Intermediate
skate tricks
The short answer
Once you have the kickflip and heelflip, the next tricks are the ones that combine what you already know. Our guides rate 46 tricks level 3 or higher out of 5. Level 3 and 4 are the intermediate tricks: a flip plus a shove-it (the varial kickflip, varial heelflip), a flip in a new stance (the fakie kickflip, switch kickflip, nollie kickflip), a flip with a turn (the frontside and backside flips), the cabs and the nollie and fakie 180s, a double flip, the first grinds past the 50-50 (5-0, nosegrind) and slides (boardslides, noseslide, tailslide). Level 5 is the impossible, 360 flip, hardflip, inward heelflip, nollie 360 flip, laser flip, full cab and 360 double flip. Not every one needs a flip: 25 of the 46 start from the ollie, a shove-it, a grind or a ramp trick.
Start from what you have
What each trick needs first
Every trick below lists the tricks to learn first. Sorted by whether they need your kickflip or heelflip somewhere behind them:
- Your kickflip 12
- Varial Kickflip, Fakie Kickflip, Nollie Kickflip, Double Kickflip, Hospital Flip, Frontside Flip, Backside Flip, Switch Kickflip, 360 Flip, Hardflip, Nollie 360 Flip, 360 Double Flip
- Your heelflip 9
- Fakie Heelflip, Varial Heelflip, Nollie Heelflip, Double Heelflip, Frontside Heelflip, Backside Heelflip, Switch Heelflip, Inward Heelflip, Laser Flip
- Neither: they build on the ollie 25
- Switch Ollie, Frontside 180, Backside 180, No Comply 180, Noseslide, Tailslide, Frontside Pop Shove-It, Nollie Shove-It, Nollie Frontside 180, Nollie Backside 180, Half Cab, Fakie Frontside 180, 5-0, Nosegrind, Frontside Boardslide, Backside Boardslide, Rock and Roll, 360 Shove-It, Big Spin, Crooked Grind, Smith Grind, Feeble Grind, Lipslide, Impossible, Full Cab
Still working on the ollie? Start with what to learn after the ollie.
Level 3 of 5
Level 3: the first intermediate tricks
- 01
Switch Ollie
The ollie you already have with your feet swapped, so the only new thing is the stance.
Learn first: Ollie
How to switch ollie → - 02
Frontside 180
An ollie with a heel-side shoulder turn, and the step the guides put before the backside boardslide.
Learn first: Ollie
How to frontside 180 → - 03
Backside 180
An ollie with a toe-side shoulder turn, and the step the guides put before the frontside boardslide.
Learn first: Ollie
How to backside 180 → - 04
No Comply 180
A no comply where the back foot scoops the board round frontside 180 while your front foot is on the ground.
Learn first: No Comply
How to no comply 180 → - 05
Noseslide
The first slide to try: ollie, turn 90 to lock the nose on the ledge and put your weight on the front foot.
Learn first: Ollie
How to noseslide → - 06
Tailslide
The noseslide the other way round: lock the tail on the ledge and slide your back foot all the way back.
Learn first: Ollie
How to tailslide → - 07
Frontside Pop Shove-It
Your pop shove-it with the tail pushed forward instead of back; the hardflip and varial heelflip both need it.
Learn first: Pop Shove-It
How to frontside pop shove-it → - 08
Varial Kickflip
Your kickflip and pop shove-it at the same time. It opens the 360 flip.
Learn first: Kickflip, Pop Shove-It
How to varial kickflip → - 09
Fakie Kickflip
Your kickflip with the same feet, rolling backwards, so the new part is only the direction.
Learn first: Kickflip, Fakie Ollie
How to fakie kickflip → - 10
Nollie Shove-It
Your pop shove-it popped off the nose while rolling forward, so the new part is only the nollie pop.
Learn first: Nollie, Pop Shove-It
How to nollie shove-it → - 11
Nollie Frontside 180
Your nollie with a frontside 180: snap the nose down, then throw your shoulders frontside.
