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Skateboarding · Intermediate · i2

Ollie in parts

Park or court 10 min 1 player Park, ground or field

Ready when: Push, roll, turn and stop (b4) and Tic-tac and kickturns on flat (b6) done.

Start a session

What you are learning

The ollie, the jump that most other tricks are built on. The back foot snaps the tail down (the pop), the front foot slides up toward the nose to level the board, and the skater jumps with it. Learning each part on grass first makes it safe.

Words on this card Deck, Trucks, Ollie, Rail
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.
Ollie
Jumping with the board, made by snapping the tail down (the pop) and sliding the front foot up.
Rail
A metal bar and a block edge to ride along; sliding on the board itself, or grinding on the trucks.

Set up

The board on grass; later a plastic cup on smooth ground.

Weather: dry ground

The base setup for skateboarding

Show it first for the one teaching

  1. On grass, back foot on the tail, front foot just behind the front bolts. Snap the tail down hard so it hits the ground: the pop.
  2. Without popping, slide the front foot up the board toward the nose.
  3. Put them together: pop, jump, slide the front foot up, and land on all four wheels with bent knees.

Your part while they practise

Watch the back foot; film it if you can.

Step by step

  1. On grass: only the pop, 10 times.
  2. Only the front-foot slide up toward the nose.
  3. Both, with a jump.
  4. Standing still on smooth ground.
  5. Rolling slowly.
  6. Land on all four wheels with bent knees.

How much: 30 tries 10 min a session 4 days a week

Say one thing Pick one line from "What you will see" for today and say only that.

The game: Cup ollie

Once the ollie is steady, ollie over a plastic cup from a slow roll.

Who plays: 1 or more skaters, taking turns; you judge.

How to play, turn by turn
Turns
  1. Stand a plastic cup on smooth ground
  2. Roll slowly toward it and ollie over
  3. 10 tries each
Fair play
A grown-up uses a taller cup.
Points
2 points for clearing the cup and landing on all four wheels; 1 point for clearing it and landing on two wheels.
Fouls
No points
  • Kicking the cup over
  • Stepping off before landing
  • Jumping off the board instead of with it
Winning
The most points after 10 tries.
Stars
  1. 4 points for 1 star
  2. 10 points for 2 stars
  3. 16 points for 3 stars

Easier or harder

Easier

Standing still.

Harder

Rolling, over the cup.

What you will see, and what to say

  • the board stays on the ground Snap the tail, then jumpPop first.
  • the board lands on two wheels Slide the front foot to level itDrag it up.

Self-check

5of 10

5 of 10 standing ollies land on all four wheels.

Stop and get a coach when

Knee or ankle pain.

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 the ollie, the base for most later tricks.

awiseathlete.com/sports/skateboarding/skateboarding-i2