Glossary of Skateboard Terms
Need some help with some skateboarding terms? Here's our glossary of terms.
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ABD
This is an acronym, meaning "already been done", it's used with regards to a particular spot or a particular combination of tricks.
Acid Drop
To ride straight off and freefall to the ground.
Air
Air refers to the time when all wheels are off the ground.
Airwalk
A grab trick that refers to holding the nose with your front hand, while your legs are split moving as if walking.
Alley-oop
When the the trick is performed in the opposite direction to travel. Therefore increasing the technical difficulty as the rider can only spot the landing at the last minute.
Anchor Grind
A crooked grind without the back truck in the air, it is pushed down alongside the obstacle.
Andrecht Invert
An invert with a backside grab.
Anti Casper
A half impossible to nose casper. The skateboard is upside down with the point of the nose on the ground, raised at an angle by the back foot under the board. With the front foot on the nose.
Axle Stall
A stall with both skateboard trucks evenly on the lip or object.
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Backflip
A backwards end over end flip of both rider and board. Only perfomed on ramps.
Backside
When the rider rotates such that the back of the body is facing the arc of the trick.
Backside air
Gaining air and traverlling in the direction your toes are facing while turning backside.
Bail
A crash or mistake causing the user to come off.
Bank
Any sloped area under 90 degrees.
Barley Grind
switch frontside 180 ollie into a frontside smith grind.
Bearings
Located inside the wheels to keep the wheels spinning so reducing the need to push as frequently.
Benihana
A tailgrab with the back foot off the board which is then extended below the board on the heelside.
Bertslide
whild crouching place hand on the ground while sliding the board and the rider's body 180.
Big Flip
A 360 flip with a body varial in the same direction.
Big spin
A 360 shove it or a pop shove it, and a body varial in the same direction.
Bluntslide
An advanced slide where the board is at right angles to the object but at a very steep almost vertical angle. Slides on a lip with the underside of the tail on the side edge and the wheels on the top edge.
Bluntstall
See bluntslide, however no sliding.
Board
Often refer to as a Deck, usually wood laminate that all the hardware is attached to. Boards are starting to gain in complexity but many people still skate the Mapel Decks.
Boardslide
To grind an object where the contact point is the underneath of the board.
Body Follow
A body varial where the board is also spinning in same direction and both are touching.
Body Jar
A backside nosegrab where your tail and the coping meet as your re enter.
Body varial
The rider spinning whith no contact to the board. Board may or may not be spinning independanly.
Bolts
Part of a skateboard, four per truck used to mount the deck and bottom plate. Also used to gauge feet position. Coloured bolts can be used to destinguish nose and tail
Bomb Drop
The rider begins with the board behind held by front hand, jumps into the air, putting the board under there feet with the riders hand, and slamming down to the ground.
Boned
This is a tweak to a trick where one leg is straightened.
Boneless
Old skool flat land trick where your front foot pushes against the ground, jumping up, while holding the board with your back hand.
Bowl
A form of ramp which has rounded corner. They come in a variety of heights shapes and sizes. (Also see pool skating)
Blunt
Where the contact spot of an obstacle is the area of the rail behind the back trucks, the wheels are also on top of the object.
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Caballerial/Cab
While riding fakie, usually at the lip of a ramp, to comple a 360 in the air and head back down the ramp forwards without grabbing. Named after Steve Caballero.
Carve
To make a long, curving arc while skating. Typically within street skating or ditch skating.
Caveman
See bomb drop, but it is performed onto a ramp/bank.
Coping
A rounded lip on the top of a ramp or obstacle, usually made out of metal sometimes cement or PVC piping.
Crooked Grind
Nosegrind while nose sliding at the same time.
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Darkslide
As you approach something to grind you flip the board and grind along the grip tape while standing on the bottom of the board.
Deck
See Board.
Disaster
The rear wheels are ollied overthe lip. The board comes to rest on the edge of the lip.
Drop in
To enter the ramp or obstacle from the top. The board is placed so the tail is on the top of the lip and the wheels are alongside the lip. Your front foot is then placed on the board and you lean forward pushing your front foot down.
Durometer
A measurement of resiliency, or hardness, of a urethane wheel.
