Skateboarding is not just about cruising around, but it’s also about pushing yourself to learn new tricks and taking your skills to the next level. Whether it’s landing your first kickflip or just getting off the board with style, you need to have cool tricks up your sleeve to be known as a serious skater. The only way to get good at skateboarding tricks is to practice…lots of practice!
But how do you know where to start? Here, we’ll share some tips on learning skateboarding tricks in order from beginner to pro. I’m not going to teach how to Ollie or kickflip, but instead starting with the very basics up through advanced skateboarding tricks.
The following steps will help you to learn skateboarding tricks in order, from the very basics up through pro-level moves and everything in between. Beginner skateboarders should follow this list in order to practice longboarding tricks from easiest to hardest;
Note: You should be good at balancing the board while stabilizing your weight on it before learning to perform tricks. If you aren’t good at riding – here’s a guide for beginners on how to ride a skateboard.
1. Tic-Tac
In a tic-tac, you do a stationary Ollie to get yourself up onto the board. This is an important skateboarding trick for beginners as it allows you to practice your balance and stability. So, be sure to work on tic-tac until you can do it consistently.
All you have to do is place your back feet close to the tail and give a slight push, resulting in putting weight on the tail. This will slightly lift the front wheels of the board and you can turn using your front feet.
Do not take your feet off the board! Tic-tac consists of several kickturn pushes that give you speed.
2. Wheelie
Also known as Manual, a Wheelie is an act of balancing on your back wheels. That might not sound too hard but it is a bit difficult to stable your body on just two wheels.
Begin by putting your back feet on your tail and leaning your weight backward. This will lift the front wheels of the board just as you did in tic-tac, but do now turn the board – keep going straight.
Just remember that a wheelie is all about balance – if you lose yours just push lean forward and let the front wheels touch the ground.
This is another classic that all skaters learn, even if they don’t stick with it long. You can start learning Ollie by dropping your back foot to the bolts before lifting your front foot up and jumping, which should pop you high enough to catch air.
Once you have mastered that, you can try catching even more height by pushing down on the tail of your board before you jump. Just make sure not to press down too hard or you’ll go nose first into the ground!
4. Fakie or Switch
Fakie or Switch moves consist of rolling your skateboard backward. When skating fakie, your feet are pointed in the opposite direction of where you are rolling.
For example, if you are rolling to the left with your front foot on the bolts, then it would be pointing to the right – this is called being a regular stance.
Switching stances means that instead of being regular or goofy, your feet would be pointed towards the back of the board and you’d ride goofy. Switching stances might sound easy, but it’s trickier than it sounds.
5. Fakie Kickturn
The fakie kickturn is the opposite of the regular one – riding and the backward kick turn. To do it, you’ll need to approach whatever object you are trying to turn around with your front foot first, and then push down and pop off of it while also spinning around 180 degrees.
That should be enough for you to spin all the way around onto the bolts facing the other direction, but if not then try pushing down on your back foot as well. Once you have got that down, try to do it faster and faster until you are just spinning back and forth like a crazy skater.
6. Carving
This basically means controlling where your skateboard goes and also how it turns while rolling in one direction. Carving is useful for making tight turns around large objects or just to look cool on your board.
To get started, find a long stretch of flat ground without any obstacles in your path, stand on the board facing one way with both feet over the bolts and simply tap the tail of your board with each foot in turn, going back and forth as quickly as you can.
After that, try carving by popping into a wheelie and then shifting your weight to one side or the other as you roll forward. This will cause your board to carve an arc around whatever obstacle is in front of you – just make sure not to turn too sharply.
Most people love performing carving on electric skateboards because it is easier and more fun.
7. Kickturn on a Ramp
Kickturn on a Ramp is the first and most important trick to learn on a ramp. This is one of the most essential tricks in skating because it allows you to turn around on a ramp where there’s no room for a fakie kickturn.
To start learning this trick, approach the edge of the ramp with your front foot on the bolts and jump up & land back down. You’ll probably need to keep practicing until you can pull off Ollies before getting started though, so ask an experienced skater if they’ll help show you how!
8. Drop-In
Dropping in is a scary skateboarding trick and the second most wanted trick after Ollie. The drop-in is a pretty difficult trick to master because it requires a decent amount of speed and enough height to pop off the surface that you are dropping in from.
When approaching a ramp or quarter-pipe, make sure your front foot is on the bolts and jump up and off of it to catch some air. Once you have got a little bit of height, roll off in whichever direction and gradually come to a stop before landing back up at the top of the ramp or jumping down into another trick.
