A
180
A 180 is when the skateboarder turns the skateboard quickly 180 degrees while in the air, so that when the skater lands the nose is where the tail was, etc. 180 degrees is the increment by which all skateboarding spin tricks are measured, first the 180, then 360, then 540, etc. 180s are usually done along with other skateboard tricks, combining them all into one complex trick. When referring to these, the "180" part of the trick name goes first, such as a "180 tailgrab".
Pronunciation: One-Eighty
Category: Tricks and Stances
360
A 360 is when a skateboarder and his or her board turns 360 degrees while in the air, so that when the skater lands he or she is still facing their original direction. Skateboarding rotational tricks are usualy referred to in increments of 180 degrees - 180, 360, 540, 720, and even 900 (Tony Hawk performed the first 900 in a competition at the X-Games in 2003). 360s are often combined with other skateboard tricks, combining them all into one complex trick. When referring to these, the "360" part of the trick name goes first, such as a "360 method".
Pronunciation: "Three Sixty"
Also Known As: 360 spin, 360 twist
Category: Tricks and Stances
5-0
A 5-0 (Five-Oh) is when the skateboarder grinds with only the back truck. The nose of the skateboard is up in the air a little, making the whole trick look and feel something like a manual.
Pronunciation: Five-OH
Also Known As: 5-0, 5-0 Grind
Category: Tricks and Stances
50-50
A 50-50 grind is when a skateboarder grinds with both trucks. When most skaters grind something, they use both trucks, and so are 50-50ing whatever they are grinding on. Learn how to 50-50 grind. The name 50-50 was first used in skateboarding to describe what is now called a "truckstand". Notice that a 5-0 is half of a 50-50.
To learn to 50-50 Grind, Step-By-Step Instructions on 50-50 Grinding Vidoes
Pronunciation: "Fifty Fifty"
Category: Tricks and Stances
Also Known As: Grinding (often skaters won't even call it a 50-50, if this is the only type of grind they do)
A (wheel hardness/durometer)
Ever wonder what those numbers mean on your wheels? The numbers, followed by an "A", tell how hard the wheels are. Most skateboard wheels use the A scale for durometer, which is good - it helps make everything easier. On the A scale, the lower the number, the softer the wheel. So, a wheel is 90A printed on it would be a relatively soft wheel, where 100A is pretty hard. In fact, there aren't many reasons to have wheels harder than 101A, though I've used wheels that are a lot softer than 90A. Softer wheels grip the ground better, but get torn up or develop flatspots fast. Harder wheels last longer, but don't grip. Longboards often have very soft wheels, where street skaters usually want
Bones One Hundreds Wheels
Bones
Category: Equipment
Aciddrop
Skating off the end of an object with ollieing or touching the board with your hands.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Air
To "air" in skateboarding is to get into the air without ollying. Usually, this is done by simply riding off the end of a ramp or jump. Sometimes, skaters will talk about airing things - like airing a gap. This means that they rode their skateboard off of a ramp or anything else and jumped over a gap, without ollying. Air can also be used to refer to how high someone got with a trick, saying that they "got lots of air".
Category: Tricks and Stances
Airwalk Grab
Airwalks are a type of grab skateboarding trick.
To Airwalk, the skater first gets a lot of air off of a ramp or halfpipe. While in the air, he or she grabs the nose of the skateboard, and kicks out his or her front foot in front of the board and back foot behind the board. For the full Airwalk effect, the skater should make a walking motion with his or her legs. Of course, to do this you would need to be in the air for a while!
Tony Hawk gets the credit for inventing the Airwalk on ramps back in 1983, and Rodney Mullen gets the credit for the Ollie Airwalk. The Ollie Airwalk is a version performed on flat ground, which is more than just a little amazing. Airwalk is also the name of a shoe brand.
To learn to Air Walk Grab, Step-By-Step Instructions on Air Walk Grab Vidoes
Pronunciation: Air walk
Category: Tricks and Stances
Amped
Really charged up...stoked, psyched. It's on!
Category: Culture
Anti-Casper
Contrary to popular belief, the Anti-Casper is not just a Nose/Switch Casper. It is not considered an Anti-Casper unless half of an Ollie Impossible is performed into a nose/switch Casper. This is usually done by popping the tail, which would begin the half Impossible or half vertical flip, and jumping. Once the board flips half of an Ollie Impossible, it comes down into switch Casper, and is caught with the front foot on top of the nose and the back foot on the underside of the board in a Nose/Switch Casper.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Assmunch
Another name for a kook who tends to be aggressive and cut other skateboarders off on a regular basis.
Category: Culture
Ate It
An especially gnarly wipeout.
Category: Culture
Axe/axed
A heavy wipeout, usually involving the wave's lip impacting directly on a surfer. Also called drilled, pummeled, etc.
Category: Culture
Axle
The axle is the metal rod that runs through the hangar of a skateboard's trucks. A lot of people make the mistake of calling the whole truck the "axle", but the skateboard truck is actually made of several parts. But, the axle is the part that holds the wheels, so you are on the right track. The axle can, after a lot of riding, start to slip to one side. This makes one wheel too loose, and one wheel too tight. Taking the wheels off of your trucks and tapping the tight side can fix it, but we recommend starting to look for a new set of trucks if this happens to you. Some truck companies add a bend to their axles in the middle (hidden by the hangar), so that this won't happen.
Category: Equipment
B
Backside
Backside refers to rotations or turns done so that the skateboarder's back is facing the outside of the turn arc. The name Backside came originally from surfing, as did a lot of skateboarding's original language. The first skaters were in fact sidewalk surfers. Backside turns are the opposite of frontside turns. Backside is usually put before the name of another trick, such as "Backside 180".
Alternate Spellings: Backside is often shortened to B/S or BS
Category: Tricks and Stances
Bail
Bail can mean a few different things. First, it can refer to a skater landing safely on his or her feet after failing at a trick. It can also mean something along the lines of "chickening out", where a skater gives up on a trick halfway through and lands on his or her feet. Third, it is often used for a crash or failed trick where the skater does not catch his or her feet, and gets hurt - often painfully and / or humorously.
Remove Many popular skateboarding videos will have a "bails" section where you get to watch your favorite pros beat the crud out of themselves while falling off their skateboards. In fact, the earlier Tony Hawk Pro Skater video games had "Bails" videos that you could unlock where you could see pros racking themselves on poles, smashing their faces into sidewalks, and tumbling down concrete stairs. Good clean family fun.
Also Known As: crashing, falling, chickening out, etc.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Great place to check out some great bail and wipeout videos
Bank
An elevated surface. A common urban form of ramp.
Category: Equipment
Baseplate
The baseplate is the rectangular metal part of the skateboard's trucks that gets bolted onto the bottom of the skateboard deck. The baseplate is usually held onto the deck using skateboard hardware (nuts and bolts, usually specific sizes and lengths). Sometimes, the baseplate will have a riser or shock pad sandwiched in between itself and the deck. The reason for shock pads is to keep the deck from developing stress cracks. A lot of skaters don't use shock pads though - especially since if you are a very aggressive skater, you will likely break your board long before stress cracks are a problem. However, if you are a more casual skater, then shock pads might be a great idea for you. Risers add a little height to the skateboard, which can be important if you are using larger wheels. Large wheels without risers can result in "wheel bite", where you go for a deep turn and the bottom of the deck touches the wheel, stopping that wheel instantly. This can end in some gnarly wrecks! But, if you have smaller wheels and your trucks aren't too loose, this shouldn't be a problem.
