How To Push Properly On A Skateboard [Explained]

To push properly on a skateboard, set your leading foot in the front and your dominant foot in the back. Put your dominant foot on the ground beside or in front of your leading foot and quickly put it back into place on the tail of the board, turning your foot so that it’s straight.

Advanced skaters might chuckle when I say this because they probably don’t remember how difficult it is when you’re first starting to skateboard. Trust me, practice makes perfect.

Skateboarding comes naturally to very few. For most of us, pushing can take a little bit getting used to. But if you read these tips and practice, you’ll be confidently cruising on your skateboard in no time.

Are You A Goofy Or Regular Skateboarder?

I’ve gone into detail about goofy vs regular skateboarding but right here I will give you the basics.

Goofy: you stand on the skateboard with your right foot on the front bolts and your left foot on the tail. If you ride goofy, you push with your left foot. Your left foot is your dominant foot.

Regular: you stand on your skateboard with your left foot on the front bolts and your right foot on the tail of your board. If you are a regular rider, you push with your right foot. Your right foot is your dominant foot.

If you’re unsure if you should ride regular or goofy, stand on the board and push yourself a few times. Stick to whatever feels most natural.

Get In A Proper Stance To Push On Your Skateboard

First thing is first, get into your goofy or regular skateboard stance. Make sure to have your front foot on the front bolts and your back foot on the tail of your board. Once you feel comfortable, bend your knees ever so slightly. You should feel like you can spring up or down if you want to.

You never want to stand in a stiff stance. Remember to keep your limbs loosey-goosey.

Take a look at videos of skateboarders and surfers – they always look fluid, loose, and free of stress. Good skaters never ride in a stiff stance. Being stiff can be cause for injury.

Also, NEVER push mongo. It’s a terrible habit to get into early on and it’s really hard to break once you’ve been skating for a while.

Definition of mongo: pushing mongo is when you push with your front foot and leave your other foot close to the tail of the skateboard.

Simple Steps To Learn How To Push On A Skateboard

Stand with your skateboard in front of you. All four wheels should be able to roll when you step on.
Place your dominant foot on the nose of the board (the front), just behind the front trucks.
Bend your front knee slightly, leaning forward.
Bend your back knee and push off the ground with your back foot.
Once the skateboard begins to roll, bring your back foot onto the board in a smooth movement.

Some helpful tips:

Use your arms to remain balanced while moving.
Keep your chest perpendicular with the board.
If you’re beginning to lose speed, put your back foot back on the ground and give yourself a few more pushes.

How To Roll Over Cracks Without Falling Off The Board

Once you’re moving on your skateboard there are all sorts of other dangers like cracks and pebbles. These kinds of obstacles will most likely throw you off your board once or twice. BUT hopefully you’re reading this before that happens.

When approaching a crack, small stick, rock, or whatever might be in your way – granted, it needs to be small – try this:

Move your back foot perfectly onto the tail of the skateboard and bend your knees.
Apply just enough weight or pressure onto the tail to lift the wheels. They should barely lift off the ground.
Once the front wheels have cleared the obstacle, shift your weight closer to the front of the board.

Pro Tip: What you can do to ensure that you clear the obstacle, is while you’re approaching put your front foot on the nose and your back foot on the tail. Then, once the front wheels have cleared the obstacle you can put weight onto the nose, allowing the back wheels to clear the obstacle.