The keys to a good freestyle contest run are variety, difficulty, fluidity, and creativity.
A 50/50 truckstand is when the board is balanced nearly vertical with the back foot standing on the truck and the front hand holding the nose.
The typical way to perform a 50/50 truckstand is to put the board into nosestop, grasp the board with the back hand, jump and toss it to the front hand and land with the back foot on the truck, then execute a half-finger flip to land it.
1970s skate competitions such as the ones shown in Lords of Dogtown would often have an event to see who could do the most consecutive 360 spins on a skateboard.
It is usually done off the front end of the board and spun backside while travelling forwards, but can be done in any direction and combined with flips.
In freestyle, the trick is usually performed off the front of the board while riding forwards, which helps ensure flat and fast spins.
With practice, this trick can be done in quick repetition – or backwards – though a slow performance can create an illusion of speed.
One pilot is immediately followed by another in the opposite rotation; when these pivots are done in consecutive lines, they are considered End-Overs (end-over-end).
It was originally developed by Alan "Ollie" Gelfand in a bowl, and brought to flat ground by Rodney Mullen.
Invented by Primo Desiderio, the original version involved sliding backside 180 degrees, but many skaters now hold them in a straight line, flipping into and out of them.
This trick was invented by coach Vince W.[1] Variations include handstands, grabs, transfer to spacewalk, etc.
A trick in which the skater uses one foot to wrap the board around the calf of their opposite leg, which is planted on the ground, then unwraps it to land in a riding position.
An earlier version of this trick was called "Flamingo" or "Figure Four" for the stance of the legs in mid-trick, with the board touching the inside knee or thigh.
This was not often used until the faster calf-wrap version was developed to accommodate a backside 180 re-entry on banks and ramps.
The trick was invented by Derek Belen, and developed and popularized by Mike Vallely, Rey Gregorio, Dorian Tucker and Kris Markovich.
A Manual is a trick similar to a bicycle wheelie where the skateboarder balances with only the front or the back wheels touching the ground.
Variations: One-Wheeled, Backward, Hang Ten (two feet on the nose) Currently, the Guinness World Record for the longest manual on a skateboard is 224.33 m (735.99 ft) and was achieved by Sean Glatts (USA) in Solana Beach, California, USA, on 26 August 2017.
An early version of the trick (now called a Nosehook Impossible) involved hooking the front foot under the nose to lift the board before the back foot began its scoop; later, Rodney Mullen developed the technique by popping in an Ollie from a regular riding position.
The foot that is not touching the wheel will point down and nudge the griptape side of the skateboard while the rider spins 180 degrees towards the direction of the trucks.
After the board and rider have rotated 180 degrees, the feet work together to nudge the skateboard down into a rolling position.
This is a specific truck-to-truck transfer, which may be considered as a half Impossible from a 50/50 to a switch 50/50 – still standing on the back foot.
In 2014, Marco Sassi became the first person to do a 360 Carousel, completing a full impossible around the foot to land back in the original 50/50 position.
If the half flip is done with a Nosegrab, the trick is referred to as a Bebop, named for Hazze Lindgren.
Ray Barbee is noted as a master of No Comply variations to many who have watched the earlier Powell videos.
Invented by Rodney Mullen, and usually done from a Pogo or a 50/50, this trick involves the front leg tracing a circle around the nose of the board without touching the ground.
A scarewalk is a back-handed Airwalk,[clarification needed] resulting in the board being held in close proximity to the rider's crotch (hence the name).
While in a 50/50 or Pogo, the rider grabs the bottom truck (the one with the back foot on) and performs a handstand with the other hand holding the nose of the board.
A variation when grabbing the top truck is called a "Jawbreaker", invented by Primo Desiderio.
Placing two, three, or more boards on top of each other can increase the rebound forces and expand the achievable jump height for novice skaters.
[3] It is one of the oldest freestyle tricks and has been featured in the Girl Skateboards video Yeah Right!, Gus Van Sant's film Paranoid Park, and the Lords of Dogtown movie.