Category: Equipment
Beanplant
Like a boneless, but the rider grabs the Nose or grabs Lien (Heelside of the Nose) with the front hand.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Beat Down
Description of someone who has been worked by a hard day of boarding.
Category: Culture
Bearings
Each skateboard wheel is mounted on its axle via two ball bearings. With few exceptions, the bearings are the industrial standard "608" size, with a bore of 8 mm, an outer diameter of 22 mm, and a width of 7 mm. These are usually made of steel, though silicon nitride, a high-tech ceramic, is sometimes used. Many skateboard bearings are graded according to the ABEC scale. The scale starts with ABEC1 as the lowest, 3, 5, 7, 9. It is a common misconception that higher numbers are better for skateboarding, as the ABEC rating only measures tolerances which do not necessarily apply to skateboards.
Category: Equipment
How to clean your skateboard bearings videos
Bent
A poorly executed and often painful conclusion to a ride.
Category: Equipment
Bigspin
A 360 degree shoveit while turning your body 180 degrees in a backside direction.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Bit It
An gnarly wipeout.
Category: Culture
Bitchin'
First used by boarders in the '50s to signify something was cool, top-notch, excellent.
Category: Culture
Blunt
Going up over an object and landing with the tail along the edge of the object and the rear two wheels on top of the object. The board should then be pointing in a near vertical position.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Bogus
Just plain wrong or really lame.
Category: Culture
Boned
Pushing the board out in front and pointing downwards. Performed in mid-air.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Boneless
Take the front foot off the board and grab the board with your hand. With you back foot still on the board jump up. Then place your front foot back on the board and remove your hand before landing.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Brah
Skateboarding brother, associate, peer, colleague, friend in liquid solidarity. In fact; anyone on this planet, including women. Derived from Bruddah, Hawaiian pidgin for brother.
Category: Culture
Bro
A buddy or friend...or used as a greeting.
Category: Culture
Bummed
Disappointed, mad about things not going your way.
Category: Culture
Bummer
Something that's an all around downer; precursor to bummed.
Category:Culture
Bushings
Bushings are rubbery rings that are fit into skateboard trucks. Skateboard trucks usually have two bushings per truck. One bushing is in the heart of the truck, and provides the flex and springiness of the truck, for turning and what not. The other bushing is smaller, and set right beneath the head of the kingpin, allowing the trucks to be tightened or loosened easier, and to a more specific degree. Some skaters like tighter trucks, usually for more tricks, while some skaters like looser trucks, often for cruising. However, tight or loose trucks has more to do with simply what feels right to the skater than anything else. Bushings need to be replaced in your skateboard trucks every once in a while, because they break down and stop giving good feedback and springiness.
Watch Video on how to Replace Skateboard Bushings to see how to do it yourself.
Category: Equipment
Bummer
This trick was invented by Keith Butterfield. To do the Butterflip, you stand in Heelside Railstand, and hop both feet to one side of the board. Both feet are side by side with no gap larger than an inch or two between them. The rider puts pressure onto the end of the board, using the foot that is not on the wheel. It pops the board up and you grab it with your hand on the same side of your body as the foot that was on the wheel. This trick is the method used to go from Heelside Railstand to a One Footed Pogo or 50-50. You can catch the board with your foot as well rather than your hand making it a Butterflip to No Handed 50-50.
Category: Tricks & Stances
C
Caballerial (Full-Cab)
Caballerial (Full-cab) - Definition: The Caballerial is an aerial skateboarding trick.
The Caballerial is basically a backside fakie 360 ollie. Steve Caballero invented and named the trick in 1981. Steve first performed the Caballerial in pools and on ramps, but the trick has evolved quite a bit in the last few decades. Now, skaters perform Caballerials on flatland, and anywhere else they want to!
Pronunciation: "Full Cab", "Cab"
Category: Tricks and Stances
Carousel
Much like the Sidewinder, this is another specific Truck-To-Truck Transfer. Think of it as a half Impossible from a 50-50 to a switch 50-50 - still standing on the back foot. You start from a 50-50, "throw" the board to the side but at the same time bend up your foot so the board wraps around it and you land on the truck and catch the nose of your board.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Carving
Carving is the word used to describe the way people ride boards - skateboards, snowboards and surfboards. While riding a board, the rider leans and cuts into turns, and this is called "Carving". Most skate parks in the US are made with lots of "flow", meaning the concrete smoothly slopes in such a way that skaters can carve a line all over the park easily. The better flow a park has the better carving the skaters can experience.
Category: Old School
Casper
With the board upside down, place the front foot underneath the board and backfoot on the tail, pointing the board into the sky.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Coconut Wheelie
A Coco Wheelie is like a Primoslide but the Deck never touches the ground, so you hold it in a wheelie on the side. If you can´t do the trick standing on the wheels then try to stand on the grip tape, which is much easier.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Concave
The contour given to decks. The concave will dip down from the left to right and should be asymmetrical. Provides strength to the board and aids the skater when performing tricks.
Category: Equipment
Coper
Protective covering for your truck that attaches to the hanger. Protects your truck against grinding. Pretty non-existant these days. Usually fell off with too much abuse. Not for the hardcore.
Category: Equipment
Coping
Metal piping running along the top edge of ramps. Provides a longer life to the ramp plus aids to the range of skateboarding tricks eg. providing a grindable edge.
Category: Equipment
Crib
The name used for ones abode. Any place someone crashes can be "crib."
Synonym: House, Apartment, Shack.
Category: Culture
Crookedgrind
Similar to a nosegrinding, but the board is turned at an angle and all together different trick. Grinding with both sets of trucks is called a 50-50, and the back trucks is a 5-0.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Crossfoot
Also called "X-Foot". X-Foot is a common freestyle stance. You can start or land a trick with crossed legs an example is an Impossible Crossfoot.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Curb
What coping is to ramps, is what curbs are to streets. One of the most used and abused objects on the street for skating. Painted curbs provide a smooth grindable edge, though most can be made this way by applying common candle wax.
Category: Equipment
D
Daffy
This trick is done with two boards, one foot in a manual on one board and another foot on the second. This trick was seen in the Girl Skateboards video Yeah Right! and the Lords of Dogtown movie. The Tony Hawk's Underground game calls this a "Yeah Right Manual".
Category: Tricks & Stances
Deck
The actual board. The flat, long, oval/rectangular, usually wood part of the skateboard the boarder stands on. Skateboard decks are classically made from 7 ply’s of wood, usually maple, laminated together. Decks are often decorated with graphics from the company that makes them and stickers that show the board's owner's attitude/personality. Skateboard decks come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, weights, strengths, and with a variety of concaves. As a skateboarder gets better as skateboarding, he or she will learn what type of deck he or she likes best - there is no right or wrong shape to a skateboard deck. Decks have evolved quite a bit over the years, from homemade planks of wood with rollerskate wheels nailed to the bottom, to longboards, to the fishtailed skateboards of the 80s to the smaller more symmetrical trick skateboards of today. People are always looking for ways to improve skateboard deck design using metals, kevlar, plastics and fiberglass. However, the most popular skateboard decks with pro skateboarders are still the wooden kind.
Also Known As: board
Category: Equipment
Great place to learn how to choose a deck videos
Delam
Damage done to a deck through skating as a layer is chipped from the plywood deck. The thin layer removed is called a 'delam' and the name is also given to the mark left where it once resided.
Category: Equipment
Dirt Baggin' It
Condition where a skateboarder lives a bare-bones existence in order to save every bit of money he makes to spend on his next board.
