47 skateboarding terms explained, including grind rail, ollie, fakie and sketchy, each with a one-line meaning you can look up fast.
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Everything below is skateboarding terminology in the wild: the words related to skateboarding that get shouted across a park, the words associated with the hardware under your feet, and the slang that only makes sense once someone shows you the trick. Use the skateboarding glossary further down as a quick reference when a term comes up and you need the short answer.
Must-Know Skateboarding Terms, Phrases and Slang:
- Axle
- Bearings
- Deck
- Grip tape
- Kickflip
- Ollie
- Pop shove-it
- Rail
- Ramp
- Skate park
- Stance
- Trucks
- Vert
- Wheel bite
- Half-pipe
- Manual
- Nosegrind
- Push
- Quarter pipe
- Regular
- Goofy
- Slide
- Tailslide
- Grind
- Heelflip
- Backside
- Frontside
- Lip
- Fakie
- Drop in
Skateboarding Glossary: Every Term A to Z
| Term | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Air | Any moment both wheels leave the surface. Small ones off a lip, big ones out of a bowl. |
| Axle | The metal rod running through the wheels so they spin freely. Part of the truck. |
| Backside | A trick or turn where the skater's back faces the obstacle. |
| Bail | Stepping off on purpose before a trick goes wrong. The opposite of committing. |
| Bearings | Small metal rings inside each wheel that cut friction and keep the roll smooth. |
| Bolts | The hardware holding the trucks to the deck. Landing "bolts" means landing feet over them, the cleanest landing there is. |
| Bowl | A concrete basin with curved walls, skated in continuous lines rather than single tricks. |
| Carve | A long, leaning turn that holds speed instead of scrubbing it. |
| Coping | The metal pipe capping the edge of a ramp or bowl. What grinds actually grind on. |
| Deck | The wooden board itself, the part you stand on. |
| Drop in | Starting a run by tipping over the edge of a ramp or bowl, tail on the coping, weight forward. |
| Fakie | Rolling backwards while your feet stay in the normal riding position. |
| Frontside | A trick or turn where the skater's chest faces the obstacle. |
| Goofy | Riding with the right foot forward. |
| Grind | Sliding along an edge on the trucks rather than the deck. |
| Grind rail | The metal or wooden bar set up to be grinded. In a park it is bolted down, in the street it is a handrail somebody decided counts. |
| Grip tape | The sandpaper-like sheet on top of the deck that keeps shoes from sliding off. |
| Half-pipe | A U-shaped ramp with two walls and a flat bottom between them. |
| Heelflip | Like a kickflip, but the board spins away from the skater, kicked with the heel. |
| Kickflip | An ollie with a flick of the front foot that spins the board a full turn along its length. |
| Kicktail | The upward curve at each end of the deck. Without it there is no ollie. |
| Ledge | A low block or wall edge used for grinds and slides, usually waxed smooth. |
| Lip | The top edge of a ramp, bowl or pipe. |
| Manual | Rolling on two wheels only, front or back, with the other end held off the ground. |
| Nollie | An ollie popped off the nose instead of the tail. |
| Nosegrind | A grind on the front truck alone, nose pointing along the obstacle. |
| Ollie | Popping the tail to lift skater and board into the air with no hands. The move every other trick is built on. |
| Pop shove-it | Popping the tail while shoving the board 180 degrees under your feet. |
| Powerslide | Turning the board sideways mid-roll so the wheels scrub off speed. The way skaters stop without stepping off. |
| Push | Propelling yourself with one foot on the ground, the other on the board. |
| Quarter pipe | A single curved wall, a quarter of a circle, ridden up and back down. |
| Rail | A bar to grind on, and also the long side edges of the deck. |
| Ramp | Any sloped surface built to gain speed or launch off. |
| Regular | Riding with the left foot forward. The more common stance. |
| Sesh | A session. One outing to the park or the spot, however long it lasts. |
| Shred | To skate hard and well. Also just "to skate", said with enthusiasm. |
| Skate park | A built environment of ramps, rails and bowls made for skating. |
| Sketchy | Landed, but barely. A trick that worked without looking like it should have. |
| Slide | Sliding along an obstacle on the deck rather than the trucks. |
| Stance | Which foot leads. Regular is left, goofy is right. |
| Switch | Riding and doing tricks in your unnatural stance, as if you were the other kind of skater. |
| Tail | The back end of the deck, the end you pop. |
| Tailslide | Sliding the tail of the board along a ledge, rail or lip. |
| Thrash | To skate aggressively and without much care for the board. From the old skate magazines, still used. |
| Trucks | The T-shaped metal assemblies under the deck that carry the axles and let the board turn. |
| Vert | Skating on vertical walls, half-pipes and full pipes, where tricks happen in the air. |
| Wheel bite | The wheel touching the underside of the deck in a hard turn, stopping the board dead. |
#1 Axle
The axle is the metal rod that runs through the skateboard’s wheels, allowing them to rotate freely. It’s a critical part of the trucks, which connect the wheels to the deck of the skateboard.
