Skating Tricks Glossary (historical)

Acid Drop A large fall or gap you typically jump into or over.

Acid Grind A grind in which your soul foot is on the bar/curb normally, but instead of your front foot being perpendicular to the bar like normal, it points in the other direction.

Air Jumping off something high or launching off a ramp to get some height between yourself and the ground.

Alley-oop A move where you turn one way while rotating (to land the grind) another. I.e.- you catch air on a ramp going right to left, yet you spin clockwise. When used in reference to grinding this means doing the grind backwards.

Alley-oop Soul A soul grind sliding backwards.

Anti-Rocker A type of wheel setup where you have big wheels at 1 and 4 and small wheels in the middle 2-3 . This allows you to grind easier because of the bigger area between the wheels.

Backside Opposite of frontside. Facing back into the ramp or with your back facing the surface you’re grinding. Feet spread just over shoulder width.

Backslide A grind using only the back foot , balancing carefully on the boot and frame.

Bar The common name for a grinding bar or rail.

Bearings The spherical balls in the center of the wheels that allow them to spin.

Bio Sideways spin (Preferably horizontal).

Blindside A trick where you turn away from the grinding object. I.e.- you lose sight of the object during the jump-to-grind.

Brainless A back flip with a 540 degree turn done on a ramp.

Cab A term for a fakie 360 degree turn.

Capped When a rail or ledge has caps fitted that makes it impossible to grind.

Ces Slide Where you do a hockey stop with your skates . i.e. – you slide sideways on both skates . Its usually done going down a slope or on a smooth surface.

Clicking In Phrase used to describe the click you make when you jump up and lock in a rail for a grind.

Coping The metal bar going horizontally across the top of a ramp. This allows you to grind or stall easily.

Corkscrew A fakie bio 540 degree turn.

Crossed Term used to describe grabs in which you reach over (or cross) your body to do the grab.

D to E

Disaster Generally associated with grinding. You do a disaster when you jump high (possibly doing a grab), land and grind.

Dropping In Whenever you enter a ramp from the top of it.

Duck Walk Where you skate on the toe wheel of one skate and the heel wheel of the other.

Egg Plant A handplant in which you plant only the outside hand . i.e. – You go vertical by turning counterclockwise and you plant your right hand.

Elbow Where you have one mini-half pipe at an angle next to another one allowing you to transfer between them.

Express Air Air in which you grab the inside of the skate with the same side hand. i.e. – right hand right foot generally done with a stiff other leg.

Fakie Anything done backwards.

Face Plant Comes just after a big fall assumed to have or looked like you landed on you face and slid a little way can hurt some what.

Fahrverg -nuegen An alley-oop royale grinding position.

Farside Any grind in which you go over the bar and land on the ‘far side’ to start grinding.

Fast Slide Where you do a grind (like frontside), but only use the front foot.

Fishbrain A topside makio grind. Named by Aussie skater Tom Fry.

Flip Any move in which you rotate a full circle with your waist being the axle of rotation.

Frontside A type of grind . If you are approaching a bar on your right and the turn is clockwise 90 degrees to get onto it, you are performing a frontside grind.

Gap Term used to describe a large fall or drop that you jump over or into.

Grind Where you jump onto an object and slide down it on your skates. You usually go parallel to a curb, jump and turn 90 degrees then slide sideways down it.

Grind Plate A piece of either plastic or metal that is found on the bottom of aggressive skates (between the 2nd and 3rd wheel) to help you grind .

H Grind A soul grind using both inside souls

Half Cab Going from skating backwards to skating forwards.

Half Pipe A type of ramp that is usually made out of wood or steel and looks much like a U. Half pipes can range from 3 feet high to over 12 feet in height.

Hand Plant Also called an invert, it is when you go upside down on the ramp and do a handstand.

Hip Section of a ramp that is perpendicular to another section. This allows for tricks going from one part to another.

Indy Grab A reverse mute on the ramp. i.e. – if you spin counter clockwise, and grab your right skate mute with your left hand.

Invert When you go upside down on the ramp and do a handstand.

Japan Air A grab in which you reach behind you to grab the opposite leg and the non-grabbed leg is bent.