Category: Culture
Disaster
Placing the rear wheels on top of an object with the rail of the board on the edge. The front two wheels are therefore hanging off the object.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Diva
Another name for a female skateboarder. Especially one that talented and rips.
Category: Culture
Downhill
Skating as fast as you can down the steepist of hills for the greatest of adrenaline rushes. Has also developed into a seperate area of skateboarding with special boards and techniques.
Category: Culture
Drop In
Catching a wave that's already occupied. To take off on the shoulder in front of someone who's deeper and has the right of way.
Category: Culture
Drop In and check out our videos on how to drop in.
Dude
General reference to a male skateboarder. It's use has evolved into a word used for just about anyone or anything.
Category: Culture
Dudet
When someone refers to a female as a "Dude"; and she replies "I'm no Dude" you call her a Dudette.
Category: Culture
E
End-over
A series of 180 degree Pivots. Can be done both ways but both start on the nose (or on the tail when rolling Fakie). While rolling forward, pressure is placed on the nose just enough to lift the back wheels. Once the back wheels are lifted, the rider turns either Frontside or Backside 180 degrees with the nose acting as a pivot point. This is all done quickly, you do not stall on any part. When the 180 pivot is done, you quickly do another in reverse. If you originally did a 180 Frontside Pivot, you will now do a 180 Backside Pivot. When these 180 Pivots are done in consecutive lines, they are considered End-Overs (End Over End). It is not uncommon for Freestyle Skateboarders to throw in harder Pivots in to the mix of 180 Pivots. A rider may do a string of 180 Pivots where every two 180 Pivots he follows with one 360 Pivot.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Excellent
1980s word used for anything that was cool or good. Stated in a long drawn-out monotone - exc-eeeee-lent.
Category: Culture
F
Fat (Phat)
FMeaning high or far. Used to express a skateboarding trick that is performed over a long distance or to a great height. Also spelled Phat.
Category: Culture
Fakie
Fakie refers to riding a skateboard backwards from the way you would usually ride it. Usually, while skateboarding, the skater's back foot is on or near the tail of the skateboard. This helps to keep balance. When riding Fakie, the skater has his or her feet set up so that whatever foot is usually the back foot is now up near the nose. Riding a skateboard fakie often gets confused with riding a skateboard switch, as they look similar at a glance. Though the name "Fakie" might sound like the skateboarder is trying to do something weak, tricks done while riding Fakie are a more difficult for most skateboarders.
Also Known As: Fakie Stance
Pronunciation: Fake-e
Alternate Spellings: Fakey
Category: Tricks and Stances
Great place to learn how to ckeck how to fakie videos
Feeblegrind
Grinding with the rear truck while the front truck goes over the top of the edge of the object. Hence the board will be at a slight angle to the direction of movement.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Fingerflip
A Fingerflip can be considered an umbrella term for a series of tricks involving the use of the hand to flip the skateboard. The rider rolls forward, grabs the nose of the board with the front hand and flips the board while simultaneously jumping up in the air. The rider will come down on the board or catch the board in mid-air. Many variations have been done including the Double Fingerflip, Varial Fingerflip, Backhand fingerflips, and 360 Fingerflip. There are fakie versions of all the Fingerflips. An Ollie Fingerflip is considered the hardest variation of a Fingerflip because the rider must Ollie first before initiating the Fingerflip. Professional Darryl Grogan is known for his Ollie 360 Fingerflip. Rodney Mullen is known to use an Ollie Varial Fingerflip in many of his runs and video footage.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Flip
Developed from freestyle skating. It involves making your board turn upside down a variation of combinations. A flip is generally when it completely flips over to land back on the wheels.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Focus
Snapping the deck into two pieces. It was once 'fashionable' to do this when you became frustrated, said to be conjured up by a part of the industry who wanted people to buy more boards by making people think it was cool to focus the board you where riding.
Category: Equipment
Freestyle
An area of skating that has now become part of street and vert skating. Used to be performed on low riding skinny boards. Tricks consisted of numerous balancing tricks, flips and shove-its.
Category: Culture
Frickin'
Adjective used to modify a Noun.
Alternate Spellings: Friggin'
Category: Culture
Frontside
Frontside refers to rotations or turns done so that the skateboarder's front is facing the outside of the turn arc. The name Frontside came originally from surfing, as did a lot of skateboarding's original language. The opposite of frontside would be backside. Frontside is usually put before the name of another trick, such as "Frontside 360".
Alternate Spellings: F/S, or FS
Category: Tricks and Stances
Funbox
Usually the highlight of an artificial street course. A platform object with banked sides plus handrail if your lucky.
Category: Equipment
G
Geek
Someone who's barely able to skateboard and lacks the ability to maintain the calm, cool and collected demeanor when describing their ride.
Category: Culture
Gingersnap
While in a Hang-Ten position, the skater pops down on the nose, causing the board to do a nollie hardflip motion, traveling vertically between the riders legs and landing back in normal position. If the half flip is done with a nosegrab, the trick is referred to as a Hazze Flip, named for Hazze Lindgren
Category: Tricks & Stances
Godzilla Flip
This trick involves standing on the board in Tailstop with just one foot and spinning the board in an Impossible around that foot with your lead or back hand. You can use either foot and either hand. The foot must not touch the ground. Basically a hand use one footed version of the Nose Hook Impossible. Not to be confused with the Godzilla Rail Flip, which is a triple varial railflip with a body varial.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Goofy
Goofy, Goofy Stance or Goofy-Foot refers to a skateboarder, snowboarder, surfer or wakeboarder riding with his or her left foot in back, toward the tail of the board. Goofy stance gets this name because most people put their left foot forward, which is called regular. There is no right or wrong way to stand on a skateboard (or snowboard, surfboard, etc.), but most people feel more comfortable riding a skateboard regular, instead of goofy. Not sure which one you feel most comfortable with? Click here to find out.
Also Known As: Goofy Foot, Goofy Stance, Goofy
Category: Culture
Gnarly
Depicting an unrideable or intimidating dropin or something really bad.
Category:Culture
Grab
Any time a board rider reaches down and grabs his or her board, it's called a Grab. Grabs happen in the air, often with a few other tweaks like spins, grabbing certain parts of the board, etc. her feet. When describing grabs, the word Grab is often dropped from the name. For example, performing an Indy grab while spinning 360 degrees frontside is called an Frontside Indy 360.
Also Known As: Special grab names, for example: Nose Grab, Tail Grab, Indy, Stalefish, Airwalk, Early Grab, Christ Air, Rocket Air, Method, Melon, Benihana, Madona, Mute, etc...
Category: Tricks and Stances
Great place to check out some how to grab videos
Graphics
The art work on the bottom of a deck. It helps in telling one deck from another and usually incoporates the signature of the pro skater it is modeled for.
Category: Culture
Grind (grinding)
Grinding - "Grinding" is when a skateboarder rides his or her board in such a way where the trucks of the board are making contact with a rail, curb, etc, and not the wheels.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Grip tape
Grip tape - Grip tape is the gritty, sand papery layer that's applied to the top of a skateboard deck, so that your shoes can grip the board. Skaters often cut patterns into their grip tape before applying it, to make their boards unique, but also to help them easily tell between the nose and the tail of the board. Skateboarders can also spray paint patterns on the top of their grip tape for the same effect. Grip tape comes in many varieties, the most common being a sheet that is black on the grippy side of the grip tape. The bottom of the sheet of grip tape will peal off, revealing a very sticky underside that will stick to the top of the deck. Grip tape isn't always black, however - grip tape can be bought in any color, or transparent and even camouflage. The sandpaper feel of grip tape is made with various materials, depending on the company that made it. Some black grip tape companies use silicon carbide - a very hard material that stays sharp for a good long time. Other companies use aluminum oxide, which is cheaper but looses its edge and grip quickly. Some black grip tape and most colored grip tape is made with this cheaper material. Usually, if you want colored grip tape, the trade off is that the board won't stick to your feet as well.
