Riding a board on four wheels by pushing with one foot, then doing tricks: on flat ground (street), on ramps and bowls (park), and on rails and ledges. Everyone starts with the same base: standing, pushing, turning, stopping and falling safely.
How contests work
In a contest each skater does short runs, often about a minute, or single best tricks. Judges score each run on difficulty, how cleanly the tricks are landed, flow and style, and the best scores win. Among friends the classic game is S.K.A.T.E.: copy the other skater's trick or take a letter.
Rules children break first
Helmet, wrist guards, knee pads and elbow pads every time.
Learn to fall before learning to roll.
Never skate near traffic or on wet, rough ground.
At a skatepark, take turns and never stand in someone's line.
At home and in the park you start with
Finding your stance, jumping on, falling, pushing, turning and stopping, board-control games, kickturns, pumping in a small ramp, then wheelies, the ollie, the shove-it and the kickflip. Drop-ins, rails and airs are first learnt with a coach.
Words you will hear (28, in plain language)
Deck
The board; its front end and its back end, both curved up.
Trucks
The metal parts holding the wheels, and the bolts on top of the board that fix them; feet go over the bolts.
Grip tape
The rough top of the board that stops the feet slipping.
Stance
How you stand on the board: left foot in front is regular, right foot in front is goofy.
Push
Pushing along the ground with the back foot, then riding without pushing.
Run out
Stepping off the board and running to stop safely.
Slalom
Riding a zigzag round a line of cones.
Kickturn
Pressing the tail down so the front wheels lift, and turning on the back wheels.
Tic-tac
Small kickturns left and right to move forward without pushing.
Body varial
Jumping and turning the body 180 degrees to land facing the other way.
Mini ramp
A small U-shaped ramp; its curved part is the transition.
Deck (of a ramp)
The flat platform at the top of a ramp, and the metal pipe along its edge.
Pumping
Bending and straightening the legs in a ramp's curve to gain speed without pushing.
Fakie
Riding backward in your normal stance; riding in the opposite stance.
Drop-in
Starting a ramp run from the top by tipping the board down the wall.
Rock to fakie
Tricks at the top of a ramp: resting the middle of the board on the coping, resting both trucks on it, or turning on the back truck on it.
Wheelie
Riding on the back wheels only, or on the front wheels only.
Noseturn
Turning 180 degrees on the front wheels.
Ollie
Jumping with the board, made by snapping the tail down (the pop) and sliding the front foot up.
Shove-it
Spinning the board 180 degrees under you with the back foot.
Kickflip
An ollie where the front foot flicks the board to spin over along its length.
Rail
A metal bar and a block edge to ride along; sliding on the board itself, or grinding on the trucks.
Boardslide
Names of slides and grinds.
Air
Flying above the top of the ramp, and holding the board while in the air.
Vert
A very tall ramp whose walls go straight up at the top.
Line
The path a skater is taking through the park.
S.K.A.T.E.
A game where missing a copied trick earns a letter; spell the word and you are out.
Nobody is late. A beginner of any age starts at Basic.
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Basic7 cards · show· hideStance, balance, pushing, turning, stopping and falling, then board-control games and the first ramp skills: tic-tac and kickturns on flat ground, pumping in a small ramp, and the kickturn in a ramp.
Move on whenthe child meets the self-checks on b1 to b7.
Intermediate5 cards · show· hideThe first tricks, in a common teaching order: wheelie (manual), ollie, noseturn, shove-it on flat; drop-in, rock to fakie, axle stall and pivot in the mini ramp; both directions from the start. Learn every basic trick riding forward and backward and turning both ways.
Move on whenthe child meets the self-checks on i1 to i4.
Advanced4 cards · show· hideThe kickflip, rail slides and grinds (backside boardslide first, then lipslide and 50-50, noseslide on a ledge), the first backside air, switch versions, and competitive runs and the game of S.K.A.T.E. Start rails low, short, flat and thick; mini ramps before vert.
Move on whena coach judges the next obstacle safe.
Teaching this at home
More space and a second person. A grown-up can run every card.
You do not need to know the sport. Each card tells you where to stand, what to say and what to look at.
Pick one thing to say in a session and say only that. The first week looks messy; that is normal.
End every session on one that works.
Cards marked At a club are taught by a coach. They tell you what the
coach teaches, what is safe at home, and what to ask the club before your child joins.