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Skateboarding Terms

Common Skateboarding Terms

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. The name 50-50 was first used in skateboarding to describe what is now called a "truckstand". This 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.

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 520, etc. When done on the ground, this is called a "revert" and sometimes a "kickturn", though that's technically different. If the board spins 180 degrees but the skater doesn't, that would be a "shuvit". If the trick is done in the air and the skateboarder turns but the board does not, this is called a "varial". 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".

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 usually 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".

5-0 (Five-Oh): 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.The 5-O got it's name because it is half of a 50-50 grind (only the back trucks are grinding, instead of both). "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. A "Slide" is similar, but when the actual board is making the contact, not the wheels or trucks.

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".

Airwalk: 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. Airwalk shoes were originally fairly good skateboarding shoes.

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

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. 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.

Caballerial: 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! The "Half-cab" is a variation of the Caballerial where the skater spins only 180 degrees instead of the full 360.
Also Known As: "Full Cab", "Cab"

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.

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 lot harder for most skateboarders.

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

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.
Also Known As: Goofy Foot, Goofy Stance, Goofy

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. The Indy grab is one of the most common grabs, where the skater or snowboarder bends his or her knees and reaches down and grabs the edge of the board between his or 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 a 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...

Grinding: Grinding is the name for sliding along an edge (such as a curb, bench, rail, coping, etc.) using your trucks instead of your wheels or deck. Depending on which trucks are being used (front or back), and what direction you are moving, there are many different types of grinds, such as the 50-50, the 5-O, the Nosegrind, and many others.Make sure not to confuse a grind with a slide. Slide is the name for doing this exact same activity, only using the skateboard deck instead of the trucks.

HeelEdge: 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)

HeelFlip: 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).

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

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! A Japan Air is very similar to a Mute Air, but stylistically different.
The Japan Air was first named in Transworld Skateboarding Magazine.

KickFlip: 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.

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 Heelflip is similar, but the kick goes in the opposite direction, and the final kick comes from the heel of the skater's foot. 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. For more, read the How to Kickflip Instructions, or watch the How to Kickflip Video. If you are having trouble with your kickflip after you've read how to do it and practiced, read the "How do I land Kickflips?" F

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.

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.A "Nose Manual" is the same trick, 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.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)

Method 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. But, like a lot of board sport tricks, the Method Air grab found it's way over to snowboarding and is used a lot today. The Method Air was invented by Neil Blender, a skater 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.

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"

NoseGrind: 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. When nosegrinding, if the board is turned at an angle the trick becomes a crooked grind, and all together different trick. Grinding with both sets of trucks is called a 50-50, and the back trucks is a 5-0.

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.
Pronunciation: "AH-lee"
Also Known As: "ollie pop" at first, but now shortened to "ollie"

Primo: Primo means a few different things. A lot of skaters call popping up and standing on the skateboard's edge 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 the most popular name is.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, very tough!
The Primo got its name from Primo Desiderio, who invented the Primo Slide.
Also Known As: Rail Stand, Primo Stand, Primo Slide

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 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. There's your free history lesson. 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.
Also Known As: Primo Stall, Primo Stand, Rail Stall
Alternate Spellings: Rail Stand

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.
Also Known As: Regular Foot, Regular Stance, Regular

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. How a skater rides away from a Rock and Roll can change its name. 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" (read Learn How to Rock to Fakie to learn this trick). 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
The Rock and Roll is a popular trick 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.
Also Known As: Rocking

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. 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 taste very good, and in Tony Hawk complaining about the meal, a skater misunderstood and thought he was naming the trick "Stale Fish".
Also Known As: "Stale Fish"

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.When snowboarders rides in the opposite stance, they don't usually change their bindings. They keep them set up for whatever stance they usually use. So, when a snowboarder rides backwards it's called "Switch", even though their foot placing may be still setup for going the opposite way. Snowboarders don't usually use the term "Fakie". 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

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 technically something different)

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