Read How to Apply Grip tape to a Skateboard Deck to learn how to put your own grip tape on your skateboard.
Also Known As: grip, griptape, tape, non-skid tape, or anti-slip tape. To "grip a board" means to put grip tape on it.
Category: Equipment
Watch Video on how to Replace and/or Apply Grip tape to your deck
Gymnast Plant
You start from Nosestop/Tailstop or from Railstand, grab the board and then plant your hand on the ground and kick out your legs. While you are in handstand you lift up the board with your other hand, but don´t put it to your feet. To stop the trick you put the board onto the ground and land on to it. There are many variations possible with this trick including, grabing the wheel of your board and spin it, do a Fingerflip or a "Shove it" with your Hand.
Category: Tricks & Stances
H
Half-cab
The "Half-cab" is a variation of the Caballerial where the skater spins only 180 degrees instead of the full 360. (See Caballero)
Pronunciation: "Half Cab", "Cab"
Category: Tricks and Stances
Hangar
The hangar is a part of the trucks of a skateboard. The hangar is the triangular part in the middle that the axle and the kingpin run through, and the part that skaters grind on. They are shaped a little like clothes hangars. In fact, it's the way the hangar gets ground down that the trick "grind" gets its name. Some skateboard truck companies make thier hangars out of softer metal, to make grinding easier, but not all. Many years ago, there were companies that made plastic hangar covers called copers.
Category: Equipment
Handplant
A form of handstand where your board is held in the air either by a hand or feet.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Handrail
Common urban feature, used for holding onto while traveling up and down stairs, though used by skaters for a whole range of tricks.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Handstand
Basically doing a handstand on skateboard. Many variations evolved from this, including One Handed Handstands, Headstands, Frogstands, Handstand Wheelies, Handstand Pivots, and handstand kickflips/fingerflips. The Handstand was taken to the other stances too such as Railstand Handstands, with the Single, Double, Varial and 360 Flips out of them, also TV Stands which are Handstands done in 50-50(Truckstand) stance.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Hangin'
An occurrence whereby one just...stays put. Generally conveys a genuine state of content.
Category: Culture
Hardware
The screws and nuts that are used to connect the trucks and the deck. There is a crazy variety in skateboard hardware. The screws can have Philips heads, hex heads, square heads, or even nothing at all, just small bumps so you can use only your thumb. Skateboard hardware screws come in different lengths, and are often colored so that the skateboarder can put a different color of screw in the front. This is so the skateboarder can tell easily which end is the nose and which is the tail. This is only a small part of the variety of skateboarding hardware out there - for example, Sk8nuts skateboarding hardware is extremely unique - take a look at this review. The truth is, however, that locknuts and screws can be bought at any hardware store and will likely work just fine. I used cheap hardware for my skateboard for a long time. But then, of course, I wanted something just a little cooler...
Also Known As: nuts, screws, locknuts
Category: Equipment
Heel Edge
Heel Edge refers to the edge of a skateboard, snowboard or surfboard in front of the rider's heels. When turning on a board, if the rider leans on the heel edge, or "digs in" on the heel edge, the board will turn in the direction of the rider's heels. This is a fundamental truth for all board sports.
The opposite of Heel Edge is Toe Edge.
Also Known As: Heel Edge, Heelside (though this is technically something different)
Category: Tricks and Stances
Heel Flip
A technical flip trick where the skater ollies and kicks the skateboard to make it flip underneath him or her. To perform the heelflip a skateboarder ollies and slides his or her front foot to the toe side of the board and kicks the board with the skater's heel. The skateboard flips in the air with the heel side of the skateboard coming up at first. The heelflip is complete when the skateboard flips completely over and back to its original position, and the skateboarder lands on it. The heelflip similar to the kickflip, but with the board spinning in the opposite direction (and it's harder, using the harder to control heel instead of the easier to use toes).
Category: Tricks and Stances
Click here for how to do a heel flip videos
Henna
Early 80s slang meaning "you think so?" Usually used after a sentence when you're talking to someone you know well.
Category: Culture
Helipop
Piece of fleece surf apparel that's long sleeved and hooded. Essentially a sweatshirt.
Category: Equipment
Helmet
Protective equipment for your head. Nearly always used in vert skateboarding.
Category: Equipment
Hip
When two ramps are placed together so that one is at a slight angle the the other, the part at which the ramps join is called the hip.
Category: Equipment
Hoodie
Piece of fleece surf apparel that's long sleeved and hooded. Essentially a sweatshirt.
Category: Equipment
I
Impossible
Freestyle trick invented by Rodney Mullen. Consists of spinning the board around either foot.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Indy
Indy describes a specific type of grab, where the skater or snowboarder reaches his or her back hand down and grabs the toe side of the skateboard or snowboard between the rider's feet. The Indy is the most common type of grab in skateboarding and snowboarding. The Indy can be a sticky trick to name - a lot of skaters use the term Indy for any grab where the back hand is holding the board between the toes, but technically, this is only true in snowboarding. In skateboarding, traditionally the term Indy refers to the same grab, but it implies it is backside.
Also Known As: Indy Grab, Indy
Category: Tricks and Stances
J
Jam
Getting a load of skaters together for a skateboard session.
Category: Culture
Jammin'
Having a good time. Listening to your favorite tunes.
Category: Culture
Japan Air
The Japan Air is a skateboarding grab trick. While airborne, the skateboarder grabs the toe edge of the skateboard between the trucks with his or her front hand. While grabbing the board like this, the skater twists their body so that the chest faces away from the board, and the skateboard is pulled back behind the skater. The free arm is flung out wide. Japan Airs are hard to describe with words! Check out the picture for a clearer idea. A Japan Air is very similar to a Mute Air, but stylistically different. The Japan Air was first named in Transworld Skateboarding Magazine.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Click here for how to Japan air videos
K
KaKa Plant
Considered one of the most difficult of challenging tricks, it was invented by Joachim "KaKA" Schulz in the early 1980's. This is the same as the street plant but done without the feet touching the ground. Usually done rolling fakie and with one hand planting on the ground as the other is grabbing the board. Schulz has invented numerous variations of this trick.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Karma
Your inner spirit. Your Chi, Bruddah. It makes surfing and riding what the ocean has to offer such a life enhancing experience.
Category: Culture
Kickass
Used to further define something as really good.
Category: Culture
Kickflip
Rodeny Mullen invented the kickflip over two decades ago. A Kickflip is considered a "flip trick", because the board flips while in the air. The Kickflip is the easiest flip trick to learn, though it is still a hard trick to master. A Kickflip is similar to an Ollie, but you flick the board with your foot to make it spin underneath you while in the air. In a clean kickflip, the skater kicks the board with the ball of his or her front foot, the skateboard flips and spins over at least once, and the skateboarder lands on the board comfortably, wheels down, and rides away. The Kickflip can be used in the same places that a skater might usually use an Ollie, making the whole trick harder and cooler. The kickflip is a popular trick to learn as a new skater, after mastering the Ollie. It's a difficult trick to get comfortable with and land regularly, but it makes for excellent photos and looks very impressive to non-skateboarders.