#2 Bearings
Bearings are small, typically metal, mechanisms inserted into the wheels to reduce friction and enable smooth rotation. The quality of bearings affects the speed and smoothness of a skateboard’s ride.
#3 Deck
The deck is the flat, usually wooden, board that forms the main body of the skateboard where riders stand. Its shape and construction affect skateboard performance and suitability for various skateboarding styles.
#4 Grip tape
Grip tape is a granular, adhesive sheet applied to the top surface of a skateboard deck. It provides traction and helps skaters keep their feet in place while performing tricks and maneuvers.
#5 Kickflip
The kickflip is a fundamental skateboarding trick where the rider ollies and then uses their front foot to flip the board 360 degrees along its long axis. Landing back on the deck completes the trick.
#6 Ollie
An ollie is a fundamental skateboarding trick where the rider pops the tail of the board to lift themselves and the board into the air. It’s the foundation for many other advanced tricks.
#7 Pop shove-it
A skateboarding trick where the skateboarder snaps the tail of the board to lift it into the air (pop) while simultaneously shoving the board 180 degrees underfoot. The board spins in a flat horizontal rotation, and the rider lands back on the board after it completes the rotation.
#8 Rail
In skateboarding, a rail typically refers to a metal or wooden bar used for grinding tricks. Rails can be found in skate parks or as part of street skating environments. Skaters perform various tricks by sliding the skateboard along the rail.
#9 Ramp
A sloped surface found in skateparks used by skateboarders to gain momentum and perform aerial tricks. Ramps come in various shapes, including quarter pipes, half-pipes, and banks, each providing different opportunities for tricks.
#10 Skate Park
A purpose-built recreational environment for skaters, with a variety of obstacles like ramps, rails, and bowls designed to challenge skills and foster the progression of skateboarding techniques. Skate parks can be public or private, indoor or outdoor.
#11 Stance
The position in which a skateboarder places their feet on the deck. “Regular” stance means the left foot is forward while “Goofy” stance means the right foot is forward. Stance affects balance and the way tricks are executed.
#12 Trucks
The T-shaped metal assemblies mounted on the underside of the skateboard deck. Trucks are pivotal to the board’s turning and stability and are composed of various parts including the hanger, axle, bushings, and baseplate.
#13 Vert
A term derived from “vertical,” vert describes skateboarding on a vertical ramp, typically a half-pipe or full-pipe. This style focuses on aerial tricks and requires skaters to gain significant height off the ramp walls.
#14 Wheel Bite
The friction that occurs when the skateboard wheels touch the underside of the deck during a sharp turn or landing, often causing the board to stop abruptly and potentially leading to a fall.
#15 Half-Pipe
A U-shaped ramp made of wood or concrete, featuring two inclined sides and a flat section in between. Skaters use the momentum gained from descending one side to perform aerial tricks and maneuvers off the other side, going back and forth.
#16 Manual
A trick in which the skateboarder balances on either the front or back wheels of the skateboard while rolling, with the opposite end of the board lifted off the ground. This maneuver requires significant balance and control.
#17 Nosegrind
A technical maneuver where the skateboarder grinds on a rail or ledge using just the front truck, with the nose of the deck pointing forward. This trick requires precise balance and board control.
#18 Push
The basic action of using one foot to propel the skateboard forward while the other foot remains on the board. Skaters usually push with their back foot, choosing a “regular” or “goofy” stance for comfort and style.
