17 Simple Skateboard Tricks That Will Make You Look Pro

Some of the easiest tricks that will make you look like a pro skater include the tic-tac, ollie, manual, caveman, hippie jump, and so many more.

Once you’ve learned how to balance, turn, slow down, and stop on a skateboard well, it’s time to learn some tricks. 

Not every trick is as difficult as it looks. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of easy beginner skateboard tricks that will make you look like a pro.

Try learning all of these tricks. If one feels too difficult, move on to another and come back to it in the future. Once you’ve gained more skill and confidence, you’ll be crushing every trick on this list.

Tic Tac

The Tic Tac is a straightforward skateboard trick. It’s actually the first trick that I ever learned on a board.

Put your weight onto the tail of the board and use your front foot to push back down on the board. Now move your wheels from side to side while doing this. It’ll start increasing your speed as you keep going. 

The Tic Tac will also help you familiarize yourself with your board.

Some people might not consider the Tic Tac a trick, but I still believe it deserves a spot on this list. By learning how to Tic Tac, you’ll be able to gain speed without having to push.

Hippie Jump

The hippie jump is easier to learn than an ollie so start here. You’ll feel how to jump on your board without making the deck pop up. 

The hippie jump is a straightforward trick that you can practice by just jumping on your skateboard.

To do a hippie jump:

1. Give your skateboard a slight push.
2. Jump.
3. Land.

Once you start feeling more comfortable, push the board and jump, landing back on your skateboard. And once you’re comfortable with that, try to incorporate obstacles. 

You can roll towards a railing, jump up, and allow the board to roll under it. Just make sure to land on the board on the other side.

Ollie

The ollie is (in my opinion) the most important skateboard trick for you to learn.

An ollie is performed by snapping the tail of your board on the ground and rolling your front foot towards the nose. All four wheels will lift off the ground before landing. The longer that you practice an ollie, the higher you’ll be able to ollie.

This trick is the starting point for most street tricks and all flip tricks. Being able to ollie will open up the door to millions of new possibilities on your board. 

The faster that you master the ollie, the faster you’ll get to learn more technical tricks such as flip tricks, grabs, grinds, and gaps.

Manual

The manual is another trick that’s essential to your arsenal. Manualing is the perfect trick to practice your balance. 

The manual is a skateboard trick where the skateboarder transfers their weight from the nose or tail to the other side of the board so that only two wheels are on the ground as the skateboard rolls. Once all four wheels land back down, the manual ends.

To do a manual:

1. Put your front foot onto the front bolts and your back foot onto the tail.
2. Apply pressure onto the tail of the board and bend your knee.
3. Lightly shuffle your weight back and forth over the wheel while keeping the front tires up.

Lifting the back wheels will complete a nose manual.

Nose Manual

A nose manual looks the same as a manual but is performed on the nose of the board. Balancing on the nose can feel more intimidating than doing a regular manual but it’s not much more difficult.

That being said, it is harder to bail safely when completing a nose manual.

To do a nose manual:

1. Position your front foot in the pocket of the nose and your back foot close to the back bolts.
2. Lean your body weight over the front truck and balance with your hips, keeping your upper body straight.

Nose manuals will build your leg strength and improve your balance on a skateboard. It will open the door to so many other tricks.

Caveman

The caveman is another simple trick that looks incredible.

You can practice a caveman by jumping on your board with a little bit of forward movement. Take a few steps back and then run and jump onto your board. Once you can safely complete that, you’re ready to do a caveman.

Another way to practice is to try the motions while standing still on carpet or grass.

Hold the nose of your skateboard with your front hand, placing your thumb on top of the deck. Swing the board towards the bottom of your feet, jump, and land on the board. 

To do a caveman:

1. Hold the nose of your board in your front hand.
2. Run and jump with your back foot.
3. Release the board and land. 

Now that you can caveman, get creative. 

Nose Stall

To do a nose stall you need an obstacle like a curb or a rail. What you want to do is roll up to it, if it’s taller than the nose of your board, ollie. And you want to land with your front foot on the nose. 

Run into the curb and lift the front of your deck by applying a little bit of pressure onto the tail. Then lean forward and shift your weight onto the nose. It should stall on the curb. Hence the name, nose stall.

When you’re ready to roll off, shift your weight back and do a slight jump.

Practice rolling onto curbs. You can usually do a nose stall without having to ollie onto the curb. Then work your way up to taller objects and obstacles.

To do a nose stall:

1. Roll towards your obstacle.
2. Kick the tail so that the nose raises.
3. Lock the nose of your board onto the obstacle.
4. Lean on your front foot.
5. Shuffle your weight to the tail or lean on your tail and roll back.

No Comply

The No Comply is an elegant trick that may be difficult until you’re comfortable on a board. This is one trick that you should try to master.