A Heelflip is similar, but the kick goes in the opposite direction, and the final kick comes from the heel of the skater's foot.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Click here for learn how to Kickflip videos
Kickturn
A kickturn is where you balance on your rear wheels,and spin your body around. Kickturns can go either direction (frontside or backside), and be at any degree (90, 180, 360 for a full spin all the way around). Skaters really need to learn to kickturn if you want to be serious about skating. It's a great way to turn, and necessary if you want to ride on ramps (unless you just want to ride back down EVERY ramp fakie...).
Also Known As: can be combined with degrees (180, 360) and with frontside or backside to describe the direction the skater turned.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Killer
Used to further define something as really good.
Category: Culture
Kingpin
The kingpin is the bolt that runs through the center of skateboard trucks, and holds the trucks together. The kingpin runs through the hangar and two bushings, and then directly into the baseplate. Most kingpins are a fat hex-headed bolt, but there are many kinds of kingpins out there. Grind King kingpins, for example, require a special Grind King tool (they are built that way to give you more room to grind - thus the name). You can loosen your kingpin to loosen up your trucks, or tighten your kingpin to stiffen up the trucks. I recommend starting out with tight trucks when you are a new skater, and loosening them us as you get more comfortable skating. The name "kingpin" gets used a lot for a lot of things, but usually carries the same meaning - a piece that holds the whole thing together.
Category: Equipment
Find out more about the kingpin and working on your skateboard trucks in our videos on How to Replace Skateboard Bushings.
Kink
Used to describe handrails. A kink is the changing of the handrails angle. Meaning that a handrail that runs down a set of steps then goes horizontal is a two kink rail.
Category: Equipment
Kook (kuk)
Beginner or inexperienced surfer that's less than adept at skateboarding.
Category: Culture
L
Launched
To be thrown in the air, usually from an especially gnarly wipeout.
Launchramp
A ramp made for skaters to launch from, hence the name. A portable street ramp. Transitioned without any vert.
Category: Equipment
Lien Air Grab
The Lien Air was invented by Neil Blender, a skater from the early 80s (he also invented the Method Air). A Lien Air is a type of skateboarding grab trick. A Lien Air is done after sailing off of a ramp or pipe. The skateboarder reaches down with his or her back hand and grabs the toe edge of the skateboard, between their feet. It is the same as the Method Air, basically backwards.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Lien Half-Calf Shove-it
While Manualing or Nosemanualing, have your foot on the Lien of the board and do a Shove-it by kicking out with your foot. When you land, Pivot into a Nosemanual or a Manual.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Lip
The top edge of a ramp.
Category: Equipment
Lipslide
Sliding along on the rails of the board with the rear wheels going over the object.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Local
Those who regularly skate at a particular park or place. Locals may or may not live at or near the spot, but their regular sessions mean they're accepted by the local skating community.
Category: Culture
Locked In
To occupy the optimum position on the wave; trim, et al. To maximize a ride.
Category: Culture
M
M-80
Flip an Old School Kickflip, but as soon as it's done flipping, instead of landing on the board with all 4 wheels touching down on the ground, land on it with more weight on the Nose for a split second Nose Manual before you Pivot on the Nose. If you did the Old School Kickflip and landed in Fakie, you would pivot out to forward. If you did it out to forward, you would pivot into Fakie. The M-80 Kickflip can be used as a compensator if you don't like the direction you end up in when you do Kickflips because you can only do them to fakie, or only do them to forward. Kevin Harris did his Old School Kickflips into multiple 360 Spins on one foot.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Manual
A manual is a skateboarding trick where, while rolling, the front wheels of the skateboard are lifted off the ground, but the tail does not touch the ground. This is called a manual or manualing. A manual is similar to a wheelie in other wheeled sports. Manuals are usually slow and hard to maintain, so manualing a long distance is very impressive. It is also all to easy to lose one's balance while manualing and launch the board out in front or behind, bailing hard.
Also Known As: manual, nose manual, wheelie (but not by skateboarders)
Category: Tricks and Stances
Click here for how to manual videos
Method Air Grab
The Method Air was invented by Neil Blender, askater from the early 80s (he also invented the Lien Air, which is Neil backwards...). He developed the Method Air as a way to get higher. That's where the name came from - it was a "method" to get more air. A Method Air is a type of skateboarding grab trick. A Method Air is done after sailing off of a ramp or pipe. The skateboarder reaches down with his or her back hand and grabs the heel edge of the skateboard, between their feet. The skateboard is pulled towards the skateboarder's back, and the knees are bent deep. When a Method Air is done well, it looks like the skateboarder is kneeling in mid air. While Method Air is a popular snowboarding trick, it was actually invented for skateboarding.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Melloncollie
An ollie, and while in midair, grabbing the board behind you with the leading hand.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Millimeters - MM
A ramp (two transitioned banks facing each other with flat bottom and platforms) that does not have any vert. Usually around 6 feet in height.
Category: Equipment
Miniramp
A ramp (two transitioned banks facing each other with flat bottom and platforms) that does not have any vert. Usually around 6 feet in height.
Category: Equipment
Miracleflip
Invented by Maalik Williams, this is a variation of the sigma flip where you do a varial kickflip ,but while the board is upside down the back foot does a half impossible out.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Monster Walk
Another type of End-Over. Rather than a rider doing a 180 Pivot on the nose Frontside and then doing one Backside or doing one Backside first and then Frontside after, the rider Pivots Backside and Backside or Frontside and Frontside giving the rider the appearance that he/she is taking very large steps forward or backward. The Frontside variation has the rider always facing forward, and for the Fakie version the rider always twists blind or Backside.
Category: Tricks & Stances
N
Nads
An unusually large burst of adrenaline that causes one to do something most would consider insane.
Category: Culture
Nectar
Awesome, beautiful, gorgeous, bodacious. Reference to girls in very small bathing suits. Shortened form derived from "Nectar of the Gods."
Category: Culture
Nollie
A Nollie is a trick where a skateboarder uses the nose of his or her skateboard to slap against the ground and pop his or her skateboard up into the air. A nollie is the same as an ollie, but off the nose of the skateboard - thus "Nose Ollie" was shortened to "Nollie". Nollies are more difficult than ollies, because of balance, the direction the board is going and the use of the front foot to perform the nollie.
Pronunciation: "NAH-lee"
Category: Tricks and Stances
Nocomply
Old school street skating trick. There are many variations but the basic is to travel along with rear foot on the tail, then place the front foot on the ground and pop the board into the air.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Nollie
Follows the same concepts as an ollie. While travelling along place the front foot on the nose and pop up into the air using the nose (rather than the tail in an ollie). The exact same as a switch-stance fakie ollie.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Nollie Flip
A skateboarding trick where the skateboarder pops the skateboard into the air. The effect is the skateboarder jumping with the skateboard stuck to his or her feet. Basically, the trick involves snapping the down of the skateboard down while sliding the back foot back along the skateboard and jumping. (see Ollie also).
Category: Tricks and Stances
Great place to check out some how to nollie flip videos
Noodled
When ones arms or his overall condition is that of is exhaustion.
Category: Culture
Nose
The nose of a skateboard is the front section of theskateboard deck, past the front two screws. On many skateboards, the nose and the tail will have different shapes or concaves, so remembering the difference between the nose and the tail of a skateboard is important. Often skateboarders will use special brightly colored hardware for the front two screws by the nose so as to help tell the nose easily at a glance.
