How to Do Skateboarding Moves

Learning the basic skateboarding moves, the ones that get you from point A to point B in style, is easier than you think. Though getting to the level where you're kick-flipping stairs and and hand-planting on vert is beyond the scope of this introductory article, the following steps will teach you how to push, stand, turn, and ride off curbs and small ledges.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Skateboard
• Pads
• Sturdy tennis or skate shoes

Mounting and Pushing

1. 
    
   (Riding stance)

   Get an idea of foot position and balance by placing one of your feet directly behind the front bolts (we'll call this the front foot), with the other foot on the ground (this will be the push foot). Shift your weight to the front foot and put your push foot directly over the back bolts or tail. The front foot should be angled slightly forward and the push foot should be perpendicular to the edge of the deck. This is your basic riding stance.

2. 
    
   (a push in action)

   Now bring your push foot back to the ground and kick back. The push-off motion is similar to running, the push foot pushes off the ground and the balance-foot moves forward with the skateboard to prevent you from falling on your face. Repeat the motion until you get moving fast enough to return to riding stance.

3. Pushing is all about shifting your weight from one foot to the other. For the initial push-off, when the push foot is on the ground, almost all your weight should be on it so you can get a firm kick. Once you start moving faster you can rely more on your front foot for balance and use your push foot for light kicks. Never push with your front foot, leaving what would be your push foot on the board. This is called "mongo foot" and it is bad form because you have to adjust your feet before doing any kind of maneuver.

Turning

4. 
    
   (note the direction of the shoulders)

   The skateboard's trucks are made to turn by applying weight to one side of the board or the other. There is a quicker, more precise turn known as a kick turn, which is fundamental to all aspects of skateboarding. Start by standing still with your front foot behind the front bolts and your push foot on the tail. Twist your shoulders to the desired direction and shift your weight back to the tail so that the front wheels lift off the ground, slightly. Lean towards the desired direction and untwist your hips and legs to meet your shoulders. This motion should make the skateboard turn a few degrees. practice until you are comfortable.

5. Do the previous step while moving. Keep in mind, the faster you go, the harder it gets. If you can do a full 360 from a standstill, consider yourself proficient.

6. 
    

   Try kick turning on a steep driveway or ramp. Wait to begin the kick turn until just before you get to the top of the ramp. As the ramp's angle increases you'll have to lean more into the turn. Make sure to be quick, doing a slow kick turn looks cool but requires more balance and there is a chance your wheels might slip out if the ramp angle is very steep or the surface is slick.

Riding off curbs and small ledges

7. 
    
   (Front wheels are off the ground before the curb edge)

   Whenever you ride off anything, you always want all four wheels to land at the same time. If you just roll off a ledge, allowing your front wheels to hit the ground then the back ones, you might scrape the middle of the deck on the edge of the ledge, which will make you fall. To avoid this, ride perpendicular to the edge of the ledge with a comfortable amount of speed. Right before your front wheels roll off the ledge, shift your weight to the tail --where your push foot should be-- so that the front wheels lift off the ground. Be careful not to scrape the tail on the ground, this will make you lose speed.

8. Let the back wheels fall off the ledge and brace for landing. Make sure that at the point where your wheels hit the ground your weight is evenly distributed between the nose and tail. If you land with your weight centered and all wheels on the ground at the same time you will most likely ride away smoothly. It is a good idea to practice by riding off a ledge into grass until you get the feel for it.

9. Sometimes this move is easier to do fast. If you find that your front wheels are usually hitting before the back, even though you're pushing down on the tail, try going faster.

10. Start small and work up to taller ledges. Remember to bend your knees when riding off tall things.

Tips & Warnings

• It's OK to practice these moves in the grass before you move to the concrete.
• If you think you're going to fall, bail. If you know you're going to fall while doing any move, try to get as close to the ground as possible before you hit.
• If you fall while moving, try to tuck your arms and legs in and roll.
• Get a good skate shop brand skateboard.
• Avoid skateboards bought from toy stores or super-stores because they're of inferior quality. If your complete new skateboard cost less than $80, it's probably junk and likely to be frustrating to learn on.
• Avoid learning on a long board. That is, any deck longer than about 34 inches, nose to tail. They have sluggish responses and are hard to handle. Cruisers, a regular or over-sized skateboard deck with long board wheels and trucks is a good alternative.
• There is a chance that you may fall and get scraped, bruised, or broken. To lessen the chance of injury, wear knee, elbow, and wrist pads, as well as a helmet. While learning most injuries will be to the wrists.

Resources

• more advanced learning
• more basic stuff
• Trick tips

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