Skating is weird. One day you’re slamming your shins into a piece of Canadian maple, wondering why you even bother, and the next, you’re floating. But when most people go looking for a skateboard list of tricks, they get this sterilized, clinical breakdown that feels like it was written by someone who has never actually touched grip tape. They give you the "standard" progression like it's a math equation. It isn't.
You don't just go from A to B. Sometimes you learn how to kickflip before you can even ollie over a curb because your brain just clicks with the flicking motion better than the pop.
The Foundation Most People Skip
If you want a real skateboard list of tricks, you have to start with the stuff that isn't flashy. It’s the boring stuff. Pushing. Stopping. Kickturning. If you can't carve a bowl or kickturn on a transition without looking like a baby giraffe on ice, your kickflips are going to look terrible anyway. Honestly, the "ollie" is the gatekeeper.
Rodney Mullen basically invented the modern flatground ollie in 1982, taking it from the vertical walls of pools to the pavement. Before that, skating was mostly freestyle dancing and wheelies. Now, if you can’t ollie, you’re stuck. It's the literal DNA of almost every trick that follows. You pop the tail, you slide your front foot, and you level it out. Simple? No. It's frustratingly hard. You’ll probably spend three months just trying to get all four wheels off the ground at the same time.
The Basic Flatground Tier
Once you've got the ollie, the world opens up, but don't rush into the triple-flip-360-shuvit nonsense just yet. There is a logical progression that builds muscle memory.
- The Frontside 180: You and the board rotate together. It’s mostly in the shoulders. If your shoulders don't turn, the board won't either.
- The Backside 180: This one feels blind and scary. You're turning your back to the direction of travel.
- Pop Shove-it: Just the board spins 180 degrees under you. No flip. It’s all in the back foot "scoop."
- Frontside Shove-it: The board spins the other way. This feels like it's trying to cut your heels off. It's awkward.
Why the Kickflip is a Mental Barrier
Then comes the kickflip. The holy grail of the skateboard list of tricks for every beginner. You see kids at the park for six hours a day just trying to get that flick right. Most people flick "down" toward the ground—that’s the biggest mistake. You have to flick "out" and "up" through the corner of the nose.
Heelflips are the cousin of the kickflip. Some people find them easier because you’re kicking your heel out in front of you, which feels more natural for certain body types. Me? I hated them for years. They always felt like they were going to rocket into my shins.
It’s worth noting that the "pro" way to do these involves "catching" the board in the air. Beginners usually just let the board hit the ground and then land on it. But if you want to look like Andrew Reynolds, you’ve got to catch that thing at the apex of the jump. It’s about timing and confidence. Mostly confidence. If you hesitate, you "primo" (land on the edge of the board) and end up on your butt.
Transition and Grinds: Moving Beyond Flatground
A skateboard list of tricks isn't just about what you can do on a sidewalk. Eventually, you’re going to find a curb or a rail. This is where "truck" tricks come in.
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The Essential Grinds and Slides
- 50-50 Grind: Both trucks on the edge. It’s the meat and potatoes of street skating.
- Boardslide: You slide on the middle of the deck. Usually the first "real" trick people do on a rail because you don't have to be as precise with your trucks.
- 5-0 Grind: Just the back truck. It’s basically a manual on a ledge.
- Nosegrind: Just the front truck. Terrifying because if you catch a "stopper," you’re going headfirst into the concrete.
- Smith Grind: The back truck is on the ledge, the front truck is dipped down to the side. It’s stylish. It’s the trick that makes you look like you know what you’re doing.
When you watch someone like Nyjah Huston or Yuto Horigome, they aren't just doing these tricks; they’re doing them into and out of other things. Nollie bigspin to back lipside. It sounds like gibberish to outsiders, but it's a language of physics.
The "Nollie" and "Fakir" Confusion
This is where people get tripped up. There are four "stances" in skating. Regular (left foot forward) or Goofy (right foot forward). Then you have:
- Fakir: Riding backward but standing in your normal position and popping off the "nose" (which is now at the back).
- Nollie: Riding forward but popping off the nose with your front foot.
- Switch: Riding the opposite of your natural stance. It feels like trying to write with your non-dominant hand while standing on a tightrope.
A "Switch Kickflip" is ten times harder than a regular kickflip for most people. If you see a pro doing a line and everything looks a little "off" but still perfect, they’re probably skating switch. It’s the ultimate sign of mastery. Paul Rodriguez made a whole career out of making switch tricks look more natural than most people's regular ones.
Misconceptions About Trick "Difficulty"
People think a 360 flip (Tre Flip) is the hardest thing ever. It's actually not. Once you understand the "scoop," the board almost does the work for you. It's a combination of a 360 shove-it and a kickflip.
Compare that to a Hardflip. Hardflips are... well, hard. The board flips vertically between your legs. It looks like a messy frontside shove-it until it suddenly snaps into place. It’s a trick that requires a lot of "leg room," if you catch my drift.
Then you have the "Varial Kickflip." In the 90s, this was the "cool" trick. Then, for about fifteen years, it was considered the "ugly" trick that beginners did because they couldn't Tre Flip. Now, thanks to the cyclical nature of skate fashion and style, it's making a comeback. It’s all subjective.
How to Actually Use This List
If you're looking at this skateboard list of tricks and feeling overwhelmed, stop. You don't need to check them all off. Skating isn't a video game with a completion bar.
The best way to progress is to find one thing that feels "kind of" possible and obsess over it. If you’re struggling with ollies, try doing them into grass. If you’re scared of falling, wear pads. There’s no shame in it. Even the legends like Tony Hawk or Bucky Lasek wear full gear because hitting concrete at 40 years old hurts a lot more than it does at 14.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
- Film Yourself: This is the biggest tip. You think you're flicking right, but the video will show you're actually kicking down. Use your phone, put it in a shoe on the ground, and watch the playback.
- Check Your Hardware: If your board isn't popping, check your tail. If it’s rounded off and "soggy" (we call this razor tail), you're fighting a losing battle. Get a new deck.
- Learn to Fall: Seriously. Practice rolling out of a slam. If you stiffen up and put your wrists out, you're going to break something.
- Change Your Surface: If a trick isn't clicking on flat ground, try it over a small gap or up a tiny bank. Sometimes the change in physics helps your brain "get" it.
Go to a local park. Don't worry about being the worst person there. Every single person landing a switch heel-to-manual started by falling over while just trying to stand still. The community is generally pretty chill—if you see someone landing something you want to learn, just ask them where they put their feet. Most skaters love talking about the "secret" to their flick. It's all about the shared struggle against gravity.