Writers in the world of skateboarding will often get questions and requests about assembling a quick list of the some of the most commonly performed skateboard tricks, along with a simple direct rundown of how that trick is executed. Just a straight-to-the-point cheat sheet that doesn’t waste a ton of time getting into every gratuitous detail. So here it is, a master cheat sheet, the quick How To Skateboard Tricks Guide! Here we go…
Ollie
Place your back foot on the tail of the board and your front foot somewhere between the front and back trucks, wherever is comfortable for you, but I would recommend about right in the middle. Then stomp your back foot on the tail. As soon as the tail hits the ground, jump up as high as you can. This makes the pop. Once you are in the air, slide your front foot up the deck towards the front truck. This lifts up the back of the board and tilts it into a level position, while also getting you more height. Make sure to lift your back foot up too to allow the board to do this. When you feel you have reached the highest point of your ollie and have begun to come back down or feel like you are about to, simply stomp the board down, both feet on both trucks.
Kickflip
Ollie as high as you can. Once in the air, bring your front foot up the board juts as you would in an ollie, but instead of going straight up the board, bring it up and off the heelside corner of the nose, making a flick with the toe. The flick is just slightly out and slightly down, just an easy flick, not a karate kick. This sends the board into a drill-like spin. As soon as the board makes one complete spin, i.e. you see grip tape again, “catch” it with your feet by stomping the board down, both feet on both trucks.
Heelflip
A heelflip is the same as a kickflip, except it spins the opposite direction. In order to do this, instead of making that flick with the toe off the heelside corner of the nose, kick it out and forward off of the toeside corner of the nose with your heel.
Pop Shuvit
First ollie into the air. Then push the tail of the board behind you with your back foot, sending it spinning like a helicopter blade. As soon as the board has made a 180 degree turn, i.e. the tail is now where the nose used to be and vice versa, “catch” it with your feet by stomping the board down, both feet on both trucks.
Tre Flip
Place your back foot on the toe edge of the tail, right at the dip before the tail goes up, and your front foot behind the bolts of the front trucks, at an angle. Ollie up and once air bound, two things need to happen: Your back foot scoops the tail of the board behind you, much like you would in a pop shuvit. Your front foot needs to make that same flick of the toe off the heelside corner of the nose just as you would in a kickflip. Both of these motions need to happen at the same time, which sends the board spinning both like a helicopter blade and a drill, all at the same time. As soon as you see grip tape, catch it with your feet, stomp it down, both feet on both trucks.
Obviously there are more detailed information out there on how to execute these tricks, as well as many other tricks to learn, but nonetheless, here it is, a quick reference to a few of skateboarding’s most common tricks. Enjoy!