A Beginners guide to trick calling
Once you understand the funda mentals, figuring out the trick you just saw someone do is actually a pretty logical proces, based on listing the component parts of the trick. Working out a trick done on a jump will be based on one or more of the following: direction, rotation, grab. For grabs, see the following page.
DIRECTION
How you normally ride.
Regular = left foot forward.
Goofy = right foot forward.
Switch = The opposite to how you normally ride.
Frontside / Backside = the direction you turn in. Turning heelside as you take off so that you are facing forwards is frontside, turning toeside so that your back faces the direction you are going is backside.
ROTATION
Amount: 180, 360, 540, 720, 900, 1080… the amount you rotate. One full rotation is 360.
Type: the axis on which the body rotates: either a horizontal ‘flat’ spin, an off-axis ‘corked’ spin, or a completely inverted ‘flip’ where the rider includes a full frontflip or backflip.
TRICK NAMES & TERM (jumps)
Sometimes a trick name is a straight description i.e. frontside 360 tailgrab. Sometimes a name is given to a specific trick i.e. an inverted backside 540 mute grab in the pipe is a McTwist.
Tweak: To push one leg out straight – front leg nosebone, back leg tailbone
Alley-oop: Frontside rotation on a backside wall or vice-versa
Backside/frontside Rodeo: 540 merged with a backflip
Half Cab/ Cab 3/5/7/9/10: Short for Caballerial, after skater Steve Caballero. Used when describing all fakie to backside rotations (switch frontside).
What is blindside?
All tricks where you are facing away from the direction you are travelling or rotating. A backside 180 is a blindside trick, whereas a frontside 180 is not.
What is the difference between fakie and switch?Very little. This is basically a distinction that affects the way you name the trick. Fakie is riding backwards in your normal stance, while switch is riding forwards in the opposite stance.
JIBBING
Most jib tricks involve sliding along a rail, box or Jibbing ledge of some description. The key to spotting a rail trick lies in the way the rider gets on the rail, and which part of the board is sliding. Every trick has its frontside or backside version, but unlike jumps, it’s pretty complicated to figure out which is which.
Some Jib Tricks
Bonk: Tapping the obstacle with nose or tail Fastplant: planting rear foot on obstacle midway
Through a jump 50-50: both feet directly over rail
5-0: like 50-50, but front foot is lifted off rail
Nosepress: like 50-50, but rear foot is lifted off rail
Boardslide: board at 90° to rail, rider centred over rail
Lipslide: like boardslide, but rider jumps on from opposite side of rail
Noseslide: like boardslides, but rider balanced over the nose
Tailslide: like lipslides, but rider balanced over the tail
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