This means finding spots where your board can clear at least half the distance of the ramp without causing you to crash when rolling down, or else you’ll be stuck pushing up a steep incline.
So if you are going down a long enough hill, the best thing to do is start off by dropping in with your back foot on or near the bolts at the same time. The deck should be strong enough to withstand the impacts of hard landings. Read about the best skateboard decks.
9. Roll off a Drop
This trick is pretty simple in theory, but it’s one of the harder tricks you can learn. To do it, all you need to do is approach a drop and roll off of it while maintaining your balance.
The hard part about this trick though is that if you don’t push yourself off hard enough then you’ll fall backward onto your butt when rolling down the drop.
Luckily, there are many tutorials available on YouTube that will help teach you how to get started with this trick.
10. Kickflip
The kickflip is one of the most famous skateboarding tricks and it is pretty challenging to learn. The standard kickflip motion involves standing over your board while holding it by either one or both of your feet.
After that, quickly shove off your back foot while simultaneously flicking the front end up and around to make it flip about 180 degrees in the air. Remember to shift your weight on the back wheels while performing Kickflip.
11. Nollie
The nollie is just like an Ollie except that instead of using your back foot to jump up and catch air, you’ll use your front foot – which is referred to as a nollie or “nose manual”. This means that you are holding onto your board by your toes.
To do a nollie, start out by getting yourself into a comfortable stance in which you are balanced on your back foot with your front foot resting on the bolts. After that, just jump up and catch air with your nose manual to get going.
12. Heelflip
The heelflip is pretty similar to the kickflip in that it requires you to use your back foot to pop the board into the air. However, instead of rolling off with your front foot like a kickflip, you’ll want to use your back foot (heel) and roll away from the edge of the ramp or quarterpipe.
This trick is called a heelflip because you are using the back of your foot to pop the board’s edge upwards, rather than using the front end of it.
13. Wallride
The wallride takes the same basic motions as a drop-in. However, instead of rolling off while you are up in the air and taking another trick, this is about riding along the edge of a wall before jumping away into another one.
The wallride can be done by approaching a quarterpipe or other high ledge where the front end of your board doesn’t touch the ground, then ollieing off of one or both feet before shifting your weight onto either foot and getting ready to shift your weight back onto your board.
Once you are ready, pop the board off of the edge and ride along with it while keeping yourself steady before coming back to land on either foot.
14. Shove-it 180˚
This is a quite tricky skateboarding move and it requires a lot of balance and control over the board. To do a shove-it, you are going to start by approaching the ledge (or another tall obstacle) with enough speed to jump off.
After that, your front foot should be pressing against one or both of the bolts while you use your back foot to push it forward and make the tail end whip around 180˚. Once you get a feel for the shove-it, you can even start to do it from lower heights by hopping onto your board and doing the shove before you take off.
Note: make sure the bearings are cleaned, otherwise the wheels will stuck while performing the shove-it trick and you’ll end up on the ground with injuries.
15. Ollie North
The ollie north is a really challenging skateboarding trick to learn, but it’s a good one because you can combo it with a few other tricks for a tasty looking combo.
To do the ollie north, you’ll need enough speed going into the ramp or obstacle that you are jumping off of while having your front foot against one bolt.
After that, just use your back foot to pull the board up and around into an ollie north – then ride it out with a kickflip or something similar.
16. Ollie South
The ollie south is almost like a mirror image of the ollie north – except for this time, you are going to use your back foot to flip the board around instead of your front.
This means you’ll approach a ramp and ollie off with your left foot, but instead of lifting the nose up, you are going to pull it around so that it’s pointed downwards and behind. Then ride out the rest of the trick like any other normal ollie.
17. Inward Heel Flip
Think of this trick like the heelflip, except it’s more controlled. To do an inward heelflip, you are going to approach the quarterpipe with enough speed so that you can jump off and onto your board in one motion.
While you are up in the air, flick your back foot out towards the nose of your skateboard so that the tail of the board will spin around & kick off one or both of your feet before landing on it again.
18. Blunt Fakie
The blunt fakie is a really cool looking skateboard trick that has you facing backside while riding up the ramp or obstacle. It’s different from other tricks because you’ll be approaching, and it might take some time to master and get comfortable with it.
To start learning this one, you are going to want to drop down into the quarterpipe while jumping your front foot up onto the bolts.
You should be able to get enough height so that you are able to slide your back foot (heel side) over the bolts and rest it on top of them before pulling off like normal.
With this trick, keep both feet on your board until you land after the blunt.
