Skateboard Tricks: 20 Skateboarding Tricks to Learn When You’re Bored

Bored and itching to do something that isn’t another scroll session? Grab a board. Skateboard tricks are one of the best boredom busters there is: every 15-minute session gives you a tiny win, and every trick unlocks the next one. This guide shows you how to do skateboard tricks the smart way: 20 skateboarding tricks in the exact order to learn them, from easy skateboard tricks you can try today to the hard tricks you’ll be chasing for months.

Every trick comes with plain-English steps, and the key ones have a foot-placement diagram, so you always know where your feet go. No skatepark required to start: a smooth driveway or an empty parking lot is enough.

Skateboarding tricks list: easiest to hardest

Here’s the full skateboard tricks list easiest to hardest, with the rung each one sits on. Rung 1 needs no jumping, so these are the most basic skateboard tricks; rung 4 is where the intermediate skateboard tricks begin.

Skateboard trick	Rung	What it is	Difficulty
1. Kickturn	Roll	Lift the nose and pivot	1/5
2. Tic-tac	Roll	Little kickturns side to side to move	1/5
3. Manual	Roll	Wheelie on the back wheels	2/5
4. Nose manual	Roll	Wheelie on the front wheels	2/5
5. Fakie	Roll	Riding backward in your normal stance	1/5
6. Shove-it	Pop	Spin the board 180° under you	2/5
7. Ollie	Pop	Jump with the board stuck to your feet	3/5
8. Fakie ollie	Pop	An ollie while rolling backward	3/5
9. Ollie up a curb	Pop	Your first obstacle	3/5
10. No comply	Pop	Step off and pop the board up	2/5
11. Pop shove-it	Spin	A shove-it with pop	3/5
12. Frontside pop shove-it	Spin	The board spins the other way	3/5
13. Frontside 180	Spin	Ollie and turn your chest forward	3/5
14. Backside 180	Spin	Ollie and turn your back forward	3/5
15. Kickflip	Flip & ramp	The board flips under you	4/5
16. Heelflip	Flip & ramp	Flip the other way with your heel	4/5
17. Drop in	Flip & ramp	Enter a ramp from the top	3/5
18. Rock to fakie	Flip & ramp	Rock the board on the coping	3/5
19. 50-50 grind	Flip & ramp	Grind a ledge on both trucks	4/5
20. Boardslide	Flip & ramp	Slide a rail on the middle of the board	4/5

The Bored-to-Board Ladder: how to learn skateboard tricks

Most beginners quit because they jump straight to kickflips and spend weeks falling. We organize every trick into the Bored-to-Board Ladder, four rungs where each one only uses skills from the rung below:

• Rung 1, Roll: balance tricks with all wheels doing the work. No jumping.
• Rung 2, Pop: snapping the tail to get the board off the ground. The ollie lives here.
• Rung 3, Spin: pop plus rotation, either of the board or of you.
• Rung 4, Flip & ramp: flips, grinds and ramp tricks that combine everything below.

The 15-minute bored session: whenever boredom hits, spend 5 minutes warming up on the rung below your current trick, then 10 minutes on one new trick. Short, frequent sessions beat one long weekend session, and they turn “I’m bored” into a habit you actually look forward to.

Before your first skateboard trick: stance, parts and safety

• Find your stance: regular means left foot forward, goofy means right foot forward. Neither is better.
• Learn the parts: the tail is the back kick, the nose is the front kick, and “the bolts” are the screws over each truck. Toe side is the edge your toes point to; heel side is behind you.
• Push and stop first: push with your back foot, then practice the foot-brake: drag your back foot’s sole lightly on the ground to slow down.
• Wear the gear: a helmet every time, plus wrist guards and knee and elbow pads. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends safety gear for skaters of all ages and says children under 5 shouldn’t ride at all.
• Practice pop tricks standing still: on grass or carpet the board can’t roll away, which is perfect for learning the ollie motion.

Easy skateboard tricks for beginners (Rung 1: Roll)

These easy skateboard tricks for beginners teach balance without any jumping. Think of them as the beginner skateboard tricks every skater learns first, and the best skateboarding tricks for beginners who are nervous about falling. They’re the easiest skateboard tricks on the list, and they’re also the simple skateboard tricks that make every later trick feel natural.

1. Kickturn

What it is: lifting the nose with your back foot and pivoting to change direction.

1. Roll slowly with your back foot on the tail and your front foot over the front bolts.
2. Press down on the tail just enough to lift the front wheels.
3. Turn your shoulders and the board follows. Set the nose down.
4. Practice small turns both ways before trying bigger ones.

Bored-session tip: do 20 kickturns each way, alternating, as your warm-up for every session.