No one will think of you as an amateur skater if they see you land a no comply.

To do a no comply:

1. Put your front foot on the side, beside your board. (Generally you’ll do it to the right of the board. Some people will do it to the left but it’s all about preference.)
2. With your right foot on the ground you’re going to want to pop your tail and spin it 180 degrees to the right.

Pro Tip: It’s very important that you get enough pop that you can jump into the air and still land on the board. Make sure to land right on your bolts.

Boneless

The boneless is another great beginner’s trick that has so much potential. If you learn how to boneless, you’ll have unlimited trick combo possibilities.

It may be a little bit scary at first but you just need to embrace the trick and have faith.

To do a boneless:

1. Grab the side of your skateboard and step off using your front foot.
2. Holding the board, jump up and put it back under your feet.

Ollie Pick-Up

An ollie pick-up is super easy and an excellent way to get used to popping the board. It’s technically not a trick but it looks great.

Push forward and pop your tail a little bit, putting your back and front foot to the ground immediately after popping the board.

Your shoulders should be straight and the board should remain under whichever foot popped the tail.

To do an ollie pick-up:

1. Ride forward and gently pop the tail.
2. Plant both feet on the ground.
3. Grab the nose of your deck.

Acid Drop

Once you’ve mastered the ollie pick-up, it’s time to learn how to acid drop. You might have heard it called either the acid drop or bomb drop. Both names work.

Grab the nose of your board and swing it towards you. Jump, and let go of the board when it’s under your feet.

To do an acid drop:

1. Grab the nose of your skateboard, and take a few quick steps.
2. Swing the board towards you.
3. Jump and let go of the board when it’s below your feet.

Wall Bounce

The wall bounce is a cool trick that you can do to impress your buddies. It requires a little bit of luck, patience, and guts.

If you’re not confident in trying the wall bounce, skip this trick for right now and come back to it another time.

To do a wall bounce you need to pop your tail, making the board hop forward. The skateboard will get some forward momentum and naturally move upwards. Aim to bounce the wheels off the wall and time your landing well.

It is intimidating at first but it looks amazing.

To do a wall bounce:

1. Roll towards a wall.
2. Pop your tail hard and jump off the skateboard.
3. After the wheels bounce off the wall, jump back on your board.

Pro Tip: Practice by jumping on the board once all four wheels are back on the ground. Then as your confidence increases, try jumping on it quicker and quicker.

Firecracker

The firecracker sounds more intimidating than it is. What you need to do is put a little bit of pressure onto the tail and ride down a stairway or curb. Start with a curb.

Once you’re confident doing a firecracker on the curb, try finding a 2 or 3-step staircase. Continue building up to bigger and better staircases.

Once you get to the curb or stair, bend your knees. Apply pressure to the tail and ride down.

If you’re attempting a firecracker down stairs, try not to think about them. Think of it as attempting to manual down the stairs.

Keep your balance and do not lean forward. Lean back slightly but not too much.

The trick will make a lot of noise, hence the name, firecracker.

Powerslide

To powerslide, build up some speed, bend your knees, get low, and try to turn your body and the board 90 degrees.

To do a powerslide:

1. Build up speed.
2. Bend your knees and get low.
3. Do a hard 90 degree turn.

Once you get good at power-sliding, you should try to get back out by completing another 90 degrees turn into fakie or revert back to your original stance.

Shove It

The shove it (or shuv-it) is one of the most iconic skateboard tricks for beginners to learn. It is on the more difficult end of beginner tricks and also one of the first tricks that many skaters try to learn.

To do a shove it:

1. Stand with your front foot on the front bolts and your back foot on the tail.
2. Lean onto your back foot slightly to raise the front wheels.
3. Quickly kick back with your front foot and forward with your back foot while the front wheels are in the air.
4. Land once the board has spun 180 degrees.

Pro Tip: Once you master the shove-it and the ollie, you can start practicing a pop shove-it. The pop shove-it is the combination of the two tricks.

Kick Flip & Heel Flip

The kickflip and heelflip are two tricks that every beginner skateboarder will want to add to the tricks they can land.

To do a kickflip:

1. Stand with the toes of your front foot on the front bolts, close to the concave. Your back foot should be on the tip of the tail.
2. Pop the tail, like you would when performing an ollie.
3. Kick your front foot back and towards the nose.
4. Once the board has completed a 360 degree rotation, land.

A heelflip is basically the opposite of a kickflip. Instead of kicking back with your toes, kick forwards with your heel.

To do a heelflip:

1. Stand with your front foot on the front bolts. Your back foot should be on the tip of the tail.
2. Pop the tail, like you would when performing an ollie.
3. Using your heel, kick your front foot forwards and towards the nose.
4. Once the board has completed a 360 degree rotation, land.