19. No Comply
The no comply is a unique and cool looking skateboarding trick. Most tricks you perform are with the board flat on the ground, or it’s vertical in the air. You can use this trick to do any of those things – as long as you learn how to press your feet down after jumping off.
Once you are up in the air you don’t land on the ground with your board hitting first- then it’s your back foot that presses down onto the tail to keep yourself balanced.
That’s when you can choose to either land on your board or invert it, depending on what looks best.
20. Grinds
Grinding is a really awesome trick and one of the best ways to practice skateboarding land tricks to learn. You can’t do tricks on street obstacles with rails or ledges, however, you can grind them and get some extra points for style.
There are different kinds of grinds that you can do, and they don’t necessarily need to be learned in order. All you need to do is feel comfortable while performing them.
The steepest ones can be a little difficult to learn, but they are definitely worth practicing if you want to impress people on the street or at the skatepark.
To start learning grinding tricks, approach the obstacle with enough speed so that your board can hop up onto it once you rub against it. Once you are up on the obstacle, start by hitting it with your front foot (heel side) while your other leg comes right after it to lock it into place.
Different skateboard grind tricks;
Nose Grind (The front Trucks are in a nose manual position)
Tail Slide (Same as a Nose slide but the tail is used)
Smith Grind (The back trucks are like a 50-50 but the front is over what you grind)
Crooked Grind (Opposite of a Smith grind)
5-0 Grind (The back trucks are in a manual position)
Suski Grind (The opposite of a Salad grind)
21. Board-Slide
The boardslide is a little different from other skateboarding tricks because of the way you’ll be approaching it. Instead of jumping into the obstacle, you are going to drop down into it while sliding on your front foot and pressing both feet onto the deck. Once you have more balance, you can pull off your trick.
This balancing trick can be a little difficult to get down, but it’s one of the trickiest ones you can do once you start getting good. As with the ollie north/south, you want to press your front foot against the bolts while your back foot presses onto the tail so that you have enough weight on either side of the board.
When you take off, you want to be able to balance by digging your back foot into the bolts as well so that it helps keep you from tipping over.
22. Axle Stall
An axle stall is a lot like grinding- you start by rubbing against the obstacle, and once it’s high enough you press both feet onto it to hold yourself in place. While grinding is centered around its front side, an axle stall sees you using the back of the board for balance instead of your back foot. It’s a great trick to try out when you are working with obstacles that are higher up.
To start this trick, you are going to want to go up onto the obstacle with enough speed so that your board is almost perpendicular to it. This will help increase the amount of weight that’s on both sides of the board, allowing you to balance yourself better.
When you feel ready, get back off by pressing down with your front foot while pushing the tail down with your back foot.
Final Verdict
Overall, there are tons of different skateboard tricks that you can learn in 2024, but these are the most important ones you should start with. Like all sports, it can be hard to master them in one day and takes dedication in order to truly become the best skater possible.
Once you get comfortable with these tricks, try learning some others like Nose Stall, Disaster, and Inward Heelflip so that you have a variety of tricks up your sleeve when meeting new people at skateparks.
If you have any questions about the skating tricks I discussed in this article, feel free to write down your concerns below – I’ll try my best to answer them as soon as possible!
It is recommended to get over the fear of skateboarding before learning to perform tricks – otherwise, you’ll keep falling and eventually get some serious injuries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best skateboarding trick?
Kickflip is the best skateboarding trick because many other tricks include it. It also looks cool flipping your skateboarding using feet and successfully landing after. The best skateboarding tricks are;
Kickflip
Wheelie
Ollie
Nollie
Heelflip
Axle Stall
Carving
Grinding
Shove-it 180˚
Kick turn on a ramp
Wall-ride
Board slide
What is the hardest skateboarding trick?
The hardest skateboarding tricks I experienced were Nollie Flip and Nollie Heelflip. I remembered they took me forever to master them. The hardest skateboarding tricks are;
Nollie Flip
Nollie Heelflip
Wall-ride
Blunt fakie
Inward heelflip
Grinds
Fakie kickturn
What is the easiest skateboarding trick?
To me, the easiest skateboard trick is Ollie north/south. It doesn’t take much to get them down and it’s also easy to be comfortable with them because they’re regular footed tricks. You can do both of these right-footed or left-footed. The easiest skateboarding tricks are;
Ollie north
Ollie south
Tic-tac
Wheelie
Kickflip
Carving
What trick should I learn first on a skateboard?
