Wheelie and noseturn
Ready when: Tic-tac and kickturns on flat (b6) done.
What you are learning
Riding on the back wheels only (a wheelie, also called a manual) by balancing on the back truck, and the noseturn: turning half a circle on the front wheels. Both teach balance on one pair of wheels.
Words on this card Deck, Wheelie, Noseturn, Line
- Deck
- The board; its front end and its back end, both curved up.
- Wheelie
- Riding on the back wheels only, or on the front wheels only.
- Noseturn
- Turning 180 degrees on the front wheels.
- Line
- The path a skater is taking through the park.
Set up
A crack or a line on the ground; a second line 2 m on.
Weather: dry ground
Show it first for the one teaching
- Wedge the back wheels in a crack so the board cannot roll, put the back foot on the tail and hold the nose up for 3 seconds.
- Roll slowly, put a little weight on the tail and lift the nose, knees low and arms out, from one line to the next.
- Noseturn: front foot on the nose, take the weight off the tail and turn the board half round on the front wheels.
Your part while they practise
Count seconds.
Step by step
- Back wheels in a crack: hold the nose up for 3 seconds.
- Roll and lift the nose with the back foot on the tail, low in the knees, arms balancing.
- Wheelie from one line to the next.
- Noseturn: front foot on the nose, unweight the tail and turn 180 degrees.
How much: 10 wheelies and 5 noseturns each way 10 min a session 3 days a week
Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.
The game: Furthest wheelie
Mark where the nose comes down; the longest wheelie wins.
Who plays: 1 or more skaters, taking turns; you mark.
How to play, turn by turn
- Turns
- Roll toward the first line at walking speed
- Lift the nose at the line
- Mark where the nose touches down
- 5 tries each; then 1 noseturn each way
- Fair play
- A grown-up starts 1 step after the line.
- Points
- 1 point for each step-length of wheelie past the first line; 2 points for each clean noseturn.
- Fouls
- That try does not count
- The tail scrapes the ground
- Lifting the nose before the line
- A foot touches the ground
- Winning
- The most points from one wheelie plus the noseturns.
- 3 points for 1 star
- 6 points for 2 stars
- 9 points for 3 stars
Easier or harder
A short gap.
A nose wheelie on the front wheels.
What you will see, and what to say
- the tail scrapes
Less weight back, knees low
Just enough to lift. - the arms flap
Arms out, still
Still arms, still board.
Self-check
A 2 m wheelie and a noseturn each way.
Stop and get a coach when
Repeated backward falls.
Fitness for this
Warm up first: how to warm up, at workonfitness.com. For strength and stretching, its exercise library shows each exercise step by step, with an easier version.
This card trains balance on one truck.
awiseathlete.com/sports/skateboarding/skateboarding-i1