Also Known As: tip, front
Category: Equipment
Nosehook Impossible
A trick that flips in the same fashion as the Ollie Impossible but done with the assistance of the other foot. To do it, the rider starts with the board resting on the tail. Then hooks their front foot under the nose of the board, and pulls to the side as they jump on the back foot. Causing the board to flip over their other foot. This can be done Cross Footed or even done out of Swedish Wheelies.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Nosegrab
Grabbing the front of the board (nose) with the leading hand.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Nosegrind (grinding)
A nosegrind is a skateboard trick performed by grinding with only the front skateboard truck. The effect of a nosegrind is similar to a nose manual, except grinding instead of on wheels.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Nose Manual (manual)
Nose Manual - A "Nose Manual" is the same trick as a Manual, but on the nose of the skateboard instead of the tail. A nose manual takes better balance, because of the direction the skateboard is rolling in. Manuals and nose manuals are flatland skateboarding maneuvers, and were used a great deal in freestyle skateboarding to link tricks into one combo.
Also Known As: nose manual, nose wheelie
Category: Tricks and Stances
Noseslide
Sliding along an object using the underside of the nose.
Category: Tricks & Stances
O
Old School
Pertaining to something that has been done for some time. The style of legendary surfers is a good reference to old.
Category: Old School
Ollie
A skateboarding trick where the skateboarder pops the skateboard into the air. The effect is the skateboarder jumping with the skateboard stuck to his or her feet. Basically, the trick involves snapping the tail of the skateboard down while sliding the front foot up along the skateboard and jumping. This trick takes a lot of practice to get the technique, but once learned it opens the door for the bulk of common skateboarding tricks.
Alan "Ollie" Gelfand is credited for inventing the rolling Ollie in 1977 as a trick done in pools, and later Rodney Mullen the flatland Ollie in freestyle skating in 1981. Danny Wainwright from England holds the official record for the highest ollie at 44.5 inches, but video footage of a skateboarder named Jose Marabotto from Peru shows Jose ollying a stack of skateboards. Many think that the stack should be over 50 inches, but as the trick is only in a video, it's hard to tell and unofficial.
To learn how to ollie, read How to Ollie on a Skateboard, or watch the How to Ollie Video.
Also Known As: "ollie pop" at first, but now shortened to "ollie".
Pronunciation: "AH-lee"
Category: Tricks and Stances
Click here for how to do a Ollie videos
Ollie Airwalk
This trick involves the combination of an Ollie with an Airwalk. The rider initiates an Ollie and grabs the board with the front hand. While this is being done the rider kicks the front foot forward and kicks the back foot backwards. This was one of Rodney Mullen's signature tricks.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Opening his account
When a skateboarder does his first ride during a heat of a contest, he's said to be "opening his account."
Category: Culture
Over It
To be less enthusiastic about something that was once more important.
Category: Culture
Owned
When the ride or drop in overtakes you and you bail or wiped out bad.
Category: Culture
P
Pads
Protective equipment for the kness and elbows. These are mainly used by vert skaters or for competitions with insurance worries. See Rector.
Category: Equipment
Pivot Cup
A plastic cup that fits into the baseplate and stops the metal hanger from coming into contact with the metal baseplate.
Category: Equipment
Platform
An elevated flat surface.
Category: Equipment
Ply
Short for plywood. The most commonly used material for the deck. Usually seven layer ply.
Category: Equipment
Pogo
Done with the board straight up and down, this move uses the skateboard as a pogo stick. One foot is on the bottom truck, and the other usually presses on the grip tape side of the board for grip. An easier variation involves one foot off with the rider grabbing the nose. The skater can also do this with both feet on the truck, a 2-foot pogo, of with the feet crossed
Category: Tricks & Stances
Popshoveit
A shoveit mixed with an ollie. Enables shoveits to be performed higher.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Powerslide 360
A powerslide 360 is consisting of a powerslide and a 360. All this trick actually is, is a regular powerslide except you keep spinning until you've reached a 360. This Trick might seem easier for a person that can do any regular powerslide. This trick is most seen being used by Taz Brown.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Primo
The Primo got its name from Primo Desiderio, whoinvented the Primo Slide. Primo means a few different things. A lot of skaters call popping up and standing on the skateboard's edge (see photo) Primo. This is technically called a Rail Stand, but like most skateboarding tricks, most skaters don't agree on "official" names, and tricks end up being called whatever is the most popular name. However, Primo does definitely also refer to the Primo slide. This is where the skater pops into a railstand, and slides along the ground on the edge of the skateboard.
Also Known As: Rail Stand, Primo Stand, Primo Slide.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Click here for learn how to Primo videos
Pro
A professional. Someone who gets paid by a company to skateboard. Often has his/her own signature model deck of which he/she has a percentage of all sales.
Category: Culture
Pulled Off
To succeed making a radical maneuver.
Category: Culture
Pure Sex
Something awesome is described as being that of "pure sex."
Category: Culture
Q
Quarterpipe
Basically one side of a mini-ramp or vert ramp, yet usually with less width and found on street area's at skateparks. Often used for gaining speed on a street course or practising ramp tricks.
Category: Equipment
R
Rad
Departure from the ordinary. Coined by longboarders of the golden era to define positive energy, great design, and great ridesmanship.
Category: Old School
Railstand
A Railstand is when a skater flips up their board and stands on the edge. If the griptape is facing forward, this is a Toe Side Railstand, if the griptape is facing backwards, this is a Heel Side Railstand. The railstand is also often called a Primo, or Primo Stall. Technically, a primo is when you slide along the ground while doing a rail stand. However, as more and more people call this a Primo Stall, that might eventually just become the name of the trick.
Here’s a history lesson. The Railstand gets its name from ancient skateboarding history - well, about 20 years ago. Back then, skaters put plastic rails on the sides of their decks, to help protect them. Though you can still buy rails from old school companies like Powell Peralta, most skaters don't use them. However, the rail pops up in trick names like the railstand and railslide, even today.
Step by step How to Railstand Trick Tip.
Also Known As: Primo Stall, Primo Stand, Rail Stall
Alternate Spellings: Rail Stand
Category: Tricks and Stances
Click here for how to do a Railstand videos
Regular
Regular, or Regular-Foot refers to a skateboarder, snowboarder, surfer or wakeboarder riding with his or her left foot in front, toward the nose of the board. Regular stance gets this name because most people put their left foot forward. There is no right or wrong way to stand on a skateboard (or snowboard, surfboard, etc.), but most people feel more comfortable riding a skateboard regular, instead of goofy. Which one you feel most comfortable with? Click here to take our poll.
Also Known As: Regular Foot, Regular Stance, Regular
Category: Tricks and Stances
Revert
Finishing a trick coming out forwards, then quickly sliding round 180 to come out backwards.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Righteous
To be less enthusiastic about something that was once more important.
Category: Culture
Ripping
Executing drastic and radical moves. Having it your way with the board.
Category: Culture
Rock and Roll
A Rock and Roll is when a skateboarder rides up a ramp onto the lip, or coping, and then rides away. The front trucks go over the lip, and the bottom of the deck rests on the lip. If the skater rides up the ramp, puts the front trucks over the edge, and then 180 pivots out and rides down the ramp in the skater's usual stance this is a Rock and Roll. How a skater rides away from a Rock and Roll can change its name.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Click here for learn how to Rock and Roll and Rock to Fakie videos
Rock to Fakie
Rock to Fackie - For example, if a skater rides up a ramp, Rock and Rolls, and then rides back down Fakie (the opposite direction the skater usually rides), then the trick is called a "Rock to Fakie" The Rock and Roll and Rock to Fakie are popular tricks at skateparks, and in competitions. For example, a Rock to Fakie is a great way to start riding fakie quickly if you want to try a trick from the Fakie stance.
