Skate Tricks: (D-Street)

Whether you used to know your way around a skateboard in the hazy days of your youth, but time has eroded your skills – or you’re completely new to skating and want to ‘get on board’ with the hot new trend – then here are some top tips on how to perform a few simple tricks.

Joe Habgood, rider for stylish new skateboard brand D-Street, said: “An Acid Drop is a great trick to start with. It’s the simple act of riding off something and free falling to the ground, which is really easy to master and will give you that cool factor in an instant.”

Acid Drop:

Step 1: Position your feet over the bolts of the board and start skating at a speed you’re comfortable with.

Step 2: Roll up to a curb or ledge, keeping the momentum going.

Step 3: Roll over the edge and ride off smiling!

Joe said: “Once you’ve mastered that you can move on to more advanced tricks such as the Hippy Jump – a trick where the rider jumps over a bar, whilst the board goes under the bar or obstacle.”

Hippy Jump

Step 1: Find a small obstacle such as a bench or a bar.

Step 2: Place feet over the bolts and ride towards the object with enough speed to clear the obstacle.

Step 3: When you’re nearing the obstacle, bend your legs and crouch down a little, then jump over the obstacle. The board should continue along the ground.

Step 4: Land on the board on the other side of the obstacle with your feet on the bolts and bend your legs a little to absorb the impact.

The 360

Step 1: In a stationary position turn your shoulders in the opposite direction the way you want to spin as if winding up a spinning top.

Step 2: Now spin your shoulders (and arms, for balance) back into the direction you actually want to spin and lift the front wheels off the ground.

Step 3: Your board and legs will follow the twist of your body and you’ll pivot around on the back wheels.

Step 4: Spin as many times around as you see fit before putting your front wheels back down. 360, 540, 720 degrees – spin until dizzy.

Beercan slalom.

Step 1: Gather fellow skateboard enthusiasts.

Step 2: Distribute cans of beer, lager or cider. Hell, even those ready-mixed Pimms or G+Ts.

Step 3: Empty cans in a suitable fashion.

Step 4: Position cans equally spaced in a line. About 5 feet apart should do it.

Step 5: Ride skateboard towards cans and weave through the gaps without knocking any over.

Urban Dictionary of Skate Lingo

“fakie” means riding backwards.
“kickturn” is the act of turning corners by lifting the front wheels off the ground.
“frontside” means facing to the outside of the turn.
“backside” means facing to the centre point of a turn.
“Carve” to skate in a long, curving arc.
“Goofy-Foot” is a skater who more comfortably rides with the right foot leading.
“Switch Stance” is riding the board with the opposite footing than usual.
“Air” means riding with all four wheels in the air.
“Set” means a set of stairs.
“Kinked” means a rail with bumps in it.
“Session” is a time that you go out and skate.
“Bail” – the act of falling off your board intentionally

“Slam” is to fall off your board unintentionally