In the 1970s in and around Santa Monica, California, the Zee Boys, a local skateboarding team, popularized a new form of the sport, taking it to the streets and throwing some mud at it. Some of those early pioneers founded the Bones Brigade, and it was member Rodney Mullen who--while all the focus was on ramp skating and crashing empty swimming pools--took to the flatland and turned a few basic maneuvers into fine art. Once called “Freestyle,” the flatland tricks of today have their roots in those early days of the first “Ollie” and “End Over.”
Kick Turn
It’s not necessarily a “trick,” but if you’re new to skateboarding, the best thing to do is to get used to operating on two wheels as so much of what you’ll do later begins there. Kick turns are a way to make sudden directional changes without waiting for the slowly arcing curve that comes when you lean to one side of the board. Shift your weight to the back foot until the nose of the board comes up then use your body weight to turn the board in one direction or the other. Try making turns of just 90 degrees first, then go for a 180 or even a 360.
End Over
The end over is an old-school trick, perfected by Mullen back in the halcyon days of the late 1970s. It involves a series of kick turns using both the tail and the nose of the board. Start with a 180-degree kick turn by pushing down on the tail. When the nose lands, shift your weight forward to raise the tail and do another kick turn, completing the circle. As you continue to turn in one direction--clockwise or counter clockwise--using the tail and nose in succession, you’ll move down the street in the straight line without the wheels even turning.
Ollie
When you’ve mastered the weight distribution needed to turn and perform the end over, it’s time to get the board off the ground. The Ollie is a basic air maneuver initiated by pushing down hard on the tail while taking most of the weight off the nose. The tricky part is to jump up with the board when the momentum brings it up. You’ll end up dragging your rear foot forward on the board slightly as it gets air, and when you’ve got the balance right, your feet will stay right on the deck as the board rises then falls back to the pavement.
Kick Flip/Heel Flip
The flip tricks build on the momentum of the Ollie to flip the board over, side to side, 360 degrees before you land. The difference between a heel flip and a kick flip is simply the direction of the spin of the board. During a kick flip, use your front foot to kick down on the near edge of the board with your front foot once the board is airborne. Pull up with your back foot, removing it from the tail, so the board has room to clear the turn then slam both feet back down when you see the grip tape coming around. The heel flip is more of a push, with the front foot pushing out toward the outer edge of the board close to the nose. You’ll make a little circle with your front foot while the board turns. Clear the rear foot in the same way as you did with the kick turn.
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