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Easy to Learn Skateboard Tricks
by Keith Vaughn
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Overview
Skateboarding can be fun for people at any skill level. Some basic skateboarding tricks can help beginners get comfortable with skateboarding and provide a foundation for more complex tricks.
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Getting Started
Once you have a skateboard and safety gear, you will need a place to skate. Pick a place with lots of flat pavement and no traffic, like an empty parking lot or a park. Determine whether you are most comfortable skating with your right or your left foot forward on the board. Skating with your right foot forward is known as "goofy foot." Switching your normal stance to accent or vary a trick is called "switch foot."
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Rolling
Get comfortable rolling around and propelling yourself on your skateboard. Some rudimentary tricks can be performed while rolling on flat ground. Skating balanced on just the back or front wheels is a "manual." Riding up a bank or ramp and riding right back down in the same position is known as a "fakey." A "fakey" is basically skating backwards, with the tail leading the way.
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Turning
"Carving" is the act of turning by leaning in the direction you wish to go. Experiment by carving in a switch foot stance and by bending your knees and getting close to the ground as you carve. "Kick turns" are performed by putting weight on the tail of the skateboard to lift the front wheels off the ground and then pivoting on the back wheels.
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Boneless One
A "boneless one" is slightly more complex. It is an aerial maneuver whereby your front foot is planted on the ground, and with your back foot still on the board, the skateboard is lifted of the ground and turned 180 degrees. Once the board is turned around, hop back on with your planted foot. You ride away "fakey."
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Ollie
In 1978 Alan Gelfand invented the "ollie." An ollie is a hands-free aerial maneuver whereby the skateboard is jumped off the ground. Ollies require timing and coordination. Try practicing ollies in the grass to keep the board from rolling away as you get comfortable with the trick. Many skateboard tricks are based on the ollie.
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Safety
Wearing safety gear such as a helmet, elbow pads, knee pads and wrist guards can keep you from hurting yourself as your skills develop. Always obey signs that prohibit skateboarding or trespassing. Skateboarding shoes, which have flat soles, can also help keep you safe by increasing your stability as you skate. Skateboarding with others helps keeps you safe and also helps you learn tricks faster.
