XTRM: Skateboard Tricks & Riding Dictionary

XTRM Sports Network:

Air:

Definition: 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”.

Photo: Michael Andrus

Airwalk Grab:

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, but in recent years they’ve become cheap and cheaply made. It’s best to avoid them.

Alternate Spellings: Air walk

Airwalk – Mike Vallely

Markus Paulsen / ESPN Images

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.

Tyler Millhouse carving a bowl

Photo Credit: Michael Andrus

Cred: About.com

XTRM: Skateboard Tricks and Riding Dictionary

XTRM Sports Network:

180:

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”.

Pronunciation: One-Eighty

360:

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”.

Pronunciation: “Three Sixty”

Also Known As: 360 spin, 360 twist

5-0:

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.

“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.

Pronunciation: Five-OH

Also Known As: 5-0, 5-0 Grind

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. Learn how to 50-50 grind.

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.

Notice that a 5-0 is half of a 50-50.

Pronunciation: “Fifty Fifty”

Also Known As: Grinding (often skaters won’t even call it a 50-50, if this is the only type of grind they do)

Cred: About.com

XTRM Tip – Skateboard: Creature’s Riprider Cruiser

XTRM Sports Network:

So, I got Creature’s Riprider cruiser in the mail the other day, and this thing is a cruiser like no other.

For one, it came in a coffin-shaped box.

For two, it was PLASTIC, or some other space-age polymer whose formal name I am unfamiliar with.

Three, it is TINY coming in at just over two feet in length.

Fourth, it weighs A TON, and that’s the best part–it will last forever.

When you’re six feet under, you can rest assured the Creature Riprider will be alive and kicking. While it is doubtful that a flip trick can be performed on such a tank, I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw Smolik rip the Riprider out of the hands of Street Navs and start switch tre-flipping across Ocean Beach.

I think Jimmy Carlin already hardflipped Hedding’s. Oh wait, that was the Hacksaw. Got a Riprider, you say? First person to send me a video of a flip trick on the Riprider gets a big fat package of whatever I have laying around the office which includes but is not limited to this vintage Jimmy Astleford t-shirt. Look for the Riprider and many other great mini cruisers in the MUST HAVES of the November issue of TWS.

Written by: Eric Stricker

Cred: Transworld Skate