2. Tic-tac

What it is: a chain of small kickturns, left and right, that moves you forward without pushing.

1. Stand with your back foot on the tail and front foot over the front bolts.
2. Lift the nose slightly and swing it a little to one side.
3. Set it down, lift again and swing it to the other side.
4. Keep it rhythmic: tic, tac, tic, tac.

3. Manual

What it is: a wheelie on your back wheels while rolling.

1. Roll at walking speed with your back foot on the tail and your front foot near the middle.
2. Shift your weight back until the front wheels lift.
3. Find the balance point where the tail doesn’t scrape the ground.
4. Hold it for one board length, then two.

Bored-session tip: put a line of chalk on the ground and try to manual past it.

4. Nose manual

What it is: the same balance trick on your front wheels.

1. Roll slowly with your front foot on the nose and your back foot near the back bolts.
2. Shift your weight forward until the back wheels lift.
3. Keep your knees bent and your eyes ahead.

5. Fakie

What it is: riding backward while keeping your normal stance.

1. Push off, then roll gently up a slight slope or let the board roll back.
2. Keep your feet where they are and look over your back shoulder.
3. Once it feels steady, practice kickturning out of fakie.

Basic skateboard tricks with pop (Rung 2)

Rung 2 is where you learn to get the board off the ground. These basic skateboard tricks are the foundation of almost every other trick, so take your time here.

6. Shove-it

What it is: spinning the board 180° under you while you hop straight up.

1. Roll slowly with your back foot on the tail and front foot near the front bolts.
2. Push the tail behind you with your back foot as you hop up.
3. Let the board spin half a turn under you.
4. Land with both feet over the bolts.

7. Ollie

What it is: the jump that unlocks every other skateboard trick: you snap the tail and the board rises with your feet.

Bored-session tip: practice standing still on grass for a few sessions, then try rolling slowly. Most people land a rolling ollie after a few weeks of regular practice.

8. Fakie ollie

What it is: an ollie while you roll backward.

1. Roll fakie (backward) at a slow speed.
2. Keep the same foot position as a normal ollie.
3. Pop the tail and slide your front foot up, just like before.

9. Ollie up a curb

What it is: your first obstacle.

1. Find a low, smooth curb and approach it straight on at a medium speed.
2. Pop a little earlier than feels natural so your front wheels clear the edge.
3. Slide your front foot up and lift your back knee to bring the back wheels up too.

10. No comply

What it is: a playful trick where your front foot steps off and the board pops up to meet you.

1. Roll slowly with your back foot on the tail.
2. Step your front foot off the board and onto the ground.
3. At the same moment, pop the tail with your back foot so the board springs up.
4. Jump off your planted foot and land back on the board.

Bored-session tip: the no comply is a great “bored” trick because there are endless ways to style it.

Intermediate skateboard tricks: spins (Rung 3)

Once your ollie is consistent, add rotation. These intermediate skateboard tricks are where skating starts to look really cool.

11. Pop shove-it

What it is: a shove-it with pop, so the board spins in the air instead of on the ground.

1. Put your back foot on the toe-side edge of the tail and your front foot near the front bolts.
2. Pop and scoop the tail behind you in one motion.
3. Jump straight up and let the board spin 180° under you.
4. Catch it with your front foot, then land over the bolts.

12. Frontside pop shove-it

What it is: the same idea, but you scoop the tail in front of you so the board spins the other way.

1. Put your back foot on the heel-side edge of the tail.
2. Pop and scoop the tail forward, toward your toes.
3. Jump and catch the board after half a turn.

13. Frontside 180

What it is: an ollie where you and the board turn half a circle, with your chest leading the turn.

1. Wind your shoulders back as you crouch.
2. Pop an ollie and unwind your shoulders so your chest turns toward where you’re going.
3. Land rolling backward (fakie).

14. Backside 180

What it is: the same turn the other way, with your back leading the turn.

1. Wind your shoulders the opposite way from the frontside 180.
2. Pop and turn so your back faces the direction of travel first.
3. Look over your shoulder to spot the landing and ride away fakie.

Cool skateboard tricks: flips, grinds and ramps (Rung 4)

These are the cool skateboard tricks people picture when they think of skating, and the most famous skateboarding tricks of all. They’re advanced skateboard tricks for a beginner, so expect lots of attempts.

15. Kickflip

What it is: an ollie where the board flips a full turn along its length.

1. Back foot on the tail; front foot angled about 45° just behind the front bolts.
2. Pop the tail like an ollie.
3. Slide your front foot up and flick it off the front corner of the nose with the side of your toes.
4. Jump up out of the way, watch the board flip, and catch it with your feet over the bolts.