Judo Air Trick in which you reach around behind with one hand and grab the skate of the opposite side. The ungrabbed leg is straight.

Kang A Lui Kang thrown in the middle of a fakie 360 degree turn.

Kind Grind An alley-oop farside miszou.

Late Tricks Usually describes a spinning trick. It is a trick that you do just before landing.

Lui Kang A grab in which the non-grabbed leg kicks out as if you are doing a side kick.

Makio Another soul slide term. Done when you grab the non-souling foot with the hand closest to it.

McTwist An inverted 540 degree turn.

Med Spin An on the ground 360 degree turn in which you go from forward on two to rolling backwards on one foot to forwards on two feet.

Method air When you are catching air, you reach down and grab the skate on the same side.

Mistrial A topside miszou royale.

Miszou A grind in which you lead with the soul of the skate and follow with your back foot perpendicular on the rail/curb.

Misty Flip A front flip that is performed sideways.
Mute Air It is when you grab your opposing foot reaching across the front.

Natural Term used to describe doing grinds going in your better direction.

Negative Royale A Shifty grind in which your lead foot is on the outside edge. (also Noogan)

Nifty Negative shifty or an alley-oop royale type grind.

Noogan An Australian term for a royale and or negative royale depending on if its front foot on outside edge which which would be a negative noogan.

Overmiszou A farside miszou on a ramp or curb.

Overacid A topside acid soul on a ramp or ledge.

Oversoul A farside soul on a ramp or curb.

P0RN Star The popular term for acid miszou.

Pump This is what you do to gain speed on a ramp.

Rail Slide A type of grind in which you slide down a hand rail. Usually interchangeable with grind.

Ramp Generally assumed to be half pipe, but can be quarter pipe or a launch ramp.

Rewind When you complete a grind or stall and do a 270 degree turn.

Rockered Wheels A type of wheel setup in which the two middle wheels are lower than the outside ones. This allows greater mobility, but sacrifices stability.

Rocket A grab in which both legs are straight out in front of you and you reach to grab them.

Royale A grind in which you grind on the inside of the lead skate and the outside edge of the trailing skate.

Session A skating session.

Shift Kick When you switch stances, you jump up, act like you are going to pull a 180 degree turn by switching your feet, then land back down normally.

Shifty Grind When you turn your upper body during a grind while looking forwards. Sometimes switched with the term royale.

Shuffle See ces slide.

Sit In When you drop in from a seated position.

Soul Grind A grind where the front foot is perpendicular like a normal frontside grind, but the back foot is parallel to the rail/curb (or grinding on the sole).

Spine Ramp A type of ramp in which two half pipes are placed back to back allowing transfers.

Stair Bashing/Riding Skating down stairs, either forwards or backwards (or sideways).

Stale Used to describe any grab where you grab the wheels of the skate.

Stalefish Grab When you reach behind and grab the outside of the opposite skate.

Stall When you jump onto something, stop on it for a couple of seconds and jump off. Mainly used on ramps or for practicing landing a grind.

Stand In When you are standing on the coping or a ramp, lean forward and drop in.

Stub Soul A soul grind in which the front foot is grinding on the inside edge.

Switch Stance When you’re grinding, you switch from frontside to a backside, or vice-versa. This is a 180 degree turn on the bar or curb.

Tabernacle A grind in which the trailing foot is on like a frontside but the lead foot is acid.

Topside Grind Also referred to as oversoul (or miszou), it is where you’re performing a farside grind on a planter or the coping.

Torque Soul A soul grind in which the front foot is in an alley-oop royale position.

Torque Slide See suislide.

Transition The part of a ramp that goes from horizontal to vertical.

Unity Grind Frontside grind where both legs are crossed.

Unnatural Term used to describe going the opposite (unnatural) direction to what you normally go.

Vert Used to describe a half pipe that goes vertical at the top typically 8 to 12 feet high. NSW has a lack of these ramps…

Wax(ing) When you apply wax onto a curb or rail to allow for easier grinding. Any type of wax for paraffin wax to soap to candles works.

X Grind A grind in which both feet are souling on the bar from opposing sides.