When it comes to the vibrant and thrilling world of skateboarding, one question that often pops up for beginners and veteran skaters alike is “how many skateboarding tricks are there?” Compiling a definitive list is a tricky feat, because the beauty of skateboarding lies in the creativity and innovation involved in it.
The humble beginnings of skateboarding started with a simple flat-ground rolling and has since evolved to incorporate a vast array of tricks and stunts. From basic maneuvers to complex flips and grinds, the list keeps expanding as skaters worldwide continue to invent and perfect new tricks.
The fundamental building blocks of skateboarding tricks are ollies and kickflips. The ollie, named after its inventor Alan “Ollie” Gelfand, is the act of jumping with your skateboard without using your hands. It’s a starting point for many skateboarding tricks. The kickflip, making the board flip over underneath the skater in mid-air, is another basic trick that most skaters learn quickly.
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you may venture into more advanced tricks. The various types of tricks often fall within categories such as street, vert, or freestyle, depending on the type of terrain the trick is performed on. In these categories, you can find a substantial number of grind and slide tricks, flip tricks, grab tricks, and lip tricks, to name a few. Each category has its unique set of moves—the number of tricks can be counted into hundreds!
Moreover, understanding that skateboarding tricks aren’t just about the moves but also about style is vital. Two skaters can perform the same trick, with the outcome looking slightly different due to their unique styles and ways they have infused their personalities into the move.
So, “How many skateboarding tricks are there?” Well, like the art of skateboarding itself, the answer is ever-evolving. League standards acknowledge hundreds of tricks, but the actual number, including those created by skaters incidentally during their journeys, could perhaps reach thousands.
With skateboarding’s continual evolution, fueled by the imaginations and skills of its global community, there are always new tricks to learn, boundaries to push, and thrills to experience. So, grab a board, hit the park, and start experimenting—after all, your next trick could add to skateboarding’s ever-growing repertoire of stunning stunts.