Skateboarding words · Beginner

The words you will hear in your first match, grouped the way you meet them.

B · Beginner · 28 words · Step 1 of 2

General terms

Deck

The flat wooden board that makes up the main body of the skateboard.

Trucks

The metal axle assemblies that attach the wheels to the deck and allow turning.

Wheels

The rolling components attached to the trucks.

Run

A solo performance on the course for a set time. Park runs are 30 to 50 seconds, and street runs are 45 to 60 seconds, set by the event. In park the run ends at the time limit or when the skater falls; in street the clock runs until the time is up unless the skater stops.

Trick

Any specific skateboarding manoeuvre, ranging from simple to highly technical.

Stance

Which foot a skater leads with, regular (left foot forward) or goofy (right foot forward).

Skateboard

A deck with four wheels attached by trucks. The rules do not limit its shape, materials or size, but it cannot be physically attached to the skater's feet.

Helmet

Compulsory in practice and competition for all park athletes and for street athletes under 18; not wearing one when required may lead to disqualification. The rules suggest products meeting standards such as EN 1078 or ASTM F1447 and require a one-piece hard shell, internal padding that absorbs impact, and a chin strap with a buckle lock.

Competition formats

Street

An Olympic discipline held on a course that simulates urban obstacles such as stairs, rails and ledges. A street competition usually has a qualifier, a semi-final and a final, in run or runs-plus-tricks formats.

Park

An Olympic discipline held on a park course with bowl-like transitions. Park is always run in the run format: two to four runs of 30 to 50 seconds in every round, usually a qualifier, a semi-final and a final.

Run-based scoring

The format in which a skater gets a set number of runs and the highest-scoring run counts for the round. In street the run format is two or three runs of 45 to 60 seconds.

Best trick format

A format of single trick attempts. In the street runs-plus-tricks formats the single tricks follow the runs and the best attempt, or in one format the best two, are added to the best run. A contest of single tricks alone is only an experimental format, allowed in non-Olympic-qualifier events.

Competition rounds

Street and park usually have three rounds: a qualifier, a semi-final and a final, with a quarter-final added when there are many entries. In street the qualifier is a run, the semi-final runs plus tricks or run, and the final runs plus tricks.

See also: Street, Park, Runs plus tricks

Scoring terms

Judges

Five judges score each run or single trick from 0.00 to 100.00. The highest and lowest scores are dropped and the other three are averaged to two decimal places. The Head Judge is the final authority on makes and bails.

Bail

A trick that is not landed under control. The Head Judge decides what is a make and what is a bail. A trick that has clearly begun before the end horn is counted and scored, whether it is landed or not.

Stuck

A trick landed cleanly and in control, which the rules call a make.

Also called: make
See also: Trick

Line

A connected sequence of tricks performed one after another without stopping.

Judging criteria

The standards the judges apply to a run: difficulty of the tricks, variety of the tricks, quality of execution and landing, use of the course and its obstacles, consistency, flow and repetition. The criteria are the same in street and park.

Also called: criteria
See also: Overall impression, Difficulty, Execution

Overall impression

The single judgement a judge forms of a run or jam session by weighing all the judging criteria together. It is turned into a score that matches where the run ranks among the others in that round.

Difficulty

How hard a trick is to do, taking into account the obstacle it is done on. The criteria call it the most distinctive measure by which tricks are judged.

Execution

How well a trick is done from start to finish. It takes in style, speed, distance, energy and height, and the quality of the landing is a decisive part of it.

Also called: quality of execution
See also: Judging criteria, Stuck

Basic trick types

Ollie

The fundamental jumping trick where the skater pops the board into the air without using their hands, the basis for most other tricks.

Kickflip

A trick where the board flips completely along its length axis (like a rolling spin) while airborne, then lands back under the skater's feet.

Grind

Sliding along an edge (like a rail or ledge) using the trucks (the metal parts) rather than the wheels.

Slide

Sliding along a surface using the underside of the deck itself, rather than the trucks.

Grab

Reaching down to hold the board with one hand while airborne, often during ramp/bowl tricks.

Manual

Balancing and rolling on just two wheels (like a wheelie), without the other two touching the ground.

Air

Any trick performed while the skater and board leave the ground significantly, especially common in park/vert skating.