Read Learn How to Rock to Fakie to learn this trick.
Also Known As: Rocking
Category: Tricks and Stances
Rollin
To skate along the platform of a ramp, over the lip and down onto the transitions. The part of a ramp that curves onto the platform is also called a roll-in, because of the purpose it serves.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Rubber
Another name for bushing. Also, the substance that makes your wheels.
Category: Equipment
Rubbered
The condition of a surfer after having completed a day long session.
Category: Culture
S
Sadplant
A variation of a handplant where your grab the inside rail and straighten your front leg.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Sal Flip
Invented by Salvador Lucas Barbier (Sal Barbier). in motion this trick mimics a Fingerflip and a 360 Pop Shove-It. While riding forward, the rider mildly hits the tail like a Backside Pop Shove-It. At about 45 degrees into the rotation with the leading hand, catch the nose with the palmside of the hand touching the grip tape (thumb underneath) with an elbow motion, flare the board forward and outward for the rest of the rotation (315 degrees) with the feet up and out of the way until the rotation is complete . depending on air time the feet may 'catch' the board in mid air or casing the trick at touchdown.
Category: Tricks & Stances
San Francisco Flip
The San Francisco flip is a type of truck transfer where the rider enters a no handed 50-50 stand and does a no handed carousel to cross footed no handed 50-50. The trick has been recently made popular by sailor and freestyle skateboarder Mike McCabe. He has also been known to do them blind folded. Gunter mokulys has also been known to do the trick.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Saran Wrap
This trick was invented by Rodney Mullen. Usually done from a Pogo or 50-50 stance, this trick involves the front leg tracing a circle around the nose of the board not touching the ground when in Pogo or 50-50 stance. Experienced skaters can do several wrap arounds continuously.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Sausage Grind
Grab your tail while doing a smith grind on your front truck.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Session
The act of skateboarding ie. you can session a ramp, have a street session, etc.
Category: Equipment
Shoegoo
Liquid rubber that comes in tubes. Buy it then put it over the holes in your shoes and watch it harden
Category: Equipment
Shuvit
If the board spins 180 degrees but the skater doesn't, that would be a "shuvit".
Category: Tricks and Stances
Great place to check out some how to Shuvit videos
Sidewinder
The trick is actually a type of transfer from a 50-50 to a Casper, where the back hand grabs the back truck (the one with the back foot on it), the front foot is placed on the nose of the board, and the weight is transferred to the front foot, while the back foot moves from the back truck to under the board, to the casper position. This can also be done to transfer into another 50-50.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Skate
Skate (game) - SKATE is a game played a lot like basketball's HORSE. You can play with as many skaters as you want, but usually there are only two challenging each other. The skaters take turns trying to land tricks. Once one skater lands a trick, the other skater has to land the same trick, or he or she earns the first letter of the word SKATE. Once a skater spells out SKATE, that player loses. It's that simple.
There are plenty of variations to SKATE, however. Usually, SKATE is played on pure flatland (with no obstacles). However, it's OK to play in a skatepark, in a parking lot using the rails and curbs, or whatever else your mind dreams up. Also, like in HORSE, some players like to play that a letter isn't earned until the first skater to land it "proves it". So, while playing, skater A (we'll call him Brandon) lands a kickflip. Then player B (we'll call her Bobbi) tries the kickflip and bails. Now, Bobbi should earn a letter, but first Brandon has to pull off another kickflip without messing up. If he lands it, Bobbi gets a letter. If Brandon doesn't land it, Bobbi doesn't get a letter, and now it's her turn to try and land a trick that will be hard for Brandon, and the game goes on. This makes games of SKATE last much longer!
Also Known As: game of SKATE, playing SKATE
Category: Tricks and Stances
Skateboard
A short narrow board having a set of four wheels mounted under it, ridden in a standing or crouching position and often used to perform stunts.
Category: Culture
Skate Camp
An american invention. An offshoot of Summer Camp except Skate Camp is dedicated to skaters, with comps and skate facilities at hand for everyone.
Category: Equipment
Sketchy
Just about landing tricks. Someone who lands a trick, wobbles about and generally just about lands the trick is sketchy.
Category: Culture
Slalom
Doing the thing that skiers do, except on hard ground with usually a dedicated skateboard.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Slam
Its basically another word for falling off your board and hurting yourself.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Slappy
Doing grinds along such things as curbs without ollie-ing onto it.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Slick
Special plastic layer fixed to the bottom of a deck supposed to aid slidding. Created by Santa Cruz skateboards.
Category: Equipment
Slide
A "Slide" is similar, but when the actual board is making the contact, not the wheels or trucks.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Smithgrind
Grinding with the rear truck, while the front truck does not go over the top of the object but runs along the side of it. The center of the board my also be touching the edge of the object due to the nature of the trick.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Snake
If your skating an object in which only a limited number of people can skate, a snake (or snaker) is the person that seems to have more goes than anyone by jumping the naturally occurring 'queue'.
Category: Culture
Spacewalk
Another kind of "walk" in Freestyle skateboarding. The rider enters a Manual on the back wheels and swings the nose of the board around. The wider the swing the better the Spacewalk looks. The front wheels cannot touch the ground while the Spacewalk is being done. Many variations exist including Nose Spacewalks, Hang Ten Nose Spacewalks and many more.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Spine
If two ramps are put back to back and do not have a platform at the point of connection, the upside down 'V' shape is called the spine.
Category: Equipment
Stalefish
The Stalefish is a skateboarding grab trick. To perform this trick, the skateboarder first gets a lot of air. While in the air, the skater reaches down his or her back arm behind his or her back leg, and grabs the middle of the skateboard between the feet (this is the heel edge of the skateboard). When doing this grab, the skater also bends his or her knees and points them towards the nose of the skateboard. The Stalefish is a difficult trick, and requires the skater to be very flexible. The Stalefish has jumped over to other board sports too, like wakeboarding and snowboarding. However, it was first invented in skateboarding, though no one can say for sure who made it up.
Here’s some more history. The most popular story is that Tony Hawk invented the trick at a skate camp in Sweden. He didn't have a name for it yet. That night, the dinner was some fish that didn't tasted foul, and in Tony Hawk complaining about the meal, another skater misunderstood and thought he was naming the trick the "Stale Fish".
Another popular idea is that early skater Mark Gonzales invented the Stalefish trick. Mark Gonzales was one of the first to push street skateboarding back in the late 60's.
Also Known As: "Stale Fish"
Category: Tricks and Stances
Great place to check out some how to Stalefish Grab videos
Stain
Normal deck without a slick bottom.
Category: Equipment
Stance
Either regular of goofy. The way in which you stand on your board. See also the art of 'switchstance'.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Stocked
Condition of being amped, wound up or just full of enthusiasm.
Category: Culture
Stone Zone
Someone with a lot of courage.
Street Plant
An old-school handplant trick in which one holds the board in one hand, gets a running start, does a One Handed Handstand, puts the board under the feet, then comes back down. It is used as a fancy way to get onto one's board. This is like an invert on vert, but done on flat ground.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Stylin'
To be dialed in. When everything clicks and you find yourself boarding like a pro.
Swami
An expert skateboarder, usually of senior years.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Switch
In skateboarding, Switch refers to riding the opposite direction than usual, in the opposite stance, and making it look normal. For example, a regular-foot skater riding goofy is riding switch, or a goofy-foot skater riding regular is riding switch.