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Face plant
Where the face makes contact with the ground or object before any other part of the body.
Fakie
Is where the rider is in there natural stance however is moving backwards.
Feeble Grind
Griding on the rear truck with the front truck over the top of the object you are grinding on making a railslide.
Fifty-Fifty (50-50)
Grinding on both trucks at the same time.
Five-0 (5-0) Grind
Where one of the trucks is grinding with the other in the air. Sometimes reffered to as a 5-0 pivot as the board usually pivots around the coping.
Five-0 (5-0) Stall
See 5-0 Grind without the grind.
Frontside
When the turn/trick is done so that the riders body is facing the outside arc of the trick.
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Goofy Foot
A type of stance where the right foot is forward. (also see stance)
Grab
Grabbing either or both ends of the board with one or both hands.
Grip Tape
Sandpaper style material with glue on one side that sticks to the deck to provide friction between the board and the rider.
Grind
To ride on an object or lip with either the trucks or the board making contact.
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Half Cab
A 180 Caballerial
Half Pipe
A type of ramp that is shaped like a U and is used for vert skating.
Hand Plant
A type of trick where one hand grabs the board while the other does a handstand on a lip or edge.
Handrails
The common misconception is that these should be used to stop one from falling while going down stairs, when actually they are an excellent grindable surface, in most cases made out of metal.
Hang Up
When one of the trucks catches on an obstacle, usually causing a fall.
Hanger
The large part of the truck that contains the axle inside. This is held to the bases plate using the king pin. It is also the underside of which that is grinded along.
Heelflip
While performing an Ollie the heel pushes down on the edge of the board causing it to flip over.
Heelside edge
The edge of the board closest to the riders heels.
Hip
The spot where a ramp or obstacle comes to a point. Tricks are done while flying over or off of it.
Hit
A jump.
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Indy Grab
Where the rider grabs the toe side of the skateboard between there feet. Often just reffered to as an indy, this is the most common type of grab.
Invert
See Handplant.
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Jump Ramp
A type of ramp which is curved to provide the rider with air to perform a trick. Common in street skating.
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Kicker
See Jump ramp.
Kickflip
Similar to Heelflip but the toe pushes to flip the board.
Kingpin
The bolt that holds the hanger and baseplate together.
Kick Turn
Pressure is applied to the tail and the riders weight turns the board to another direction.
Knee Pad
A type of protective padding worn on the knees. These use a hard plastic cap to slide out a fall. Larger caps are used for ramp skating. Smaller caps for street skating.
Knee Gasket
Similar to a Knee pad however there is only fabric on the outside and all padding and protection is within the fabric sleeve.
Knee Slide
A way of controlling a fall by sliding on the plastic caps on the riders knee pads.
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Landing fakie
Landing Backwards (also see fakie)
Late
The addition of adding something in just before its completion and landing.
Launch
The moment a rider starts to execute a jump, and the time he is actually flying through th air.
Ledge
A wide object that sticks out that is grinded, traditionally in street skating or street courses.
Lid
A helmet
Line
The route that a rider chooses to take.
Lip
The top edge of half/quarterpipe, usually has a coping.
Liptrick
Any trick performed on the lip.
Lipslide
To force the tail over the lip and slide on the surface before re-entry.
Load up
To put weight on one side of the trucks.
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Manual
The skate board equvilent of a wheelie where the back wheels are in contact with the ground and the front are lifted.
McTwist
A 540 degree turn performed on a ramp. Named after Mike McGill
Midi Ramp
A half pipe that is inbetween a Vert ramp and a Mini ramp. The transition radias that goes to 90 degrees with no wall.
Mini Ramp
A half pipe with a transition radias that does not go to 90 degrees.
Mongo Foot
This relates to stance, it is where the rider pushes and brakes with there front foot.
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Nollie
When the skater is in there natural stance however with there footing so that there front foot is on the front kicker and the rear foot is on the back bolts.
Nose slide
Sliding on an object with just the nose of the board.
Nosegrind
Where only the front truck is grinding.
Nose Manual
See manual, but where the front wheels are in contact and the rear are lifted.
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Ollie
A no handed air performed by tapping the tail of the board on the ground or ramp surface. Named after Alan "ollie" Gelfend.
