Are you a big fan of outdoor activity? If so, you should learn how to skateboard. Not only is skateboarding fun and exciting, but it is also a challenging activity. While it seems to be difficult, you will improve your skills as long as you are willing to practice. In this article, we will introduce the top 5 basic skateboard tricks for beginners. Check it out and you will realize that skateboard tricks can easily be learned.
1. Ollie: Basic skateboard tricks for beginners
When it comes to tricks for new skateboarders, this is literally the most basic one. It can be practiced when you are already comfortable enough to ride around. You should learn how to Ollie because it’s the foundation for other tricks you will know in the future. The better you get with Ollie, the more you are good at skateboard tricks.
To practice this trick, you need to place your feet on your board in a basic stance. In particular, the back foot should be halfway between the left tail and the right one. Meanwhile, the front foot should be right behind the front screws.
It’s cool and fun to learn some skateboard tricks
Practicing the Ollie, your movement includes two main directions. First, use your back foot to push down hard on the tail until it hits the ground. Then, you immediately drag your front foot forward and up so that your board is level with the ground. You create the grip using the outer sole and drag it over the board at the same time.
When you practice tricks, you should get proper skate shoes to protect your feet better. The important thing when you learn Ollie is that you learn how to land safely. The tip for you is to make sure your feet will be over the board when your board goes into the air. Do not try to go high or far, just try to get the movement right.
2. The Pop Shove-It: It’s time to learn a decent trick
As mentioned earlier, when you already know how to do the Ollie, you can start practicing more difficult tricks. The Pop Shove-It is also one of the basic skateboard tricks for beginners. It is the Ollie with a 180 degree horizontal flip with your board. The board’s nose will be the tail as it draws a half circle in front of you.
It’s quite different to the Ollie as your toes should be in the “pocket” of the tail. Your movement includes pushing down on the tail, and dragging it back at the same time. By doing this, you will create a scoop when you push the tail behind you and bring the board around 180 degrees.
It’s important to land safely
The movement of the front foot is similar to an Ollie. Remember to catch the board with your feet when it’s already done with the 180 degrees circle, land it safely and enjoy the ride! For those who just begin to learn to skateboard, visit Skateboard Cast for the best guidance!
3. The Fakie Ollie: Another type of Ollie
The Fakie Ollie means you do the Ollie, but roll in the “backwards direction”. Of course, this rolling movement is not as easy as the movement of the normal one. But at least it has the same foot position with the Ollie.
However, your back foot becomes the one in front, even though it’s still a back foot. When practicing the fakie Ollie, you need to put the back foot in the middle of the tail and the front foot right before the screws. Use your back foot to push the tail down and pull the front foot forward. That’s how you move the board horizontally.
Be prepared that it will be a bit hard to land. The key is to keep your shoulders straight to your board so it won’t rotate. Besides, make sure that your feet are right above the screws when you land. For more basic skateboard tricks for beginners, or all best skateboarders of all time, please check out Skateboard Cast!
4. Backside 180: It’s time for spins!
When you feel confident enough with the Ollie, you can learn a more challenging trick which is the BS 180. It rotates your body 180 degrees as your back is turned in the direction of movement. Half a turn is when your body turns 180 degrees, and the other half is when your board turns with you. That means the board stays under your feet while you jump.
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Both the foot position and foot movement are the same as the Ollie. But remember to pop as high as you can and push the tail back a little bit. Besides, the movement of your shoulders plays an important part in this trick. When you take off, immediately turn your shoulders into the backside direction.
5. The Kickflip: Level up your skills!
When it comes to basic skateboard tricks for beginners, the Kickflip is considered as the most iconic and popular one. If you know how to do a kickflip, you will be a real skateboarder. And it also makes you feel cool and awesome when you are able to perform the trick.
During the movement, your board will rotate on its longitudinal axis. That means the nose is in the front, and the griptape is at the bottom mid-flip. When you perform this trick, the board flips towards the rider, opposed to the heelflip.
The position of your backfoot is similar to an Ollie, right in the middle of the tail, while the front foot is slightly towards the heel edge. At the beginning, you put a lot of pressure on the tail until it hits the ground. Then you do the “flick”. You don’t need to drag your front foot straight towards the nose, it’s movement should be a diagonal direction towards the heel edge.
Then put your feet back on your board as you see the griptape. The most important thing is you learn how to land in a safe and stable position with your feet above the screws.
As a beginner, you don’t need to look cool when you practice with your board. The most important thing is to be safe, then you can learn more cool tricks. Hopefully, this article has provided you useful information about basic skateboard tricks for beginners. The more confident you are on the skateboard, the easier these tricks become for you.