If the skateboarder's feet are set for going one way, and he or she ends up riding the other way, that is called "Fakie". It's different, in that the back foot is usually on the tail, and when riding Fakie it will often be on the nose. Any tricks performed switch are harder, because the skater, snowboarder, or whatever boarder is riding opposite to his or her natural stance.
Also Known As: Switch Stance, Switch Foot, Switch
Alternate Spellings: Switchfoot - as in the band
Category: Tricks and Stances
T
Tailsaver
A piece of plastic that attaches to the underside of the tail. Designed to prevent wear and tear on the tail from such activities as ollies. Very redundant these days.
Category: Equipment
Tailslide
Sliding with the tail of the board upon the object and the rest of the board hanging off the object, without having gone over it.
Category: Tricks & Stance
Take It Easy
Said in passing to suggest that one not get too stressed with life and take it as it comes.
Category: Culture
Technical
The name given to complex skating ie.freestyle. Involves flipping and shoveit-ing your board in all manners of directions.
Category: Culture
Terrorize
A "Slide" is similar, but when the actual board is making the contact, not the wheels or trucks.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Category: Culture
Thrashed
The wear and tear of an object due to skateboarding.
Category: Culture
Thrasher
Skateboard magazine that has been running since the start of time. Loads of ads with some music thrown in for good luck.
Category: Culture
Toe Edge
Toe Edge refers to the edge of a skateboard,snowboard or surfboard in front of the rider's toes. When turning on a board, if the rider leans on the toe edge, or "digs in" on the toe edge, the board will turn in the direction of the rider's toes. This is a fundamental truth for all board sports. The opposite of Toe Edge is Heel Edge.
Also Known As: Toe Edge, Toeside (though this is technicaly something different)
Category: Tricks and Stances
Transition
Part of a bank/ramp that inclines in an upward direction.
Category: Equipment
Tre Flip
One of the craziest skateboarding tricks ever created. First performed by Rodney Mullen, it is executed by performing a 360 Pop Shove-it and a kickflip at the same time.
Category: Tricks and Stances
Great place to check out some how to Shuvit videos
Throwin Heat
Used in place of ripping to describe someone who is on his game and have an awesome ride.
Category: Culture
Tic Tacs
Tic Tacs are commonly done to turn albeit slowly. It can also be used to gain speed if you Tic Tac while standing completely still on the board. The rider pushes down on the back wheels to raise the front wheels. Once the front wheels are up, the rider moves them left or right and plants the front wheels back on the ground. He/she quickly does it again and moves the front wheels opposite to the direction he/she moved them in the last time. This creates a "snake" like slithering effect. To turn, the rider will not alternate to the opposite direction the rider moved them in the last time. The Tic Tac was crucial in the heyday of Freestyle skateboarding when points were deducted from a rider in a contest run if the rider's feet ever touched the floor. The rider would not be allowed to pedal and needed to Tic Tac to regain speed
Category: Tricks & Stances
Truck Bolts
Four used per truck. Keeps the truck attached to the board.
Category: Equipment
Trucks
Trucks act like the the axle of a car, but for a skateboard. Trucks are the metal T-shaped part that mounts onto the underside of the skateboard deck, that the wheels will be attached to. A regular skateboard will have two trucks, each facing each other.
Skateboard trucks are made from several parts. The axle is the pin that runs through the trucks that the wheels will attach to. The hangar is the largest part - it is the metal, somewhat triangular area that the axle runs through. Hangars are often made of softer metal for better grinding, but not always. The kingpin is the large bolt that holds the hangar in place, and it runs through the middle of a rubbery donut called the bushing into the metal baseplate. Bushings come in various harnesses, and the kingpin can be adjusted to be either more or less stiff. Some skateboarders like loose trucks, meaning that they turn easier due to the kingpin being loser, and some skaters like their trucks tighter. Skateboard trucks come in various sizes and colors, and many companies make trucks with special features. Like everything with skateboarding, it's up to the skateboarder when deciding what size or brand of trucks to buy.
If you want some help, take a look at this Top 10 Skateboard Trucks list before you buy skateboard trucks.
Category: Equipment
Truck Stand
Truckstand is where the skateboarder stands on one of his or her trucks and balances on the tail of the skateboard. It was a popular trick back when freestyle skateboarding was more well known, but still shows up with pro skaters like Rodney Mullen.
Pronunciation: "Truck stand"
Category: Old School
TV Stand
A variation of a 50-50. The rider starts in a regular 50-50 stance, puts their back hand on the bottom truck (where their foot is), then hops up, doing a handstand while the board is a similar position to a No Handed 50-50. If done with one hand on the top truck and the other on the nose it is called a Jawbreaker, which was invented by Primo Desiderio.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Tweak
To point the board in a different direction than normal.
Category: Tricks & Stances
U
Unreal
Something that's beyond what one generally expects.
Category: Culture
V
Varial
Varial - The 180 is done in the air and the skateboarder turns but the board does not, this is called a "varial".
Category: Tricks and Stances
Click here for how to do a Varial videos
Vegetable
Anyone not really into the skateboarding community.
Category: Culture
Vert
Part of an inclined surface that is vertical in gradient.
Category: Equipment
Voker Whatever Flip
Trick was invented by Gasper Volkar in 2008 called Volkar Whatever Flip. For this trick you have to stand with both your feet on the front of the skateboard on the nose and do a trick that combine (fakie big-spin with a inward heel-flip and nollie big-spin varial heel-flip).
Category: Tricks & Stances
W
Walk The Dog
Freestyle Footwork in which you put one foot in the middle of the board, step to the nose with the back foot, and bring the nose to the back, spinning the board 180 around the center foot. With practice this move can be done quite fast and many times in a row. Although it's better to do it slower, maintain balance to create an illusion of speed as suggested by Bob Loftin.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Wallie
Skating onto, up and over a street object.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Wallride
The act of skating up a vertical wall.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Was' Up
Means what is going on, or what's happenin'?
Category: Culture
Wax
Used to make objects increasingly slidy for skateboard tricks. Can be seen as a black residue on objects that have been skated after being waxed.
Category: Equipment
Wheel
Four of these things are needed per skateboard. They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, hardness and colors.
Category: Equipment
Wheelside
The technique of slowing down without putting your feet down. It is what people may commonly call a skid. Can be done frontside/backside 90/180/360/etc.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Wicked
Something that is or was really good. A good go-out would be deemed as "wicked fun" if it was good.
Category: Culture
Wood
The material used for decks. If someone refers to a deck as being a 'wood' or 'stain', it usually means that there is no 'slick' layer on it.
Category: Equipment
Worked
The action a ride plays on you. Pretty much a ride where nothing went right or everything seemed very hard to do.
Category: Culture
Wristguard
Protective equipment for the wrist. A type of glove containing a plastic/metal splint running along the underside of the wrist onto the palm of the hand.
Category: Equipment
X
X-Factor
An intangible ingredient to good surfing; albeit mental posture, good weather, swell, Karma, MoJo, etc; Had the X-Factor working today...Archaic Longboarder Speak.
Category: Culture
Y
Yo
A way a skateboarder gains the attention of another person.
Category: Culture
YoHo Plant
Terry Synnott is seen doing this trick which is a cross between the YoYo Plant invented by Joachim "YoYo" Schulz and the HoHo Plant. The HoHo Plant involves a handstand with both hands, and only your feet in the air holding the board up as if you were upside down. The rider rolls fakie into the YoYo Plant with one hand on the ground and one on the board but once in the plant, the rider lets go of the board and does a normal handstand on the ground. Bob Burnquist has done a vert version of this trick.
Category: Tricks & Stances
Z
Zoo
A crowded skate park lineup
Category: Culture