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Pivot
Similar to a kickturn. However it is performed on the nose creating a fast 180 or 360 movement around. Sometimes referred to as a 180.
Pool Skating
A discepline of skating primarily how the sport progressed into modern skating. It involved skating dry or drained swimming pools, often illegally. Bowl's and snake runs where developed from this style of skating as well as Vert ramps. Pool decks are still available today but can be difficult to find. They have a narrower noise and wider tail than the modern day skateboard.
Poser
Someone who acts better than they are.
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Quarterpipe
Half of a half pipe.
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Rail
1. A grindable object such as a hand rail or the edge of a bench
2. The edge of the board, can also refer to plastic strips attached to the bottom of the board for grinding.
Railslide
See boardslide.
Ramp Boards
Large deck with firm wheels mounted onto wide trucks for stability.
Regular Foot
To ride with left foot forward. (also see stance, and Goofy foot)
Riser
Rubber like plastic used to gain extra clearance, useful to reduce wheel bite and more common with larger wheels. These can also be angled to affect the geometry of the truck and the turning/stability.
Rock and Roll
Where the underside of the board and wheels are tapped on the lip before a pivot to reenter.
Rock to fakie
Where the underside of the board and wheelsare tapped on the lip before reentering backwards. (also see fakie)
Run
The time allowed on the ramp or course during competitions.
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Scrub a wheel
To remover residue from a new wheel to ensure adhesion.
Sealed bearing
A bearing system that uses an actual seal to keep water and deris out.
Sex change
A kickflip with a body-varial.
Sick
Big, crazy, cool, incredibly difficult.
Skatepark
An area either indoor or outdoor set aside to, Skateboarding, rollerblading and BMXing. The ramps are usually either wood, concrete or metal. These are either council skateparks which tend to be outside and free to use. Or indoor which tend to be pay per use.
Shove It
Involves varial rotations of the board in increment of 180 degree's.
Smith Grind
Where the back truck is grinding and the rail of the board is also sliding. Frontside the toe side edge and Backside the heel side edge is involved.
Spine ramp
Where two quater pipe's or half pipe's are placed back to back.
Stalefish air
A grab trick where the rear hand grabs the heel edge behind the rear between the bindings where the front leg is boned.
Stalled
When a maneuver is intentially started late into a jump/trick.
Stance
There are two stances regular and goofy, regular is where your front foot is your left foot and your back foot is your right foot, and goofy is where your front foot is your right foot and your back foot is your left foot.
Stoked
When a rider is pumped up, confident, maybe addrenaline fuelled.
Street Boards
Shorter and narrower than ramp boards. Usually shorter wheelbase also.
Street Course
A section of a Skatepark that is set aside to street style objects. (Also see Street Skating, skatepark)
Street Skating
The skating discpline that refers to the use of jump ramps, railings, benches, curbs, anything that you might find on a street.
Swing Weight
Distrobution of weight from tip to tail. used for balance and rotation.
Sub box
An add on used within ramp skating
Switch
Any trick which involves the rider landing or taking off backwards.
Switch Stance
This is when the rider is in the opposite stance to the normal footing.
Switchback
Used to describe turns that are around 180 degrees.
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Tabletop
Style of ramp where there is a lead up to flat on top and a landing ramp
Tailslide
Sliding on the tail of the board.
Technical
How difficult a trick is seen to be.
Tombstone
An add on to a ramp in order to give an extra extension in the form of a wall.
Transition
The curved part between 0 and 90 degrees.
Truck
The hardware comprised of the baseplate, hanger, kingpin and axle.
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Varial
An aerial where the board is spun from backwards to forwards beneath the feet.
Vert Ramp
A style of ramp where a half pipe has a vertical element, after the transition.
Vert Skating
The discpline of skating and tricks associated with vert ramps.
Volcano
Similar to a spine however there is a platform inbetween the copings.
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Wall
Any bank at or above 90 degrees.
Wallride
1. To ride along a wall.
2. A form of add on to ramps in order to perform wall rides.
Wheelbase
The distance between each set of wheels.
Wheels
Usually made out of urethane, sometimes with a plastic core. these are mounted onto the axle with bearings inbetween.
Wipe out
See bail
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Zonk
Hit the wall...
