48. Smith Grind: Grinding with the back truck on the edge and the front truck hanging off.
49. Smith Stall: Stalling on the back truck with the front truck hanging off.
50. Stalefish: A grab where you grab the heel edge of the board behind your back foot.
51. Tailslide: Sliding on the tail of the board.
52. Varial Heelflip: A trick combining a backside pop shove-it with a heelflip.

In the Streets vs. Skateparks

Skateparks - A Safe Place to Learn

Skateparks are great for learning new tricks and meeting other skateboarders. They include a variety of obstacles, mostly made to mimic naturally occurring street obstacles. For example, a ledge in a skatepark is pretty much a copy of a street bench or the ledges found in places like Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco, also known as Embarcadero Plaza. These street obstacles were where some of the first street slides and grinds were done. Skateparks didn't have these types of obstacles in the 70s and 80s. Ledge tricks evolved into skateboarding in the 90s.

True Spirit in the Streets

Skateboarding occurs in the streets. Skateparks are limited, and they will keep evolving as skateboarders keep pushing the boundaries of creativity and imagination in the streets. You can practice in the skatepark, and maybe only skate at the skatepark, which is okay. Despite the fact that the skatepark is a controlled environment, it's safe, and it's still fun. The real creativity in skateboarding takes place in the streets, except for transition skating. The downside of a skatepark is the traffic. If you want a relaxed session by yourself, go early to avoid the crowd.

Every Skill Has Its Contest

Skateboarding competitions have come a long way, from local jams where you’d see kids perfecting their shove-it kickflip or 180 pop to massive events like Street League and even the Olympics. Some skaters are all about the contests, using them to get a name and showcase their skills. But, just like learning to ollie or spin a perfect 360 degrees, skateboarding is more than just about competing; it’s about expression, creativity, and the freedom to skate however you want.

Many pros never compete and still have killer careers. That’s because skating isn’t just a sport; it’s a lifestyle that can’t be fully captured in a contest. Sure, landing a board sliding trick in front of a crowd is awesome, but skating is also about the thrill of cruising down the street, feeling the wheels come alive under you as you navigate side-to-side, shifting from toe side to heel side effortlessly, almost like a yoyo. The true spirit of skateboarding is found in the streets, where you’re free to explore and push your limits, whether you’re working on your monster walk or just trying to figure out the proper foot placement for a new trick.

Personally, I’ve never been huge on contests. Competitions like Tampa Pro and Tampa Am have a great vibe, but mainstream events like the X Games and Street League don’t always resonate with me. Skateboarding isn’t just about putting your foot on the front and trying to nail a trick in front of judges. It’s about the daily grind, from hitting your favorite spots and figuring out that tricky 180s maneuver, to perfecting the subtle balance needed for board sliding. Skating is about more than just winning; it’s about the journey, the creativity, and the connections you make along the way.

Contests definitely help the skateboarding industry grow, but skating is about so much more. It’s about those spontaneous street sessions where the real magic happens, where the side-to-side rhythm of your board flows like a dance, and the freedom to skate at your own pace is what makes it all worthwhile. Whether you're mastering the yoyo feel of your board or just enjoying the ride, skating is all about doing what you love, in your own style.

Staying Injury-Free to Keep Skating

Gearing up with helmets, knee pads, and elbow pads, wrist guards, etc., is a good idea for extra protection. While it might not look the coolest, getting hurt could mean being out for a long time or even getting permanently injured. No skating means no fun. Staying protected means more time shredding and less time on the sidelines. When you're well-protected and wearing the right gear, you can push your limits to improve your skating skills, especially when you’re new to the skate scene and need more time to practice. Also, stretching helps; I never did that, nobody did in my time, but I’ve since learned that it does help, and I should’ve always done it.

Enjoy the ride – I know I have.

- Eric

 

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