Learn first: Nollie, Frontside 180
How to nollie frontside 180 → - 12
Nollie Backside 180
Your nollie with a backside 180: snap the nose down, then let your shoulders turn it. The landing is blind.
Learn first: Nollie, Backside 180
How to nollie backside 180 → - 13
Half Cab
Your fakie ollie with a backside 180, so you turn toward where you are going and can see the landing.
Learn first: Fakie Ollie, Backside 180
How to half cab → - 14
Fakie Frontside 180
Your fakie ollie with a frontside 180, your back to where you are going, so commit to the blind landing.
Learn first: Fakie Ollie, Frontside 180
How to fakie frontside 180 → - 15
Fakie Heelflip
Your heelflip rolling backwards, with a short kick up and out off the toe-side corner.
Learn first: Fakie Ollie, Heelflip
How to fakie heelflip → - 16
5-0
Your 50-50 with only the back truck on the ledge and the nose held up. It opens the smith and feeble grinds.
Learn first: 50-50
How to 5-0 → - 17
Nosegrind
Your 50-50 with only the front truck on the ledge and the tail held up. It opens the crooked grind.
Learn first: 50-50
How to nosegrind → - 18
Frontside Boardslide
Your first slide on the middle of the board: a backside 90 onto the rail. It opens the lipslide.
Learn first: Ollie, Backside 180
How to frontside boardslide → - 19
Backside Boardslide
The same slide from the other side: a frontside 90, with the rail behind you.
Learn first: Ollie, Frontside 180
How to backside boardslide → - 20
Rock and Roll
The first level 3 ramp trick: rock the middle of the board on the coping, then kickturn back in.
Learn first: Rock to Fakie
How to rock and roll → - 21
Varial Heelflip
Your heelflip and frontside pop shove-it at the same time, so it needs both halves.
Learn first: Heelflip, Frontside Pop Shove-It
How to varial heelflip →
Level 4 of 5
Level 4: double flips, turning flips and the harder grinds
- 22
360 Shove-It
Your pop shove-it taken all the way around with a bigger scoop. It is the shove-it half of the 360 flip and inward heelflip.
Learn first: Pop Shove-It
How to 360 shove-it → - 23
Nollie Kickflip
Your nollie and kickflip together: pop the nose, and the back foot does the flick.
How to nollie kickflip → - 24
Nollie Heelflip
Your heelflip off the nose: the back foot kicks the flip, the other way from a nollie kickflip.
How to nollie heelflip → - 25
Double Kickflip
Your kickflip with a higher pop and a harder flick so the board turns twice.
Learn first: Kickflip
How to double kickflip → - 26
Double Heelflip
Your heelflip with a higher pop and a harder kick so the board turns twice.
Learn first: Heelflip
How to double heelflip → - 27
Hospital Flip
A half kickflip that your front foot flips back the way it came, landing grip-up.
Learn first: Kickflip
How to hospital flip → - 28
Frontside Flip
Your kickflip with a frontside 180: you turn with the board, and the flick goes out and slightly back instead of over the nose.
Learn first: Frontside 180, Kickflip
How to frontside flip → - 29
Backside Flip
Your kickflip with a backside 180: you turn with the board, and the flick comes a beat after the pop.
Learn first: Backside 180, Kickflip
How to backside flip → - 30
Frontside Heelflip
Your heelflip with a frontside 180: you turn with the board, and the kick comes just after the pop.
Learn first: Frontside 180, Heelflip
How to frontside heelflip → - 31
Backside Heelflip
Your heelflip with a backside 180: you turn with the board, with a high pop and a kick right after it.
Learn first: Backside 180, Heelflip
How to backside heelflip → - 32
Switch Kickflip
Your kickflip with your feet swapped: your usual front foot pops, and your usual back foot flicks.
Learn first: Switch Ollie, Kickflip
How to switch kickflip → - 33
Switch Heelflip
Your heelflip with your feet swapped: your usual front foot pops, and your usual back foot kicks.