I would recommend the best trick to learn first on a skateboard is Ollie north/south, Kickflip and switch-stance so that you can get comfortable doing tricks right-footed or left-footed. These aren’t too difficult for most people to do. Although tic-tac and wheelie are the basic ones, I recommend Ollie and Kickflip to start with as a beginner skateboarder.
What is the easiest skate trick?
Speaking of the experience, the Ollie is the easiest skate trick to perform. Here is a list of the easiest skate tricks that beginners should start learning;
I got inspired by my father after watching him performing heroic tricks on a skateboard. Started at the age of 8 and performed in multiple competitions, now I coach professionals for tournaments. It's not just a sport for me - more like a passion and meditation! After years of experience with different skateboarding products, here are my reviews about Best Skateboard Brands and Best Skateboard for Beginners. It's an era of technology, you can also check unbiased reviews of Best Electric Skateboards. You can also read Benefits of Skateboarding.
In a tic-tac, you do a stationary Ollie to get yourself up onto the board. This is an important skateboarding trick for beginners as it allows you to practice your balance and stability. So, be sure to work on tic-tac until you can do it consistently.
Also known as Manual, a Wheelie is an act of balancing on your back wheels. That might not sound too hard but it is a bit difficult to stable your body on just two wheels.
This is another classic that all skaters learn, even if they don’t stick with it long. You can start learning Ollie by dropping your back foot to the bolts before lifting your front foot up and jumping, which should pop you high enough to catch air.
Fakie or Switch moves consist of rolling your skateboard backward. When skating fakie, your feet are pointed in the opposite direction of where you are rolling.
This basically means controlling where your skateboard goes and also how it turns while rolling in one direction. Carving is useful for making tight turns around large objects or just to look cool on your board.
Kickturn on a Ramp is the first and most important trick to learn on a ramp. This is one of the most essential tricks in skating because it allows you to turn around on a ramp where there’s no room for a fakie kickturn.
Dropping in is a scary skateboarding trick and the second most wanted trick after Ollie. The drop-in is a pretty difficult trick to master because it requires a decent amount of speed and enough height to pop off the surface that you are dropping in from.
This trick is pretty simple in theory, but it’s one of the harder tricks you can learn. To do it, all you need to do is approach a drop and roll off of it while maintaining your balance.
The kickflip is one of the most famous skateboarding tricks and it is pretty challenging to learn. The standard kickflip motion involves standing over your board while holding it by either one or both of your feet.
The nollie is just like an Ollie except that instead of using your back foot to jump up and catch air, you’ll use your front foot – which is referred to as a nollie or “nose manual”. This means that you are holding onto your board by your toes.
The heelflip is pretty similar to the kickflip in that it requires you to use your back foot to pop the board into the air. However, instead of rolling off with your front foot like a kickflip, you’ll want to use your back foot (heel) and roll away from the edge of the ramp or quarterpipe.
The wallride takes the same basic motions as a drop-in. However, instead of rolling off while you are up in the air and taking another trick, this is about riding along the edge of a wall before jumping away into another one.
This is a quite tricky skateboarding move and it requires a lot of balance and control over the board. To do a shove-it, you are going to start by approaching the ledge (or another tall obstacle) with enough speed to jump off.
The ollie north is a really challenging skateboarding trick to learn, but it’s a good one because you can combo it with a few other tricks for a tasty looking combo.
Think of this trick like the heelflip, except it’s more controlled. To do an inward heelflip, you are going to approach the quarterpipe with enough speed so that you can jump off and onto your board in one motion.
The blunt fakie is a really cool looking skateboard trick that has you facing backside while riding up the ramp or obstacle. It’s different from other tricks because you’ll be approaching, and it might take some time to master and get comfortable with it.
The no comply is a unique and cool looking skateboarding trick. Most tricks you perform are with the board flat on the ground, or it’s vertical in the air. You can use this trick to do any of those things – as long as you learn how to press your feet down after jumping off.
Grinding is a really awesome trick and one of the best ways to practice skateboarding land tricks to learn. You can’t do tricks on street obstacles with rails or ledges, however, you can grind them and get some extra points for style.
The boardslide is a little different from other skateboarding tricks because of the way you’ll be approaching it. Instead of jumping into the obstacle, you are going to drop down into it while sliding on your front foot and pressing both feet onto the deck. Once you have more balance, you can pull off your trick.
An axle stall is a lot like grinding- you start by rubbing against the obstacle, and once it’s high enough you press both feet onto it to hold yourself in place. While grinding is centered around its front side, an axle stall sees you using the back of the board for balance instead of your back foot. It’s a great trick to try out when you are working with obstacles that are higher up.