Bored-session tip: most skaters take months to land a clean kickflip. Count your attempts each session, not your landings.

16. Heelflip

What it is: a flip in the opposite direction, flicked with your heel.

1. Front foot behind the front bolts with your toes hanging a little over the toe side.
2. Pop the tail.
3. Kick your front heel forward and off the front corner of the board.
4. Catch the board and land over the bolts.

17. Drop in

What it is: entering a ramp or bowl from the top.

1. Set your tail on the coping, holding it in place with your back foot.
2. Put your front foot over the front bolts.
3. Commit: lean forward and push the front wheels down onto the ramp.
4. Keep your weight forward the whole way. Leaning back is what causes most falls.

Bored-session tip: start on the smallest ramp at the park, and ask someone to spot you the first time.

18. Rock to fakie

What it is: rocking the middle of the board on the ramp’s edge, then rolling back down.

1. Ride up the ramp toward the coping.
2. Push your front wheels over the coping so the middle of the board rests on it.
3. Press the tail to lift the front wheels back over.
4. Roll back down the ramp fakie.

19. 50-50 grind

What it is: grinding a ledge or rail on both trucks.

1. Approach a low ledge at a slight angle.
2. Ollie up so both trucks land on the edge.
3. Keep your weight centered and ride the grind.
4. Turn slightly and pop off at the end.

20. Boardslide

What it is: sliding a rail on the middle of the board.

1. Approach a low flat rail almost parallel to it.
2. Ollie and turn the board 90° so the middle lands on the rail.
3. Keep your shoulders lined up with the rail.
4. Turn the board back 90° as you come off.

Hard skateboard tricks to work toward

These hard skateboard tricks are the long-term goals. The names of skateboard tricks at this level often combine two tricks. Once you know the basics, even hard skateboard tricks names like “hardflip” and “laser flip” start to make sense.

Hard skateboard trick	What it combines
360 flip (tre flip)	A kickflip plus a 360° backside shove-it
Hardflip	A kickflip plus a frontside pop shove-it, flipping between your legs
Laser flip	A heelflip plus a 360° frontside shove-it
Impossible	The board wraps vertically around your back foot
Darkslide	Sliding a rail with the board upside down
900	Two and a half spins on a vert ramp, first landed by Tony Hawk at the 1999 X Games

These are among the hardest skateboard tricks ever done, and pros spend years on them. For a beginner, an ollie up a curb is a far better goal.

Skateboard tricks names: types of skateboard tricks explained

Skateboard tricks names follow a simple system, which makes this list of skateboard tricks easier to read. Even the most common skateboard tricks fit into one of these types:

• Flip tricks: the board rotates along its length (kickflip, heelflip).
• Shove-its: the board spins flat under you (pop shove-it, 360 shove-it).
• Grinds and slides: grinds touch the trucks to a ledge; slides touch the wood (50-50, boardslide).
• Manuals: balancing on two wheels (manual, nose manual).
• Ramp and transition tricks: done on ramps and bowls (drop in, rock to fakie).
• Frontside and backside: frontside means your chest faces the obstacle or direction of turn; backside means your back does.

For the full encyclopedia of different skateboard tricks, see Wikipedia’s skateboarding trick article.

Skate tricks for beginners: practice plan for bored days

Turn skate tricks for beginners into a 4-week plan. One 15-minute session a day is enough to work through these easy skate tricks:

1. Week 1: pushing, foot-brake stops, kickturns and tic-tacs.
2. Week 2: manuals, fakie and the shove-it.
3. Week 3: stationary ollies on grass, then rolling ollies.
4. Week 4: ollie over a stick, then up a low curb.

Skating with friends makes the sessions fly by. It’s one of the best fun activities for teens, a great pick from our outdoor hobbies list, and an easy way to get moving if you’ve been looking for exercises to do when bored.

Best skateboard for tricks

The best skateboard for tricks is a regular “popsicle” deck with kicks on both ends, about 7.75 to 8.25 inches wide. Narrower boards flip more easily; wider boards feel more stable. Cruisers and longboards are fun to ride but much harder to do tricks on. Hard, small wheels (around 52 to 54 mm) are the usual choice for street and park skating.

Skateboard tricks FAQ

Pick a rung and start today

Next time boredom hits, grab your board and spend 15 minutes on one of these skateboarding tricks from the Bored-to-Board Ladder. Start with the kickturn, work up to the ollie, and before long you’ll be chasing kickflips. Not sure skating is your thing? Take our hobby quiz, or try another skill you can master in short sessions, like easy card tricks or Rubik’s cube algorithms. For more ideas, browse our fun hobbies and things to do when bored in summer.