#19 Quarter pipe
A ramp with a quarter-circular cross-section used for performing aerial tricks. Skaters ride up the quarter pipe, perform a trick at the top, and then come back down, often re-entering the ramp for more maneuvers.
#20 Regular
A stance in skateboarding where the rider leads with their left foot forward while riding or performing tricks. It’s the most common stance among skaters and is considered the “natural” stance for those who are left-foot dominant.
#21 Goofy
A stance on a skateboard where the rider places their right foot forward while moving or executing tricks. It is the opposite of the “regular” stance and is preferred by skaters who are right-foot dominant.
#22 Slide
A move where the skateboarder slides on the surface of an obstacle such as a rail, ledge, or lip of a ramp using different parts of the skateboard deck like the bottom or sides.
#23 Tailslide
This trick involves sliding the tail (back end) of the skateboard on a rail, ledge, or lip of a ramp. The skateboarder approaches the object, ollies (jumps), and lands with the tail of the board sliding along the surface before exiting back to the ground.
#24 Grind
Grinding is when a skateboarder slides along the edge of an object, such as a rail or curb, with the trucks of the skateboard. It requires skill to maintain balance while the metal of the trucks scrapes against the surface.
#25 Heelflip
The heelflip is a trick similar to a kickflip, but instead, the skateboard flips away from the skater’s body using their heel. The front foot kicks out towards the heel side to initiate the flip.
#26 Backside
A backside trick is performed when a skater rotates their body in the direction where their back faces the ramp, rail, or obstacle’s direction of travel. It’s often considered more difficult due to the blind spot created during the rotation.
#27 Frontside
Frontside refers to turns or tricks where a skater rotates with their front side facing the direction of travel or the obstacle they are approaching, allowing for better visibility during the maneuver.
#28 Lip
The lip is the top edge of a ramp, bowl, or half-pipe. Skaters perform tricks off the lip, using it to launch into airs, or to balance in ‘lip tricks,’ like stalls and grinds.
#29 Fakie
Fakie is a stance where the skater rolls backward, but with their feet positioned as if they were riding forward. It’s a term also used to describe tricks that are performed while rolling in this reversed stance.
#30 Drop in
Starting a skate run by dropping into a ramp, bowl, or half-pipe from the edge. The skateboarder places the tail of their board on the edge of the ramp and leans forward to let gravity pull them into the skate. This move requires commitment and confidence due to the initial speed and drop.
FAQ
What is a grind rail in skateboarding?
A grind rail is the metal or wooden bar a skater grinds along on the trucks rather than the wheels. In a skate park it is a purpose-built rail bolted to the ground, flat or sloped. In street skating it is usually a handrail beside a set of stairs.
What are skateboarders called?
Skaters, or skateboarders. Older slang like “thrasher” and “shredder” still shows up, mostly in brand names and magazine titles rather than everyday speech.
What do you call pushing a skateboard with your foot?
Pushing, or a kick-push. One foot stays on the board while the other propels you off the ground. Doing it with the front foot instead of the back is called pushing mongo, and skaters will tell you about it.
What is it called when a skateboarder turns the board sideways to stop?
A powerslide. The skater turns the board across the direction of travel so the wheels scrub sideways and shed speed, then straightens out again.
What does thrash mean in skater lingo?
To thrash is to skate hard, fast and without babying the board. It comes out of the skate magazines of the early 1980s and survives mainly as an attitude word.
The vocabulary splits three ways: hardware (deck, trucks, bearings, grip tape, coping), tricks (ollie, kickflip, grind, manual, powerslide) and terrain (bowl, vert, half-pipe, ledge, grind rail). The full skateboarding glossary above covers all three.
What are some skateboarding terms for beginners?
“Ollie,” “Kickflip,” and “Deck” are some skateboarding terms beginners should start with. They represent basic tricks and essential equipment knowledge for new skateboarders.
What are some funny skateboarding terms?
“Wheel bite” and “Nosegrind” are some funny skateboarding terms. They inject humor with names that whimsically describe a wheel touching the deck and sliding on the nose of the board, respectively.
What is a famous skateboarding phrase?
“Drop in” is a famous skateboarding phrase, signaling the start of a skate session in a ramp or half-pipe, marking the moment of commitment by a skater.
