Skateboarding Tricks

Once you’re comfortable standing and moving around on a board, it’s time to start skateboard tricks. Sure, a board is a great way to get around town, but skateboarding tricks are ultimately what skateboarding is all about. There is an enormous number of skate boarding tricks that you can learn, some easier than others.

First of all, make sure you have a decent board and if you’re just starting out doing tricks, you should seriously think about wearing safety gear. You can visit a skate park to check out some more experienced skaters doing tricks and maybe ask for some skateboard trick tips. If asking for skateboarding trick tips from someone doesn’t seem all that great an idea, you can check out skateboard trick clips online or a skateboarding trick tips video in a skate shop that has been made with the intention of teaching some basic skateboarding tricks.

The skateboard trick list is divided into five general categories. The first category includes freestyle tricks. These are simple skateboarding tricks that essentially form the basis for many other types of tricks and this category includes all those tricks where a skateboarder must balance on any other part of the board besides all four wheels. Many ways of flipping and manipulating the board to reach these stances have been invented.

Then there are aerials, which involve flying through the air while trying to keep the board from flying away by one of two methods; a skater will either hold onto the board with his or her hands or will keep constant pressure on the board with his or her feet. These types of tricks were born in the 1970s and were popularized by the pro Tony Alva. The basic aerial tricks of the 70s have been greatly specialized to include the most popular modern skateboarding tricks, such as the ollie.

Then there are flip tricks, which are essentially types of aerials that are based on the famous and popular ollie; many experts believe that the first type of flip trick was the kickflip. These tricks also involve spinning the board around a number of different axes and combining more than one rotation into a trick.

Slides and grinds consist of sliding along an edge or rail with either the trucks of a board or the sides of the board. Technically, the trick is a slide if the board itself is doing most of the contact with whatever it is that you’re sliding against, while the trick is a grind if the trucks are doing the contacting. Any type of edge can be used. Lip tricks can also be done on edges, but need more momentum.

The list of skateboard tricks keeps growing as skateboarders invent new ones, ranging from easy skateboard tricks to complex freestyle skateboarding tricks. Some skaters actually test out a new skateboard trick on Tech Decks; Tech Deck skateboard tricks then get put into action on the street or on the ramps.