Learn first: Switch Ollie, Heelflip
How to switch heelflip → - 34
Big Spin
A backside 360 shove-it while you turn a backside 180, so you ride away switch.
Learn first: 360 Shove-It, Backside 180
How to big spin → - 35
Crooked Grind
Your nosegrind with the board angled and the tail out.
Learn first: Nosegrind
How to crooked grind → - 36
Smith Grind
A 5-0 where the nose dips down beside the ledge while the back truck grinds on top.
Learn first: 5-0
How to smith grind → - 37
Feeble Grind
A 5-0 where the front foot steers the nose over the far side of the ledge.
Learn first: 5-0
How to feeble grind → - 38
Lipslide
A boardslide with the back truck crossing the rail first. It comes after the frontside boardslide.
Learn first: Frontside Boardslide
How to lipslide →
Level 5 of 5
Level 5: the hardest in our guides
- 39
Impossible
The board wraps around your back foot: you scoop the tail forward instead of popping it, and lift the front foot out of the way.
Learn first: Pop Shove-It
How to impossible → - 40
360 Flip
Your kickflip and 360 shove-it together, the tre flip. A big scoop and a light flick.
Learn first: Kickflip, 360 Shove-It
How to 360 flip → - 41
Hardflip
Your kickflip and frontside pop shove-it together, with the board flipping up between your legs.
Learn first: Kickflip, Frontside Pop Shove-It
How to hardflip → - 42
Inward Heelflip
Your heelflip and a backside shove-it together, with the back foot at the very end of the tail.
Learn first: Heelflip, 360 Shove-It
How to inward heelflip → - 43
Nollie 360 Flip
Your tre flip off the nose: the front foot pops and scoops the nose around while the back foot flicks.
Learn first: Nollie Kickflip, Nollie Shove-It
How to nollie 360 flip → - 44
Laser Flip
Your heelflip with a full frontside 360 shove-it, your body staying square: the push does almost all of it.
Learn first: Heelflip, Frontside Pop Shove-It
How to laser flip → - 45
Full Cab
Your fakie ollie with a full 360 backside turn: a hard pop, a high back leg and your weight over the front foot.
Learn first: Half Cab
How to full cab → - 46
360 Double Flip
A tre flip that flips twice during the full 360, the double tre flip. Land the 360 flip first.
Learn first: 360 Flip
How to 360 double flip →
FAQ
Intermediate
tricks FAQ
Mixing up the level 4 grinds? Read the difference between a smith and a feeble. Want feedback on your own clips? See the skateboarding apps that check your tricks.
What are intermediate skateboard tricks?
In our guides, the tricks rated level 3 and 4 of 5: 21 at level 3 and 17 at level 4. Level 1 and 2 are the ollie, kickflip, heelflip, 50-50 and the other first tricks; level 5 is impossible, 360 flip, hardflip, inward heelflip, nollie 360 flip, laser flip, full cab, 360 double flip.
What should I learn after the kickflip and heelflip?
The kickflip guide points to fakie kickflip, varial kickflip, 360 flip, switch kickflip. The heelflip guide points to varial heelflip, double heelflip, inward heelflip, switch heelflip, fakie heelflip. Both lists are on this page with what to learn first for each.
Do I need a kickflip before I learn grinds and slides?
No. Every grind and slide in our guides is built on the ollie, the 50-50 or another grind or slide, never a flip. The 5-0 and nosegrind come after the 50-50; the boardslides come after the 180s.
Which intermediate trick is easiest?
Level 3 tricks with the fewest tricks to learn first: switch ollie, frontside 180, backside 180, no comply 180, noseslide, tailslide. Each needs only a trick from level 1 or 2.
Which intermediate trick is hardest?
The level 5 tricks: impossible, 360 flip, hardflip, inward heelflip, nollie 360 flip, laser flip, full cab, 360 double flip. Most combine a flip with a shove-it, so the scoop and the flick have to land in sync. The full cab is a full 360 turn on a fakie ollie, and the impossible wraps the board around your back foot. See the flip tricks on the flip tricks page.
